Page 130 of Swordheart
“Nothing’s coming to mind.”
“Alver!” snapped Malva, turning. “Alver, explain to her what happened!”
“Um, he kidnapped you,” said Alver. “It was awful.”
“How odd,” said Zale. “Since my client made no mention of being kidnapped. I would think she would know, wouldn’t you?”
“She’s mad,” snapped Malva. “Or a fool. It doesn’t matter. Alver, go get a constable!”
Zale gave her a look of withering contempt. The clerk looked horribly uncomfortable.
“You might try Constable Michael,” said Zale. “He greeted us at the gate and is fully apprised on the situation.”
“He seemed pleasant,” rumbled Sarkis.
Malva, outmaneuvered, snapped her mouth shut.
“Now,” said Zale, turning to the law clerk, “I am aware that this is unorthodox, but as I was not present for the reading of the will, would you be so kind as to go over it again?”
The law clerk grabbed on to this like a lifeline. “Yes! Certainly!” He went over to a cabinet and pulled out the document. “Here, as you can see, the signatures are all in order…”
“They certainly seem to be,” murmured Zale. “Now let us take this line by line.”
“Is this really necessary?” said Malva. “We all know what it says.”
Zale brushed their hand through the air near their ear, as if to wave off a buzzing insect. “Let me see… yes, this appears in order. The house and possessions inside it, along with all properties, are to be left to Mistress Halla. Is this your reading, too?”
“Yes,” said the clerk, nodding vigorously.
“He was not in his right mind when he wrote that,” snapped Malva.
“This would appear to be quite straightforward,” said Zale. “Is there any reason why my client cannot take possession of her property at once?”
Halla held her breath.
The clerk looked once or twice at Malva, opened his mouth, then forced a sickly smile. “Well, not exactly, but I’m afraid that there’s been a… a challenge to the will…”
“Isee,” said Zale. “And the challenge was brought by?”
“Alver,” said Malva.
Alver, who had his shoulders up around his ears and had been staring at the floor, looked up, startled. “Yes, mother?”
“Tell them why you’ve brought this challenge to the will!”
“Uh… I… uh… that is… well, the old boy can’t have been in his right mind, can he? To leave it all to his housekeeper instead of his family…”
“You were eager enough to marry thathousekeepera few weeks ago,” said Halla acidly.
“Notof sound mind,” repeated Malva. “She was clearly manipulating him. Might even have been…” Malva looked down her nose, “…carrying onwith him.”
Halla’s jaw dropped. “Carrying on with—he waseighty-six!”
“Not the first old goat to be made a fool of by a young woman, is he?”
“Young?You told me that I was so old that I should be grateful for any offer!”
The clerk was looking back and forth, eyes round. Zale cleared their throat. “The age of my client is not relevant. Very well, if a challenge is being brought to the will, we will require a judgment. I assume that the house has been sealed in the meantime?”
