‘Good gracious!’

‘Exactly. However, no male court of law will see his misdemeanours as anything unusual. They will consider that I should have tolerated such a state of affairs. Even Mr Roford having me sectioned will be looked upon as my own fault. So, no, I won’t file for divorce and have my wretched marriage problems made public, and then lose everything. But I want to be sure that my own personal property and legacy will now be mine alone.’

‘Yes, of course. And we will see to it that they are. Your personal legacy was not part of the family estate that Mr Roford married into, so he can have no call on it. It is a pity that your dear late father didn’t tie up his assets in such a way that they could not be possessed by anyone marrying his daughter. There are ways of doing that, but he was so comfortable in his own marriage, and so generous with his own wife, that he never suspected there was anyone out there who would treat his daughter differently.’

Mags didn’t answer this. She had yet to deal with coming to terms with her father’s passing. It was still a painful part of her that she’d locked away and dared not unlock until she was ready.

The solicitor continued, ‘Well, all that is as it may be, but we have to deal with what we have. I have prepared an account of what money has been advanced so far; where further assets are invested; and what money is in transit to you, as we did have a certain amount in one of our client accounts, which your father wanted readily available to you. I think you will find it all in order.’

‘Thank you. May I ask: did my father leave a Will?’

‘He did . . . but I’m afraid it doesn’t help you. He added to your personal assets before your marriage: those already in your name, and very generously, as you will see from the accounts. But then he left everything – the house and the business, and all other assets – to you, but with no clause that would have made it difficult for them to become the shared property of your husband. They were assets you gained after the marriage.’

‘Shareable, but not owned by Mr Roford?’

‘That’s correct. He has the same right to them as you do, as they are marital assets, especially as Mr Roford has been running the business and the estate since your marriage. No doubt that is why he took power of attorney over you, as that meant he had full control. It is possible – though I can’t find out for sure – that he transferred everything into his name whilst he had power of attorney. Your father was old-fashioned and believed the husband should have control. He spoke to me on this point, saying that your marriage was to a man of assets who owned a half-share, and soon all the shares, in a mill of his own. He was very pleased about it all and felt that you would be in good hands.’