Bride By Friday

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‘I beg your pardon?’ The lawyer’s face showed astonishment. ‘Mrs Blainey’s not dead.’

Charlie sighed as if the man was being obtuse and gave up hunting for dust on his trousers. ‘I meant Mrs Blainey junior, of course. Christine. Tessa’s sister.’ He looked up and met the lawyer’s eyes and his face was implacable.

‘We have the right to see her will,’ he said flatly. ‘I understand Christine’s husband was killed instantly in the car accident and Christine died some twelve hours later. My lawyer tells me that anything her husband left her is therefore Christine’s to dispose of. As Tessa is Christine’s twin sister and Christine was a widow at the time of her death, it appears reasonable to believe something may be left to Tessa. The will was lodged in this office. We wish to see it.’

And he went back to dusting his trousers.

The lawyer stared down at Charlie for a long moment—and then he cleared his throat. All of a sudden he was uncomfortable. ‘I believe Mr Scott Senior has taken the documents north with him,’ he said.

‘But you knew Miss Flanagan was coming here today.’ There was an iciness in Charlie’s voice that Tess hadn’t heard before. His eyes swept up to meet the lawyer’s. His look was flint and steel. ‘Find her a copy,’ he said. ‘Now.’

‘I don’t believe we can...’

‘You can,’ Charlie said. ‘If Mr Scott senior, removed the only copy of the will when he knew Christine’s sister was due here today, then he’s been irresponsible to say the least. It’s two on a Tuesday afternoon. I imagine Mr Scott senior is somewhere near a telephone. Contact him and get the will faxed here. We’ll wait for as long as it takes.’

‘I don’t know whether I...’

‘We’re waiting,’ Charlie said inexorably. ‘Do it.’

‘May I ask what role you have here?’ the lawyer demanded, trying desperately to regain ascendancy. He stared at Charlie down his long, thin nose. His lawyer’s stare was intended to disconcert but Charlie simply stared blandly back. Undeterred, the lawyer continued. ‘I didn’t catch your name. I believe if this is no business of yours then I must ask you to leave.’

‘Oh, no, you don’t,’ Charles said softly. ‘I don’t know what game you’re playing here, sport, but I don’t intimidate as easily as that.’ He rose and placed a hand on Tessa’s shoulder. Pressed down with fingers that caressed as well as pressured. Sending tingles straight down to her toes and back again. But Charles was handing over his business card to the lawyer.

‘This is who I am,’ he said brusquely. ‘Tessa’s my affianced wife. We flew in together from Australia this morning and we intend to get some answers. And we want some answers. Now!’

Tess opened her mouth to speak—but no words came. Charles’ hand on her shoulder was urgently insistent and the sensation from his fingers was numbing all by itself. Sit back and say nothing, the hand said, and Tessa’s objections to what he’d just told the lawyer remained unvoiced.

The lawyer wasn’t watching Tessa to see her astonishment. He was astonished enough himself. He glanced down at Charlie’s business card and his jaw dropped a foot.

‘Lord Dalston... You’re Lord Dalston?’ His voice was frankly incredulous. Another glance at Charlie and he appeared to change his mind. Disbelief faded. Charlie’s bearing was every inch the aristocrat. ‘I’m sorry, but...’ He could barely stammer. ‘Lord Dalston...’

‘That’s the one,’ Charlie said pleasantly. ‘And I have lawyers of my own. One of whom I contacted this morning to find out Tessa’s rights. We’re entitled to see the will, so run along and fetch a copy, my lad, or I’ll have to instigate proceedings of my own. I don’t know what delaying tactics Mrs Blainey senior has instructed your firm to use, but I’m quite sure they’re illegal. Tessa’s time in this country is short and if you waste it, then we’ll sue for costs and for any unnecessary emotional hardship it might entail.’ His lips twitched mto a curve. ‘And believe me, I’m just the person to help her do it.’

Charlie sat down again, his hand still warm on Tessa’s shoulder, and he smiled up at the lawyer with a smile that Tess could only describe as dangerous. He crossed his legs, as though he was prepared to wait for what he needed—but not for very long. Not for very long at all.

‘How did you know when my sister died?’ It was all Tess could do to get her voice to work and it came out a squeak.

