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The next day, Maureen was characteristically early for her meeting with Francis Harcourt. The receptionist had offered her coffee and she had accepted. She hadn’t been to Brigstock and Wellman for a while as her husband had been in the driving seat as far as the business was concerned. As she waited she looked around the old-fashioned office with the wood panelling and high ceilings with plaster cornices and ornate roses from which hung the light fittings. Despite the authentic features of the Victorian style building, the secretaries were using hi-tech computers and telecoms equipment which gave an air of modernity and professionalism.
At just after 11 a.m. there was a call on one of the phones and Maureen was asked to follow the assistant. They climbed the wide wooden staircase furnished with a plush deep red carpet runner towards the first floor where she walked the length of the landing to the furthest office. As Maureen entered the room, Francis Harcourt walked out from behind his desk and shook hands with his visitor.
‘Mrs Welch. Do take a seat. Can Joanna get you a coffee or tea?’
‘No, thank you, I’ve already had a coffee.’ She smiled at Joanna and sat down on one of the straight-backed chairs. Francis made his tall slim frame comfortable in his high-backed leather desk chair. His pinstripe suit looked immaculate and he wore a white shirt with a blue and white spotted tie. He picked up some half-moon reading glasses and opened the folder in front of him.
He looked up, ‘Firstly, my sincere condolences on the death of your husband. I realise that you were separated but it must have come as quite a shock, all the same.’
‘Yes, thank you, I still can’t believe that he was so desperate that he took his own life. We were estranged but we were together for a long time.’
‘Quite. I don’t wish to upset you so I think we will press on with business.’
Maureen nodded and smiled nervously.
‘As I already mentioned on the phone, this firm is your late husband’s executor so I have a copy of his will here. It is quite straightforward despite the considerable size of the estate. As I’m sure you can imagine, Hubert was a wealthy man.’
Maureen shrugged slightly. Obviously, they had owned a property business but Hubert had been the man behind the business and she had been a minor shareholder. She had never shown as much enthusiasm for it as he had done and there had been some disputes in the past on the subject of taking on too much debt.
‘Hubert has made bequests to his brother and his nephew and niece. They will each receive a nice surprise. Should the two children be interested in university the money should come in very useful.’
‘Well, that’s good to know. I’ve not been very close to them in recent years but of course, they came to the funeral.’
‘There are also some charitable bequests and then the remaining estate will pass to one beneficiary, yourself.’
Maureen sat in silence, her mind processing what she’d just been told. She felt her face flush and her heart missed a beat.
‘Mrs Welch, are you alright? Would you like a glass of water?’
She heard the solicitor’s voice but it sounded distorted as if he was speaking down a long pipe and the words were echoing back and forth, bouncing off the walls of a tunnel. She looked ahead and he began to come back into focus.
‘Sorry, I’m fine. It was just a bit of a shock. I mean, well we were separated. The final divorce papers would have been signed in a few weeks, or months. Hubert had agreed to divorce proceedings.’ She paused. ‘There had been a bit of a hold up due to his refusal to accept that our marriage was over.’
‘Indeed. The fact is that once the divorce had been granted the will would have been invalid. However, as you were still legally married to Hubert at the time of his death, then you will inherit under the terms of it.’
‘But, I can’t understand it. I’ve rewritten my will, I assumed Hubert would do the same. I’ve made my sister and her child my beneficiaries. I didn’t include Hubert at all.’
The solicitor merely smiled. He had done his job in explaining the matter.
‘I would just like to add that though the estate is of a sizeable nature it will be exempt from inheritance tax as it is passing between husband and wife.’
‘I see,’ was all Maureen could manage. It was all too much to absorb in one fell swoop.
‘I should emphasise that once the assets have been transferred across then it would be advisable for you to consult a financial advisor. We never know what is around the corner and well, it would be a pity if your beneficiaries should lose out on a large proportion of money to the dreaded inheritance tax. We have some people we can recommend. There are some charlatans out there who will be only too eager to relieve you of your inheritance. We see that all too often.’
‘Yes, thank you that would be very useful,’ said Maureen, touching her top lip as she felt it may be showing signs of perspiration.
‘Of course, were you to marry in the future then you would also benefit from exemptions on transfer to your new spouse. You should also make a new will as marriage will invalidate your current will.’
‘Yes, I understand,’ said Maureen quietly.
‘Ah, one thing before you go, I forgot to mention it.’
Maureen put down her handbag once more.
‘Did Hubert ever mention the fledgling company PersCure?’
‘No, I don’t think so. But I’ve heard of it. It’s the new cancer company at the University.’
‘That’s right and very promising it looks too. Well, Hubert now owns some shares in that, although I don’t know exactly what percentage of the equity. I doubt it is a huge stake but a few percent no doubt.’
