by Anna Jacobs
Another blink then. ‘Oh. Well, anyway, whatever the rights or wrongs of that, he has left you the entirety of his estate, which consists of a small annuity, a cottage in Wiltshire, in a small market town called Malmesbury, and his motor car. Naturally his family are not pleased about this.’
She didn’t even try to speak, had to cover her mouth with one hand to hold back tears. Dear Philip. How had he found time to write a will? He’d had such short leaves and they’d only known one another for a few months. But he was taking care of her even now, and that gave her the courage to face this nasty little man.
Mr Shadwell answered that question before she could ask it. ‘The will was apparently drawn up by a fellow officer who had been a lawyer in civilian life, and it was witnessed by two other officers, men of impeccable standing. After that a copy was sent by the army to our legal firm by a major at the local headquarters in France. We have been the Cotterells’ family lawyers for several generations, you see.’
After a pause, he added in a disapproving tone. ‘There is no doubt that the will was properly drawn up and executed.’
All she could manage was, ‘I didn’t even know about it.’
‘Surely Captain Cotterell told you what he’d done?’
‘No, he didn’t. Philip’s will was the last thing I was thinking about when I was with him. I loved him with all my heart, Mr Shadwell, and what I wanted was for him to survive the war.’
Her words seemed to echo in the room and she could hear Philip’s voice from a great distance saying, ‘Attagirl!’
The lawyer shifted uneasily, pushing his thick, round spectacles higher up his nose and looking more than ever like a vicious owl about to pounce on a helpless mouse.
‘I’d like a copy of the will,’ she said quietly.
‘Well, um, all right. I shall ensure you get a copy of it, Miss Jones, so that you can read it at your leisure and get help understanding it, if necessary.’ He clearly thought it would be necessary.
‘Thank you. But as I said before, I do speak reasonably good English, and read it too. Perhaps you’d go over the main points in a little more detail now?’
‘The annuity will bring you four hundred pounds a year for the next twenty years.’
She gasped. So much! A whole family could live well on that. She would think herself rich.
‘You need not be concerned about the details of the cottage. Mrs Cotterell wishes to purchase it back from you to keep it in the family. She offers you a hundred pounds. I’ll draw up the deed of transfer before you leave today if you’ll wait a little, then you can sign it.’
‘I don’t even know what the cottage is like, but I definitely don’t wish to sell it. If it’s at all possible, I’d like to live there. It’d make me feel closer to Philip.’
‘I wouldn’t advise that. His mother would not be at all pleased and she has important connections. You’d be wiser to do as she wishes.’
‘It’s my intention to do as Philip wished. If he left the cottage to me, he must have wanted me to live there, so as long as it has a roof and four walls, I shall do exactly that.’
There was a heavy silence, during which he breathed deeply as if holding back annoyance.
She waited him out, though she longed to get away from this stifling office and this arrogant, disapproving little man.
‘There is also the question of the motor car, which will be of no use to a woman of your class. Spencer Cotterell is prepared to offer you twenty-five pounds for it and—’
‘Does he think I’m a fool? It’s worth far more than that.’
‘It might be. I wouldn’t know. I am not a huckster. But a woman like you will not know how to drive it, nor will you have anywhere to keep it, so he is saving you the trouble of disposing of it.’
‘If you know nothing about the value of motor cars, I shan’t argue with you, Mr Shadwell. I shall simply refuse that offer as well. Now, what must I do to finalise everything?’
‘One moment.’ He beckoned to her and took her across to the window, pointing below at the back of the building. ‘The car is down there. You would need to take it away today.’
He definitely didn’t recognise the VAD uniform or what her version of it meant.
‘I can easily do that.’
‘Really? Where will you find a driver, Miss Jones?’
She indicated her uniform. ‘You don’t seem to know much about uniforms, Mr Shadwell. I’m an ambulance driver in the VAD, and have been for over a year. And that means driving vehicles of all sorts, most of them converted from large private vehicles.’
