Mary Robb - Down the Rabbit Hole

Evelyn could only hope that the years had changed the spoiled, mean-spirited girl Darda had been into a more compassionate, caring woman who would see the goodness in this child. In the meantime, Evelyn vowed to spend whatever time she had left preparing Beth to resist the temptations of this sometimes selfish world to become a fine woman her parents would be proud of.

She fervently hoped the lessons of childhood would stay with the girl for a lifetime.

NEW YORK, PRESENT DAY

“Beth.” Darda Campbell ushered her niece into an exquisitely appointed office. “I’d like you to meet Alan Connifer.”

Beth’s eyes widened. “Of Connifer-Goldrich?”

“The same.” The handsome, prematurely gray-haired man offered a handshake before indicating a pair of chairs across from his desk.

Following her aunt’s lead, Beth sat.

She could feel the top executive studying her. “Darda and I have had several long, intense meetings, both here in New York and at my firm in London.”

Beth folded her hands primly in her lap. Since joining her aunt’s firm, she’d worked harder than any of her contemporaries, hoping to prove to Darda that she was worthy of the position. Darda had taken over her late brother’s small law firm and turned it into one of the most prestigious in the state. As president and sole owner of the Darda Campbell Agency, Darda had a reputation for being a tough, take-no-prisoners negotiator who showed not a drop of mercy. Now, with a contingent of top foreign firms paying court, rumors were rampant that they were about to be swallowed up by a giant conglomerate and half the firm would be sent packing. A second rumor speculated that they would all receive promotions and huge bonus checks to go along with the firm’s expansion.

Beth figured the truth lay somewhere in the middle.

Without preamble Alan announced, “The Darda Campbell Agency has accepted our offer to merge with Connifer-Goldrich.”

Beth blinked. So, it was true. Her father’s once-tiny firm would now be part of a multibillion-dollar international conglomerate that specialized in negotiating impossible deals for developers coveting exotic properties around the globe.

Alan fixed Beth with a look. “I’m sorry to say we’ll be cutting back on your department, since we already have enough in-house lawyers.”

Beth braced herself for the ax that was about to fall on her head.

Instead, Alan’s next words had her looking up in surprise.

“But, since you’re part of Darda’s family, we’d like to keep you on.”

He turned to Darda. “Why don’t you tell her the rest?”

Darda’s lips were carved into her famous ice-princess smile. A smile that never reached her eyes. “You’re being offered the deal of a lifetime. The firm is sending you to Scotland to meet with a . . . difficult client. He happens to own a huge tract of land that a client of Connifer-Goldrich wishes to develop. There are stepsiblings, I understand, who very much want to sell, as the will states that they will be given one-third of any profit from a sale. But the client has sole discretion on the entire estate, and right now he’s resistant to any sale. If you can get him to sign a contract, you’ll be given a title with our new firm and a very generous bonus.”

Beth didn’t bother to ask what would happen if her impossible mission failed. One fact had been drilled into her from the time she was a little girl: If she wished to please Darda Campbell, failure was not an option. “Do you have the particulars?”

Alan picked up a USB flash drive and passed it across the desk. “This is everything we have on Colin Gordon, whose nickname is the Beast of the Highlands. He’s called that because he’s known as an angry, no-nonsense loner who would rather hike the mountains or fish in an icy stream than sit by the fire in his grand lodge. We’ve tried in the past to entice him to sell, but he has no need of more money, and he’s impossible to deal with.”

“The stepsiblings?” Beth looked hopeful. “Can they be counted on to persuade him?”

Alan shrugged. “Let’s hope so. Though Colin Gordon calls his estate a humble hunting lodge, it’s actually a palatial estate set in the heart of the Highlands, where the people are often as fierce as the land and the weather.”

“Why would anyone want to plan a development in such a place?”

Alan looked over. “It’s a privately owned paradise for sportsmen. Lakes teeming with fish. A forest, closed to hunters for hundreds of years, that is home to many rare species, including red deer and even the occasional Scottish wildcat. Quaint villages nearby would be snapped up by upscale retailers, eager for a new venue.” He paused a moment before asking, “So? Think you’re the one who can make this happen?”

Beth felt the weight of the world descending upon her shoulders. This was a test. She would have the opportunity to prove that she could be as shrewd a businesswoman as Darda. Winning at any price was Rule One in Darda’s world.

She pasted on her best smile. “I’ve always wanted to visit the Highlands. My grandmother was born there. Besides, you had me at . . . title and bonus.”

Darda shot Alan a smug smile before turning to Beth to offer a handshake. There had been no hugs in her household. And here at work, she wouldn’t permit her niece to even hint at anything personal. Whether at home or at work, she was ma’am or Darda. Never Aunt Darda.

“The firm is counting on you, Beth. I’ve spent a lifetime playing hardball with the best of them. Now it’s your turn to show me that you can do whatever it takes to close this deal.”

“I won’t let you down.”

“Of course you won’t. Your place with the firm is depending on it.”

Darda turned to Alan. “If we’re finished here, I have some details to see to.”

Beth winced, certain that the “details” involved giving notice to dozens of young lawyers like herself that their jobs had just disappeared.

When they were alone, Alan sat back, looking relaxed and relieved to have finished with his business.

“I knew your father. He and I were in law school together.”

At that, Beth brightened considerably. “Oh, how grand. What was he like?”

She had no idea of the absolute hunger in her voice, in her eyes.

Alan gave her a gentle smile. “Darda told me about her brother’s accident. How old were you?”

“Four. I lived with my grandmother for almost two years before she passed away, and then I was taken to live with my au . . . with Darda.”

Hearing the slight hesitation, he nodded. “I’m sure you were too young to remember much about your father. He was positively brilliant. The rest of us had to work twice as hard just to keep up. But what struck me most was his compassion. I do believe Richard Campbell was the kindest man I’ve ever met. And your mother, Cybil, suited him perfectly. The two of them made the title ‘lawyer’ not only respected, but revered. They took on impossible cases, often pro bono, and won against all the big dogs. They were known as dragon-slayers.”

“I’d heard this firm was well-regarded in his day, even though it was quite small.” Beth was positively beaming. “I wish I could have been a part of it then.”

Alan looked away. “You have your aunt. And now you have the power of Connifer-Goldrich behind you.”

“Yes. Well . . .” Beth got to her feet, clutching the flash drive. “I’ll familiarize myself with the details of this client, and, as Darda promised, I’ll close the deal for you.”

As she turned away, Alan Connifer said, “Beth.”

“Yes?” She turned back.

He merely looked at her for long moments. Then, shrugging, he smiled. “You remind me of Richard.”