Passing the Torch

Bettina was extremely happy living with Horace Beaufort in the Beaufort estate and the manor staff gradually accepted the obvious affection between the professor and his adopted daughter. Thomas who was unhappy with this foreign woman at the Beaufort estate started to whisper there was something unhealthy in this relationship and it was more than an adopted daughter relationship, but the staff soon warmed to Bettina as she treated them kindly and even sometimes helped them with their work when not too busy with her academic duties.  Staff reported Thomas’ whisperings to Horace who angrily sent his house manager packing settling on the spot and appointed a woman who’d been with him as one of the housekeepers for a long time and had the respect of his staff as his replacement. Everyone was happy to see Thomas gone. He replaced the budget for Thomas with a horse stable manager and bought two horses teaching his adopted daughter to ride and she quickly warmed to this form of recreation relishing her rides through the woods with the professor when she had the time. With the passing of time she forgot about her eventual goal of returning to her home country to be with her parents and with the professors’ encouragement had her parents and uncle visit with her at the manor whenever their holiday’s coincided. Her family were most impressed with Bettina’s status in life now and never urged her to return to France returning from their vacations to show off through photos their daughter’s status with her aristocratic lifestyle.

The affectionate relationship between this aristocrat and the French woman was recognized by all around them with appreciation. Bettina was quite content with her life and determined to make this her permanent home. But she became sad as she watched her mentor and adopted father begin to slow down. His overseas trips were slowly discarded, and he slowly lost interest in writing for scholarly journals as he aged but kept an interest in lecturing at Oxford. His secretary Helen had married but continued to serve his interests as a secretary until she had children. As the professor’s productivity diminished Bettina increased her production of scholarly works for academic journals and was sought after as a presenter at scholarly conventions. She was a highly valued at Oxford and once again started getting feelers from American universities to gauge her interest in joining their faculties. She turned these offers down as the professor was beginning to decline in health after years of stressful living and she wanted to be with him through those declining years. Eventually the professor had to reluctantly agree he could no longer handle the daily lectures at the university and Bettina declined invitations to travel to conventions to present papers wanting to be around to give him support as he declined. There was a special convocation of honour for the professor with academics from around the world in attendance. He cleared his office at the university and went into full time retirement. His photo and accomplishments were added to those great academics of the past who’d bought fame to the institution, and it was placed in the hall of honour at the university for coming generations to be inspired by. Bettina sat by him proudly in support as he received these speeches of honour, and he was given a plaque of recognition to put on his office wall at the manor.

Following that final break with Oxford Horace Beaufort called his lawyer to the manor and the two huddled together for two hours while the professor updated his will. The next day the lawyer returned with people from his office to act as witnesses. When Bettina returned from her lectures that afternoon she was called to the office and was surprised to see her mentor with a group from the lawyer’s office gathered around him.

The principal from the law firm spoke up.

“Bettina Dr. Beaufort would like to formalize your adoption as his daughter and heir to his property in the absence of his own heirs. He would like you to do him that honour. This would make him happy in that he realizes he may not be around to supervise things much longer and he’d like you to honour his obligations to those who’ve served him so well over the years. Would you be willing to take on this responsibility?”

Bettina was in shock. She’d never even considered their relationship was more than a sentimental pretend adoption rather than a real one and knew some day she’d have to move on from this lifestyle after his death. She was now well enough off financially to do that. She turned to look at the professor who she genuinely loved as a father figure.

“I don’t deserve this sir. You have made me the happiest person to be with you these past years and there must be some in your aristocratic line who would deserve this honour rather than me.”

“Bettina, you will make me very happy if you’d agree to be my legally adopted daughter as I want you to carry on my name and the responsibility for those employed on this estate whose livelihood depend on someone who cares for them. None of my distant relatives would do that so I want you to take the responsibility. Please agree to my request.”

Tears came to Bettina’s eyes as she thought of the great honour being bestowed on her.

“Thank you, my father. I will do what you want me to do and am humbled and honoured you would choose me to be your adopted daughter legally.”

The lawyers passed documents over to Horace and he signed them and those who witnessed added their signature. Then they turned to Bettina.

“There are document you need to sign in this connection now Bettina and we have spent hours researching this to see there are no legal loopholes. Do you want to read these documents you’ll be signing. Horace has already gone over them with a fine-tooth comb.”

Bettina still in shock shook her head but then spoke.