She waited but he was staring at her open-mouthed. ‘But Mr Spencer Cotterell said you were a hospital cleaner and—’
‘I don’t care what he said. I’ve only seen the man a couple of times before today. He didn’t speak to me on that occasion, and I doubt he knows anything about me. Now, what do I need to do about the money?’
‘You will need to open a bank account and let us know the details, after which we can transfer the money into it. That will take about a week.’
She leant back in the hard chair and stared him right in the eyes. ‘I already have a bank account with money in it. I can give you the details now.’
‘Oh. Well, our chief clerk will take down that information, Miss Jones and …’ He paused as if searching for words, but though his tone was slightly less patronising, what he had to say was not. ‘Look, I have to remind you that the Cotterells are a powerful family. Mr Cotterell is in a senior position at the War Office. You would be wise not to upset them.’
‘As I’ve already told you, I shall do as Philip wished. I don’t feel the need to see or talk to his family again, so I don’t care what they think of me. Now, let’s get the practicalities organised, then I’ll drive myself back to the hospital. I’ve driven Philip’s car before, so I know how to handle it. A Model T Ford is a lot easier to drive than a big ambulance, believe me.’
He spread his hands wide in a helpless gesture and escorted her out.
In the office area they encountered Mr Marley, whom she’d met at the funeral. At least he wouldn’t be condescending towards her.
‘Ah, Miss Jones. I hope everything has been sorted out to your satisfaction today.’
For a moment she debated keeping quiet about what Mr Shadwell had said, but the idea of that didn’t sit well with her. After all, he must have been instructed what to do by Mr Marley. She would definitely have to find herself another lawyer.
‘No, it has not been sorted out to my satisfaction and Mr Shadwell hasn’t tried to help me at all. In fact, he was colluding with Mr Spencer Cotterell, who was with him when I arrived and who had been telling lies about me in an attempt to cheat me out of the value of what Philip left me. I take that very seriously indeed and shall now consult another lawyer to check out that Philip’s wishes really have been carried out by Marley and Polbrook.’
He looked at her open-mouthed.
Mr Shadwell said hastily, ‘Mr Spencer Cotterell came to see me unexpectedly. He, um, informed me of certain things in connection with this woman. It was just a misunderstanding on his part, I’m sure, Mr Marley.’
‘Lawyers shouldn’t accept things people tell them without checking,’ she said sharply before the older man could reply. ‘They should be above reproach and impartial. Now, I wish to sort out the details of my inheritance as quickly as possible, then I’ll take Philip’s car away today, as you’ve instructed me to, and drive it back to the hospital.’
Mr Marley gave his junior colleague an angry look and beckoned to the head clerk. ‘Please see that Miss Jones’s business is sorted out quickly, Thomas. And give her all the help necessary.’
He turned back to Bella. ‘I apologise for how you’ve been treated. It was not what I instructed anyone to do. I have a client due any moment, but I’d be grateful if you could please come and see me before you leave. It’s rather important. Will you do that?’
Once again she found him likeable and was incline
d to give him a second chance, so she nodded and followed the chief clerk.
Nigel Shadwell went back to his office, furious that he’d been made to look a fool in front of Mr Marley, just when he was hoping to be made a full partner in the firm.
He picked up the phone and asked for an outside line. ‘Cotterell? I’m glad you’re still at your hotel. She’s taking the car, driving it away herself, so you’ve no need to make arrangements for it. What? Oh no, she’s not selling it; she’s driving it back to the hospital herself. She’s a damned ambulance driver, would you believe?’
He sighed as he was treated to a few angry remarks. ‘Yes, she’s turned down your mother’s offer for the cottage as well. She’s not nearly as stupid as you thought.’
He listened for a few seconds longer then interrupted. ‘No, I can’t do anything else to prevent her from doing this. The will was perfectly legal.’
The phone was slammed down at the other end.
