An Inheritance Chapter Sixty
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He lays asleep against her chest and she prays he stays that way. Jamie holds tight to her hand as they enter the courtroom. Ian will be joining them after he gets robed. The Duscanyâs attorney must be doing the same as they wait on the other side. Mrs. Duscanyâs face raises in a sneer when she sees Brian. âCouldnât you have left your latest bastard with a nanny?â
Claire tightens her hand on Jamieâs. They have agreed that he wouldnât say a word to them allowing Ian to speak for him. She isnât subject to the same restrictions.
âOur son is no bastard. I am Mrs. Fraser. Our son is here because I have to feed him. Besides none of Jamie and Iâs children are being raised by nannies.â
âYou and Jamieâs! Our Genevaâs children arenât yours.â
She just smiles and turns back to the front of the courthouse. Fortunately, the attorneys enter then. Ian looks at his clients, with a frown. He feels the tension. Claire just continues to smile. Their attorney also frowns at Mrs. Duscany, who stands fuming. Before he can ask, the Crown Judge enters. Everyone raises.
âMiâ Lord, they hired someone to stalk the Fraserâs.â Ian is saying. âThen they came upon the children at the playground.â
âDonât we have a right to see our grandchildren?â Mr. Duscany calls out.
âPlease Mr. Duscany. You will get your turn.â The judge replies. Then to Ian, âBut he has a point. Donât they have a right to see their grandchildren?â
âMiâ Lord, if it will only that simple. They removed the children from Mr. Fraser when they were a day old and he didnât get them back until they were six months. At the previous hearings the Duscanyâs proved themselves to be less then attentive grandparents, allowing the children to be raised by nannies.â
âMr. Murray, a lot of people use nannies.â
âMi,' Lord, the Duscanyâs donât work and should have been able to spent more then a few minutes a day with the children.â
He turns to their lawyer. He stands. âMiâ Lord, my clients acknowledge their previous faults and promise to spend the majority of the time the children are with them, with them.â
âWith all due respect, their promises arenât good enough. My clients just donât trust them with their children.â
âThey arenât theirs. They are just Mr. Fraserâs. Miâ Lord.â
âMrs. Fraser has been with the children since they were six months old and is in the process of adopting them.â
The Duscanyâs have a hurried conversation with their attorney. âMy clients oppose such a move, Miâ Lord.â
âOn what grounds? They have no parental standing in this court?â
âHe has a point. It may be distasteful to your clients but, the adoption by Mrs. Fraser of the minor children canât be stopped by them.â
âGrand, now that is settled, may we return to the matter at hand?â
âYes Mr. Murray. We can. What would make your clients comfortable with the Duscanyâs spending time with and getting to know their grandchildren?â
He turns to Jamie and Claire. âHe is going to rule against us. I am sorry. What do you need me to fight for?â
They have discussed this. âSupervision. I donât want them unsupervised around them.â Jamie says grudgingly. He doesnât want them with them at all but.
âI will do my best.â He turns back. âMy clients request that the visits be supervised. â
âMiâ Lord, my clients are upstanding members of the community. To have their visits with their own grandchildren supervised..â
âMr. Fraser is also an upstanding community member and had his own visits with his children supervised. He wasnât even allowed to take them to his home and introduce them to his family until he was granted custody.â
âSupervision seems prudent. At this time. As the children are fully adjusted to being on Lallybroch and Leoch, I order that the weekly visits be held there. Mrs Fraser?â
âI see that you have transformed Leoch into a B&B. As the children are used to being there, may we use it as a place for visitation?â
She is reluctant to have those people there but, for Willie and Faith.. âYes Miâ Lord.â
Their attorney speaks out. âAs they are meeting their grandchildren on the Fraserâs property, may we suggest that the childrenâs aunt and the Duscanyâs daughter, Isobel be the person who supervises?â
The judge turns towards Ian. He is in conference with his clients. âI thought Isobel was in university.â
âIf she isnât, I trust her better then them. And they will be at home.â Ian nods and turns back.
âWe have information that the lady in question is at university?â
âShe has returned home and is eager to get to know her niece and nephew.â
âThe Fraserâs agree, with reluctance.â
âTheir reluctance is noted. I rule that the Duscanyâs may spend each Saturday from ten to two with the minor children under the supervision of their daughter, Isobel, at the Lambert Leoch B&B.â As he brings his gavel down making the order official, Brian, asleep until then, wakes with a cry. His parents and uncle feel the same.