Behold Here's Poison

Behold Here's Poison by Georgette Heyer Page A

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Authors: Georgette Heyer
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the only representative of the third generation, and I do think uncle might have left him something, even if it were only quite a little thing.'
    Owen Crewe, a quiet man in the late thirties, said pleasantly: 'No doubt he felt that my son was hardly a member of the Matthews family, my dear.'
    Agnes, as fair-minded as her mother, and with her sister's invincible good-nature, replied: 'Well, there is that, of course, but after all, I'm a Matthews, and—'
    'On the contrary, my dear,' said Owen, 'you were a Lupton before you married me.'
    Agnes gave her jolly laugh. 'Oh, you men! You always have an answer to everything. Well, there's no use crying over spilt milk, and I shan't say another word about it.'
    'That is an excellent resolve, my dear, and one that I hope you won't break more than three times a day,' replied Owen gravely.
    Henry Lupton, who had made no contribution to the conversation till now, suddenly said with a deprecating little laugh: 'Blessed is he that expecteth nothing.'
    'You may consider yourself blessed if you choose,' said his wife severely. 'I am far from looking at it in that light. Gregory was a thoroughly selfish man, though I am sorry to have to say such a thing of my own brother, and when I think that but for me he would be buried by now, and no one a penny the wiser as to the cause of his death I am extremely sorry that I did not wash my hands of the whole affair.'
    'No, no!' remonstrated Randall. 'Think of the coals of fire you are heaping on his ghostly head!'
    'Please do not be irreverent, Randall! I am not at all amused.'
    'It seems to me that the whole Will is rottenly unfair!' exclaimed Guy bitterly. 'Why should Stella get two thousand pounds and me nothing? Why should Randall bone the lot? He wasn't uncle's son any more than I was!'
    'It was because of my endearing personality, little cousin,' explained Randall.
    'No one—no one has as much cause for complaint as I have!' said Miss Matthews in a low, trembling voice. 'For years I've slaved to make Gregory comfortable, and not squander the housekeeping money as others would have done, and what is my reward? It was downright wicked of him, and I only hope I never come across him when I die, because I shall certainly tell him what I think of him if I do!'
    She rushed from the room as she spoke, and Randall at once turned to Mrs Matthews, saying with an air of great affability: 'And what has my dear Aunt Zoë to say?'
    Mrs Matthews rose nobly to the occasion. She said with a faint, world-weary smile: 'I have nothing to say, Randall. I have been trying to forget all these earthly, unimportant things and to fix my mind on the spiritual side of it all.'
    Henry Lupton, who thought her a very sweet woman, looked round with a touch of nervous defiance, and said: 'Well, I think we may say that Zoë sets us all an example, don't you?'
    'Henry,' said his wife awfully, 'I am ready to go home.'
    Mrs Matthews maintained her air of resignation, but when alone with either or both of her children found a good deal to say about the Will. 'It is not that one wants anything,' she told them, 'but one misses the thought for others. Consideration for people's feelings means so much in this dark world, as I hope you will both of you remember always. I had no claim on Gregory, though since I was his brother's wife I daresay a lot of people would disagree with me on that point. As far as actual money goes I expected nothing, but it would have been such a comfort if there had been some little sign to show that I was not quite forgotten. I am afraid poor Gregory—'
    'Well, there is a sign,' said Stella bluntly. 'You've got a half-share in the house, and it isn't to cost you anything to keep up.'
    'That was not quite what I meant, dear,' said Mrs Matthews, vague but repressive. 'Poor Gregory! I have nothing but the kindest memories of him, but I am afraid his was what I call an insensitive nature. He never knew the joy of giving. In some ways he was curiously hard. Perhaps

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