Betina Krahn by The Unlikely Angel Read Free Book Online Page A

is a clear humanitarian bent to the wording.”
    Cole grinned as his irascible old uncle responded to Miss Duncan’s cleverness and heartfelt convictions.
He’s on the fence, sweetheart. Give him one last nudge and make it good,
Cole thought.
Something sentimental but smart
. What were the oddsthat she could come up with something that would qualify on both counts?
    “Your Honor—”Just as she started to speak, Farnsworth came forward with a stack of documents nearly two feet high, brandishing them before the bench and then depositing them with a flourish on the desk of the court clerk.
    “Your Honor, we have thoroughly studied the matter, including the deceptively simple wording of the will and the relevant applications of testamentary law. We submit these documents for your consideration, along with the correspondence from the agents we asked to investigate this village and those Miss Duncan has contracted with to perform work on the St. Crispin factory.”
    Madeline Duncan stared in visible shock at the documents. They had used their considerable resources to amass a case against her, and Cole saw her shoulders round as the significance of that mountain of legal paper settled on them. He felt an odd tug of sympathy in his chest.
    Hopeless,
he thought. They had law and precedent and worldly prudence on their side, and this was a place where such things held sway. Below him, Madeline straightened and approached the bench.
    “By all means, Your Honor, do read and study the evidence they have compiled against me,” she said in a voice constricted by earnestness. “But as you do, keep in mind that the things that truly matter in this case will never be found in tallies of figures and interpretations of dusty legal codes. What matters is what my aunt Olivia wanted in creating her will. What matters is that she wanted to help her fellow human beings and said so. What matters is that she entrusted me not only with her fortune, but with her desire to help others. She willed to me not just her money, but her hopes, her aspirations … her beloved ideals.
    “Let me ask you something, Your Honor.” She grasped the edge of the judicial bench and looked up at him intently.“If you suddenly—today—came into a million pounds, what would you do with it?”
    The courtroom grew abruptly quiet as all strained to hear both her question and Sir William’s reply.
    “Would you indulge in brandy and cigars … fine meals … a new suit of clothes? How many suits could you buy before buying a suit gave you no more pleasure? When you had a surfeit of brandy and cigars and suits … what then? At some point there would be more money than you had needs or desires. Would you then be under any moral obligation to help others? To share your good luck? To do something decent and worthwhile with the fortune you were given? I believe I am. Aunt Olivia believed so too. She left me a letter to be opened after her death.”
    She reached into her pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. Opening it, she introduced it into evidence with the court clerk, as Farnsworth had done, and the clerk immediately handed it to Sir William.
    What a quick study you are, Miss Duncan
.
    “As you can see, she asked me the same question I just asked you. And she did so because she knew my answer would be … what I would choose for myself and for my fellow human beings.”
    Cole found himself nodding. That arresting question, the letter, and Madeline Duncan’s heartfelt entreaty should prove damn near irresistible for an aging, gout-riddled man with a penchant for poking around in other people’s souls. Miss Duncan had laid out her dreams, her values, and her passions for the old man’s judgment.
    Sentimental and smart. An inspired gambit, sweetheart. You may have just evened the score
.
    After a moment’s silence Sir William stirred. Glowering at all parties, he announced: “I’ve heard enough. I shall return presently to deliver my