Read Online And Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffrey Archer - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jeffrey Archer
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me. But at
the same time, do assure him I am not someone who bears grudges.'
Dr Grove frowned, but said nothing.
'Very magnanimous of you in the
circumstances, my dear,' said Arthur.
'When I next see him,' Kullick repeated.
Then he added, 'I feel it's my duty to point
out to you, Mr Sommerfield, that your children may feel they are entitled to...'
'Not you as well, Kullick. When will you all
accept that I've made my decision, and nothing you can say will change my mind?
Now please leave us.'
'As you wish, sir,' said Kullick, stepping
back as Dr Grove stuck a thermometer into his patient's mouth.
Lynn accompanied the lawyer to the door.
'Thank you, Mr Kullick, the maid will show you
out.'
Kullick left without another word and after Lynn
had closed the door behind him she returned to Arthur's bedside where Dr Grove was
studying the thermometer.
'Your temperature is up a little, Arthur,
but that's hardly surprising, considering all the excitement you've just been
put through.'
Turning to Lynn, he added, 'Perhaps we should
leave him to have a little rest before supper.' Lynn nodded. 'Goodbye, Arthur,'
he said in a louder voice. 'See you in a few days' time.'
'Good day, Grove,' said Arthur, switching
the television back on.
'He's looking very frail,' said Dr Grove as Lynn
accompanied him down the stairs. 'I'm going to advise his children to fly home
in the next few days. I can't believe it will be much longer.'
'I'll make sure their rooms are ready,' said
Lynn, 'and that Mr Sommerfield's driver picks them up at the airport.'
'That's very thoughtful of
you,&squofuler pirsqrsquo; said Dr Grove as they walked across the hall. 'I
want you to know, Lynn, how much I appreciate all you're doing for Arthur. When
you come back to Jackson Memorial, I'm going to recommend to the medical
director that you're given a promotion and a rise in salary to go with it.'
'Only if you think I'm worth it,' said Lynn coyly.
'You're more than worth it,' Grove said. 'But
you do realize,' he added, lowering his voice when he spotted the maid coming
out of the kitchen, 'that if Arthur left you anything in his will, however
small, you would lose your job?'
'I would lose so much more than that,' said Lynn,
squeezing his hand.
Grove smiled as the maid opened the door for
him. 'Goodbye, honey,' he whispered.
'Goodbye, Dr Grove,' Lynn said, for the last
time.
She ran back up the stairs and into the
bedroom to find Arthur, cigar in one hand and an empty glass in the other,
watching The Johnny Carson Show. Once she'd poured him a second whisky, Lynn
sat down by his side. Arthur had almost fallen asleep when Carson bade goodnight
to his thirty million viewers with the familiar words, 'See you all at the same
time tomorrow.' Lynn turned off the TV, deftly removed the half-smoked cigar from
Arthur's fingers and placed it in an ash-tray on the side table, then switched
off the light by his bed.
'I'm still awake,' said Arthur.
'I know you are,' said Lynn. She bent down and
kissed him on the forehead before slipping an arm under the sheet. She didn't
comment when a stray hand moved slowly up the inside of her leg. She stopped
when she heard the familiar sigh, that moments later was followed by steady
breathing. She removed her hand from under the sheet and strolled into the
bathroom, wondering how many more times she would have to...
Sadly, the children arrived home just a few hours
after Arthur passed away peacefully in his sleep.
Mr Haskins removed the half-moon spectacles
from the end of his nose, put down the will and looked across his desk at his
two clients.
'So all I get,' said Chester Sommerfield,
not attempting to hide his anger, 'is a silver-handled cane, while Joni ends up
with just a picture of Dad taken when he was a freshman at Princeton?'
'While all his other worldly goods,'
confirmed Mr Haskins, 'are bequeathed to a Miss Lynn Beattie.'
'And what the hell has she done to deserve that?'
demanded Joni.
'To quote the will,' said
the same time, do assure him I am not someone who bears grudges.'
Dr Grove frowned, but said nothing.
'Very magnanimous of you in the
circumstances, my dear,' said Arthur.
'When I next see him,' Kullick repeated.
Then he added, 'I feel it's my duty to point
out to you, Mr Sommerfield, that your children may feel they are entitled to...'
'Not you as well, Kullick. When will you all
accept that I've made my decision, and nothing you can say will change my mind?
Now please leave us.'
'As you wish, sir,' said Kullick, stepping
back as Dr Grove stuck a thermometer into his patient's mouth.
Lynn accompanied the lawyer to the door.
'Thank you, Mr Kullick, the maid will show you
out.'
Kullick left without another word and after Lynn
had closed the door behind him she returned to Arthur's bedside where Dr Grove was
studying the thermometer.
'Your temperature is up a little, Arthur,
but that's hardly surprising, considering all the excitement you've just been
put through.'
Turning to Lynn, he added, 'Perhaps we should
leave him to have a little rest before supper.' Lynn nodded. 'Goodbye, Arthur,'
he said in a louder voice. 'See you in a few days' time.'
'Good day, Grove,' said Arthur, switching
the television back on.
'He's looking very frail,' said Dr Grove as Lynn
accompanied him down the stairs. 'I'm going to advise his children to fly home
in the next few days. I can't believe it will be much longer.'
'I'll make sure their rooms are ready,' said
Lynn, 'and that Mr Sommerfield's driver picks them up at the airport.'
'That's very thoughtful of
you,&squofuler pirsqrsquo; said Dr Grove as they walked across the hall. 'I
want you to know, Lynn, how much I appreciate all you're doing for Arthur. When
you come back to Jackson Memorial, I'm going to recommend to the medical
director that you're given a promotion and a rise in salary to go with it.'
'Only if you think I'm worth it,' said Lynn coyly.
'You're more than worth it,' Grove said. 'But
you do realize,' he added, lowering his voice when he spotted the maid coming
out of the kitchen, 'that if Arthur left you anything in his will, however
small, you would lose your job?'
'I would lose so much more than that,' said Lynn,
squeezing his hand.
Grove smiled as the maid opened the door for
him. 'Goodbye, honey,' he whispered.
'Goodbye, Dr Grove,' Lynn said, for the last
time.
She ran back up the stairs and into the
bedroom to find Arthur, cigar in one hand and an empty glass in the other,
watching The Johnny Carson Show. Once she'd poured him a second whisky, Lynn
sat down by his side. Arthur had almost fallen asleep when Carson bade goodnight
to his thirty million viewers with the familiar words, 'See you all at the same
time tomorrow.' Lynn turned off the TV, deftly removed the half-smoked cigar from
Arthur's fingers and placed it in an ash-tray on the side table, then switched
off the light by his bed.
'I'm still awake,' said Arthur.
'I know you are,' said Lynn. She bent down and
kissed him on the forehead before slipping an arm under the sheet. She didn't
comment when a stray hand moved slowly up the inside of her leg. She stopped
when she heard the familiar sigh, that moments later was followed by steady
breathing. She removed her hand from under the sheet and strolled into the
bathroom, wondering how many more times she would have to...
Sadly, the children arrived home just a few hours
after Arthur passed away peacefully in his sleep.
Mr Haskins removed the half-moon spectacles
from the end of his nose, put down the will and looked across his desk at his
two clients.
'So all I get,' said Chester Sommerfield,
not attempting to hide his anger, 'is a silver-handled cane, while Joni ends up
with just a picture of Dad taken when he was a freshman at Princeton?'
'While all his other worldly goods,'
confirmed Mr Haskins, 'are bequeathed to a Miss Lynn Beattie.'
'And what the hell has she done to deserve that?'
demanded Joni.
'To quote the will,' said
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