The old cottage greets Emma with stale air and silence. She throws open the windows, letting May sunshine and the scent of lilacs flood in. Its been a month since her grandfather died, and only now does she find the strength to travel from London and sort through his belongings.
George Aldridge was more than a grandfather to her. After her parents died early, he became her family, raising her and getting her on her feet. In recent years they met only rarelyhis work at the county council in Manchester, the rush of everyday life, a constant lack of time. Now, standing in the living room where every object whispers his name, Emma blames herself for every day they never spent together.
A phone rings, breaking the hush.
Emma, have you started yet? asks Aunt Elaine, her voice unusually gentle. Victor and I will be there tomorrow to help with the furniture. Dont touch anything valuable, okay?
Of course, Aunt Elaine, Emma replies, looking at her grandfathers sideboard lined with seashell collections. Im just sorting the things, the papers.
Good. After the will was read, things got a bit awkward Dont be upset that you only got his books and the piano. He simply wanted to be fair.
Emma presses her lips together. After the funeral, the solicitor read a will that split the house and most of the estate between his childrenAunt Elaine and Uncle Victor. Emma received only the books, an old piano and a set of engraved clocksitems dear to her heart but of little monetary worth.
Its fine, Aunt Elaine. I dont need anything, she says.
Thats right. You have your own flat. Victor and I need the village house for the summer season. See you tomorrow!
Emma hangs up and sighs heavily. Her grandfather always said the house would be hers. Who else would I leave it to but you, my dear? You alone understand what a family home means. Apparently, at the last moment he changed his mind. Its his right.
All day Emma spends cataloguing the books. Each volume holds a memorya battered fairytale collection he read to her at bedtime, textbooks he used when he taught her maths. Some books hide pressed flowers, old photographs, marginal notes in his neat handwriting.
By evening she reaches his study, a small room with a massive desk and floortoceiling shelves. As a child, George never let her enter without knockingthe creative laboratory, he would joke. Here he wrote his memoirs, kept journals, and sorted archives.
Emma carefully flips through folders of manuscripts, old notebooks, yellowed envelopes. In the lower drawer she finds a stack of letters tied with twineletters from her grandmother, a woman Emma never met. Beside them lies a worn leather diary.
Opening it, she reads an entry from last year: Call S.P. about the new will. Destroy the old one.
Her heart skips. A new will? The solicitor, Samuel Parker, had only presented one document at the reading.
Emma continues the search, methodically checking each box and folder. Behind a pile of old newspapers in the sideboard she discovers an envelope stamped: Will. Copy. Original with solicitor S.P. The date on the envelope is a month before Georges death.
With trembling hands Emma pulls out the paper and begins to read. In this will George leaves the entire house, the plot and all valuable items to her, Emma. His children, Elaine and Victor, are to receive monetary compensation.
This decision isnt about favouring one heir over another, the text explains, but about keeping the family nest intact. Emma is the only one who values this house not for its price tag but as the heart of our family history. I trust she will preserve it for future generations.
Emma sinks into her grandfathers armchair, unable to believe what she reads. Why wasnt the second will presented? Did the solicitor know? What should she do now?
The night passes without sleep. Emma tosses on the old bed in the room she once shared with her grandfather, weighing options. Presenting the will would spark a huge scandal. Aunt Elaine and Uncle Victor have already drawn up plans for the house, dividing the plot. They were never close to George and visited only occasionally, but does that give them less right?
Morning arrives, and before she can finish her coffee, the sound of a car pulls up. Aunt Elaine is the first through the door, filling the space with a loud voice and brisk movements.
Emma, Megan and I are here, she says, nodding toward her daughter, who stands in the hallway with a scowl. Lets see what we can take right now. Victor will bring the movers later.
Good morning, Emma says with a tight smile. I havent finished sorting
No worries, well help! Elaine moves from room to room, eyeing the furniture. Ill take this sideboard and the bedroom chest. You okay with that, Megan?
Megan shrugs. Whatever, Mum. Im only here for Granddads coin collection, remember?
Of course, of course! Emma, wheres the coin collection? He kept it all his life. Megan, its yours to keep as a memento.
Emma feels anger rise. The numismatic collection was Georges pride. He would show her each new coin, tell the story behind it. And now its being handed to Megan, who arrived at the funeral looking as if something had been ripped away from her.
Aunt Elaine, Emma begins cautiously, did you speak with the solicitor after the will was read?
Elaine freezes midsentence, turning sharply. With Samuel? No, why?
I just feel somethings off with the will.
What do you mean? Elaine narrows her eyes.
I found a note in Granddads papers about another, later will.
A heavy silence falls. Megan stops examining the sideboard and looks at them with interest.
What nonsense is that? Elaine finally says, her voice trembling. There was only one will, the one they read.
I think we should call Samuel, Emma says firmly. I have a copy of the other document.
Elaine turns pale. Emma, listen why stir this up? Father made his choice, he split everything fairly. You got the things he loved mostbooks, piano. He knew how much you love music.
Its not about the items, Aunt Elaine. Its about Granddads final wishes. If he changed his mind, we must respect it.
Changed his mind? Elaine sneers. He spent his whole life thinking of you! Your parents died, tragedy, of course. But why did he always put you above his own children? Were we strangers to him?
