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section7mfuAlexander Waverly stood in the hallway of his home, fingering the package that had just arrived by special messenger. He had had to examine the package for tampering, and then sign to say it had been received intact with seals unbroken. He recognized the seal well enough. The package had come a long way, and its arrival heralded sad news. No, tragic news.
His wife Katherine crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“You’re putting on a little weight around the middle my dear. It’s getting harder to do this now.”
She paused when he did not rise to her bait, and released him, suddenly aware that something was awry.
“What is it my love?”
He turned and kissed her on the nose and showed her the package, with the seal facing her.
“Fosbrook, Aisling and Gaunt Solicitors, City of London…? Darling, is this what I think it is?”
He nodded.
“Yes, I think so. They always represented my parents, and following their deaths, my sister Agnes.”
Alexander Waverly’s sister Agnes was his elder by some nine years, and had of late been suffering increasingly, it was told, from dementia. Her husband Henry had been taking care of her until his own failing health had finally made it necessary for both of them to be taken into a special retirement home to be cared for by medical professionals. The distance involved, and the fact that Henry and Agnes were so elderly and infirm meant that Alexander had been unable to do a great deal to help in the day to day matters. Katherine was aware that her husband had become increasingly worried about both of them for the last several weeks.
“Come into the parlour, darling and sit down for a moment. Open the package in comfort. Come along.”
He followed his wife obediently into the parlour and sat in his favourite wicker chair looking out on to the back lawn bordered by a bubbling stream and two willow trees. She smiled at him.
“Are you going to open it Alexander? It does mean bad news doesn’t it?”
“I imagine so, although…”
He shook his head, and with deft fingers, broke the seal and opened the package.
Inside the package was a handsome presentation box in dark blue with silver lettering, wrapped with a silver ribbon tied in a bow. The elderly couple stared at the box for a long moment, then Waverly looked up into the eyes of his wife. She was dabbing at her tears with a linen handkerchief.
“Oh Alexander, I’m so sorry…”
He held up his hand.
“Wait, here’s a letter…” he looked up in surprise. “Kath, the letter is not from the solicitors at all. It’s from Henry.”
“From Henry? What does he say?”
Alexander opened the letter and read it over quickly to himself, and then smiled slightly.
“The sly old fox!” he muttered to himself. “Katherine, it isn’t what we thought at all. Listen to this;
“Dear Alex,
It has been a while old man since we were able to get together over a few jars, but I like to think there is still a few miles in the old bones yet. The thing is, your poor sister, our Aggie is starting to go downhill, mentally. Although she is slowly losing her memory, her body is still as healthy as ever, and so far, she still remembers who I am and she asks after you and Kath very regularly, and every one of your children, so with the help of the lovely girls at this place, we rub along together pretty well.
The reason for getting in touch now though is your mother’s wedding ring. As you know, purple diamonds are very rare and expensive, and we are both very determined that it should reach you and Katherine intact.
Alex, forgive me please if I am being crass here, as I have no idea of your financial situation, and I am not asking. Neither do I have any knowledge what the laws might be in your locality with regards inheritance tax, but if I leave it until Aggie and I have both gone, you will have to pay it, whether it comes under British law or US law. I do know that the value of the ring is likely to land a tax bill in the lap of an ordinary man so high he would have to sell the ring in order to pay it. Therefore, Agnes and I both have decided together to gift it to you now, and as you can see, our solicitors have witnessed that the ring is no longer in our ownership. It is Aggie’s wish, and she has begged me to say so directly, that the ring should go to Katherine, and that you should pass it down to your eldest daughter as her inheritance. She too should pass it down ad infinitum.
I need not explain that to you of course, but Aggie is most anxious and I have found it pays to accede to her fears rather than aggravate them.
With fondest love and greetings my dear Alex to you and your loving Katherine,
Henry and Agnes”
Alexander Waverly looked up from the letter and found Katherine staring at the blue box in her hand with almost reverential awe.
“This is it? Your mother’s wedding ring, to go from mother to daughter?”
Alexander nodded.
“Henry and Aggie had no children of course, so mother’s ring comes to you…”
To his surprise, Waverly’s voice cracked. To cover the moment, he coughed and opened the box carefully. Katherine gasped. A huge purple diamond, surrounded by smaller white diamonds in a solid silver setting. She picked it up and stared at it from every angle.
