Excerpt: Pride of the Peacock (Victoria Holt)

"They were long days of waiting, and with the passing of each one it became clear that Ben could not be long with us. He died in his sleep. Hannah called me and I went to his bed and was struck by the utter peace of his face. It was almost as though he were smiling at me. I kissed his cold brow and went away. We buried him in the churchyard not far from the Clavering section. It was what he would have wanted. Joss and I stood, side by side at the graveside and as I listened to the clods of earth falling on his coffin I knew that was the end of a phase. My new life was about to begin. 

There were solicitors to be seen. I had begun to wonder whether Ben had played a trick on us and had not changed his will at all with the new conditions. I was wrong. It was precisely what he had done".