Chapter 16 The Money
I woke up on Wednesday morning alone, I could hear movement in the kitchen, then Anna came back into the bedroom with a tray on which were two cups of tea. Getting back into bed with me, she leaned over and gave me a kiss. "Good morning my darling, here you are, a cup of tea in bed with your loving wife to be". as we drank Anna said. "This is the very first time I can remember having tea in bed, and it's lovely, it really makes me feel at home".
After breakfast, I took Anna into Taunton, he went into M & S, Debenhams and the Woollen Mill, we then headed back to the car and put her carries in the boot under the parcel shelf. Back on the High Street, we had a coffee and a snack before heading to Iceland's to pick up a load of groceries that we arranged to have delivered later in the day. When we got home mid afternoon, there was a large envelope on the mat in the hallway, I picked it up and put it on the coffee table. Anna called me from the bedroom. "Sit down love please, I need to show you what I have bought". she then stripped down to her bra and panties and gave me a sort of fashion show. Everything she bought looked great and I complimented her on her choices. "Thank you sweetheart". she said. "I had the feeling you would like what I had bought". Taking off the last of the clothes and putting them in the wardrobe, she stood in front of me in her bra and panties, I could not resist, I walked towards her, holding her in my arms we kissed, then I pulled onto the bed so that she was on top of me. "Michael love, if you want my body, it's yours, you know that, but can we". I pulled her panties over her beautiful bottom and Anna could feel that I was unable to wait any longer, she realised that the fashion show had really done it for me, with that twinkle in her eye, she said. "Go ahead my love, have your pleasure I can wait". I filled the vault and then did my best to fill it again, but as they say, once something is full, you cannot fill it again. As Anna went to stand up, we both realised there was a little bit of cleaning up to do, but we both laughed it off as something that happens.
Sat in the lounge with a cup of tea and a dunker, I suddenly saw the envelope, ripping the top off I saw the two page letter inside, it was from the ex wife's solicitor saying that I could have my freedom if I agreed to send her half the money I had in my secret account. I sat back and took a drink of tea, then looking at Anna and handing her the letter to read I said. "Cheeky cow". Anna read the letter and asked."What do you intend doing about this love". 15 minutes later, I was putting pen to paper, I told the solicitor, that no money would be forthcoming, that I had spoken to the elders of the local Kingdom Hall and that they had explained to me, that if on our wedding night, the sperm had not entered the womb, then there was no marriage, and if the sperm had not entered the womb in the 7 years we had been married, then the marriage was a sham, and in the eyes of God, we were living in sin. If she wanted that conveyed to the elders of her local Kingdom Hall, then I would gladly give times and dates. Anna read my letter saying. "Michael love, don't you think you are being a little harsh". But I told her. "Our marriage had been a sham, and the money I had kept back from her and the matrimonial home had not left her short in any way, all the bills had been paid, and there was enough food for her and her son". Anna nodded, she had to agree that the money I did withhold was in all intents and purposes my own spending money. We posted the letter the following day, it went registered so that we knew it would get to its destination.
On the Friday Anna and I headed as agreed to Dorchester, we got to the local police station at around 10-15, we were shown into the office of the chief constable, we sat down and handed over the A4 envelope, on the desk was a large tray, and the chief let the contents of the envelope fall onto the tray, picking up his phone he said to someone, bring in the two black bags and the box. The bags were emptied onto the tray and the box put in front of Anna. "Mrs Battly". the chief said. "The money we found in the downstairs safe, was the money we gave to you in Malta, however, in the master bedroom we found the box you have in front of you, plus a larger safe, the two bags of money were removed from that safe. It has not been counted, but we are sure there is a lot of money on that tray". He then handed Anna a large bunch of keys, then holding one up to her he said. "I think this one will open the box". As Anna opened the box and the two of us looked inside and saw the content, we were totally gobsmacked, the box was at least three quarters full of jewellery, as Anna looked she put her hand in and pulled out a ring. "This was my engagement ring, I wore it for just over a year, then on our wedding day he removed it saying. You won't need that anymore, and I never ever saw it again, until today".
