Mr. Bruff begins his narrative by explaining some information that he is privy to, as a result of being the Verinder family lawyer. Sir John (Rachel’s father) left everything to his wife, which was unusual for the time. Shortly before her own death, Lady Verinder made some updates to her will. Mr. Bruff learned that, almost immediately after Lady Verinder’s death, someone requested access to view her will (this was legal, since wills were considered public documents). Mr. Bruff was confused because he couldn’t see any reason why anyone would be interested in Lady Verinder’s will.

As a result of his legal connections and network, Mr. Bruff was able to learn that Godfrey Ablewhite is the man who viewed the will. This news troubles him. Lady Verinder left her properties in Yorkshire and London to Rachel, but with a condition that limits Rachel’s ability to sell or mortgage the properties. As a result, Rachel or her spouse would not be able to quickly access large sums of money by selling or mortgaging property. Mr. Bruff suspects that Godfrey (who has significant debts) may have wanted to marry Rachel in order to access money; in this case, Godfrey would have been displeased to learn that he would not be able to do so, and this might explain why he began to have second thoughts about the marriage.