Read A Perfect Proposal for Free Online Page B

wanted me to look at?’
    ‘Yes?’ Sophie picked up the teapot and began to pour. Uncle Eric would have no truck with teabags and mugs; he liked tea from a pot.
    ‘They might amuse you.’
    ‘What are they?’
    ‘They’re to do with part of my inheritance – your family’s too. Drilling rights.’
    ‘What? Do you want another slice of toast? It wouldn’t take a minute.’
    ‘Well, I would, actually. I like this brown stuff on it.’
    ‘Marmite, Uncle-Eric-dear. It’s been around for centuries. Even you must have experienced it before.’
    ‘I’ve probably forgotten. Anyway, go and make the toast, and then I’ll tell you the story.’
    When Sophie returned with a fresh supply of toast, he began. ‘Ages ago, about four generations, our family owned the drilling rights to a bit of Texas. They’re not worth anything because they’re on the only bit of Texas that doesn’t have oil in it – either that or it’s far too expensive to get out.’
    ‘Shame,’ said Sophie, buttering a crust. ‘I’d love to own part of an oil well. I could do with the cash.’
    ‘Couldn’t we all? But even if there was oil, the rights were turned into shares and they’ve been left to different people over the years.’
    ‘So why was New York written on the top of the paper?’
    ‘Oh, that’s the address of my cousin Rowena who tried to get everyone who owns any of it to form a group, so oneperson could speak for us all and make it possible to negotiate renting the rights.’
    ‘Oh. But she didn’t manage to get everyone to do it?’
    ‘I have no idea. She also bought the rights from some people who thought they’d never be worth anything, but I haven’t heard from her in centuries. I expect she’s in a care home or something. I wrote to her a couple of years ago. Got no reply. Perhaps she’s dead.’
    ‘You don’t sound very sad.’ Sophie crunched into her toast.
    ‘Most of my friends are dead, Sophie. At my age you get used to that,’ he said matter-of-factly.
    ‘So you don’t think the drilling rights are worth anything?’
    Uncle Eric became thoughtful. ‘They never have been before but it’s possible that, with newfangled equipment, they are now. Maybe.’
    ‘So there’s a possibility that you, and other members of your family, could be sitting on a gold mine – or rather an oil well?’
    ‘There’s a possibility, but not one I’m really prepared to pursue.’
    ‘Well, would you mind if I read through the papers? It might be interesting.’ She paused. ‘You should see your desk. It looks amazing! All ready for the Antiques Roadshow !’ Then she remembered that Uncle Eric didn’t have a television and wouldn’t get the reference.
    ‘If you’ve nothing better to do with your time, but I’m sure you’ll find it very tedious. Dry as dust, that sort of thing.’
    ‘But it might lead to something. Oil wells are quite interesting, aren’t they?’
    ‘True. If you want to look into it further there’s nothing stopping you. But no taking the papers back to your family! They’ll get all sorts of daft ideas and it’ll all come to nothing, you mark my words.’
    ‘You go back to your Sudoku,’ she said. ‘I’ll tell you if there’s anything worth pursuing.’
    ‘So, did you come up with anything?’ asked Uncle Eric as they drank hot chocolate and ate digestive biscuits before bed.
    Sophie had expected him to have forgotten all about her investigations. ‘Only really that address in New York, but there was an ancient letter, which obviously everyone affected received, suggesting that people got together to form a syndicate or something, just like you said.’
    ‘Hm. Don’t think we did though. Can’t remember why not. Long time ago.’
    Something in the way he said this created a flicker of excitement. ‘Would you like me to look into it?’
    ‘Well, if you’ve got the energy and enthusiasm to investigate, it could be worth your while. Maybe not you personally , of