The water was still, mirroring the grey sky above, not a ripple to be seen, not a sound to be heard. The mausoleum door was open, as Edgar was inside, preparing everything so my grandmother’s body could be put to rest.

We had had the wake and the funeral for whoever wanted to pay their last respects. And a lot of people came, more than I thought would show up and it made me happy, to think that Mami was loved by so many.

But now, when the time came to say the last goodbye, only her close ones would be present.

I heard the rustling of more than one set of feet stepping on the grass behind me.

- Lady Eleanora – Mr Mason’s voice called and I turned my head only enough for him to understand I had heard him – There are some details that we need to go over, if you don’t mind.

I turned around and saw that Mason was with Mr Carmichael, his associate from the firm – It can’t be that urgent.

- The sooner we go over everything, the better.

Begrudgingly, I led them back to the Hall, and into the library, to what was now my desk. I took off my coat and placed it on the back of the chair, motioning for the men to sit as well.

- Does it have to do with the house’s finances? - I asked, feeling a sharp pain in my right temple. I hadn’t slept properly in a long time.

- It has to do with it as well – Carmichael said – But we also need to see over your own will.

I managed a disdainful smile – My… will…? - both men nodded, their professional facade never crumbling – We haven’t even read my grandmother’s.

Not to leave me hanging, Mr Mason took out a binder from his briefcase and handed me said document, which I read through, not paying much attention to it. I already knew she was leaving everything to me, with the condition that I would grant both my siblings use of the houses if they so wished. She knew they would not be left penniless and it was part of the deal she had struck with my dad and my mum.

- Just rewrite it and make my siblings my beneficiaries. They’re my next of kin. – I handed him the will once again – It’s a no-brainer, really.

- But that takes us to the financial matters at hand – Mason put the document back – There are taxes that need to be met and they do have deadlines.

I sighed – And I neither can afford them, nor can they wait. - I knew just where I stood. I had gone over everything over and over again in the past few months.

- Not right now, you cannot – Carmichael went straight to the point.

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- Both houses are listed as historical buildings – Mason cut in, slightly more polished than his associate. He had been the one who had been more in touch with our situation for the past couple of decades – But you have other properties.

- The farms, yes. - I said, referring to the two properties that stood just outside the Estate. Those farms had always been part of a rental system, that was how those things worked and how big houses, such as Somerset Hall, managed a steady stream of income.

Mason nodded and handed me the documents.

- How long have the current tenants been renting? - I asked, looking at numbers and numbers that only made my heart tight and my headache. I was so helpless that it felt as if I was drowning.

- The Mayfairs have been renting for about 20 years. And the Conti for five.

I laid the deeds on the table – Get them appraised and approach the tenants to buy. Give them the right of first offer, before putting the properties for sale.

Mr Mason’s eyes widened, in disbelief – But…

- Will the money be enough to pay for all the taxes and assure Collins and Edgar’s wages for a whole year? - My voice came out commanding, as I’d never known it to be.

Carmichael and Mason worked for some long minutes on both optimistic and pessimistic estimates – Certainly, but…

- Will the House be secure?

Carmichael nodded, once again.

- And I’d like to pass the deed of Collins’ house to Collins himself. - There was a nicely sized house allocated for the butler, and his family, in the nearby town and there had already been generations of Collin’s living there. It seemed only right to pass it on to its rightful owners.

Mr Mason’s voice went up a notch and he sounded alarmed – You can’t just start disposing of properties on a whim.

- It is not on a whim, as you put it, Mr. Mason. This has been thought out and planned with Lady Margaret herself. I am thirteen years old, with a legal guardian, these are clearly not my brilliant ideas.

Carmichael intervened – What about New House, in Belgravia?

- You can’t dispose of New House – Mason was adamant – That house has an immense historical value and was one of the first ones to be built there…

I reached to the necklace I was wearing, on which a small key dangled, and used it to open the drawer in front of me – I know the story, Mr Mason. I’ve studied it thoroughly. – I reached inside and took an envelope, which I handed to the lawyers – I will take this deal for now and I am hoping to rent the property, for at least a year, so if you could handle the details, I’d be extremely grateful to both of you.

The letter was from a major studio, that wished to rent out the house for two months, for an historical production. They paid well enough, so I could pay Hannah compensation, after sending her away.

- Rent the property? - Mason was more appalled with every word that came out of my mouth – Who would you rent a property like that to? Some Sheikh loaded with petrodollars? A financier with no respect for its history? I am sorry, Lady Eleanora, but you are prostituting your family legacy.

Despite how grey the sky was, the light was bright and hurting my eyes. It made my vision slightly blurry and I blinked hard, to try and clear it – Should I just plain old sell it, then? - they were getting under my skin. Maybe not just them, but everything – Get me someone who’s willing to pay. As soon as I get an offer, I will have someone over to bring my furniture home. - I motioned to get up – Are we done here, gentlemen?

There was only silence, from across the dark wood desk.

- If we are, the City awaits you. As for me, I have my grandmother to lay to rest and Heaven knows that was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

Only Mami’s three living descendants entered the mausoleum behind her and watched as another amazing woman in our family was sealed behind a marble epitaph.

Margaret Anne Charlotte

1921 – 1994