I awoke in the same suite to a phone call from Trevor Burham, âLook, mate, donât worry about putting this on your own tab. The new government is set to take office and Iâm already having doubts. Remember when Annie assured me that nothing would be different? Well, just this very morning, man, she told me that she hoped that last night was great for me, because it would be âa good long time before you get to stick that sausage back in my pudding.â She also laughed and told me that swearing on a stack of Bibles was meaningless to her, because she didnât believe in that âpatriarchal rubbish,â anyway.
âAnyway, feel free to take the firm for a sweet, costly ride. I plan to do just that myself. I donât know what the travel mess will be once they consolidate their power, but for now, a holiday in Montreal sounds rather pleasant to me. Thereâs any amount of business that can in theory be done there, since theyâre still in the Commonwealth. From there, well, a rendezvous would be easier to arrange. In person. I shall take my sons out of the country, of course, but since itâs a holiday, what can she do? What happens to me is one thing, but her current duplicity makes me believe that she intends something nasty for them, too. I still have my Canadian passport, after all,â Trevor curtly informed him while Nina listened in with them.
âWhere are you? And is this your regular cell? If it is, get a burner, mate. Get a burner phone pronto! Let me guess, youâre starting a new firm outside of the UK as quickly as you can,â I speculated.
âBingo, and only with those staff smart enough to make a dash for it. I doubt that we shall be the only executives to abandon our firms on the sly. And, yes, this is a burner phone. How daft do you think that I am? I withdrew what funds I could to help purchase it, plus I wanted to keep her as poor as I could. I shanât be around when she seizes my assets back home. Thatâs a loss that Iâll have to cut when the divorce goes through. I shanât lose any sleep over what I did. Iâm just glad that I acted before they could freeze the account.
âThankfully, Her Majestyâs Government still has to present its first bill and that canât happen until the next session. The Queenâs Speech should be very chilling this year, I dare say. If I were an MP, I shanât even stick around for Question Time. Trust me, I can find a position for you, both of you, until or unless you opt for something else. My present firm will soon be in arrears, though regrettably, the new female management are likely to see that as proof that men are inept or something. Since they probably already think that way, itâs more than worth it to give them one last good rogering. I really hope that they put Melinda in charge. Sheâll soon be up to her neck in red ink,â Trevor laughed with some hushed excitement.
âSo, in a nutshell, Annieâs a fucking liar and youâre about to turn thief. This is what politics does to marriage, husbands and wives alike. I shanât miss Christine, thatâs to be sure,â I noted.
âAnyway, here I go. Wish me luck, mates, and by Jove, even half of yours would be nice. Fortunate bastard, being out of the country when the curtain dropped. Not an iron curtain this time, chap. Just a satin one. Goodbye and give Nina my love. Sheâll take much better care of you than Christine or Annie ever could. Sheâs a right proper woman, that Punjabi girl,â Trevor hung up, leaving me with a feeling of real dread.
âIs it just me, or did that phone call raise your hackles, too?â Nina remarked.