I forgot to say that that the reason I villify Thomas Blackmore is that after Grace's death, he tried to argue that she didn't know what she was doing when she made her will and he, as next of kin, was entitled to her money. The witnesses in the ensuing court case smartly disabused him of this.
She had been sent to school, so though she could not write, she was perfectly capable of reading, and she had frequently said that she wished she had a fortune she could bestow on Arthur Hele, as he was the only member of her family who had ever cared whether she lived or died. To add insult to injury, the money would mean a great deal to a farming family in rural Devon, while it would represent a pittance to Thomas, with his coach, and his properties all over the place.
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The chestnuts cast their flambeaux
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