Hopefully, she wouldn’t be annoyed to see me. I just needed a place to stay for a short time while I figured out who I was and where my life was going.
When we arrived at the house, the state of the garden made me stop dead. Weeds tangled around the iron fence that bordered the grass, and the interior looked like a jungle. Clearly, no one had tended it in months, and my grandmother had always been fanatical about her garden.
This isn’t good.
“I know.” Dread unfurled inside me as I pushed open the creaky gate and started up the weed-choked path. The house was a two-story stone building with a dark blue door that swung open before I reached it.
An older man stood there, wearing a perfectly pressed suit that matched his impeccable hair. Not a strand of the iron gray was out of place. His gaze moved between Poa and me, and I knew that he must have magic if he could see her. A frown flattened his lips. “Isobel Whitwell?”
“Yes. How did you know it was me?”
“I’ve been sending you letters for a month.”
“I haven’t received any letters.”
“Well, be that as it may, I sent them. I also had confirmation that they were delivered to 13B Rollington Road in London.”
That was my address, and if he had confirmation they’d been delivered, that must mean that Tommy had got them and not given them to me.
Anger bubbled inside me, far greater than what I’d felt when I’d found him cheating on me.
I drew in a deep, calming breath. This wasn’t about Tommy. “Is this about my grandmother?”
“Yes. You’d better come in.”
“Just tell me.” Anxiety pricked my skin, and I couldn’t wait for the news. It wouldn’t matter if I were sitting.
He frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Tell me.”
He sighed heavily. “She’s passed.”
I blinked at him. That was what I’d been expecting, but hearing it was somehow still shocking. I swallowed hard, suddenly full of regret. I should have visited her sooner. Not for her help, but to know her. True, she’d been disinterested in me when I’d visited as a child, but things could have changed. I should have tried harder.
Quit with that line of thought, and let’s find out what’s going on.
I looked down at Poa. “I thought you couldn’t read my mind.”
Your face is scrunched up like an old sock. You’re clearly thinking bad thoughts.
I rolled my eyes, then looked at the man.
“Are you ready to come in now?” he asked.
I nodded. It had been a long night, and the champagne had left me feeling a bit crap.
“I’ll put the kettle on,” he said. “Why don’t you take a seat in the living room?”
“I’ll come to the kitchen,” I replied, not wanting to be left alone in her house.
He just nodded and led the way down the narrow hall and past two rooms. The place was covered in a light film of dust, as if he weren’t here often or were a terrible housekeeper. Given the impeccable state of his suit and hair, I had to think it was the former.
When we reached the tidy little kitchen, I asked, “Are you my grandmother’s…？”
Actually, I had no idea how to finish that. As far as I knew, she wasn’t married. But it would be ridiculous to call this man a boyfriend.
“Her solicitor, yes.” He filled the kettle with water. “Malcolm Ludlow. You may call me Malcolm.”
Thank Hecate I hadn’t called him her boyfriend. Of course he was her solicitor.
“How did you know I would arrive today? I assume your office is somewhere else.”
He nodded. “My assistant put a ward on the town that would alert me to your arrival. I didn’t want to miss you if you happened to show up. This matter has been left hanging for far too long.”
I blew out a breath and sat. The kettle clicked off, and he poured two cups of tea, then brought them to the table. “No milk, I’m afraid.”
I didn’t bother asking about sugar. It wouldn’t have expired in the last few weeks since my grandmother’s death, but he didn’t seem like the sort to acknowledge the existence of sugar.
Poa hopped up on the chair next to me and looked at my teacup. I pushed it toward her in offer, and she turned up her nose. Pass.
The solicitor ignored his cup and folded his hands on the table. “Now, on to the matter of the will.”
“The will?”
“Yes. You were the primary beneficiary, so that leaves the estate to you.”
I blinked, dumbfounded, then looked around at the house. “This house, you mean?”
He shook his head. “No. This house has been sold. A family from New Zealand will move in at the end of the month.”
Crap. I really could have used a place to live.
I winced. I shouldn’t be so mercenary in the face of my grandmother’s death. I pasted a bland smile on my face and tried to look appropriate, whatever that was.
“It’s a bit of an unusual situation, you see.” He leaned down and pulled some papers out of a briefcase that sat on the floor near his chair. “Your grandmother owned a home in Cornwall, outside of the town of Charming Cove. Lavender House, it’s called. It’s in fairly poor shape, but I believe she was hoping you’d fix it up. There’s a good bit of land with it, along with a building on the water that I believe she called the boathouse.”
I blew out a breath. That sounded like a fun challenge, but… “I have no money. I can’t afford to fix anything up.”
He gestured to the house around us. “The sale of this house has been put into an account for you. It’s more than enough to cover the cost of repairing Lavender House.”
“Oh, wow.” I smiled and sat back. My luck was really turning around.
“There are some conditions, however. And challenges.”
I grimaced and leaned forward. “Go on…”
“Your grandmother tried for years to get the main house fixed up, but none of the contractors in town will work on it. Something about the house being inhospitable to guests.”
Okay, that wasn’t ideal.
“So it will be primarily up to you to do the labor. The will stipulates that you have a month from your arrival in Charming Cove to complete the job. I will come by on the thirtieth day and see if you’ve finished. If you have, then Lavender House and the money are yours. If you fail, it all goes to your cousin Albert.”
“Albert? But isn’t he already wealthy?” And also a jerk, I was pretty sure.
“Indeed. Your grandmother wasn’t fond of him. I believe she wanted to incentivize you to fix Lavender House. She loved that place, though she was never able to live there.”
I drew in a breath. I could do this. I liked a challenge. I needed a challenge. Something to get my mind off of Tommy and help me reinvent my life.
“It’s unlikely that you can live in the house in its current state,” he said. “But there is a renovated apartment in the boathouse. It’s small, but your grandmother said it’s nice enough. She used to live there when she would visit Charming Cove.”
Excellent. That solved my biggest problem. Now I just had to fix up Lavender House.
Chapter
Four
Isobel