Page 9 of The Liar I Married
I rack my brain trying to recall our last conversation. It had been almost a month ago. My grandmother was in her nineties and she’d been going through family documents, kept in the safe at Stonebridge Manor. She’d wanted to tidy things up and put her affairs in order. Had she discovered something? “Does this involve anyone else in the family?”
She blinks twice.
I run my finger over each of the people in the photograph and when my finger lands on an image of me, she blinks twice. “There’s something not right between my father and me?”
She blinks twice.
I love my dad. He’s always been there for me. I couldn’t imagine anything not right between us. I need more information and stare at my grandmother but she closes her eyes. A tear trickles down her cheek and the machine beside her squeals in alarm. Footsteps come thundering down the passageway. I step to one side as two nurses check her vital signs.
“She’s gone.” One of the nurses looks at me, her gaze sympathetic. “Do you want more time with her?”
Emotion rolls over me and I shake my head. “No, she’s not here any longer. I need to tell my family.”
One week later, I stand in the grand entrance of Stonebridge Manor and inhale the air thick with the scent of old wood and memories. My grandmother’s funeral was a somber affair with everyone dressed in black under the cold gray sky, my mother’s constant sobs the only sound in the heavy silence following theeulogy. I’m back at the manor for the reading of the will. Only the immediate family assemble for the reading. I’m surprised when John arrives and comes to my side, muttering that he’d managed to grab a couple of hours from work to be here. I thank him and he straightens beside me, nodding to the family members. Flawlessly presented, his expensive suit makes my two-thousand-dollar, simple black dress look like a rag. I look at him and my stomach flutters as it always does when he’s around. I’m not sure what happened between him and Rebecca Lawson but after going missing for three days he arrived home and carried on as if nothing had happened. Had I won this round? I smile to myself as I glance up at him. I crave his attention but he avoids my gaze and checks his Rolex. Every minute is money to him, or should I say, second. Does he want to save our marriage or is it the fortune I might inherit that has kept him with me? “I’m not sure if I should be dreading this or be excited.”
“I’m sure we will find out soon enough.” John clears his throat. “I just wish he’d get on and be done with it.”
At last, the lawyer, David Collins, an amiable man with a sharp gaze, ushers the family into the office. Tension fills the room and the hair on the back of my neck stands to attention as I sit in the semicircle of chairs set before a desk littered with documents. Collins takes his seat across the desk and perches a pair of half-moon glasses on the tip of his nose. His gaze sweeps the group and no one utters a word. The silence is deafening.
“Until certain conditions are met, the residuary bequest, which includes the remainder of the estate after all bequests have been distributed, will be withheld. I’ll speak to anyone concerned after I conclude today.” Collins peers over his glasses. “I can only deal with the specific bequests, which are particular items or a specific amount of money given to a beneficiary.”
I sit, staring at him, noticing that a long hair on a mole on his cheek swishes back and forth like a whip as he talks. He readsthe document. My mother receives a substantial sum of money, as does my brother; I’d believed everything would go to him. The housekeeper receives a nice retirement fund and I get nothing. I’m dumbfounded.
“Who gets the manor?” My mother leans forward in her chair. “It’s our family home, we have a right to know.”
“You will be informed in due course, but right now, I’m legally bound not to discuss the terms of the will to anyone other than the beneficiaries.” Collins looks at her. “For those of you who received specific amounts, I’ll be contacting all beneficiaries to obtain bank details for the transfer of funds.”
Shellshocked, I stand, ready to leave, and stagger a little and then John has his hand on my back. I look at him as we walk into the hallway and his face is totally blank. “I must say I’m a little disappointed.”
“That’s life. It’s full of disappointments.” John indicates with his chin as the family heads toward a smorgasbord set up in another room. “You go along and get something to eat. You’re sheet white. I can’t stay. I need to get back to the office.” He kisses me on the cheek.
I grab the front of his shirt and press my lips to his. To my surprise he responds but then gently sets me away. I know he hates public shows of affection but the hallway is empty. He smooths the front of his shirt and I see a twinkle in his eyes that has been missing for a long time. I smile at him. “Thank you for coming. I really needed your support today.”
“That’s what husbands do, isn’t it?” He gives me a brilliant smile and then turns and heads toward the open front door.
I watch him go, realizing I’m totally dependent on him again. Before my grandmother died this was the case but there’d always been an uncertainty about who would inherit the estate or part of it. I’m surprised she left me nothing. Perhaps this is why he’d ended the affair with Rebecca Lawson, because if themultimillion-dollar estate had fallen into my hands he’d want to handle the money. Maybe hearing I’d received nothing had made him smile? He believes I have no option but to stay with him and endure his affairs. He has no idea that if I decide to leave him my brother has offered to care for me and the girls. I cross my arms over my chest as his Lexus sprays the driveway with gravel as he speeds away. “I have more options than you realize, John.”
I turn as Collins appears in the door to the study. “Won’t you join us for refreshments?”
“I’m not finished yet. Do you mind taking a seat in the study for a moment?” Mr. Collins stands to one side to allow me to enter and shuts the door behind me.
The unmistakable click of a lock disturbs me. All of a sudden, the study seems darker than before with the only light coming from a single lamp on the desk. Heart pounding, I spin around to face him. “Is that necessary?”
“Yes, it is. What I have to say to you is confidential.” Collins sits down behind the desk. “Please sit down, Jessie. Your grandmother left everything to you—the manor and a substantial sum of money but there’s a condition.”
A chill runs down my spine. “Condition? What condition?”
“You know your grandmother was passionate about the estate remaining in the Stonebridge family. You must agree to this clause to inherit. This means you need to rewrite your will, ensuring your brother Michael, and not John, inherits the estate if you die or become incompetent.”
Dumbfounded, I look at him. “My children have the Stonebridge blood. I can’t believe that my grandmother would make me write my girls out of my will.”
“It’s complicated.” Collins runs a hand down his face and stares at me as if not wanting to divulge any more information. “If you leave the estate to your children, and theyhaven’t attained the age of twenty-five as stipulated in your grandmother’s will, your husband John will be in control of the estate. Your grandmother did not want him involved and added this stipulation just before she died. Apparently, your brother had spoken to her recently and mentioned John’s infidelity.”
Michael ran to Grandma about John? I can’t believe it. Why would he do such a thing? I stare at the table, trying to get my mind around a solution. “So I can’t mention my children in the will? Can we get around the stipulation by saying that Michael is the trustee of the estate until they are twenty-five years old?”
“No, the estate must be left entirely to Michael, if he is of sound mind and doesn’t have a criminal conviction.” He sighs. “You can stipulate that if Michael dies without an heir, or doesn’t meet the original criteria, the estate goes to your children, once they attain the age of twenty-five.” Peering over the top of his glasses, he rests his elbows on the table and towers his fingers. “Once the will has gone through probate, I will speak to Michael’s attorney and request he makes that provision in his will. If he refuses, we’ll move to plan B.”
I lift my chin, resolute to ensure my girls are well provided for. “I don’t have a problem with Michael inheriting the estate but if it belongs to me now, I owe it to my children’s future to include them in my will. I must insist that my children are included if I agree. I’m assuming you already have a codicil for me to sign?”