Half an hour later Bella was shown in to see Mr Marley. She was hoping this wouldn’t take long, so that she could get home while it was still light.
‘Miss Jones, please take a seat. First, I wish to apologise to you unreservedly for my young colleague’s, um, carelessness in handling your affairs. From what he told me, you were not being offered anything like fair prices by the Cotterells.’
She inclined her head.
‘If I can obtain a fairer price, would you consider selling them the cottage? Just to keep the peace? It has been in the family for a good many years.’
‘No, Mr Marley. Philip wanted me to have it and I shall do as he wished. Anyway, I’m going to need somewhere to live.’
‘Could you please take a day or two and think carefully about it. I’m not threatening you but I am worried that you’re getting into deeper waters than you realise. I’ll tell you frankly, Spencer Cotterell and his mother can be difficult. There’s no hiding the fact that his spiteful nature is well known and he’s become even more bitter since he failed the army medical. As for his mother, she’s a cunning woman who likes to get her own way.’
‘I’ve been unhappy myself since Philip died,’ she said quietly, ‘but I don’t take it out on other people or try to cheat them. I shall do nothing to provoke his family but I don’t need to think about selling the cottage and car to them. I shan’t change my mind.’ She wasn’t telling him anything about her possible complication, not if she didn’t have to. But if what she was beginning to suspect was true, she would definitely need somewhere to live. ‘Is that all?’
‘An old lady who was living at a village called Honeyfield died a couple of months ago. This Miss Thorburn was a close friend of Miss Gordon – the lady who left Philip the house in Malmesbury – and left everything she owned to her. I didn’t trouble Philip at the time, because he was involved at Verdun and had enough on his mind, and Miss Gordon seemed in excellent health. But her unexpected death meant that Philip inherited everything that Miss Gordon owned, which now, unknown to him included her own recent legacy from Miss Thorburn.’
‘Good heavens!’
‘The second cottage is much smaller than the house you’ve been left in Malmesbury, so Miss Gordon didn’t wish to move there. She was happy where she was. She was going to put a tenant into the cottage but she had a sudden seizure and she didn’t even have time to clear out her friend’s personal effects. I hadn’t spoken of her inheritance to anyone, because she believed it prudent to keep quiet about what she owned. She didn’t want people, even distant cousins like the Cotterells, to think she was worth robbing. I think Miss Thorburn was her only real friend and the two were very close.’
He paused and added quietly, ‘As Miss Gordon left everything to Philip, and he left everything to you, this means that you’ve also inherited a second house and its contents, as well as just over a hundred pounds in the bank.’
Bella stared at him in astonishment. ‘I can’t believe it. I’ve always had to work hard for my living and to have an income and two houses, well, it’s beyond riches to me.’
He had been watching her carefully and was pleased by her reaction. She was definitely not a ‘grasping harpy’, as Mrs Cotterell had told him. ‘I’m pleased for you, Miss Jones. Look, I’d be honoured if you’d trust me to handle your affairs from now on. Philip asked me to do that if anything happened to him, you see, and I’d like to keep my promise to him. I can show you his letter, if you wish for proof of that. I can assure you I shall not discuss your business with anyone else in this firm, and I shall make sure no one else has the opportunity to look at my clients’ paperwork without my permission in future.’
She looked at him sharply. ‘As Mr Shadwell did?’
‘Yes. Please keep this to yourself, but I shall not be continuing to employ him. Not only did he deal badly with you, but there have been one or two other rather careless incidents that didn’t reflect well on our firm.’
She hadn’t expected to like him but she did. He had a grandfatherly air to him, did not talk down to her and he looked honest. Besides, Philip had trusted him. ‘I’d be happy for you to continue managing my legal affairs, Mr Marley.’
