"I went in, feeling I was walking into a lion's den. They were outwardly polite, but I knew they were looking at my back, deciding where to stick their knives. How could I change things with the inheritance? I was a new player, and they had to rearrange all their schemes."
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Thomas looked at Amos skeptically. "How come I did not hear from you when I went to London?"
"I suspect that you did not socialize with people living in genteel poverty. I had few prospects, but when I found that I was the heir of some property here, I had to come look at it, to see if it was worth something."
"And if it is not?"
Amos shrugged . "I imagine that I can make a living as a clerk. I have certain skills."
"Hmmm."
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"I asked about Grandmother Alice, out of politeness. They said quickly that she was resting and not to be disturbed. What were they afraid that I could do? Rewrite the inheritance conditions in my favor? It was better to change tack."
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"By the way, is there a way I could find the descendants of one Joseph Porter? He was my ancestor's partner."
"Porter? That name does not ring a bell."
"I know the name." Frederick chimed in. "It was a scandal. He married a Benchley cousin, and then tried to kill the Benchley heir. Turns out that he was a bigamist too. Terrible story."
"So sorry to hear that. But are any descendants? Do they have a right to the business? Is there a way I could reach them?"
"You should check the records. As for us, once he was dead, and exposed, we did not want to have any more to do with him.
"I see."
-0-
"I left. They did not invite me to stay with them, which was a relief. I said that I was renting a room in town, sure that they did not want to go to such cheap lodgings. As I left, I could not avoid running into Miriam. She reacted to me, which I was not prepared for. She could recognize her brutal attacker in the mild-mannered man just in from England. But somehow, she reacted as if she knew me."
"I wondered if I would see her again. Or if I should…"