The One
Page 77
She kept her sunglasses over her eyes as the maître d’ lead her to a corner table overlooking the Thames. She ordered her usual Hendrick’s gin and tonic and thanked a nervous young waiter whose hand trembled as he filled her glass with sparkling water. She could smell Ula’s perfume before she reached Ellie’s table.
‘I’m sorry to bother you, but your barrister’s just called,’ Ula said, unable to disguise her concern. ‘The jury is ready to return with its verdict.’
Ellie nodded, took a sip of drink and followed Ula and her bodyguards into the lift, towards where her car was parked by the service entrance. They sped off in the direction of the Old Bailey courts where she had spent every day of the last four months on trial for Matthew’s murder. She had pleaded an assertive ‘not guilty’ on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
‘Have you made a decision about the re-tests? Will we be offering them to those unsure if they’re a Match?’
‘No, I don’t think we will,’ Ellie replied coldly. ‘Everyone included in that time frame who may or may not have been mis-Matched will have to follow their instinct. Sometimes, the grass isn’t greener on the other side and we should stay in the field where we belong. And sometimes we just need to take a gamble and hope for the best.’
‘And if you don’t get the verdict you hope for?’ Ula asked. ‘What then?’
‘You know what to do,’ Ellie replied. ‘Press the button and let the world start making its own mistakes again.’
‘I’m sorry to bother you, but your barrister’s just called,’ Ula said, unable to disguise her concern. ‘The jury is ready to return with its verdict.’
Ellie nodded, took a sip of drink and followed Ula and her bodyguards into the lift, towards where her car was parked by the service entrance. They sped off in the direction of the Old Bailey courts where she had spent every day of the last four months on trial for Matthew’s murder. She had pleaded an assertive ‘not guilty’ on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
‘Have you made a decision about the re-tests? Will we be offering them to those unsure if they’re a Match?’
‘No, I don’t think we will,’ Ellie replied coldly. ‘Everyone included in that time frame who may or may not have been mis-Matched will have to follow their instinct. Sometimes, the grass isn’t greener on the other side and we should stay in the field where we belong. And sometimes we just need to take a gamble and hope for the best.’
‘And if you don’t get the verdict you hope for?’ Ula asked. ‘What then?’
‘You know what to do,’ Ellie replied. ‘Press the button and let the world start making its own mistakes again.’
