Caleb gave her an expectant look. “Are you going to read it?”
“Yes,” Simone said as she brought it closer to the light.
As she read it, she could scarcely believe what she was reading. This paper proved everything that her father had told her about her grandmother’s estate was a lie.
Lowering the paper, she shared, “My father lied to me. He told me that my grandmother only left me fifteen thousand pounds, but that wasn’t true. My grandmother left me everything- the estate, her money, and all of her land.”
Simone handed Caleb the will and continued. “My grandmother’s estate is worth over forty thousand pounds, and that doesn’t include the twenty thousand pounds in the bank.”
Caleb’s brow shot up. “You are an heiress.”
“Yes, but my father kept this from me,” she said. “Why?”
“Greed,” Caleb replied.
Simone placed a hand up to her forehead. “My father may be many things, but I never thought he would cheat me out of my inheritance.”
Caleb reviewed the will before asking, “What do you intend to do?”
“First, to start with, I am going to stop the sale of my grandmother’s estate, and claim my inheritance,” Simone replied.
“I have a solicitor that can help with that,” Caleb said. “He is trustworthy and has been employed by my family for many years.”
Simone shook her head. “This won’t be an easy feat. I suspect that my father will try to fight me on this.”
“Legally, he has no footing,” Caleb said.
“It is a large sum of money that he stands to lose.”
Caleb placed the will down onto the table. “It was never his money to have,” he pointed out. “We will take your grandmother’s will so Mr. Frickle nor your father have a chance of destroying it.”
Simone was curious about something. “Why do you suppose my grandmother didn’t leave her estate to my mother?”
“Does it matter as to the reason?” Caleb asked.
“I suppose not, but my mother shared a close relationship with my grandmother,” Simone revealed. “I don’t know why she would have been left out of the will.”
Caleb gathered the papers and placed them into the file. “That doesn’t matter now. We just need to ensure you receive what is rightfully yours.”
“You are right,” Simone said.
Keeping a tight hold on the file, Caleb blew out the candle and headed towards the door. Simone followed him, being mindful of locking the door behind her.
Neither of them spoke as they returned to the coach. Once the door was closed, Caleb held up the file. “Do you want me to hold on to these until I give them to my solicitor?”
“I think that is wise,” Simone said.
Caleb brought the file down and asked, “Are you all right?”
Simone didn’t know what to feel, knowing what she knew now. “I had no idea my father would treat me so unjustly. He would have stolen my inheritance had I not searched his office and overheard his conversation.”
“It was a good thing that you ran into your mother’s lady’s maid,” Caleb said.
“Do you think she knew what my father had planned?” Simone asked.
Caleb shrugged. “I don’t know, but she did warn you not to trust your father. Apparently, she was right in doing so.”
Simone acknowledged his words with a nod, then shifted her gaze towards the window. Her father was not the man that she thought he was. She wondered what else he was keeping from her. Was he working with Juliette and Victor?