Emma is taken aback by the sudden outburst.
I never asked for special treatment
Of course you didnt! You were just always there. We have our own lives, our own worries. We cant be with him all the time.
Mum, calm down, Megan interjects. Whats all this shouting about? If theres another will, let the lawyers handle it.
The front door opens and Uncle Victor steps ina broadshouldered man with a face uncannily like Georges.
What are you arguing about? he asks, scanning the tense faces.
Emma found another will, Elaine blurts out. Says Dad left everything to her.
Victor walks slowly to a chair and sits. Really?
His voice shows no surprise, only fatigue. Emma looks at him.
Did you know about it?
Victor sighs. Dad mentioned wanting to change the will. Said the house should stay whole, not be split. Said only you truly love it.
And you kept quiet? Elaine shouts. Traitor!
Dont shout, Elaine, Victor replies wearily. I didnt know if hed actually signed a new will or was just thinking about it. Either way, the house is old, needs constant upkeep. We need it as an asset we can sell, not as a memory for Emma.
So youre on her side? Elaine waves her hands. Wonderful! Lets give it all to the girl and well be left with nothing!
Mum, stop, Megan rolls her eyes. Victors right. We dont need this house. You said youd sell it and buy a flat in the city anyway.
Emma watches the exchange, feeling detached. To them the house is a piece of property, a plot of land. To her it is an entire worldits smells, sounds, memories.
I propose this, Emma says finally. We call Samuel and sort out the wills. If Granddads last wish truly was to leave the house to me, Ill pay you both compensation for your shares, gradually, over time.
What compensation? On a librarians salary? Elaine scoffs.
I can take a loan. Or sell my flat.
Mum, enough, Megan says. Lets just call the solicitor.
Samuel Parker agrees to come immediately. An hour later the elderly solicitor, briefcase in hand, sits at the kitchen table, looking anxiously at the gathered family.
So youve found a second will, he says after hearing Emmas explanation. May I see a copy?
Emma hands him the paper. He studies it, checking dates and signatures.
Yes, this is a genuine copy, he concludes. George did draft a new will shortly before he died.
Why didnt you present it? Elaine demands.
Samuel removes his glasses and rubs his nose. A week before he passed, he called me and said he wanted to cancel the earlier will. He arranged a meeting, but he never made it.
So his final wish was to revert to the first version? Victor asks.
I cant be certain, Samuel replies cautiously. He didnt give reasons over the phone, only that he didnt want a family rift.
Tears prick Emmas eyes. Granddad was thinking of them, of their relationships, even at the cost of his own desires.
Legally, Samuel continues, the valid document is the last will that was not officially revoked. Thats the one leaving the house to you. But
Whats the but? Elaine interrupts.
But if you contest it, citing the phone call, the case could drag on for years. No one wins except the lawyers.
A heavy hush settles. Emma looks out the window at the ancient apple tree George planted before she was born. Each spring it bursts into white blossom, filling the garden with a faint perfume. He used to say, As long as the apple tree blooms, the house lives.
I wont push the second will forward, Emma says suddenly, turning to her relatives. Let things stay as they are.
Youre giving up the house? Megan asks, surprised.
No, Emma shakes her head. I have another idea. The house stays in joint ownership. Nobody sells it. Ill live here and keep it up. Youre all welcome to visit any timesummer, weekends, holidaysjust like a true family home.
Why would you do that? Elaine asks, torn between greed and a vague sense that Emmas proposal holds something more valuable.
Because Granddad wanted us to be a family, Emma answers simply. He feared inheritance would split us, and he was ready to change his final wish for that reason. I want to honor his intention.
Victor studies his niece for a long moment, then nods slowly. I agree. Thatsright.
Elaine hesitates, her face a battlefield of desire for money and the lingering thought that Emmas offer might be richer than any cash.
But who will pay for upkeep, for repairs? she asks.
Ill cover the main costs, Emma says. Youll have a tidy, readytouse house. The only condition is that no one ever demands it be sold. Ever.
What if I need money fast? Elaine probes.
Ill buy your share, Emma replies calmly. In installments, over time. The house stays the house.
Megan laughs. Granddad would have liked this. He always said Emma was the wisest of us.
Samuel smiles, observing the agreement forming. I can draft a proper agreement if you all decide to proceed. It will be legally clean and reflect Georges wishes.
By evening, once the paperwork is signed and the initial tension eases, they sit on the veranda with tea, unexpectedly sharing stories from long ago. Victor recounts how he and George built the very porch they sit on, Elaine remembers her mothers pies, Megan giggles at anecdotes from Granddads childhood.
Emma watches them and feels she has gained more than she lost. Not just a house or possessionsbut a restored family. If compromise was required, so be it.
When the relatives finally leave, she steps into the garden. The apple tree is in full bloom, petals drifting to the ground. Birds chatter overhead. The house feels alive.
Thank you, Granddad, Emma thinks, looking up at the sky. I understand your lesson now. True inheritance isnt in walls or objects. It lives in the people who remember and love each other.
She pulls a folded sheet from her coat pocketa copy of the second will. Perhaps one day shell show it to her own children and tell them this story. Not now. Right now, she focuses on preserving what truly matters: the family home, the shared memories, and the peace between loved ones.