"Mrs Battly, do you have a bank account". the chief asked. Anna shook her head, then looking at me she said. "You have a bank account, don't you love". "I do". I said. "But with all this money, don't you think you should have your own account". Anna looked at me. "Michael Palmer, did you not tell me you loved me and wanted me to be your wife, and did I not tell you, that my body was yours and I loved you deeply". I had to agree with everything she said because it was true. Anna looked at the chief saying. "Before I knew about the money, this man, this wonderful man helped me in my hour of need". she then held up her left hand. "See this ring, this man put that ring on my finger, and in the safe at home, is the wedding ring to go with it, which I will happily wear with this ring, I will be Mrs Palmer, and unlike his two other wives, who treated him badly, I will give him a true woman love, and we will live out the rest of our lives as husband and wife". she leaned across to me and kissed my cheek. The police chief had a smile on his face, he realised he was beating his head against a brick wall. "Mr Palmer, what bank do you use". I told him and he arranged for the money to be transported to my bank at the local branch. All we need to do now, is look at the other envelope, He cut along the top of the envelope and removed just one sheet of paper, he read it and then handed it to Anna, after she had read it, she gave it to me to read. It was the last will and testament of Mr Battly which said in very few words, that Mrs Battly although his legal wife was not permitted to inherit or keep any of his wealth. As I read it a second time I said. "Bloody hell love, I'm sorry". then I read it for a third time and looking at the chief and at Anna said. "Hang on a cotton picking moment, this will is not woth the paper its written on". I handed it back to the chief. "See". I said. "Not witnessed by anyone". Anna was as we were speaking looking at the envelope. "Michael love, this seal, I recognise it, its the ring he always wore, when we got married and I asked him if her would wear a wedding ring for me he told me that the ring he wore was a family hand me down, father to son, he wore that ring always". While she was talking the chief removed a small muslin bag from his wall safe and opened it, the seal ring fell out and Anna placed it over the so called seal, a perfect match". "Ok". the chief said. "The will is worthless, let's get shot of it, he then put it into his shredder with the envelope. "Ok Mrs Battly, you have the keys to your old home, I don't think we need to trouble you any further, this case is closed". We all shook hands and with the box under my arm, we headed for the bank.
Inside the bank, Anna was given the same argument, but she refused point blank about changing her mind, in fact at one point she said. "Michael, we passed Lloyds as we came here, let's see if we can open an account with them". At that point the local manager realised he was beaten and the paperwork was signed, it was at that moment there was a knock at the door. "Come". the manager said, one of the tellers came into the office. "Sir, we have a final total". he handed the manager a piece of paper, the manager then handed it to Anna, she looked at it. "Michael love, we are kinda rich, do you want to go back to work on Monday morning". She then showed me the piece of paper and I saw the figure, £9.8 million. "Well love, if you wasn't me under your feet all the time, I am more than happy to be with you 24/7". "Good", she said. "let's start our new life together. I also handed over the box, and it was agreed with the bank that they would go through everything, keep the good stuff and the rest sell it and add the money to the account.
Anna took me to her old house, it was very big, once inside Anna looked around but did not seem interested in anything. She then took me into a sort of scullery, there was a fireplace a sink and a workbench, in the corner was a cot type bed, I asked Anna who slept there and she told me she did. "I only when to the master bedroom when he needed to use my body as his dumping ground, usually once every two months or so, once the deed had been done I was kicked back down here". "Well love". I said my arm around her waist, is there anything more you need from this place". "Not really". she said. "Let's get out of here, too many bad memories". Then she stopped and went back over to the cot, then from under the pillow she removed a very old teddy bear. "Who's that". I asked. "This is Bruno". she said. "I used to cry buckets of tears into this little guy". Then holding him up she said."Bruno, meet my future husband, I love this man deeply". I shook Bruno's paw saying. "Hi Bruno, any friend of Anna's is, I hope a friend of mine".
It was very late when we got back to the flat, we did stop off at a transport cafe I knew just outside of Yeovil and had the all day breakfast, but when Anna saw what was on her plate, she asked me to remove one egg, one sausage and two rashers of bacon. Sat eating we also got talking to a couple of the truck drivers, we had a great time telling stories, and as we made our way to the car, we were still laughing.
At the flat we went straight into the bedroom and undressed, Anna looked at me as if to say, I am very tired, but if you want this body and I do fall asleep, you won't be mad at me, but I was tired myself, I had been driving for what seemed like all day, and my body was trying to tell me, Michael get your head down you need to sleep. So as we lay beside each other it was a case of a quick kiss and we were both soon into the land of beautiful dreams.
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