“I presume you’ll give me a copy of these documents so I can understand what is involved.”

“The originals will be held at our office, and we will be responsible for all formalities necessary in future once you sign. You will naturally get a copy which should be kept under lock and key in a place only you have access too. With so many people in this home its wise to be cautious even though you have no reason to mistrust anyone.”

“With these signed documents and a signed and witnessed certification from Horace’s doctors he is of sound mind at the time of signing you are now to be addressed as Bettina Beaufort, and it will be entered thus in government records.”

Bettina got up slowly and moved toward her now legal father. She stood in front of him with tears in her eyes and then reached out as he stood to receive her embrace.

“Thank you for all you’ve done to make me the happiest daughter. I will not let you down or the Beaufort name.”

Father and daughter newly legally documented stood in embrace for some time before the lawyers interrupted them with a cough.

“We need to go now Horace and congratulations to you both. There are quite a few things to do to make this happen but there will be no trouble having this legally recognized and the documents can be well defended in court if ever challenged. We’ve already worked with the government in connection with your British citizenship and are assured that the applications will go through successfully through contacts at the highest level.”

The lawyers departed and once again Bettina and Horace stood embracing for a long time before Horace released her.

“Daughter thank you for agreeing to formalize this relationship. My doctor tells me I only have about a year to live as my tests show I have cancer at an advanced stage, and I wanted to be assured this manor, and the estate were in the hands of one I’d feel proud to carry on the Beaufort name. When you have time off from your lectures, we need to visit my financial advisor so you can become aware of our considerable wealth and its investments. Take this man’s counsel as you take over responsibility for the Beaufort estate. You are a wealthy woman now and need to extend your knowledge beyond your academic success.”

In the latter stages of the professor’s terminal illness Bettina took a leave of absence to care for her adopted father and was with him to the end. He breathed his last holding onto her hand. The Oxford community and members of the political elite and government in London attended his funeral with a selection of academic celebrities from abroad. Bettina’s parents and Uncle also attended to pay their respects. While they were proud of their daughter’s inheritance of this century’s old aristocratic property and her sudden inheritance of a vast wealth, they were disappointed she’d changed her name to Beaufort from her ancestral name Reddy. Had she married and changed her name that would be well understood by them. But to voluntarily discard her birth name Reddy they struggled with.

There was a court challenge from distant relatives to the professor’s will in the Beaufort clan, but this were thrown out as lawyers had done, their job well. The clan tried a different tack then. They approached Bettina with a marriage proposal to a young man of their clan of her age, but Bettina was having nothing to do with him after the legal challenge in court. She never married staying in Oxford for the rest of her life but travelling internationally as her fame as an academic spread and her scholarly journal articles and books testified to her worth as a scholar of excellence.

As the years sped by and she had her opportunity in turn to guide others into an academic career path and guide some into their PhD studies she looked for someone to carry on the Beaufort tradition and eventually found a young man who was humble and anxious to work hard to achieve excellence in his chosen educational pursuits. He’d no idea how wealthy his mentor was and had gravitated toward a PhD without parental support as his parents had died in a car crash when he was starting his higher education. He had to work hard to earn enough to pay for his education, so his studies took much more time than the norm to complete and Bettina fed money to his university admission fees as an anonymous benefactor throughout his study period judging that someday on his successful completion of studies, she’d help him in the same way Horace Beaufort had helped her. When she judged this young man was qualified by education and life choices to represent the Beaufort name, she made her move and introduced him to life at Oxford. Then as she aged and watched him in action as a principled person, she revealed her support for him over the years and challenged him to take responsibility for the Beaufort name. At first, he resisted as he felt he was unable to cope with the aristocratic families he’d have to rub shoulders with if he took on that responsibility as a man from a lower socio economic class, but she persisted and eventually convinced him he was the one to carry on the name as he’d be kind and supportive to those who relied on the  estate for their livelihood. Bettina had noted that one of the faculty secretaries had her heart set on Arnold Wilson and that would be perfect as should they marry, there would be a less complicated way to carry on the Beaufort name in future through their children.

So, Arnold Wilson became Arnold Beaufort and married the secretary Sue Milton under urging from Bettina and carried on that name and its responsibilities to the satisfaction of Bettina Beaufort until she died on the Beaufort estate and joined her adopted ancestors in the family plot there.

Conclusion.

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