Raymond's predicament

Bradshaw pondered. He was a cantankerous old man living alone. Reputed to have millions stashed away, somewhere. Childless and a widower for over two decades, he had a nephew, Raymond. He was the son of his sister. This young man Bradshaw tolerated, in memory of his sister. Everyone expected the old man to leave his all to this young man.

                                                           Unfortunately, illness had been dogging him for the past three years. His long-serving doctor, Hastings, asked him to get a nurse to look after him. He recommended one young lady called Abigail for the post. Bradshaw appointed her to look after him and stay in his mansion. An efficient nurse, she was a redhead and pretty too.

                                                           "Good morning, Uncle! How are you? You are looking well this morning!" said a cheerful Raymond as he approached Bradshaw. He only got a slight nod, in response. Bradshaw did not even give him a smile today. "Why is the old man so grumpy?" thought Raymond, as he sauntered away.

                                                           Raymond was a 'happy-go-lucky' fellow. He lost the little property he had inherited from his old man. Addicted to horse races, he was always looking for ways to fund his habit. He had taken lately to keep visiting his ailing uncle, hoping he will bequeath his millions to him. He could be cordial if he wished to. He was using all his charm on the old man.

                                                           "Why is Uncle so upset this morning, Abigail?" he asked the pretty nurse who was rolling a trolley of medications for Bradshaw. "How would I know?" she replied, tossing her pretty mass of red curls. She had taken a dislike to this young man. She intrinsically realised that he didn't really respect his Uncle.

                                                           "Why don't you ask him yourself?" she challenged him further, as she went out of the living room to go to the old man. Once there she propped him up gently with pillows and gave him his medications. "There you are, Sir. You have had your morning medicines now. Would you like to look at your newspapers?" She brought him the papers and let him select to look at some. He grunted. "Okay, Abigail. Leave me alone for a while. Has that scoundrel left us?" He inquired in a low growl. Abigail had by now got used to his growling as she had been nursing him for over two years now. "I think so, Sir. I will check and let you know." She briskly walked out after punching the medicine trolley safely out of the way.

                                                           "Yes, Sir, he has left the house," she reported after a while. Suddenly the old man became active. His eyes glowed strangely as he fixed his gaze on Abigail. "Here, girl! Make a call to Edward Fontaine, my lawyer, you will find the number in the phone book. Ask him to come to me immediately. Tell him I am summoning him."

                                                          Surprised, Abigail went to the phone in the living room and made the call. They put her through to their office. A secretary responded, "Fontaine and Son. Can I help you?"

                                               "I would like to speak to Mr Edward Fontaine."

                                               "Who may I say is calling?"

                                               "I am speaking on behalf of Mr Bradshaw, Nathaniel Bradshaw."

                                               "Okay, I will give the phone to him in a moment."

                                               She heard soft music as they transferred the call. Then she heard a deep guttural voice, "Edward Fontaine here. Who is speaking?"

                                               "Good morning Sir! This is Nurse Abigail speaking. Your client Mr.Nathaniel Bradshaw wants you to come home to see him this morning."

                                               "Oh, Nathaniel Bradshaw? How is the old codger? Tell him I will come in an hour."

                                               Within an hour Abigail heard the purr of a sedan and she went to open the door to admit the senior lawyer. Dressed formally in a pinstripe suit and carrying a leather valise, he walked in confidently. Abigail escorted him to the bedside of the old man and withdrew courteously.

                                               "Close the door and come close to me Ed. I want you to help me write my last will and testament.” The lawyer sealed the door and approached him,

"I have your earlier will safely in my custody at the office, Nathaniel. Do you want to change it?"

                                          Meanwhile, Abigail, curious, was squatting outside the door, applying her ear to the keyhole to hear their conversation.

                                                  "Yes Ed, isn't it my prerogative? Please rewrite it.”

He waited while the Lawyer opened his valise and extracted a fresh sheet of paper and his gold-nibbed fountain pen. “Okay go ahead Nate,” said the Lawyer, poising his pen.

                                                   “I want most of my property to go to the Nurse Abigail and my servants, the Fallons. Make it 70 % to Abigail and 15% to the Fallons. Both of these had served me very faithfully. All the rest can be divided into the orphanages and old age homes I usually support.  I want to give a one-time grant of 10,000 dollars to Raymond with the provision that he gets it, as and when he gets married. Is that clear?"

                                                           "Sure it is, Nate. But are you sure? Aren't you just smitten by this pretty redhead? Don't they say blood is thicker..? Think well and if you are sure I have no objection."

                                                     "Well, Ed, I have been thinking for a whole month about this and this is my well-considered decision. And I want you to be my executor of the will."

                                               “Well, if you are sure then I will do that. Can I draft it and bring it over for your signature tomorrow? We will need to have two witnesses, not beneficiaries in the will. I will get my clerk with me to be a witness, and perhaps my driver can be the other witness.”

                                               The old man nodded, “I want to see the face of Raymond when my will is read,” he said with a crooked smile.

                                               “Meanwhile be mum about the contents of your latest will Nate. It can be quite explosive if word gets out to your servants or the Nurse girl.” Advised the lawyer as he packed the paper carefully into his valise. He bid his friend farewell and set out of the room.

                                               An overjoyed Abigail quickly rose up from her knees and ran deliriously to her room. She thought, “Finally, I can stop doing these duties and get settled. I will get married to my fiancé Frank and we will live on my money. Perhaps we can buy a little property and start a small farm too.” She started dreaming.

                                   Her dreams were broken as she heard the bell. She ran to the old man. “Yes, Sir, you called me?” she said.

                                   “Where have you been Abigail?” he chided her and asked her to adjust his bed.

                       As she left his room, she ran into Fallon. “What are you smiling so much about, girl?” he asked, “have you been bequeathed a million dollars?”

                       Abigail wanted to share her joy. But she realised that she should be silent. She just smiled and said, “A girl can dream, can’t she?”

                       The next day was eventful. The lawyer arrived with his clerk and took the signature of the old man and the witnesses as he planned. He made sure to be discreet about it. But somehow Fallon sensed it. “Why is this lawyer coming to see the old man twice? Maybe he is changing his will?” The wily Raymond was constantly in touch with Fallon, and he smelt something. He arrived hotfoot, the next day. He started to question old Fallon.

           “Bless my soul if I know anything, Mr Raymond,” he protested.

                                   “Are you sure?” asked Raymond, desperately. “The only thing we know is that Mr Fontaine arrived here and had a confidential time with the old man.”

                                         Raymond became restless. “What did the old man do? Would he have changed his will?” he wondered. He knew the contents of the previous will and was assured that he would get a major share in the property.

                                   “Of course the lawyer would know. But he would be tight-lipped. How can I know what the old man has done?” he wondered as he paced up and down in the hall.

                                   There was a summons from the old man. Before Abigail could respond, Raymond ran to the old man. He affected a pleasant face and grinned broadly. “Good morning Uncle! Can I help you?”

                       The old man frowned. “From where have you appeared Raymond? I never asked for you?” he said crossly.

                       Raymond retreated hastily. He sat in the living room licking his wounds. “However changed the will maybe, I will still get a major chunk of his property. After all, I am his nearest blood relative.” He sought to reassure himself. But he had a problem. His debts were mounting so much, every day. He didn’t know what to do. He had banked upon getting a huge sum from his uncle. Now, this uncertainty gnawed at him. “How can I make sure of this old codger’s will? How can I get out of this predicament? “ he pondered.