‘Oh, well that’s amazing. I didn’t know he was interested in that sort of venture.’
‘Well, don’t hesitate to call me if you have any queries. I will press on and start to prepare the valuations for probate. Please, can you send in some copies of the death certificate?’
‘Of course. Thank you.’
Francis handed her his business card and she made her way unsteadily down the stairs. Before attempting to drive home she went into a cafe and ordered a cup of tea. She really felt like a brandy but that would have to wait until later. Just when she thought life had started to get more simple it had suddenly got hugely more complicated.
**
Christian had just finished interviewing the first cohort of patients assisted by a nurse who performed the necessary checks of blood pressure, heart rate and lung function. Data gathering was tough in some instances as the patient’s English was rather stilted but by writing some of the questions down they were able to elicit adequate responses. The healthcare assistant took a blood sample from each volunteer and tested a sample of their urine as it was necessary to have control measurements before any drug was administered.
Two out of the cohort of patients had not been able to provide a GP in the UK so Christian had pretended to flick through a file containing random printouts which were supposed to be summary medical records. He would have to compile some vague details for these patients in order to comply the with regulatory authorities. This whole charade made him feel guilty and did not sit easily with him. Having previously trained and qualified as a doctor he had been bound by the Hippocratic oath and this was a blatant breach of it. He tried to banish these negative thoughts by considering the bogus doctors who had been able to con their way into the health service and in some extreme cases had actually operated on people without possessing any qualifications whatsoever. This was a far cry from such a crime. Nor did it come anywhere near Münchhausen's by proxy where nurses had harmed others under their care. He had somehow convinced himself that he was acting in the greater good and was enabling these financially poor volunteers to earn a small amount of money when they would have had no initiative to apply for a clinical trial.
‘Dr Dalton, Dr Dalton?’ he heard his assistant calling.
‘Sorry, I was just, sorry, just thinking of something else,’ he burbled.
‘We have finished with this patient. Was there something else you needed to ask?’
Christian realised he had drifted off into his own world again which was an indication of how uncomfortable he felt pursuing this avenue which had been foisted on him by avuncular Ron Radford.
‘No, that’s fine. Sorry, I’m fine. I’ve just remembered something I need to do later,’ he replied lamely. ‘I think I’ll just take a break.’
‘Well, it’s lunchtime now. We’ve finished the morning set of volunteers, the next group is due at 2 p.m.’
‘Yes, of course. We’ll carry on after lunch.’
‘Oh, Dr Dalton?’ called Fay through from reception. ‘There’s a visitor here for you.’
‘Who is it? I’m not expecting anyone.’
‘She said not to tell you, it’s a surprise!’
Suddenly Christian felt faint and had to sit down.
‘Are you OK, Dr Dalton? Are you OK,’ said the healthcare assistant.
Christian looked up and his colleague loomed into focus. Everything looked in black and white, images were swimming before his eyes. He had one thought racing through his mind. Had the odious Laura returned once more to ramp up the pressure on him even more? A glass of water was pressed into his hand and he sipped the cool liquid which helped him return to the present world.
‘Sorry, I’m feeling rather tired today. It feels a bit hot in here, don’t you think?’ He loosened his tie. ‘I’m fine, thank you. I’ll get some fresh air over lunch and see you back in here.’
‘Your visitor, remember,’ said Fay.
‘Oh, yes,’ said Christian with menace. ‘I’ll go through to reception now.’
He was dreading who might be waiting for him. Christian scanned the waiting area and saw his wife who stood and called over to him, ‘Surprise! I’ve come to take you to lunch!’
A huge wave of relief washed over him and he walked over to Geraldine and kissed her. His skin was clammy after coming out of the faint and was quickly noticed by his wife.
‘Darling, you feel all sweaty. Are you OK? Have you got a virus?’
‘No, I’m fine. It’s been a busy morning and I don’t think the air conditioning is working as well as it should.’
‘It feels fine in here, positively chilly!’ said his wife.
‘So, why are you here? I mean it’s good to see you but you don’t normally pass this way.’
‘I had to take some papers around to a client on this side of town. Bit of a rush job but it was only nearby so I felt like popping in.’
‘That’s nice. Where shall we go?’
‘Well, somewhere near, there’s that cafe on the Science Park where you can sit outside, what about that?’
‘Sounds perfect. I’ll just go and get my jacket and phone.’
‘OK, I’ll wait here.’
Christian returned to his office relieved it was Geraldine and not Laura out in the reception area. No wonder he kept feeling faint. Living in a constant state of anxiety must be taking years off his life. Once Laura had been persuaded to leave him alone he would be able to carry on with his life without constantly looking over his shoulder.
