‘That is good news!’ said Alyssa, ‘I’m glad Uncle Tom chose to do so, and he was perceptive to realize Piers would ultimately benefit from waiting.’
‘Quite. Now, these are the two letters your uncle left in my care. This one’ – he lifted the envelope in his right hand a little higher – ‘was to be opened if you failed to meet the terms.’
‘Have you any objection to me reading it now?’ she asked.
‘None whatsoever; I have no instructions to say you may not,’ he replied, passing the letter across the desk.
Alyssa opened the envelope and smoothed out the single sheet.
‘It was written two weeks before his death, Gil,’ she said, indicating the date as she held the letter between them. ‘Would you read it with me?’
‘Of course, if that is what you wish,’ he replied.
3rd December 1817
Hawkscote Hall, Dorset
My dearest Alyssa
If you are reading this because you chose not to accept the terms, then I must admit to an error of judgement and send you and Sir Giles my sincere apologies from beyond the grave. I hope you will still think fondly of an old man who loved you as a daughter. Gil, I hope, will also remember me with affection.
You will not have received the full market price, but it will be more than enough for you to enjoy a comfortable life. Piers will be furious that I have left the bulk of my estate to you. However, I had my reasons – he shows little inclination yet to behave like the man I know he could be. Even so, I am fond of the boy and hope he will eventually see sense. Guide him whenever you can; I leave it to your judgement to decide what monies to bestow on your cousin, and when. This letter is intentionally brief as I believe you will never read it in circumstances where you refused to meet the terms.
Your loving uncle,
Tom
Postscript – I realize I do not want Piers to remember me with bitterness, whatever our past differences, and have decided to make extra provision to encourage his sense of personal responsibility. I have therefore purchased further investments, and also land and property near his Lincolnshire estate. These are in Piers’s name and amount to a meaningful but not excessive sum. I hope he will use them wisely but I have instructed Mr Bartley not to divulge their existence until the end of the six-month period – it will do my nephew no harm to remain ignorant of them until then.
‘Dear Uncle Tom,’ said Alyssa, in a constricted voice, looking up from the letter into her husband’s face, ‘He knew us better than we knew ourselves.’
‘Yes, and it seems he knew his nephew’s character well too,’ observed Gil.
She nodded. ‘He realized it might ruin him for good if he inherited wealth overnight. I am pleased he decided to make separate provision for Piers after all. That, along with the monies I shall bestow on him, will ensure he has the means to make a success of his affairs from now on.’
‘The general was an astute man,’ agreed Mr Bartley, his curiosity piqued as to the content of the letter. ‘Would you like to read the second missive now, Lady Maxton? If you will excuse me a moment, I will step into the outer office to collect the documents pertaining to Mr Kilworth.’
‘Yes, of course, Mr Bartley. Thank you.’
He passed over second sealed envelope and Alyssa opened it, removing several sheets which she and Gil began to read as the lawyer went out.
3rd December 1817
Hawkscote Hall, Dorset
My dearest Alyssa
I fear I have little time left and am therefore writing this while I can still commit words to paper.
First, I ask you do not shed tears for me. I have lived a long and varied life, and my only regrets have been for those events sadly out of my control – the early demise of my beloved wife and that we were not blessed with children.
I am certain there will have been times when you wondered if Uncle Tom was drunk or not of sound mind when he wrote his Last Will and Testament. I assure you I was neither, to which Ezekiel Bartley will testify. The idea came to me quite suddenly one day when I was musing over how much pleasure I took from my conversations with Sir Giles.
Due to circumstances, you never had the opportunity to meet him hitherto, but I have come to know him well. He is a man I respect for his business acumen but I also admire his sense of humour and his honourable principles. It struck me forcibly that you and he might be well suited. Extremely presumptuous of me, I know, but I began to wonder what would happen if I were to take the role of matchmaker? I could set in motion events that would at least oblige you to meet regularly and thereafter, the outcome would be whatever the fates decided.
This mischievous idea took firm hold and I devised my extraordinary will. Its purpose was to secure your financial future and that of Hawkscote, and to act as a means of putting you and Gil into each other’s company. I did not believe either of you would refuse the challenge, however in extremis you considered my actions.
Unless I am granted an opportunity to view events from the afterlife, I have no way of knowing the result. If I am proved wrong and you feel ambivalence, or even dislike, then accept my sincere apologies for meddling outrageously in your affairs; I hope you both bear me no lasting ill will. However, I have the unshakeable notion that you will grow fond of each other, and might even fall in love. I pray my instincts have served me well and hope nothing will stand in your way if you discover that you care for each other. In that event, I rely on your mutual ingenuity and good sense to deal with other, ultimately insignificant, matters.
I wish both of you happiness. Remember me with a smile and cherish, as I always have, the delightful times we shared.
Your loving uncle,
Tom
‘The postscript regarding Piers is the same,’ said Alyssa, a tremor in her voice. She turned towards Gil, her eyes bright with tears. ‘Oh, Gil! Gil! Tom did think we might fall in love!’ she cried. ‘He arranged it all, hoping everything else would follow, and I’m so glad he did for I might never have known you otherwise.’
Gil folded her in a comprehensive embrace. ‘I feel as you do,’ he whispered. ‘We have much to thank him for.’
She nodded, but then hiccupped on another sob so he tilted up her chin and kissed her.
‘Don’t cry, my love,’ he said softly. ‘Tom would be pleased to know his will was indeed the spark that led to so much happiness – just as he intended.’
She smiled as she replied, ‘Yes, he would, wouldn’t he?’
Copyright
© Elizabeth Hanbury 2008
First published in Great Britain 2008
This edition 2011
ISBN 978 0 7090 9508 8 (ebook)
ISBN 978 0 7090 9509 5 (mobi)
ISBN 978 0 7090 9510 1 (pdf)
ISBN 978 0 7090 8549 2 (print)
Robert Hale Limited
Clerkenwell House
Clerkenwell Green
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The right of Elizabeth Hanbury to be identified as
author of this work has been asserted by her
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988
The Paradise Will Page 30