Free The Room on the Second Floor by T A Williams Page A

change the subject, she hit on her scheduled menu for that evening. She soon discovered that cottage pie was going to be the best option, without a shadow of a doubt.
    ‘Never been able to try the things. I suffer from an allergy to prawns. As the lobster looks like the biggest prawn of all, I have always given them a wide berth. Anyway, that business of chucking them into boiling water always did seem so cruel.’
    Both of them were glad to get back to everyday matters. He managed to look up and meet her eye. ‘Why do you ask? Is that what you were thinking of giving me tonight?’
    Linda smiled broadly and replied. ‘No, it was just a suggestion from a friend.’
    She picked up the rest of that morning’s post. She leafed through the letters before handing him a formal-looking white envelope with the words Strictly Personal, Private and Confidential across the front. Roger opened the envelope to find it was from Mr Heslop, the solicitor.
    His meeting with Heslop some weeks previously had afforded him a fascinating insight into the life of his uncle. Heslop, himself well into his sixties, had acted for McKinnon Marine for many years and had known his uncle well. Roger listened in fascination to the tale of this self-made millionaire. His rise from modest beginnings to vast riches had been the stuff of fiction.
    Eustace had been obliged to leave university at the end of his first term after wounding a fellow student in a duel. Considering that this would have been well into the nineteen thirties, duelling demonstrated an appreciation of history to which Roger had immediately warmed. In the years leading up to the Second World War, he had travelled the world in the Merchant Navy. Gradually, he worked his way up the ladder. He borrowed heavily, bought a boat, and set up his own shipping line. He was joined by George Jennings some years later. The war made multi-millionaires of them both, and their shares had continued to grow and grow.
    In the nineteen nineties, when both were already old men, a scandal had burst upon the company. It was discovered that old Jennings had been filtering money out of the company and into various private accounts. This had been going on unchecked for decades. Chased out of the company by the legal team, he was finally brought to trial for tax evasion. ‘Like Al Capone,’ as Heslop had put it. As a result, he spent a number of years in prison, in spite of his advanced age.
    During his time in jail, he produced a steady stream of hate mail, all aimed at Eustace. He delivered enough threats to have himself thrown straight back into prison after release. However, Eustace chose not to press charges against him. Eustace himself, in his final years, was no longer in a fit state to read the letters, let alone respond to them. The death of Jennings not long before Eustace himself, hopefully, ended the affair. Roger had returned to Toplingham reassured, but this new letter indicated that, unfortunately, all was not well after all.
    He glanced at the letter in his hands, expecting a bill for the London meeting. Instead, he was surprised to read the following:
    I regret to have to inform you of an annoying development. I am in receipt of a letter indicating in no uncertain terms that the descendants of George Jennings intend to seek redress from the descendants of Eustace McKinnon for the suffering caused to George Jennings and the loss of his share in the company, which they feel is still rightfully his
.
    This is, of course, complete nonsense
.
I will be happy to reply, on your behalf, to this gentleman, Kevin Jennings, who claims to be the son and heir of Jennings Senior. I would advise you not to be concerned about this matter which can, I am sure, be nipped in the bud once and for all
.
    The rest of the letter outlined the legal points upon which Heslop intended to reply, if so instructed. Oh dear, Roger thought to himself glumly, there had to be some strings attached to such a wonderful legacy, but