Page 12 of Traitors Gate

‘Not while the Germans were dropping bombs all over London, and it looked as if Adolf Hitler might be your next landlord. Don’t forget that in 1941 Christie’s was razed to the ground, and Jermyn Street is only a hundred yards away.’

Beth hadn’t realized.

‘Bertie Lomax took one hell of a risk, I grant you, but one that turned out to be a shrewd long-term investment. Because I estimate the present value of 12A to be somewhere between one and one and a half million. So if Sir Julian can draw up a contract before the “kind and generous” gentleman calls Mrs Lomax on Monday morning, I’d be willing to throw in another million for the lease, and even make a ten thousand pound donation towards the church’s restoration fund.’

‘Drawing up a new contract between you and Mrs Lomax shouldn’t prove too difficult,’ said Sir Julian, ‘as most of the work has already been done by someone who’s clearly a practised member of my profession.’

‘Do you think it was a lawyer who turned up to Mr Lomax’s funeral uninvited?’ said Beth.

‘I most certainly do,’ said Julian, ‘and a very sharp one. You’ll both have heard of ambulance-chasing lawyers, but you might not be quite as familiar with a more select group known as funeral-attending lawyers. They select their prey carefully and turn up to funerals assuming that most wives won’t know all the details of their husbands’ business affairs. When they leave, they pay their respects to the widow, but not before delivering an oft-repeated homily along the lines, “If there’s anything I can do to assist you, dear lady, don’t hesitate to call on me.” They then hand over their card. I wouldn’t be surprised if they threw in the term “pro-bono” for good measure because, I can assure you, it isn’t their goodwill that’s on offer.’

‘When are you expecting to see Mrs Lomax again?’ Arthur asked his daughter.

‘I promised to accompany her to Matins tomorrow morning,’ said Beth. ‘She wants me to meet the vicar and learn more about his plans to repair the church roof, which she tells me is leaking again.’

‘Then you can hand over a cheque for two million and let her decide how much she leaves in the offertory plate,’ he said as a gong sounded for dinner.

‘And if you’re both very good,’ said Beth, ‘I might even tell you the name of the funeral-attending lawyer.’ She took his business card out of her bag before leading them out of the room.

• • •

‘My text this morning is taken from One Corinthians, chapter thirteen, beginning at verse thirteen,’ intoned the vicar. ‘Faith, hope, and charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity,’ he emphasized as he looked down from the pulpit at Mrs Lomax, who appeared captivated by his every word.

Beth had joined the widow for breakfast and made her an offer that had stopped her talking for more than a minute. They both listened to the rest of the sermon, which seemed to be aimed at an audience of one. In fact, Mrs Lomax remained on her knees long after the vicar had delivered the final blessing.

After the last of his congregation had departed, the vicar invited Mrs Lomax and her guest to join him in the vestry.

‘I wanted you to be the first to hear the good news, vicar,’ said Mrs Lomax as she entered his private domain. ‘Mrs Warwick’s father has offered me two million pounds for mylate husband’s gallery, including the stock, and after listening to your sermon, I’ve decided to donate half of it to the church’s restoration fund.’

Both of them were left speechless by the widow’s mite, but the vicar was the first to recover. ‘You have single-handedly solved all our problems, my dear Mrs Lomax, and be assured, you will remain constantly in my prayers.’

‘And don’t forget my father is also willing to donate a further ten thousand towards such a worthwhile enterprise,’ threw in Beth.

‘Amen to that,’ said the vicar, offering Beth the sign of the cross. ‘Between you and Mr Booth Watson, you will have contributed one million and eleven thousand to the cause. God bless all three of you.’

‘Why don’t you join us for tea around three o’clock, vicar,’ suggested Mrs Lomax, ‘when I’ll be signing the contract.’

‘The feeding of the five thousand,’ said the vicar, while Mrs Lomax looked as if she had already entered the promised land.

• • •

Beth, her father and Sir Julian arrived at the little thatched cottage just after three o’clock to find the vicar already in attendance.

The tea ceremony would have been worthy of a Japanese geisha, and another hour passed while Mrs Lomax took them from Vera Lynn singing to the forces during the war, on to the wedding of Charles and Diana at Westminster Abbey, ending on the recent Queen’s Speech to the House of Lords, before Beth felt it safe to raise the subject of the contract. Once Mrs Lomax had nodded her approval, Sir Julianproduced a three-page document which he placed on the table in front of her along with his pen.

Mrs Lomax immediately turned to the last page, signed the agreement, and handed the pen to the vicar so he could witness her signature.

‘No, no,’ interjected Sir Julian firmly. ‘As the church will be a major beneficiary, it is important that the vicar remains at arm’s length.’

Mrs Lomax immediately rang a little bell by her side and, when her housekeeper reappeared, asked her to do the honours.

Once all three copies had been signed by both parties and returned to Sir Julian’s briefcase, Arthur handed Mrs Lomax a cheque for two million pounds. The beneficiary studied the figures for some time before she asked, ‘Haven’t you forgotten something, Mr Rainsford?’

Arthur looked puzzled.

‘The ten thousand you promised to donate to the church’s restoration fund?’

Arthur’s expression shifted to embarrassment. ‘Yes, of course,’ he said. He took out his cheque book and wrote out a second offering which he handed to the vicar.

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