Fabian gazed at his mother who, he could tell, expected a straightforward process. Everything would be left to her and so it would go. A minute pang of irritation caught Fabian off guard and he wished that he’d discussed such matters with his father long ago. But why would one do that? Why would he invite calamity by being so morbid? What would he have said? ‘Dad, by the way, are you leaving everything to Mum when you die?’

None of them had seen it coming.

The sound of the lawyer slitting the envelope with a paper knife cut through him and made him sit up. He finished his coffee and placed the cup on an occasional table for Terrance to collect later.

The lawyer scanned the document and Fabian thought he noticed slightly raised eyebrows and a fleeting glance towards his mother. Maybe he was mistaken.

‘Get on with it,’ Vivienne said.

Fabian threw her a look, sure there was impatience and… something else in her voice. Fear? Arrogance?

The lawyer read the preliminaries and legal terms and then the guts of the contract.

‘I leave my entire estate to my son, Fabian Kennedy-Craig, who, I trust shall take the proper care…’

Fabian didn’t hear the rest. All he could focus on was the noise in his head caused by his mother’s outrage.

‘What?’ she demanded.

She stood up and went to the desk, and Fabian was convinced she was going to get a revolver out from a secret compartment under it and shoot the lawyer dead, her rage was that palpable.

‘Mother!’ he exclaimed.

She swung round. ‘Be quiet, Fabian, there’s been some mistake,’ she said, glaring at the lawyer.

‘No mistake, madam, Mr Kennedy-Craig discussed all of this with me shortly before he died. And with his son.’

‘What?’ she seethed.

Fabian stood up and put his hands on his hips, for want of anything better to do. He hadn’t imagined it would go this badly.

‘What do you mean? Shortly before he died? He changed it?’ Vivienne asked.

The lawyer nodded.

‘Why?’ she demanded. Her voice was growing desperate and Fabian watched the exchange, trying to melt into the background.

‘Mum, it’s all right. It isn’t like you think, Dad just wanted…’

She cut him off.

His mother turned to him and eyed him suspiciously. ‘What? My rightful inheritance?’ she thundered.

‘What I mean is it really doesn’t matter what it says, I’m not exactly going to kick you out, am I?’ he said.

Vivienne swallowed hard and Fabian could see the blood vessels in her neck expand. The lawyer said nothing.

‘Is that it?’ she rasped. ‘You knew and you didn’t tell me,’ she raged.

The lawyer nodded. ‘The entire estate and all assets are in Fabian’s control now. There is, of course, a generous allowance for maintenance…’

‘Why did he have it changed? Surely that’s not legal!’ she ranted.