Maddie took a piece of paper from the pocket of her skirt, a letter written on expensive paper with a deep blue wax seal. ’It was my grandfathers solicitor’ she explained and unfurled the paper, a small gold locket falling from the paper into her hand. ’He wanted to speak to Maggie and I about my grandfathers estate’. Her voice was strained, like she was fighting back emotion. She was still shaken, disbelief at what had occurred in the small parlour of her parents modest home.

She looked up at him meeting his eyes, her own eyes large and searching, as though she might find some information on his face. ’he’s left Maggie and I everything.’ she said after a moment, the words coming out in a rush of breath, as though saying them could make the whole situation evaporate. ’money, land, houses, everything, to be split between Maggie and myself’. It felt old, she wanted to smile, she knew that this meant something amazing for her future, possibilities and chances that she would never have had access to were now within her grasp, but it was only possible because her grandfather was dead – and it felt perverse to smile under those circumstances.

’It’s a lot of money, more than I could have dared dream of, I will be an independent woman of means!’ she explained, ’With an income of my own.’ she finished taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as she looked at him, waiting for a response!