The Legacy: Trouble Comes Disguised As Family (Unspoken Book 2) by T. Belshaw (the best books to read .txt) 📗

Martha got to her feet, her face crimson. She narrowed her eyes and stared hard across the oak desk.

‘There’s something fishy going on here. I believe I am being robbed of my inheritance. Be warned, this will be contested.’

‘Contested,’ echoed Marjorie, her eyes wide. She looked from the solicitor to Martha. ‘Contested,’ she repeated.

‘There’s nothing to contest, I’m afraid,’ replied Bradley. It’s written in very plain language and has a very clear meaning. You see, the entire estate, including the farmhouse, the London properties, the shares and the bank accounts, were placed into a Family Protection Trust, a few years ago. There are three named, trustees, but sadly, your name isn’t one of them. The trustees are myself, Mr Beanney, my practice partner, and one other. The trust will run for one hundred and twenty-five years, unless it is dissolved by the aforementioned trustees.’

Mr Wilson got to his feet. ‘Legally, the trust is bullet proof, Mrs Crew. You can waste money on your own solicitor if you want to, but you’d be throwing your money away.’

Marjorie’s mouth opened and closed as if she was impersonating a goldfish. Martha hit her on the back of the head. ‘Wake up, Marjorie,’ she spat, then turned back to Bradley.

‘Even if all this is true, and there is some fancy trust in place, which, you can be assured, I will be looking into. Surely there would have been interest on the insurance policy. It was taken out in nineteen thirty-eight for God’s sake. Where is the interest? Have you taken it in fees?’ She narrowed her eyes again and stared across the desk.

‘Our fees are paid by the trust, Mrs Crew,’ said Bradley. ‘There is no accrued interest. The policy pay-out was set at one hundred pounds. It would have been one hundred pounds had she died the day after she took out the policy, and it remained at one hundred pounds right up to the time of her death. I’m sorry to be the harbinger of bad news, but that’s the way these things work.’

He looked at his watch.

‘I’m sorry but we will have to conclude out meeting now. I have another appointment.’

He walked smartly to the door, opened it, and smiled.

‘Thank you for your time.’

Martha said nothing, but stormed past the solicitor, almost knocking him into the window blinds. Marjorie followed, giving him a snarl as she swept by.

Bradley watched as the two old ladies left the practice.

‘Let me know when Ms Griffiths arrives, please.’ He closed the door to his office and returned to his desk.

As Martha left the building, she turned her face skywards.

‘Thank you, God. You never fail to disappoint.’

Nicola closed the lid of the glove compartment, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and popped an extra strong mint into her mouth. She looked towards the office doors and her heart sank. Martha’s body language didn’t appear to be saying that the meeting had gone well. As she got out of the car to open the back door for her mother, Jessica’s Toyota drove slowly into the car park. She pulled up next to Nicola and climbed out. Martha hurried across the tarmac towards her. She stopped abruptly a foot away and looked at her sternly.

‘Jessica. We need to talk,’ she said firmly.

Chapter 7

Jess walked quickly into the Wilson-Beanney reception, the words of Martha still ringing in her ears.

‘Call me, the moment you know anything, Jessica. This is a concern for all the family, not just individual members of it.’

The bored-looking receptionist, a woman of about the same age as Jess, motioned her to sit and went back to filing her nails. Jess declined the offer of a seat and slowly paced the room, studying the mainly Victorian portrait prints that lined the walls. Two minutes later the intercom on the receptionist’s desk buzzed.

‘Melanie, has Ms Griffith’s arrived.’

‘Yes, Brad… Mr Wilson, she’s here.’ Melanie looked disinterestedly at Jess. ‘Shall I send her in?’

Instead of replying, the door to the right-hand office opened and Bradley Wilson stepped into the room. He held out his hand and beamed a smile as he approached her.

‘Bradley Wilson, I’m delighted to meet you.’

Jess smiled back, pleased that the image she had built up in her mind pretty much matched the figure that stood in front of her. He was tall, dark haired, with deep brown eyes and a dazzling smile. His mid-grey suit was cut in the modern style, the short, tight-fit jacket was undone showing off a slim waist and a muscular-looking chest that while well formed, didn’t shout out daily gym routines.

She took his hand and shook it.

‘I’m delighted to meet you too, Mr Wilson, but I have to admit to being slightly apprehensive about this appointment.’

Bradley motioned her towards his office door and allowed her to enter first. He closed the door behind him and walked smartly to his desk.

‘I hope that feeling of apprehension dissipates quickly.’ He smiled at her again and held out his hand towards a comfortable-looking chair on the opposite side of his desk. ‘Firstly, and unfortunately, the formalities have to be gone through.’ Bradley lifted the lid of his laptop and pressed a couple of keys.

‘Could you give me your full name, please?’

Bradley took her through a series of security questions before tapping another key on his laptop and looking up at her.

‘That’s great. Ms Griffith’s, I’m sorry about the personal questions but it has to be done. Is it all right if I call you Jessica?’

‘Jess will be fine. Nana and her two daughters are the only ones that use my full Christian name. I don’t really like it if I’m honest.’

‘Jess it is then, and I’m Bradley, if you don’t mind the informality. Your grandmother would be appalled at the familiarity.’ He smiled his easy smile again showing off perfectly aligned teeth.

Jess shook her head.

‘I can imagine. I hope they weren’t too awful. They have very old-fashioned attitudes.’

‘I’ve met far worse in my time,’