The Legacy: Trouble Comes Disguised As Family (Unspoken Book 2) T. Belshaw (management books to read .txt) 📖

Jess sighed and held up both hands.

‘All right. But don’t expect anything too exciting. He’s only my lawyer, he’s there to look after my assets.’

‘Precisely.’ Sam sniggered and winked.

Jess topped up their glasses and tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.

‘I don’t want to delve into the trust for everything,’ I like to pay my own way if possible.’

‘I’m only pulling your leg, love.’ Sam patted Jess on the thigh. ‘What are you going to do with yourself in this huge old place anyway? You’ll rattle about like a pea in a whistle.’

Jess looked around. ‘It is a bit big for one person. If I get too lonely, I might take in a lodger or a student… but, I’m going to be spending the next few months working on my novel, as well as writing any commissions the magazine editors might offer me.’

‘It must be so nice being a creative,’ replied Sam. ‘I do envy you.’ She took a sip of wine. ‘Then again, I remember Uni, those impossible deadlines, you still have to work to those, don’t you?’

Jess nodded. For the magazine and newspaper articles, yes, but I don’t have a publisher for the novel. I haven’t even worked out how the story is going to go; I have the source material in Nana’s memoirs and there’s definitely a novel in there. I just need to work through them all and pick out the bits I can manipulate into a story.’

‘Watch out, kiddo, with your family you could end up in the courts if you type the wrong sentence.’

Jess pulled a face. ‘Don’t even think that. I’m going to be really careful about changing dates, place names and so on. I’ll invent my own characters; it’s not going to be Nana’s biography. It’s just background material really.’

Sam gave her a thumbs up. ‘I’m sure it will be fabulous. Do I get an advanced copy?’

Jess grinned. ‘Signed and dedicated to my batshit crazy best friend.’

Sam pouted. ‘Aww, you say the nicest things.’

Just after midnight, with just half a bottle of wine remaining, Sam rolled off the sofa and got unsteadily to her feet.

‘Right, Missis, I’m going up. Are you sure you don’t want to share my bed?’

Jess waved a finger at her.

‘All right, but keep your hands to yourself, you’ve had a few too many and I don’t want you thinking you’re in bed with Jamie in the middle of the night.’

‘You should be so lucky,’ said Sam. ‘I’m a good girl I am.’

The two friends made their way to the staircase, flicking off the kitchen and lounge lights as they went. At the top of the stairs, Jess pointed to the left. ‘That’s the bedroom door, the loo is the one next to it.’

‘Good, I’m bursting,’ said Sam, as she pushed down the door handle.

While Sam was in the bathroom, Jess made a turn at the top of the stairs and walked along the landing to the window at the front of the house. Outside, a crescent moon shone brightly in an almost cloudless sky. Jess looked up the lane towards the Old Bull pub, then looked the other way towards the next farm along the lane. About fifty yards along, on the wide strip of bare land that had been cut out to allow tractors to turn, was the dark shape of a car. The headlights were off, but by the waxy moonlight, Jess could see a shadowy figure, reclining in the driver’s seat.

Chapter 10

The next morning, Jess was just stepping out of the shower when her mobile rang. Wrapping a beach towel around herself, she walked quickly to the bedroom and with her dripping hair falling around her bare shoulders, she rummaged about in her bag until she found the phone. The caller was listed as unknown.

‘Hello?’

‘Jessica, I have to say I’m extremely disappointed in you.’ The tone of Martha’s voice did nothing to disguise the fact.

‘Grandma?’

‘You promised to call me immediately after coming out of the solicitor’s office. I waited in all afternoon.’

‘I promised no such thing, Grandma. You demanded that I call you.’

Jess heard a deep breath, then the sound of it being exhaled.

‘I’m not going to argue over semantics, Jessica. I expected better from you. We’re family… do I have to remind you of that?’

Jessica resisted the temptation to reply with a sarcastic comment. ‘Of course you don’t, Grandma.’

There was a long pause.

‘Well?’

Jess took a deep breath. She knew the calls would keep coming until she broached the subject.

‘Nana left me the bulk of her assets. There was a bit put aside for a farmworker’s charity, but apart from that, everything else went to me.’

‘Charity… how much?’

‘Ten thousand pounds.’

‘Ten thou… Dear God. My mother must really have hated me. Marjorie and I got a hundred, lousy pounds… BETWEEN US!’

‘I’m sorry about that, Grandma but—’

‘Well, you could do something to ease your guilty conscience,’ spat Martha.

‘I don’t have a guilty conscience, Grandma. It was Nana’s decision.’

‘That doesn’t stop you making things right, does it, young lady?’ Martha’s voice tightened.

Jessica sighed. ‘I couldn’t make it… right, as you call it, even if I wanted to. The assets are all tied up in a Family Trust. I get a yearly cash allowance from it and any maintenance or improvements to the farmhouse will be paid for, but any major decisions on the assets have to be made by the trustees, and I’m only one of three.’

‘Pfft. How much is your… allowance worth?’

‘I’m not going to divulge that, Grandma. I’m surprised you asked.’

Before Martha could reply, Jessica continued.

‘I’ll just say, that while it’s a nice amount, and many families have to live on less, it’s not enough for me to live the life of Riley. I’ll still have to work.’

‘So, sell the farm. Listen, Jessica, I have some wonderful ideas of how we could make a lot of money out of it. We could turn it into apartments, repurpose the barn and—’

‘Nana would spin in her grave if the farm was sold,