‘I’m pleased.’ He held out his hand to her and they shook solemnly, then he gave her his business card. ‘If there’s any trouble or you need help, don’t hesitate to get in touch. I’ll tell my senior clerk to give your affairs priority till we’ve sorted everything out.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Now, as for the practicalities, I’d like to arrange for you to go and see the two properties you’ve inherited. If I’m unable to take you myself, I’ll ask Nathan Perry to do it. He’s an accountant and lives in Malmesbury. He inherited his father’s business a few months ago, so he now handles the letting and sale of various properties for us. He’s a very shrewd young man in whom I place complete trust.’
Feeling surprised at the turn things had taken, she glanced outside to see clouds scudding across the sky. ‘Oh dear. It looks like rain. I’d better get going.’
‘Do you need help with starting the car?’
She smiled. ‘No, thank you. I drive cars as my contribution to the war effort. I’ve had a lot of practice at starting them as well as driving them.’
‘I greatly admire young women like yourself. I don’t know what our country would do without you.’
Chapter Five
It was going to be a long, tiring drive back to Wiltshire, Bella thought as she unlocked the car door and tossed her satchel inside. When she saw something poking out of a corner of the back seat, she pulled it out and found herself holding Philip’s favourite scarf. She paused for a moment, blinking away tears. Then she touched it gently to her cheek, feeling as if it was a sign that he was still with her.
Silly, but there you were. She was surely entitled to some fanciful thoughts on this day of surprises.
She used the dipstick to check that there was enough petrol to get her on her way and found to her relief that the tank was nearly full. The square petrol can was full as well, in case she ran out.
She could probably get home on what was in the tank, but if not, she was quite used to filling petrol tanks and there was a funnel in the car. She was also used to finding hardware shops and wayside bicycle or car dealers which sold cans of petrol. Those who had trained her when she started in the VAD had been very thorough.
She started the car without needing anyone’s help with the crank handle, pleased about that. She hoped that Shadwell creature was watching her out of the window.
Philip had always said she was a sturdy wench who had a sure touch with motor vehicles and hang what people said about women drivers needing a man to help them. With a satisfied nod, she put the car into gear and drove away.
It was a relief to leave the busy city streets behind. Unfortunately half an hour after she started it began raining quite heavily. Thank goodness this wasn’t an open tourer. But she had to slow down because water was streaming down the windscreen, making it difficult to see where she was going.
Twice she had to stop to clear the accumulated layers of mud thrown up from the country roads from the bottom of the windscreen to which it had slid. After the second stop she wondered whether to try to buy something to eat, but she wasn’t really hungry and it was the time of day when she felt vaguely nauseous so she decided to press on.
An hour later the rain had stopped completely and that made her feel better. She began humming as she drove along a pretty country road patterned now by the longer evening shadows. She kept an eye on the other vehicles because another car had been behind her for a while, presumably waiting to overtake her. It looked like a largish Daimler, but she couldn’t be sure and its number plate was completely covered in mud so she couldn’t tell where it was from.
Thank goodness Philip had had an Argus dash mirror installed so that she could see what was happening on the road behind her without turning her head round.
When the other car sped up on a long, straight stretch, she pulled closer to the side of the road, waiting for it to move out and pass. Instead it kept accelerating straight towards her. If she hadn’t been watching carefully, as she’d been taught, it’d have smashed right into her. It was bigger and heavier than her Model T Ford and could have done a lot of damage. As it was she saw what was happening in time to accelerate herself, so it didn’t hit her very hard.
The driver had done that on purpose! she thought indignantly. Why had he done that? She pulled away as fast as she could, keeping watch in the rear-view mirror. She was sure the paintwork on the boot would be badly scratched and it was probably dented too, but she’d saved herself from a serious bang, at least.
She squeezed the bulb of her horn and yelled, ‘Stop that!’ though of course the other driver couldn’t hear her.
When he gave every sign of preparing to ram her again, she became so alert that everything seemed to be happening more slowly than usual. She braked suddenly then accelerated quickly, which confused him and prevented him from bumping her vehicle a second time.
