Too Many Coincidences Read online

  ‘That’s true, but we only agreed to that in order to speed matters up. You see, we both wanted the divorce to go through as quickly as possible.’

  ‘I’m sure that was the case, Mrs Bennett.’

  She would always hate that name.

  ‘However, by agreeing to Mr Bennett’s terms, he became the innocent party in this action.’

  ‘But that is no longer relevant,’ said Ruth, ‘because this morning I received confirmation from my London solicitors that I have been granted a decree absolute.’

  The partner seated on Mr Craddock’s right turned and looked directly at her.

  ‘May I be permitted to ask if it was at Mr Bennett’s suggestion that you instructed a solicitor from the mainland to handle your divorce proceedings?’

  Ah, so that’s what’s behind all this, thought Ruth. They’re just annoyed that I didn’t consult them. ‘Yes,’ she replied firmly. ‘It was simply a matter of convenience, as Max was living in London at the time, and didn’t want to have to keep flying back and forth to the island.’

  ‘It certainly turned out to be most convenient for Mr Bennett,’ said the senior partner. ‘Did your husband ever discuss a financial settlement with you?’

  ‘Never,’ said Ruth even more firmly. ‘He had no idea what I was worth.’

  ‘I have a feeling,’ continued the partner seated on Mr Craddock’s left, ‘that Mr Bennett knew only too well how much you were worth.’

  ‘But that’s not possible,’ insisted Ruth. ‘You see, I never once discussed my finances with him.’

  ‘Nevertheless, he has presented a claim against you, and seems to have made a remarkably accurate assessment of the value of your late husband’s estate.’

  ‘Then you must refuse to pay a penny, because it was never part of our agreement.’

  ‘I accept that what you are telling us is correct, Mrs Bennett. But I fear that as you were the guilty party, we have no defence to offer.’

  ‘How can that be possible?’ demanded Ruth.

  ‘The law of divorce on Jersey is unequivocal on the subject,’ said Mr Craddock. ‘As we would have been happy to advise you, had you consulted us.’

  ‘What law?’ asked Ruth, ignoring the barbed comment.

  ‘Under the law of Jersey, once it has been accepted that one of the parties is innocent in divorce proceedings, that person – whatever their sex – is automatically entitled to one third of the other’s estate.’

  Ruth began trembling. ‘Are there no exceptions?’ she asked quietly.

  ‘Yes,’ replied Mr Craddock.

  Ruth looked up hopefully.

  ‘If you have been married for less than three years, the law does not apply. You were, however, Mrs Bennett, married for three years and eight days.’ He paused, readjusted his spectacles and added, ‘I have a feeling that Mr Bennett was not only aware of exactly how much you were worth, but also knew the laws of divorce as they apply on Jersey.’

  Three months later, after both sides of solicitors had agreed on the value of Ruth Ethel Bennett’s estate, Max Donald Bennett received a cheque for £6,270,000 in full and final settlement.

  Whenever Ruth looked back on the past three years – and she often did – she came to the conclusion that Max must have planned everything right down to the last detail. Yes, even before they had bumped into each other.

  THE YEAR OF SHORT STORIES SERIES:

  Master storyteller Jeffrey Archer has become synonymous with short story writing following the release of six superlative collections. From his first, A Quiver of Arrows, to his last, And Thereby Hangs a Tale, Archer has demonstrated time and time again why the Daily Telegraph says he ‘has a gift for storytelling that can only be described as genius’.

  Now, to celebrate the release of Jeffrey’s magnificent seventh collection, Tell Tale, we are releasing several free digital shorts as part of THE YEAR OF SHORT STORIES.

  Available now:

  The Grass Is Always Greener

  In the Eye of the Beholder

  One Man’s Meat

  No Room at the Inn

  Cheap at Half the Price

  Christina Rosenthal

  Clean Sweep Ignatius

  The Endgame

  The Man Who Robbed His Own Post Office

  Caste-Off

  Too Many Coincidences

  THE YEAR OF SHORT STORIES continues in April 2018 with the release of Charity Begins at Home.

  Captivating stories full of incredible twists and unforgettable characters.

  This is a fascinating insight into the people Jeffrey Archer has met, the stories he has come across and the countries he has visited during the past ten years. Poignant, engrossing and addictive, this is Archer at his spellbinding best.

  These wonderfully engaging and completely satisfying tales prove not only why Archer has been compared to Dahl and Maugham, but why he was described by the Mail on Sunday as ‘probably the greatest storyteller of our age’.

  OUT NOW IN HARDBACK AND EBOOK

  PAPERBACK WITH A BRAND-NEW STORY PUBLISHES APRIL 2018

  HEADS YOU WIN

  The thrilling new novel from master storyteller Jeffrey Archer.

  Alexander Karpenko’s father, a hero of the Stalingrad siege, is masterminding the formation of an independent trade union when he is betrayed by a friend and murdered by the KGB. After his devastating death, his family are still in danger and decide to escape from Russia. Alexander and his mother Elena have the choice to make a new life in either England or America, but they let fate decide which country it will be with the toss of a coin.

  Is this really a case of heads you win and tails you lose?

  Or will Alexander find that either path will take him to the destiny that was always intended for this remarkable man?

  COMING NOVEMBER 2018

  ALSO BY JEFFREY ARCHER

  THE CLIFTON CHRONICLES

  Only Time Will Tell

  The Sins of the Father

  Best Kept Secret

  Be Careful What You Wish For

  Mightier than the Sword

  Cometh the Hour

  This Was a Man

  NOVELS

  Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less

  Shall We Tell the President?

  Kane and Abel

  The Prodigal Daughter

  First Among Equals

  A Matter of Honour

  As the Crow Flies

  Honour Among Thieves

  The Fourth Estate

  The Eleventh Commandment

  Sons of Fortune

  False Impression

  The Gospel According to Judas (with the assistance of Professor Francis J. Moloney)

  A Prisoner of Birth

  Paths of Glory

  SHORT STORIES

  A Quiver Full of Arrows

  A Twist in the Tale

  Twelve Red Herrings

  The Collected Short Stories

  To Cut a Long Story Short

  Cat O’ Nine Tales

  And Thereby Hangs a Tale

  Tell Tale

  PLAYS

  Beyond Reasonable Doubt

  Exclusive

  The Accused

  PRISON DIARIES

  Volume One – Belmarsh: Hell

  Volume Two – Wayland: Purgatory

  Volume Three – North Sea Camp: Heaven

  SCREENPLAYS

  Mallory: Walking Off the Map

  False Impression

  First published in the UK 2000 by HarperCollins Publishers

  This edition first published in paperback 2010 by Pan Books

  This electronic edition published 2018 by Pan Books

  an imprint of Pan Macmillan

  20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR

  Associated companies throughout the world

  www.panmacmillan.com

  ISBN 978-1-5098-8542-8

  Copyright © Jeffrey Archer 2000

  The right of Jeffrey Archer to be identified as the author of this work has