‘I was curious,’ Charlie told her blandly. The lawyer had left them alone and Tess had turned to Charles in astonishment. ‘While you were having your nap after breakfast, I did some research. It wasn’t hard to find the names of a couple killed in a motor accident a week ago. The details were in all the papers, including the fact that your sister died in a coma twelve hours after her husband.’

‘I see.’ Tess swallowed. ‘Does that make a difference?’

‘It might,’ Charlie told her. ‘Let’s wait and see.’ He frowned. ‘I’m beginning to think the will might be interesting. They’re going to such pains to keep it from you...’

‘They’re not keeping it. They’ve just taken it north...’

‘But why?’ Charles frowned. ‘That’s unusual. The original of a will should be kept in lawyers’ vaults and only copies taken out of the office. Tess, would Mrs Blainey know you couldn’t afford more than one tnp to England?’

‘She might,’ Tess said doubtfully and then firmed. Her head was finally starting to work again. ‘Yes, she would. Christine always bemoaned the fact that I couldn’t afford to come over for the wedding or come and visit her’

‘So...if she wants to keep you from Ben, or whatever the will says you’re entitled to, why not keep the will from you until after you return to Australia? That way, hopefully, you couldn’t return to stake your claim.’

‘But...why on earth would she do such a thing

’

‘Let’s wait and see what’s in the will.’

It took Scott junior only ten minutes to get a copy of Christine’s will. How he did, Tess neither knew nor cared. She took the document from the lawyer’s hands and there was a long silence as she read through to the end.

When she finished, Tessa’s face turned as white as chalk. She looked up at the lawyer. ‘But this says...’

‘I know what it says,’ the lawyer said heavily. ‘Mrs Blainey intends to appeal.’

‘May I see?’ Charlie leaned over and lifted the will from Tessa’s nerveless fingers. He read it through to the end. And whistled.

‘Good grief!’

Tessa closed her eyes. ‘I don’t believe it,’ she said faintly. ‘Why would Christine do something like this?’

‘She must have had her reasons,’ Charlie said softly. ‘But whether you ever know what they are or not, you have some serious thinking to do.’ He lifted the document and read aloud.

‘In the event of my husband predeceasing me, then I bequeath all my worldly goods to my son, Benjamin, these possessions to be held in trust solely by my sister, Tessa Flanagan, to be used and administered at her sole discretion until Ben reaches twenty-one years of age. And, also in the event of my husband’s death, I leave Ben’s guardianship to my sister and ask that she take sole care of him.’ Charlie paused.

Tessa was almost speechless. She shook her head, trying to clear the fog. ‘Is it... Is this legally binding?’

‘Mrs Christine Blainey didn’t use our services to draft the will,’ the lawyer said, in a tone that spoke of severe disapproval. ‘If she had, we would have advised her most strongly against such a course of action. She lodged it with us in a sealed envelope. Clearly her husband’s intention was not that all his possessions pass away from the family.’

‘They’re not passing from the family,’ Charlie objected. ‘They’re passing to his son.’

‘But they’re movmg out of his mother’s control.’

‘Is that such a crime?’

‘I believe Mrs Blainey thinks so.’ The lawyer hesitated and then relented a little. ‘Mrs Blainey’s a very determined lady.’

‘I imagine she must be.’ Charlie looked across at Tessa, his eyes speculative. ‘Well, Tessa, what are you going to do about this?’

‘Will Mrs Blainey fight the will?’ Tess asked. ‘Are there grounds?’

The lawyer looked from Charlie to Tessa and back again. Clearly he was coming to a decision. When Tess and Charles had walked into the room, this man had been loyal to a fault to the unknown Mrs Blainey. Now though... The lawyer’s loyalties were shifting before their eyes, and Tess wondered just how much that had to do with Charlie’s magic title.

‘I believe her only grounds for legal action are that her son would not have wished Miss Flanagan to care for her grandchild,’ the lawyer conceded. ‘Her son’s will didn’t mention guardianship at all, but...’

The lawyer paused. Warring loyalties were plainly written on his face. Another glance at Charles and his mind was made up. ‘I believe...if Mrs Blainey has the care of her grandson for a lengthy time, then she can apply to the courts for custody, saying it’s in the child’s best interests to stay with her long term. That hardly holds true now as the child’s been with her for only a week, but it may be her idea in refusing access now.’