Danielle Steel - Full circle

It was a small, simple ceremony this time, presided over by the presiding judge of the superior court. There were half a dozen other judges there, her old friend the D.A., who happily said “I told you so” over her swift move up, and a handful of other people she cared about, and Averil was in Europe with Harrison and the kids. She had decided to winter in London that year, just to get away for a while, and she had put the children in school there. Harrison had talked her into it, and he looked happy when he left with his grandchildren in tow. There had been a heartbreaking moment alone with Tana just before that, when he actually put his face in his hands and cried, wondering if Harry had known how much he had loved him, and she insisted that he had. It helped assuage his sorrow and his guilt over the early years to take care of his daughter-in-law and his grandchildren now. But it wasn't the same without them at Tana's swearing-in and it was odd to look around and not see Jack.

The actual swearing-in was done by a judge of the court of appeals, a man Tana had met once or twice over the years. He had thick black hair, ferocious dark eyes, and a look which would have frightened anyone, as he towered over them all in his dark robes, but he also had quick laughter, a keen mind, and a surprising gentleness. He was particularly well known for some very controversial decisions he had made, which had been played up in the national press, and in particular the New York Times, and the Washington Post, as well as the Chronicle. Tana had read about him a lot, and wondered just how ferocious he was, but she was intrigued to see now that he was less lion and more lamb, or at least he was at her swearing-in. They chatted for a while about his superior court days, and she knew that he had also run the biggest law firm in town, before being made a judge. He had an interesting career behind him, though she suspected that he wasn't more than forty-eight or forty-nine. For a long time, he had been kind of a “wunderkind,” and she liked him very much as he shook her hand, and congratulated her warmly again, before he left.

“I'm impressed.” Her old friend the D.A. smiled at her. “That's the first time I've ever seen Russell Carver at a swearing-in. You're getting to be awfully important, my friend.”

“He probably had to pay his parking tickets downstairs, and someone recruited him.” They both laughed. Actually, he was a close friend of the presiding judge, and had volunteered his services for the swearing-in. He looked the part anyway, with his dark hair and serious face.

“You should have seen him when he was the presiding judge here, Tan. Shit, he threw one of our D.A.'s into the can on contempt of court for three weeks and I couldn't get the poor bastard out.”

Tana laughed, just imagining it. “I'm lucky that never happened to me, I guess.”

“Didn't you ever have him as a judge?”

“Only twice. He's been on the court of appeals for a hell of a long time.”

“I guess he has. He's not very old though, as I recall. Forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one … something like that…”

“Who's that?” The presiding judge wandered over to them and shook Tana's hand again. It was a nice day for her, and she was suddenly glad that Jack wasn't there. It was so much easier like this, and not having to hold her breath or apologize to him.

“We were talking about Justice Carver.”

“Russ? He's forty-nine. He went to Stanford with me.” The presiding judge smiled, “although I'll admit he was a few years behind.” In fact, he had been a freshman when the presiding judge graduated from law school, but their families had been friends. “He's a hell of a nice guy, smart as hell.”

“He has to be.” Tana spoke admiringly. There was another leap to contemplate. The court of appeals. What a thought. Maybe in another decade or two. And in the meantime, she was going to enjoy this. Superior court was going to be just her cup of tea. They were going to have her trying criminal cases in no time at all, since that was her area of expertise. “It was nice of him to do my swearing-in today.” She smiled at everyone.

“He's a nice guy.” Everyone said that about the man, and she sent him a little note, thanking him for taking the time to make her induction an even more special event, and the next day, he called and there was laughter in his voice.

“You're awfully polite. I haven't had a bread-and-butter letter like that in twenty years at least.”

She laughed in embarrassment and thanked him for the call. “It was just a very nice thing to do. Like having the Pope around when you take religious vows.”

“Oh, my God … what a thought. Is that what you were doing last week? I take it all back…” They both laughed and they chatted for a while. She invited him to stop into her court whenever he was around, and she felt a comfortable warmth at the confrerie she was a part of now, judges and justices, all working together. It was like having arrived at Mount Olympus at last, and it was a hell of a lot easier in some ways than prosecuting cases against rapists and murderers, building a case and arguing, although she had enjoyed that too. Here, she had to keep a clearer head, an objective outlook, and she had never studied so much law in her life. She was buried in a stack of books in her chambers two weeks later, when Justice Carver took her at her word and came by. “Is this what I condemned you to?” He stood in her doorway and smiled. Her clerk had long since gone home, and she was frowning in concentration as she pored over six open books at once, comparing statutes and precedents as he wandered in and she looked up with a smile.

“What a nice surprise.” She stood up quickly and waved him toward a large, comfortable leather chair. “Please sit down.” He did and she looked at him. He was good-looking, in a quiet, virile, rather intellectual way. They weren't the same football team good looks as Jack's. They were much quieter, and much more powerful, just as he was in myriad ways. “Would you like a drink?” She kept a small bar well hidden for occasions such as this.

“No, thanks. I have too much homework to do tonight.”

“You too? How do you ever get through it all?”

“I don't. Sometimes it makes you want to just sit there and cry, but you get through it eventually. What are you working on?” She described the case to him as briefly as she could and he nodded thoughtfully. “That should be an interesting one. It may even wind up in my lap eventually.”

She laughed. “That's not much of a vote of confidence if you think they'll appeal my decision.”

“No, no,” he was quick to explain, “it's just that you're on new turf there and whatever you decide, if they don't like it, they'll appeal. They may even try to overturn it. Be careful you don't give them grounds.” It was good advice and they chatted on for quite a while. He had dark, thoughtful eyes that gave him an almost sensual air, which didn't seem in keeping with his seriousness. There were a lot of contrasts about the man, and she was intrigued by him. He walked her out eventually, and helped her carry a stack of books to her car, and then he seemed to hesitate. “I couldn't talk you into a hamburger somewhere, could I?”

She smiled at him. She liked this man. She had never known anyone quite like him before. “You might, if you promise to get me home early enough to do some work.” They chose Bill's Place on Clement. It was a simple, wholesome environment amidst the hamburgers and french fries and milkshakes and kids, and no one would have suspected who they were, how important their jobs, as they chatted on about cases they had suffered with years before, and the comparison of Stanford to Boalt, and eventually Tana laughed at him.