We were the first ones to arrive at the office for the will reading.

Rather than go in straight away, Mother decided it would be best we stood outside until Father appeared, or someone else. Word had been sent to all those who may have ended up part of the will, but it only extended to Aunt Charlotte, Uncle Zachariah, Grandmother and Aunt Matilda. Mother still didn't think the latter two were even going to be in the will, but I suppose it would have been rude if they weren't invited - not that they would deserve any courtesy given the information Mother had provided me about them.

Standing outside the office, I considered telling Mother what had happened at school and following Miss Reid's advice. Just like before, the words became stuck in my throat and I couldn't get them out the way I wanted to so I just stayed quiet. I leant against the fence in front of the office and stared out across the London streets at everyone going on with their day. How many of them had been affected by the sinking?

How many of them were struggling to keep it together?

Father arrived not long after, looking a little dishevelled. His sleeves were still rolled up to his elbows and his hair stuck up at strange angles, a sign he had repeatedly run his hand through it. When he pulled his sleeves down, I could see a dark spot on the cuff of his right arm but I didn't comment on it. Even with an apron and by pushing his sleeves up, he somehow ended up with all manner of things on his clothes.

"Do you think he left Mother in it?" Uncle Zachariah said when he turned up. We were just waiting for Aunt Charlotte.

"I don't know, I wouldn't think so," Father said.

"Hm, I thought the same. She seems to think he has, though. I saw her the other day and she was asking questions about the will and appeared to be of the impression that he hadn't altered it in twenty-four years. I don't think she was happy when I told her you knew more about it than I did."

"That explains why she mentioned it yesterday."

"It explains her motivation for turning up here, it had nothing to do with Father and everything to do with how much money she might gain from it."

"No surprise there, I heard she lost all the money he gave her when they went their separate ways. She's been up north with Aunt Sybil ever since."

The conversation came to a grinding halt when Aunt Charlotte arrived with Uncle Jasper in tow. I happened to be the only child who had been brought to the office but I thought that was more of a matter of convenience than anyone wanting me there. Had this happened at any other time I would have been left behind and forced to wait for the outcome on my own. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that the announcement came when I had been finishing up at school because it meant they had no choice but let me stay. Or at least I hoped they would.

Although a low conversation started up again with Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Jasper, all talk about the will stopped the moment Grandmother appeared. It looked like she had changed the moment she had received the news, almost like she had decided to play the role of the grieving widow. Aunt Matilda appeared to be following her every move and they both wore similar black dresses with rather large hats. It looked too hysterical to be believable.

Uncle Zachariah did make a valid point. Neither Grandmother nor Aunt Matilda had been seen in twenty-four years and yet they show up after Grandfather dies knowing they may be able to get their hands on his money. They had managed to make their motivation known, although I knew that everyone probably suspected them the moment they turned up. At least they had done us a favour by making their motives so overt.

"Are you bringing your daughter into an adult meeting?" Grandmother said.

"Considering how fast this happened, I don't think we have much choice," Father said, rolling his eyes a little.

"After her behaviour last night, I'm surprised. Then again, you always were a soft touch, brother."

"What my daughter does is none of your concern, Matilda."

Mother placed a light hand on Father's shoulder. "Perhaps Izzy should go to Christopher's office. It's not too far from here."

"You're right." Father looked at me. "Do you know the way to your uncle Christopher's from here?"

"Well, yes, but I'm not going." I frowned at him.

"Yes, you are. There are going to be far too many of us in the office as it is. If there is any important information that you need to be aware of, we will tell you."

"Right, of course, you will." I rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll go."

I readjusted my satchel and pushed off from the gate. Mother went to say something but didn't as I turned around and headed down the road in the direction of Uncle Christopher's office. It had been stupid of me to believe that they would let me into the meeting on the will just because I happened to be in the area. They were never going to treat me like an adult.

Uncle Christopher was in a meeting when I reached his office. The door into the room had been closed and I heard the low hum of conversation through the wood but I couldn't understand any of it. With no seating in the darkened hallway, I sat down on the floor with my back pressed against the wall and my legs crossed in front of me. Maybe it didn't help with the image of me wanting to be treated more like an adult than a child, but sitting on the floor allowed me to think.

All I wanted was for Mother and Father to stop treating me like a child, and I knew I had made that hard over the past few weeks. Still, the only thing they had done to prove they no longer saw me as a child had been to allow me to stay for the supper with Grandmother, but I expected that had less to do with me and more to do with Grandmother asking questions. Miss Reid thought me old enough to decide what I wanted out of my future but my own parents could not offer me the same respect.

The door to Uncle Christopher's office opened and an older man walked out. He didn't notice me sitting back against the wall, but Uncle Christopher did.

"I'll let you know when the paperwork is all in order," Uncle Christopher said.

"Thank you, Mr Greyson. Good day." The man tipped his hat towards him.

Uncle Christopher closed the door to the man and then turned to face me. "What on earth are you doing down there?"

"You have no chairs in your hallway."

