‘I’m not going to tell them what I’m planning,’ she had said. By then, her skin had taken on a yellowish pallor and was pulled tightly across her cheekbones, making them appear angular and sharp. ‘I’m sure they’ll all say yes if I ask them now, but I’d rather not give them the option. If they don’t know what’s coming, they’re less likely to make excuses or refuse.’
The solicitor’s training made her uncomfortable with such vagaries and she wanted to object, get Angie to put something more concrete in place for the girl; but then again, Romany had already turned eighteen and so technically, there was no need for the appointment of a single guardian, let alone four. Whether the chosen ones were prepared to step up to their allotted tasks was not a legal matter and therefore not one with which the solicitor need concern herself unduly. She had the sense that there was something else at play here, though, some greater purpose that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
But she wasn’t paid to decipher clues from her clients. She had drafted the will and read the letter out as instructed and with that her responsibility for the matter ended.
Romany took a tissue out of a pocket now and held it in her hand, anticipating tears, but none fell. The same could not be said for Leon. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and he wiped them away noisily using a blue cotton handkerchief that had been ironed into a neat square. He was a plain man, his features unremarkable, his dark hair parted neatly and combed to one side as his mother might have done for him on the first day of school. Angie had mentioned that he was a chemical engineer, this information imparted with a degree of scorn as if it were a laughable career choice, although it seemed perfectly acceptable to the solicitor, who had firm and possibly old-fashioned ideas about what constituted a good job.
Maggie, the friend newly responsible for Romany’s contractual well-being, opened her mouth to speak and the solicitor, anticipating a clashing of legal horns, cut across her.
‘I also have Angie’s will, a copy of which will be provided to each of you. She appoints you all as her executors . . .’ She saw Maggie raise a neatly shaped eyebrow. ‘I am aware that having so many executors is unusual, and I counselled Angie against it. However, she felt that it was important, in the circumstances, that you each had equal responsibility for her estate. That said, you can sign a Renunciation if you wish to resign from the role.’
The guardian named Tiger （a ridiculous nickname for a man in his fifties, she thought） seemed to shift uncomfortably in his seat and then cast a sidelong glance around the room at the others, but when he failed to catch anyone else’s eye he turned back to look at her and did not speak.
The solicitor’s eyes were drawn to the one called Hope. The woman was outstandingly attractive and consequently quite mesmerising. The solicitor was reminded of a tall tank of luminescent jellyfish that she’d once seen in an aquarium. Beautiful, but ever so slightly threatening. Now, though, the woman’s brow was creased, and her mouth not quite closed as her eyes flicked around the others. Where Tiger looked irritated by the news, the word the solicitor would choose for Hope was baffled.
She continued.
‘Now, on to more practical matters. Obviously, as Romany here is now of age, she could live alone. However, in light of her being in her final year of school, Angie was keen that someone should move into their flat to help support her.’
Now they looked anxious, mouths tightening and sidelong glances being cast as they played through the possible options in their heads. The solicitor could almost see their minds whirring as they thought up excuses as to why this might not be practicable for them. She was tempted to let them sweat a little longer. Her days in the office were very long and generally uneventful, and making people to whom she had no duty of care squirm a little might add a touch of spice. But then again, she did feel sorry for the poor girl. This was her life, after all. She pressed on.
‘Angie has requested that Tiger should move into her flat for the next year whilst Romany finishes her education. She hoped that Romany will take up a place at university next September and then will no longer need anyone to live with her. The arrangement would be rent-free, as Angie left funds to cover the mortgage payments. There is also money to cover basic utilities, food and other household expenses for Romany and from which you, as a householder, would also benefit.’
Maggie’s expression suggested that she thought Tiger had very much fallen on his feet with this proposal, but Tiger seemed to have other ideas.