Chapter 2: The Will

Monday morning, Martin and Louisa sat in the solicitors' office in Plymouth waiting. Louisa nervously poured herself a cup of tea from the antique silver service the receptionist set before them. She looked around at the dark wood panelling and shelves full of serious looking law books. This was not an environment she was used to and Martin had not been very forthcoming about what to expect.

"Tell me again how you're related to this Sir Matthew Ellingham?"

"Their branch of the family are the Tremethyk Ellinghams, they used a double surname, no hyphen. I believe my paternal grandfather and Sir Matthew's father were first cousins. I never actually met the man, don't know much about him other than he lived to an extreme old age, 105 apparently. No wife or children."

"Was he a doctor too? It seems like an interest in medicine runs in the family, what with you, your father, and Ruth."

"No. I think he had some sort of career in chemistry early on, but obviously with his advanced age he wouldn't have been active in quite some time." Martin sipped his tea, seemingly unperturbed by the situation.

Louisa was intrigued but still anxious in this environment. She busied herself with a second cup of tea and a biscuit. It was very quiet in the office, with only the distant ticking of a clock. She checked her phone for any message from her counselling clients or from Janice, who was watching the children. Nothing. After several more minutes of silence, she asked, "What was he knighted for?"

"How do you mean? He wasn't knighted."

"Why was he called Sir Matthew then?"

Martin finished his tea and set down the cup. Louisa noticed he started to tense his fingers and rubbed at the scar on his arm. She had learned to recognize the subtle signs that he was nervous too.

"He was a baronet, not a knight," he said. "They're both addressed as sir."

"Oh." Louisa felt more confused than ever. "Baronet" sounded so posh, or like a character out of a Jane Austen novel. She wanted to ask Martin more about it but didn't want to show her ignorance by continuing to question him.

Just then Mr. Cooper entered the office, with a bundle of files. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I have Sir Matthews's last will and testament here, originally written and witnessed by my own father some 50 years ago, along with various small codicils since then. We called you and your wife here for the reading since you are the oldest male relative of the late Mr. Christopher Ellingham, who was the oldest male relative of Sir Matthew, as I explained in my initial call to you. The estate is entailed, so legally it has to pass down through the male line."

The solicitor went on at some length, referring to an official roll and a standing council and some legal and archaic sounding terms. Martin grunted his acknowledgement, as if he had some idea of what to expect here. Louisa didn't want to admit that she didn't follow what he was saying so she just nodded uncertainly.

Finally, Cooper opened the top file and scanned through the numerous official-looking papers it contained. "It's pretty much what we expected. Dr. Ellingham, you inherit the baronetcy in accordance with the law, and the estate that goes with it. There is a small annuity awarded to the butler and cook/housekeeper who took care of Sir Matthew during his later years, they're a married couple and they're permitted to live rent-free on the estate for as long as they like. Sir Matthew's funeral arrangements and expenses were also all taken care of in advance, and we're handling the succession duties for you. It's all very straightforward."

He handed the papers to Martin to scrutinize. "I'll have my secretary make copies of everything for you, of course.

"So the baronetcy does include some property then," Martin said, scanning through the file. "Tremethyk House. Where is it located?

Louisa finally spoke up. "I know that place. It's inland, a bit south of Portwenn, in a tiny village called Trerunyow. I mean I've heard of it and seen photos but it's never been open to the public. It's supposed to be very historic."

"Yes, yes, quite historic, 17th Century I believe," Cooper said.

Now Martin looked surprised and uncertain. "My father never mentioned this. I thought he was only really interested in the title."

"The title and the property go together," Cooper said. "It's been in the other branch of the Ellingham family for generations, and now it's yours. I haven't been out there in many years but I imagine Sir Matthew has neglected keeping up with repairs in his old age, but fortunately he invested his liquid assets wisely so there's some funds available for any work that needs doing. Of course, that's all yours too now." He handed Martin some bank and brokerage statements to add to the file.

"Sign here and here, and initial here," the solicitor indicated. "As I said, I'll have copies of everything made for you before you leave."

Louisa leaned over Martin's side to have a look at the financial statements, then sat back feeling a bit faint at the sight of all those numbers. That was nothing compared to her shock at what the solicitor said next as he stood up and extended his hand to Martin and then to her:

"So congratulation, Sir Martin and Lady Ellingham!"

To be continued…