Read Heritage of Lancaster County 02 The Confession for Free Online

it. "Have you heard? We are to be
    hiring more help."
    "Oh?"
    "The master mentioned it to Fulton at breakfast, just be* fore Mr. Bennett left for town."
    Theodore shifted nervously. So it was Master Bennett who had been in need of the black limousine first thing. Feeling rather dazed, Theodore asked, "Why more help?"
    "It seems Mr. Bennett wishes Rosie to assist Mrs. Bennett exclusively. The mistress, poor thing, seems to be failing rather quickly, and I... well, I do believe, if I may be
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    so bold to say it, that the master is quite uneasy these days."
    Not knowing how to respond, Theodore said nothing. Dylan Bennett, he suspected, was far more concerned with his wife's money and the status of the estate, should the saint of a woman expire, than with the state of her health. He'd known the man much too long to be fooled by any such benevolent charade.
    No... something else was in the hatching; he could almost guarantee. As for Rosie having been appointed to tend to Mrs. Bennett, he mused over the apparently thoughtful gesture for a moment and decided that naming Rosie as Mrs. Bennett's personal maid was, quite possibly, the kindest thing her husband had done for her in months. Nay, years. There might be hope for him yet.
    Nevertheless, things didn't set well. Why hadn't Dylan Bennett allowed his wife the benefit of Rosie's ministrations when the mistress had first requested her?
    None of it made sense, and he glanced at the clock, eager for his employer's return.
    Eager? One of the few times, to be sure! Theodore chuckled, unashamed.
    Midmorning, Mr. Bennett returned at last.
    Theodore waited the appropriate length of time before rushing back outdoors, hauling up the garage door, and inspecting the contents of the black limo's glove compartment.
    Reaching inside, he located the important document, then turned it over to determine if it had been tampered with. Difficult to say, especially since the flap had never been sealed, the papers slipped snugly into the body of the envelope instead.
    Nevertheless, he could feel his pulse slowing to normal and he sighed, resting more easily. What were the chances
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    of someone searching the glove box? No one but Mrs. Bennett, her attorney, and himself even knew of the existence of the envelope.
    But ... he would be more careful from now on, he promised himself. For Mrs. Bennett's sake, if for no other.
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    Dylan Bennett lit up an expensive cigar and puffed for a moment before closing the double doors to his professional suite at the estate. Turning, he walked the width of his expansive office and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking out over acres of rolling lawn, newly draped in a foot of snow, and enormous frost-covered evergreens to the north. A genuine old-fashioned blizzard had presented itself during the night, creating a picturesque winterscape.
    He pulled up his swivel chair and sat down, rehearsing the events of the morning. The agency contact had been satisfactory, promising to facilitate what he had in mind, thanks to a resourceful colleague.
    Laura's condition was definitely on his side. In actual- ity--before his very eyes, it seemed--his wife's health had begun to decline. Most rapidly in the past three weeks. Just today, he'd discovered--entirely by accident--exactly what it was Laura had planned at her demise.
    He grimaced at the irony of the situation, for the latest version of his wife's bequest was now quite clear. She had named her long-lost daughter the sole heir to her fortune.
    Good thing--for him--that the daughter had not turned up. Not unless he took into account the backwoods female
    47 who had had the gall to call him, claiming to be that daughter. She'd probably gotten wind of Laura's terminal dis- ease--through one source or another--and fabricated the whole thing. Still, where did that leave him?
    He need not question his fate; he would be forced to scramble for a new residence if that Katherine person ever did appear on the scene.