"A good reason. Come on you."

I stood up and brushed off the back of my school dress, following Uncle Christopher into the main room for the office. A plate of biscuits had been placed on his desk for the meeting and he offered me one before gesturing me to the chair opposite the desk. He took a seat on the other chair and took his own biscuit.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He smiled.

"Grandfather's estate has been sorted so they're reading the will. I was there, but Father made me come here when Grandmother and Aunt Matilda made a comment."

"You don't seem happy about it."

I sighed. "I'm just sick of being treated like a child. My teacher thinks I'm old enough to decide what I want out of my future but Mother and Father won't even let me sit in on an old man reading a piece of paper."

"Emotions are high right now, Izzy. What with your grandfather and old feelings coming to the surface after so many years. I doubt they're deliberately making you feel that way."

"Try telling them that!" I shook my head. "Mother finally told me the truth of what really happened all those years ago and I thought that they might start respecting me a little more, but they haven't. Instead, they listened to what Grandmother said and decided she was right."

"You're only fourteen, Izzy. You're not an adult yet. Also, I doubt they thought she was right, they probably just wanted to avoid an argument."

"What argument? I was just going to sit there and listen. Them asking me to leave is what will create an argument."

"For someone who is pushing to be treated like an adult, you're acting a little bit like a child, Isabel. If you want them to treat you a certain way then you need to show that you deserve it, and from the few conversations we've had since your grandfather died, I'm starting to think your parent's behaviour towards you is at least somewhat warranted."

"I knew you'd take their side."

I shook my head and stood from the chair opposite the desk, dropping the uneaten biscuit onto the table. Uncle Christopher watched me walk to the other side of the room where I sat on the floor under the window and pulled my school work from my satchel. My heart pounded in my chest out of frustration and I struggled to turn the pages in my book due to the shaking in my hands. Everyone had turned against me.

Neither Uncle Christopher nor I spoke for the rest of the time we were alone in the office together. I poured over my school work, even skipping ahead on the chapters we were going through just so I didn't have to look up from the floor. Anger ran through my body and not even reading through my school books or doing extra work could help to quell it. It felt like every part of my body was burning and it had been that way for days.

It felt like I was teetering on the edge of a cliff and about to drop off the edge into oblivion. Sometimes I felt fine, like when I was talking to Evelyn in school or just reading a book on my own, but other days I felt like I was burning from the inside out. Whether it had been caused by the grief or by something else, I didn't know but I hated the feeling. I wanted it to stop but I didn't think anyone would understand.

After what felt like an hour, the front door to the office clicked open and the sound of footsteps thundered down the hall. I looked up just as Father and the others entered the room.

"How on earth did she manage it? She disappears for twenty-four years and still ends up with everything she wanted," Father said, his chest heaving.

"Calm down, this won't do you any favours," Mother said, but it fell on deaf ears.

"She ruined our lives twenty-four years ago and here she is, doing the exact same thing! Why on earth would Father do it?"

"Maybe it's false," Aunt Charlotte suggested.

"Then how did the lawyer get it? Father changed lawyers when Mother left and she had no idea who had it. We entered that room at the same time, and the lawyer wouldn't have gone along with it if he knew what was good for him."

Father paced the room, running a hand through his already tousled hair and making it even messier - if that were possible. Uncle Christopher stood up from his desk and joined the group, mumbling something to Mother who glanced over at me and shook her head slightly. I didn't stand up from my position on the floor and just thumbed the corner of my book and watched it all unfold in front of me. Had I been in the room, I would know what they were discussing but they had been the ones to ask me to leave and I had no intention of getting involved.

"Can someone fake a will?" Father looked at Uncle Christopher.

"It is possible, but the will has to be signed by the Testator - the person who the will is about - along with two witnesses. But, as you said, how would they get the fake will to the lawyer? Your father's lawyer had all of his documents after his passing, correct? Before your mother turned up?"

Father nodded. "He took everything the day after we returned from the seaside. The will had been dated in February."

"Then I doubt it's fake. Not unless the lawyer's involved, and I know Mr Greenway, he's a good man."

I stared at them all, furrowing my eyebrows and trying to figure out what had caused the sudden distress and upheaval. Grandmother and Aunt Matilda were nowhere to be found so I deduced that whatever happened had to involve them in some way. The constant mention of a fake will lead me to believe that the days reading did not go in Father's favour. Still, that felt like a minor thing to be creating such a fuss over, especially when it comes to the will potentially being fake.

"I'm confused," I said. "What happened?"

"He left her everything. The entire estate. It all went to Mother."

~~~

A/N - We are back! Chapter Eight is here! I am pleased to let you know that the full draft of Will and Testament is now complete and I will continue to post chapters every week until the end! I'm moving onto 'The Orphan Girl' re-write which will hopefully go up when this is completed!

Question time!

Do you think Christopher's comment was warranted? Is Isabel acting a little too much like a child? Do you think the will is fake?

Let me know!

First Published - June 29th, 2021