Last Will and Testament

  Fortunately, since she could hardly see through the rain, Ellen could have found her way to the house blindfolded after her many years of employment. She gave up on the battle to keep her umbrella from turning inside out. She turned up her collar, tried to ignore her squelching shoes and hurried on.

    Old Lady Dorothea had been irascible, demanding and hard to please. Ellen had been her housekeeper, companion, cook... she really didn’t know exactly what her position was, but she’d lived there for years. There might have been a tear or two mixed with the rain streaming off her glasses and down her face. Now Lady Dorothea was gone, and an era had come to an end. Ellen had gone back to her own home but had agreed to continue working long enough to help the family get the house ready for sale. She paid no attention to the weeds poking up through the paving of the driveway or the paint peeling off the window frames. The house had been decaying for so long that she no longer noticed.

     There were several cars parked in front of the house. At one time, visitors were such a rarity that she would have been curious, but recently various people had been coming and going. She hurried round to the back door, almost colliding with the catering staff who were packing up their equipment after serving the funeral reception. As they left, she hung up her raincoat, toweled herself as dry as she could and cleaned off her glasses.

      “Here, I’ve got the kettle on. Let’s have a cuppa before we get started,” said Joanie, the cousin she had recruited to help for a few days.

       “That is the best idea I’ve heard in a long time,” said Ellen, sitting down at the kitchen table with relief.  “There’s so much to do.”

       “Couldn’t do anything while the caterers were in the way,” said Joanie. “Lord knows, this place needs more than we can do. Thought I was in a museum, not a kitchen, when I got here.”

      “Oh, it’s not that bad,” said Ellen, almost offended at the criticism. Joanie laughed.

      “I think you need to dry your glasses again. Just look at it. You’ve been here so long that you don’t even notice.”

      “True,” said Ellen, seeing the dingy paint, old chipped appliances and cracked linoleum as if for the first time. “Her ladyship never did see the sense in replacing anything until it fell apart. Not that she ever set foot down here. When she was younger, it wouldn’t have occurred to her and she couldn’t even leave her room the last few months. Are the family here? I saw some cars parked at the front.”

        “The solicitor came to read the will,” said Joanie. “Then Mr. David and his wife arrived. Miss Gwyneth came with a person. Hair and piercings all over the place. I really don’t know if it’s a he or she. This house is chilly, but the atmosphere in that room dropped to freezing when Laurel arrived. What’s the story there?”

Ellen poured some more tea and sighed.

        “David and Gwyneth are from Lady Dorothea’s first marriage. When they were about eight and ten, she ran off with Victor. Quite a scandal at the time, not only because he was younger but because he was poor. David and Gwyneth stayed with their father. Laurel is her daughter with Victor.”

            “That’s romantic,” said Joanie, sighing dreamily.

  “Not as romantic as all that. She used to tell me I did the right thing staying single,” said Ellen. “Her ladyship’s father was furious about the whole situation, but he died before he could change his will, so she inherited this place. Victor thought he was marrying a high-class meal ticket. Living in a draughty old barn like this wasn’t what he’d expected, so he moved on to the next best thing as soon as he could. Laurel left to go to university, and rarely came back. Her ladyship and I ended up here together like some old married couple who don’t know what to do with each other or without each other.”

        “Wasn’t she an old battle-axe?” said Joanie.

        “She could be difficult,” said Ellen. “I was scared of her at first. But as she got older and lonelier, she realized I was the only person she had left.  She mellowed, with me anyway.”

        “Why would you feel sorry for her?” said Joanie. “Look at everything she had.”

       “Except she didn’t really have anything that mattered,” said Ellen. “Her father pushed her into her first marriage because of her husband’s money and title. He was twenty years older than she was. She never had a chance to have a career or an education or meet people her own age. She was ripe to fall for someone charming like Victor. You can’t imagine what a scandal divorce was back then. Her name was ruined. Her husband made sure he got the children to punish her, then shunted them off to boarding school. His second wife was much younger than him too, but of course no one thought twice about that. He poisoned the older children against Laurel, so there’s bad feeling there.”

  Joanie shook her head.

         “Now you put it like that, it looks a bit different.”

She jumped as there was a rusty screeching noise above them.

        “What the heck is that?” she said, looking around.

 Ellen laughed.

        “That’s the drawing room bell. I’d better see what they want.”

        “This is like the budget version of Downton Abbey. Go on and I’ll start cleaning up here.”

Ellen entered the drawing room. Mr. Hunter, the solicitor, came forward and shook her hand. The others, seated around the room in the shabby armchairs, nodded. Mr. Hunter invited her to sit.

       “What can I help you with?” said Ellen, puzzled. “Can I bring anything?”

       “We have been reading her ladyship’s last will and testament,” said Mr. Hunter. “We have gone over various bequests to the family. However, you are mentioned in the will.”

       “She always said I could pick a memento to remember her by,” said Ellen. “If no one objects, I would like that mantel clock.”

       “It’s a little more significant than that,” he said. “As a matter of fact, she has instructed that when the house is sold, all proceeds should go to you, as thanks for your long and faithful service to her.”

 Ellen sank into the nearest sofa in shock, while the others all sprang to their feet, talking at once and glaring at her.

          “That’s ridiculous. I am her son and heir.”

           “What a snake in the grass, acting the faithful servant while you were out for what you could get.”

           “She can’t have been in her right mind.”

Mr. Hunter finally banged his fist on the table. Silence fell.

           “Her ladyship was completely in control of her faculties and truly clear about her instructions. She apologizes for any stress this will cause Ms. Ellen as, and I am quoting here, she knows how nasty her family can be. However, she considered Ms. Ellen a valued friend and companion, not merely an employee.”

 Laurel smiled acidly at Ellen.

          “You stuck with her when no one else could stand her, so I suppose you’ve earned it.”

 David turned to his wife.

          “We’re leaving. Don’t think I won’t be seeking legal advice about this.”

He marched to the door, practically dragging his wife behind him. Gwyneth and her companion followed. As the door slammed, Ellen burst into tears. Mr. Hunter hastily produced a tissue.

         “This is awful,” she said. “She meant well, but people will think I’m a gold-digger.”

Mr. Hunter sat down beside her.

         “She valued you very much. She told me once that you were the only person who saw her for herself. Don’t worry about what people will say. We can go into details about the house sale later when you’ve had time to get over this shock.”

          “I’ve never had much of anything,” said Ellen. “Don’t think the idea of having a little money isn’t nice. But I’d rather have her here instead.”

          “You can always donate it to a cats’ home or whatever charity you want,” said Mr. Hunter. “But I think she’d be happy to know you were financially secure as you get older.”

Ellen gave a tearful smile.

          “She didn’t have a lot of happiness in her life. I’m honored if this is what she wanted.”