The Unexpected Family
«Well, this is quite the place,» said Emma, her university friend, as she wandered through all four rooms. «Turns out you’re quite the wealthy bride, aren’t you?»
Lucy weakly sank into an armchair. «Why are you here, anyway? The deans office knows Ive been ill.»
Emma flopped onto the old leather sofa, which let out a pitiful creak. Lucy winced. The house was full of antique pieces her family had collected over decades. «Well?» she pressed Emma, eager to lie downshe felt dreadful.
«Right,» Emma drawled. «Our head boy, James, asked me to check on you. Found out I live nearby. You know how much of a bore he can be. Wanted to know if you needed anything, especially now youre all alone. Though, in a flat like this» she added, unable to hide her envy.
Lucy struggled to her feet. «Thanks for dropping by, Emma. Tell James I appreciate the concern, but Im fine.» Emma rose and reluctantly followed her to the door. But she couldnt resist one last jab. «I wouldnt mind living in a place like this. Throw some wild parties. Lucky you.» Lucy, uninterested, asked, «Lucky who, exactly?»
Emma blurted from the doorstep, «The blessed ones. Not of this world.»
Lucy shut the door with a curt, «Goodbye.»
She lay down, but sleep wouldnt come. Shed lived here her whole life with her grandmother, Margaret. Gran had been a strict woman. From childhood, Lucy had been drilled in etiquette, French, German, and of course, English. Gran could switch languages at any moment, and Lucy was expected to reply in kind.
She didnt remember her parents. Gran spoke reluctantly of her «ungrateful daughter» and how shed had Lucy with some bloke named Oliver, whod eventually lured her into a commune. Three years later, bad news arrivedtheyd died in a fire during some ritual or gathering. The details were never shared, and Lucy didnt press. She hadnt known them, so their loss wasnt a deep sorrow.
Few people visited. There was Agnes, the seamstress who dressed Gran and Lucy; Dr. Edward, an ageing physician; Grans old friends, Elizabeth and Archibald; and Peter, a former jeweller whod once courted Gran.
Lucy grew up among them. When it was time for school, shed been terrifiedshed never heard such noise and chaos. But she adapted, learning to live in two worlds: Grans and the ordinary one beyond their flats walls.
Trouble came unexpectedly. Gran, who never bought food from strangers, suddenly brought home mushrooms. «I passed by and spotted them. Reminded me of the mushroom soup Seraphina, our old cook, used to make at the country house.»
The soup was divine, the aroma heavenly. Lucy couldnt resist a second helping. Gran fell ill first, then Lucy. They tried calling Dr. Edward, but his phone was offhe was away at his cottage. Gran refused to call an ambulance, trusting only her doctor. But when she lost consciousness and Lucys vision blurred, she dialled 999 with the last of her strength, stumbling to unlock the door before collapsing on the threshold.
Now, with Gran gone, Lucy had to move forwardbut how? Her stipend, even with the increase, wouldnt cover rent and living costs. When could she even return to university? Surviving deaths brink took timeand money.
At first, Peter helped, buying a few antiques at a low price. It kept Lucy afloat, but the problem remained. The flats expenses were crushing, no matter how she scrimped.
Then she remembered Grans storieshow this had once been a shared flat, later granted outright to their family for her great-grandfathers service.
Lucy decided to take in lodgers. Shed keep her room and rent out the other threepreferably to decent women.
She posted an ad online and waited. Calls poured in, but none were right: migrant workers, families with kids, giggling students asking if they could bring guests. When the inquiries dried up, she considered an agencysurely theyd vet applicants properly.
But she never made it. Walking through Camden, she spotted a young woman with two small children. A five-year-old girl gnawed on a stale biscuit, while a toddler sobbed quietly in his mothers lap. The woman herself was loudly arguing on the phone. «Michael, how could you do this? The kids are starvingIve lost my milk! Where are we supposed to go? Ive no one whod take us in. If your Vera cant stand us, just give us a roomwe wont bother you!» Her voice broke into sobs.
Lucy couldnt walk past. Heart aching, she approached. «Excuse meI overheard. Do you need help?» she asked, offering a tissue.
The woman sniffled. «Not methe kids. My husband threw us out. Nowhere to sleep, no food, no money. I dont know what to do.»
An hour later, the childrenfed and asleepwere settled, and Lucy learned her story. Nadine had been orphaned at twelve, her parents dead from drink. After the care system, shed returned to their derelict flat, sold it naively, and ended up homeless. An elderly landlady took her in, but then the womans grandson, Michael, arrived. «Charming but weak,» Nadine said bitterly. «I fell for itgot pregnant twice. Then he met Vera. Now were on the street.»
Lucy offered a room. «Stay until we figure something out. Well rent the others.»
But plans changed. Next came Anthony, an old man evicted by his daughter-in-law after his sons death. Shed tricked him into signing over his home, then tossed him out. Lucy found him being dragged into the cold by a neighbour and took him in.
The last room went to Paul, a blind young man cheated by his guardian and left penniless. Lucy spotted him outside uni, bullied by lads tossing breadcrumbs like he was a pigeon. His lips trembled, but hunger kept him reaching.
Now, Lucy had a family. Nadine worked as a shop cleaner, Paul minded the childrenno better nanny existed, blind or not. Anthony, once a chef, turned simple ingredients into feasts.
And so Lucy lived, without a single regret. Shed come home, open the door, and there theyd beher unexpected, found family.
