Free Law and Disorder by Tim Kevan Page B

around the question of why she is so defensive. Barriers built over years of working with lecherous dinosaurs such as HeadofChambers and OldSmoothie? Resentment that the rest of the world seems happy? Or just plain nastiness? Whatever it is, there’s plenty to be getting on with.
    Later BusyBody was back in TheBoss’s room again. I’m beginning to suspect that she’s started flirting back. She stayed about an hour doing more ‘research’ at OldRuin’s desk. I gave TheBoss fifteen minutes before he mentioned the Ferrari. He did it in ten.
    Thursday 14 December 2006
    Day 54 (week 11): Chambers party
    It’s the party season and this evening it was the official chambers drinks party. I was there simply to serve the drinks, as were the other three pupils. The most interesting thing about the evening was seeing what each of the spouses were like. HeadClerk’s wife was the most glamorous by a country mile. OldSmoothie’s wife was the most daunting and treated him like he was some over-aged naughty school boy in front of everybody all night. Which of course he is. TheBoss’s wife was, well, noticeable only by her absence.
    It was held in chambers’ large meeting room and for two hours there was free-flowing champagne and canapés provided courtesy of Marks and Spencer. For just a short space of time it was almost as if everyone forgot their petty differences, of which, I have already discovered, there are many. But it wasn’t long before the cliques started to regroup and the gossip flowed more freely than the champagne.
    Interesting to see how badly UpTights gets on with OldSmoothie. They don’t even seem to pretend to be polite. OldSmoothie strolled over to her in the middle of the party and looked her up and down in mock admiration before opening with a sarcastic, ‘Nice work you’ve had done recently, UpTights. Is this what they call growing old ungracefully?’
    ‘Maybe you should try dyeing those ever-receding silver wisps of yours, OldSmoothie. Looking a bit tired, I must say.’
    ‘Not half as tired as your neck and wrists, UpTights. Shame your miracle doctors can’t hide all the evidence.’
    TheBoss spent quite some time talking to BusyBody about how she was enjoying pupillage as she quietly sipped away on the champagne in between rounds of serving. It was during their little flirtation that I overheard her getting stuck into me.
    ‘Did you hear about what he said to the senior partner’s wife at the party the other night?’ she whispered just loud enough for me to hear standing nearby.
    ‘Er, no. What happened exactly?’
    ‘Well, I don’t want to be indiscreet or anything but I guess it’s right that you know since you do a lot of work for that firm. But, well . . .’
    ‘Go, on. Don’t worry, it won’t go any further, I promise.’
    Yeah, right! As if she believed that. She ploughed on, ‘Well, I heard that he was rude about one of the partners in front of his wife. I mean, I’m sure he didn’t mean it or anything but, well, I just thought you should know.’
    Well thanks a bundle, Little Miss BusyBody the SuperGrass. I just hope it doesn’t cause even more damage.
    As for TopFirst, predictably he wasn’t drinking. Says he’s on a detox. More like a delife.There seems to be no chink in his armour at all.Poor Worrier is already out of the picture and BusyBody – despite obviously living up to her name and trying to undermine me – is likely to annoy just about everyone except TheBoss. But TopFirst unfortunately remains a complete conundrum. One thing I have noticed is that despite having a beautiful fiancée, his ego is so bloated that he can’t seem to help being an almighty flirt with the opposite sex, and in the naffest way possible. I’ve seen him at it a few times, but perhaps the most cringeworthy example was today. He was ostentatiously carrying around a bowl full of sweets and as he approached TheVamp he bowed slightly, offered her the bowl and in his best Austin Powers voice