Gold Digger by Frances Fyfield Page B

Di was thrifty, he remembered. Thomas practically had to force her to buy clothes.
    ‘The children are certainly going to contest the new will. After all, it appears to have been executed so soon before he died.
I
know it was drafted long ago, and they were kept in the dark, but they’ll fight to the end and beyond and fight dirty, no doubt. The balance of his mind was disturbed, etc, etc. He was suborned by an opportunist, criminal girl, who seduced him into marriage, etcetera, etcetera … ’
    His voice trailed away, then hurried along with the bad news. The trouble with this death was that although Thomas had lived beyond medical prognosis due to the care he received, it was still unexpected.
    ‘… who then took him out of hospital, prematurely, took over his care, fought with everyone for the right to look afterhim, and thus ensured his premature death. At a point when he had difficulty communicating and was entirely dependent, he was starved to death, denied official entry when he did die, and in the meantime, his hand was forced to a
new
will, which should therefore, be overruled. That’s the sort of thing, anyway. There has to be a post mortem, of course. So everything waits for that. You know I spoke to them, and Gayle sent condolences, but oh dear, I can’t believe anything, because Edward phoned me afterwards, you see; he was rather drunk and it was extremely revealing. They do wish you ill, my dear. And they do know the circumstances of his death.’
    He did not want to tell her how bad his interview with what he called ‘the girls’ and Edward had been. He sat back, exhausted by his own recitation. She bowed her head, allowing him to look down on her wasted hair. It had grown thin during the last months, balding at the back. She looked up and smiled sadly.
    ‘As bad as that? Well, it isn’t true, you know. It’ll be ironic if they construct a case against me on the basis of what I’ve told them.’
    ‘
I
know it isn’t true,’ Raymond said, ‘because I had many conversations with Thomas. And I know he didn’t want anyone else around him but you. It might have been easier now if you had insisted otherwise.’
    She nodded.
    ‘Yes, I can see that, if only to have a witness. But to suggest I kept people away is not right. Thomas went out every day: he could walk and he looked well; no one knew how ill he was and he didn’t want them to know. There might have been more offers of help otherwise. What people saw was a man who could walk to the pier and back and smile at people. Hehad his pride, Thomas. You knew that he spent hours a day attached to a feeding tube because he told you. His daughters knew because I told them; I made sure they knew what was happening, and so did you. I reported to them regularly, and I pleaded with them to come and see him. They wouldn’t or couldn’t.’
    ‘It would indeed be ironic, if they use what you have told them against you. But I do suspect they have other sources of information, and they have certainly investigated you. Are there records of what you told them?’
    She shook her head, baffled. ‘No, mostly phone messages. Beatrice was unpleasant. She told me I’d made my filthy bed and I should lie on it. I only spoke to Gayle or Edward after that. I think Gayle thought she still had plenty of time to visit, only she didn’t have time. As for taking him out of hospital, they wanted it, I wanted it, he wanted it. He was desperate to come home. I didn’t refuse aftercare, but the nurses didn’t understand the feeding equipment. All they could suggest when there was a problem was going back into hospital, and Thomas said it was like going to prison and no one goes to prison on my watch. We were better working things out for ourselves. I thought Gayle understood.’
    ‘You don’t have to justify it to me,’ he said.
    ‘Yes, I do,’ she said, remarkably calm and non-indignant. ‘And as for me forcing Thomas to make a different will, that’s crazy. No one