IX: The Will explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Inheritance and Motive

  The chapter explores the absence of a will and the creation of a power of attorney, raising questions about financial control and potential motives for murder.

• Medical Ethics and Professional Duty

  Nurse Forbes discusses the ethical dilemmas of euthanasia and the professional boundaries of nursing, while also defending her patient's care and the legal arrangements.

• The Ambiguity of Evidence

  Wimsey's investigation reveals conflicting interpretations of events—such as whether a will was possible or suppressed—highlighting the difficulty of establishing facts from testimony.

Characters to notice

• Lord Peter Wimsey

  Disguises himself as Mr. Simms-Gaythorpe to interview Nurse Forbes, using a fabricated story about needing a maternity nurse to extract information about Agatha Dawson's final months.

• Nurse Forbes

  The nurse who attended Agatha Dawson from September onward; she provides detailed accounts of Miss Dawson's mental decline, her fear of poisoning, and the legal visit that resulted in a power of attorney rather than a will.

• Mary Whittaker

  Mentioned as having encouraged sending for a lawyer for her aunt, and as being absent during most of the legal consultation; Nurse Forbes defends her against suspicions.

• Agatha Dawson

  The deceased old lady; described as nervous, eccentric, and in great pain, kept under morphia, with her mind giving way in October, rambling about hunting and asking 'Have they passed it yet, Nurse?'

• Dr. Edward Carr

  Mentioned as the attending doctor who was not of the opinion that euthanasia was acceptable; Wimsey later calls him to get Nurse Forbes' address.

• Bunter

  Wimsey's valet, who advises on appropriate attire for the role of an expectant father and is called to arrange the taxi to Tooting.

Key passages

• “She used to wake up sometimes all in a fright and say, ‘Have they passed it yet, Nurse?’⁠—just like that. I’d say, ‘No, they haven’t got that far yet,’ and that would quiet her. Thinking of her hunting days, I expect she was.”

  Agatha Dawson would wake in terror asking if something had been passed, and Nurse Forbes would reassure her by saying it hadn't happened yet, attributing the confusion to memories of hunting.

  This reveals Miss Dawson's mental state and possible subconscious fears about legal or medical proceedings.

• “I sometimes think, Nurse, it’s a great pity we aren’t allowed just to help people off, y’know, when they’re so far gone. After all, they’re practically dead already, as you might say. What’s the point of keepin’ them sufferin’ on like that?”

  Wimsey, in character, suggests that euthanasia would be merciful for terminally ill patients who are suffering greatly.

  This introduces the theme of medical ethics and the moral debate around assisted dying.

• “If Miss Dawson had wished to make a will, she had ample opportunity to do so.”

  Nurse Forbes confirms that Agatha Dawson could have made a will during the lawyer's visit but chose not to.

  This undermines the theory that a will was suppressed, shifting suspicion elsewhere.