‘Dad has been left a lot of stocks and shares, which apparently adds up to a substantial inheritance. And her local church has been given a sum of money and the mini grand piano, which she specified should be primarily used in the church hall, which doesn’t currently have one. In particular she wanted the Sunday School children to have use of it.’
Lucy smiled. ‘Oh, that’s nice,’ she said. ‘Well, that’s that then.’
‘No. Not quite,’ Clara said. ‘Dad got the stocks and shares but he didn’t get the house.’
‘What?’ Lucy said in disbelief. ‘Who did?’
‘We did.’
‘What?’ Lucy gawped at her sister. ‘No! We inherited Deux Tourelles. How come?’
‘It’s one of the reasons why I asked you to come home,’ Clara said. ‘I just had an inkling.’
‘How?’
‘It was something Dido said when Dad asked me to drop off some flowers for her birthday last year. We were discussing what I was doing and what you were doing for employment; she said that the youth of today needed a serious leg up. “You girls wait ’til I die,” she’d said and then gave me a huge wink. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to take it seriously. I honestly thought Dad would get the house and you and I might get some money. If we were lucky.’
‘Dad’s going to be a bit shocked,’ Lucy said before looking back in wonder and taking in the tired-looking windowpanes, the ivy running wild and the odd slate out of place on the roof. And then she smiled slowly. ‘That’s incredible. I can’t believe she would do that. She really left it to both of us?’
Clara nodded.
‘But she didn’t even know me. Not really.’ Lucy shook her head in a strange, disbelieving acceptance of the situation. ‘This is crazy. Kind. And … crazy. How sad that she had no one else to leave it to.’
‘Not sad for us,’ Clara said pointedly.
‘No, but what do we do with it?’ Lucy asked.
‘We carry on as planned and sell it, I guess,’ Clara said. ‘I could definitely use the money and it’s not like you want to come and live here.’
Lucy paused before answering. ‘No … I guess not.’
‘We get the contents as well,’ Clara pointed out.
‘Wow,’ Lucy cried.
But Clara carried on. ‘Once we’ve cleared it all out together, sold the antiques and got a house clearance company to come and do the rest, you can go home. I’ll sort the sale of the house. That process will take a complete age so you won’t want to be here for months on end.’
Clara took charge as usual and so Lucy nodded and suggested, ‘I guess we should start with paperwork?’
‘Is paperwork now your strength?’ Clara looked amused. ‘If so can I leave you to go through this?’
Lucy looked at the box. ‘Of course.’
‘Good. I assume you’re all right here? At night I mean?’
Lucy looked up at the house. ‘Yes, I’m fine, actually.’
‘OK,’ Clara said uncertainly. ‘Don’t start quoting squatter’s rights at me when it comes to selling it, will you? I need the money from this place. Aren’t you a bit lonely here; a bit spooked?’
‘No, actually,’ Lucy said after thinking about it for a minute. ‘The house could be homelier but the silence while I work in the study has been quite a change. And then there’s the sexy neighbour who comes running if I turn the music up too loud.’
‘Sexy neighbour?’ Clara tilted her head to one side, like a dog, Lucy thought, waiting for more information.
‘No I didn’t mean that. I don’t know why I said that.’ Lucy was genuinely baffled at herself for having said something she was sure she didn’t actually think.
‘Interesting,’ Clara said at the same time Molly asked, ‘What does sexy mean?’
‘Never you mind,’ Clara said as she ushered her daughter towards the car. ‘Say goodbye and thank you to Aunty Lucy.’
