Secrets & Lies

by Gina Amos

My Dear Rose

  I hope this letter finds you well. I was so pleased to receive your letter. Thank you for your sympathetic and kind words but the doctors have told me that Charlie won’t last the week. He is very frail but still manages to understand what is going on around him. I will miss him, he has been a good husband to me and a good provider. I know that Tommy will miss him too, of course, because they did everything together before he fell ill. They were more like brothers than father and son.

  Rose dear, it is because of Tommy that I felt that I had to write to you. A week ago Tommy came to me and told me that he knew all about Father Patrick and our little arrangement regarding William. I don’t know how he found out, but he did, and he has been blackmailing me ever since. He asked me to give him fifty-thousand dollars to stop him from going to Charlie and telling him everything.

  I just couldn’t have Charlie knowing about William and going to his grave with such a terrible opinion of me. I was also worried that at the last moment he might decide to change his will in favour of Tommy and leave me without a cent.

  Speaking of wills, Tommy asked me to show him mine just the other day, which I thought very strange. He knows that Charlie has left everything to me of course and I am sure he is expecting to inherit everything once I die. Tommy promised that he wouldn’t tell anyone about William if I gave him the fifty-thousand dollars and he also promised that he would never raise the subject again. I hate to say it Rose, but I don’t trust my son.

  I hope you have fared better with Billy. I have never been very close to Tommy as you know, so I have decided to change my will. What a surprise is in store for him when I die and he is left nothing. I have made an appointment with your lovely solicitor friend, Mr Bartholomew, because I have decided to make you the sole beneficiary to my estate. You may die before me of course and in that case my assets will go to my two favourite charities.

  My private funds that I kept from Charlie all these years are almost depleted mainly because of the recent fifty-thousand dollar payment to Tommy and the years I supported Billy. But I’m not really worried about that; that was the arrangement we agreed to and I stuck to it, didn’t I?

  Rose, do with the money what you will, but I must warn you that Tommy will not be pleased when he finds out that you have inherited everything. Perhaps you can introduce him to his half-brother and with Billy being a barrister and everything, it might just be for the best that the truth finally comes out into the open after all these years. Don’t judge me too harshly, you know what I’m like, I always was one to stir the pot!

  I haven’t been very well lately and I am tired, but don’t worry, I don’t intend to kick the bucket anytime soon. Tommy tells me he is going overseas with the money I gave him, good riddance to bad rubbish I say. I really don’t know where I went wrong with him. I know I must sound unkind, but you don’t know my Tommy.

  Anyway take care and I will keep you informed about Charlie. I don’t expect you to come to the funeral because that would be too complicated and I wouldn’t want Tommy asking any more questions. I will miss my husband, he was always so understanding.

  Keep well

  Your friend, Isabelle