“It’s exquisite!” She looked at her husband with tears in her eyes. “It’s too good for me to wear!”
Alexander hugged her.
“Katherine my love, the ring is beautiful. You’re exquisite!”
His wife Katherine crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“You’re putting on a little weight around the middle my dear. It’s getting harder to do this now.”
She paused when he did not rise to her bait, and released him, suddenly aware that something was awry.
“What is it my love?”
He turned and kissed her on the nose and showed her the package, with the seal facing her.
“Fosbrook, Aisling and Gaunt Solicitors, City of London…? Darling, is this what I think it is?”
He nodded.
“Yes, I think so. They always represented my parents, and following their deaths, my sister Agnes.”
Alexander Waverly’s sister Agnes was his elder by some nine years, and had of late been suffering increasingly, it was told, from dementia. Her husband Henry had been taking care of her until his own failing health had finally made it necessary for both of them to be taken into a special retirement home to be cared for by medical professionals. The distance involved, and the fact that Henry and Agnes were so elderly and infirm meant that Alexander had been unable to do a great deal to help in the day to day matters. Katherine was aware that her husband had become increasingly worried about both of them for the last several weeks.
“Come into the parlour, darling and sit down for a moment. Open the package in comfort. Come along.”
He followed his wife obediently into the parlour and sat in his favourite wicker chair looking out on to the back lawn bordered by a bubbling stream and two willow trees. She smiled at him.
“Are you going to open it Alexander? It does mean bad news doesn’t it?”
“I imagine so, although…”
He shook his head, and with deft fingers, broke the seal and opened the package.
Inside the package was a handsome presentation box in dark blue with silver lettering, wrapped with a silver ribbon tied in a bow. The elderly couple stared at the box for a long moment, then Waverly looked up into the eyes of his wife. She was dabbing at her tears with a linen handkerchief.
“Oh Alexander, I’m so sorry…”
He held up his hand.
“Wait, here’s a letter…” he looked up in surprise. “Kath, the letter is not from the solicitors at all. It’s from Henry.”
“From Henry? What does he say?”
Alexander opened the letter and read it over quickly to himself, and then smiled slightly.
“The sly old fox!” he muttered to himself. “Katherine, it isn’t what we thought at all. Listen to this;
“Dear Alex,
It has been a while old man since we were able to get together over a few jars, but I like to think there is still a few miles in the old bones yet. The thing is, your poor sister, our Aggie is starting to go downhill, mentally. Although she is slowly losing her memory, her body is still as healthy as ever, and so far, she still remembers who I am and she asks after you and Kath very regularly, and every one of your children, so with the help of the lovely girls at this place, we rub along together pretty well.
The reason for getting in touch now though is your mother’s wedding ring. As you know, purple diamonds are very rare and expensive, and we are both very determined that it should reach you and Katherine intact.
Alex, forgive me please if I am being crass here, as I have no idea of your financial situation, and I am not asking. Neither do I have any knowledge what the laws might be in your locality with regards inheritance tax, but if I leave it until Aggie and I have both gone, you will have to pay it, whether it comes under British law or US law. I do know that the value of the ring is likely to land a tax bill in the lap of an ordinary man so high he would have to sell the ring in order to pay it. Therefore, Agnes and I both have decided together to gift it to you now, and as you can see, our solicitors have witnessed that the ring is no longer in our ownership. It is Aggie’s wish, and she has begged me to say so directly, that the ring should go to Katherine, and that you should pass it down to your eldest daughter as her inheritance. She too should pass it down ad infinitum.
I need not explain that to you of course, but Aggie is most anxious and I have found it pays to accede to her fears rather than aggravate them.
With fondest love and greetings my dear Alex to you and your loving Katherine,
Henry and Agnes”
Alexander Waverly looked up from the letter and found Katherine staring at the blue box in her hand with almost reverential awe.
“This is it? Your mother’s wedding ring, to go from mother to daughter?”
Alexander nodded.
“Henry and Aggie had no children of course, so mother’s ring comes to you…”
To his surprise, Waverly’s voice cracked. To cover the moment, he coughed and opened the box carefully. Katherine gasped. A huge purple diamond, surrounded by smaller white diamonds in a solid silver setting. She picked it up and stared at it from every angle.
“It’s exquisite!” She looked at her husband with tears in her eyes. “It’s too good for me to wear!”
Alexander hugged her.
“Katherine my love, the ring is beautiful. You’re exquisite!”
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