A Prisoner Of Birth - By Jeffrey Archer Page 0,190
diary at a later date, I can only hope that my learned friend will find enough time to read the few lines that have been marked up for his consideration." Sir Matthew smiled. The judge frowned, and Sir Hugo looked mystified.
Alex turned his attention back to the witness, who was now mopping his brow every few moments.
"Sir Hugo, can I confirm that it was your father's wish, as clearly stated in his will, that the estate in Dunbroath should be handed over to the National Trust for Scotland, with a sufficient sum of money to be put aside for its upkeep."
"That was my understanding," admitted Hugo.
"Then can you also confirm that Daniel Cartwright abided by those wishes, and that the estate is now in the hands of the National Trust for Scotland?"
"Yes, I am able to confirm that," replied Hugo, somewhat reluctantly.
"Have you recently found time to visit number twelve The Boltons and see what condition the property is in?"
"Yes, I have. I couldn't see a great deal of difference from how it was before."
"Sir Hugo, would you like me to call Mr. Cartwright's housekeeper in order that she can tell the court in graphic detail what state she found the house in when she was first employed?"
"That won't be necessary," said Hugo. "It may well have been somewhat neglected, but as I have already made clear, I spend most of my time in Scotland, and rarely visit London."
"That being the case, Sir Hugo, let us move on to your nephew's account at Coutts bank in the Strand. Are you able to tell the court how much money was in that account at the time of his tragic death?"
"How could I possibly know that?" Hugo replied sharply.
"Then allow me to enlighten you, Sir Hugo," said Alex, extracting a bank statement from a folder. "Just over seven thousand pounds."
"But surely what matters is how much there is in that account at the present time?" retorted Sir Hugo triumphantly.
"I couldn't agree with you more," said Alex, taking out a second bank statement. "At close of business yesterday, the account stood at a little over forty-two thousand pounds." Hugo kept glancing up at the public gallery as he mopped his brow. "Next, we should consider the stamp collection that your father, Sir Alexander, left to his grandson, Nicholas."
"Cartwright sold it behind my back."
"I would suggest, Sir Hugo, that he sold it right in front of your nose."
"I would never have agreed to part with something that the family has always regarded as a priceless heirloom."
"I wonder if you would like a little time to reconsider that statement," said Alex. "I am in possession of a legal document drawn up by your solicitor, Mr. Desmond Galbraith, agreeing to sell your father's stamp collection for fifty million dollars to a Mr. Gene Hunsacker of Austin, Texas."
"Even if that were true," said Hugo, "I never saw a penny of it, because it was Cartwright who ended up selling the collection to Hunsacker."
"He did indeed," said Alex, "for a sum of fifty-seven and a half million dollars-seven and a half million more than you managed to negotiate."
"Where is all this leading, Mr. Redmayne?" asked the judge. "However well your client has husbanded the Moncrieff legacy, it was still he who stole everything in the first place. Are you trying to suggest that it was always his intention to return the estate to its rightful owners?"
"No, my lord. However, I am attempting to demonstrate that perhaps Danny Cartwright is not quite the evil villain that the prosecution would have us believe. Indeed, thanks to his stewardship, Sir Hugo will be far better off than he could have expected to be."
Sir Matthew offered up a silent prayer.
"That's not true!" said Sir Hugo. "I'll be worse off."
Sir Matthew's eyes opened and he sat bolt upright. "There is a God in Heaven after all," he whispered. "Well done, my boy."
"I am now completely at a loss," said Mr. Justice Hackett. "If there is over seven and a half million dollars more in the bank account than you had anticipated, Sir Hugo, how can you possibly be worse off?"
"Because I recently signed a legal contract with a third party who was unwilling to reveal the details of what had happened to my nephew unless I agreed to part with twenty-five percent of my inheritance."
"Sit back, say nothing," murmured Sir Matthew.
The judge called loudly for order, and Alex didn't ask his next question until silence had been restored.