Page 63 of Black Willow Witch
Emberlyn inwardly snorted. It wasn’t an anomaly. It was a crock of shit.
‘She was softer near the end,’ Mari piped up. ‘Maybe because she knew her time was almost up. It’d explain why she openly spoke of who would inherit what.’
Shane folded his arms. ‘And what did she explicitly state?’
‘She told us all at different points that we were either the main or sole beneficiary,’ replied Mari. ‘If was as if she didn’t always know who she was speaking to, or didn’t remember what the will stated. But she was alwaysveryclear that Emberlyn would inherit nothing. That doesn’t line up with the wishes in her will.’
Shane twisted his mouth. ‘Do you have witnesses outside of your family who can confirm that she made these promises to you and laid out these terms?’
‘I was present for most of these conversations,’ Tyra claimed, the lying little bitch. ‘As was Sera.’
Nodding, Sera said, ‘Millicent kept calling me by my mother’s name, clearly confused. She would also ask where Avery was, so lost.’
Bullshit. Millicent hadn’t been in any way ‘confused’ or ‘lost’ near the end.
‘At no point did she even hint at leaving the manor to whoever could manage to gain entrance,’ Tyra continued. ‘That she would use such an extremely outdated tradition seems yet another sign that she wasn’t thinking rationally. All my client wants is for her mother’s true wishes to be reflected here. As things stand, they are not.’
‘Hmm.’ Shane cut his gaze to Clarence. ‘I understand that your client feels her claim on Black Willow Manor is not false and shouldn’t be rendered invalid.’
‘That is so,’ Clarence confirmed.
Shane looked at Ripper. ‘And you, similarly, feel that your claim to the land is fair.’
‘I do,’ Ripper firmly stated. ‘It originally belonged to Lupin. I am his descendant. Had I inherited the manor, the Vautiers would then claim it should be returned to them due to them being descendants of Lilith. I fail to see the difference.’
Shane inclined his head. ‘Interesting point.’ He returned his focus to Emberlyn. ‘Do you feel your grandmother was of sound mind?’
‘Millicent was eccentric to a large and varied degree,’ Emberlyn allowed, ‘but she was very much sane. She couldn’t have controlled her magick if that were not the case.’
Ward leaned forward. ‘Actually, that is—’
‘My question wasn’t directed atyou,’ Shane told him. ‘I’ve heard from the applicant and those on her side of the argument. Now I want to hear from Emberlyn and Ripper.’
Ward bristled, looking as though he would argue, but he subsided when Reena rested a hand over his.
‘No one here needs to take my word for anything,’ said Emberlyn. ‘One of the signatures on the will is that of a doctor whom Millicent asked to verify that she had mental capacity. She also wrote a letter that puts the wishes of her will into context.’
‘Letter?’ echoed Gill.
Shane’s attention shifted to her. ‘You knew nothing of it?’
Gill shook her head wildly.
‘Millicent left it to me in an envelope she instructed to be given to Emberlyn should anyone attempt to overturn the will,’ said Clarence, plucking a piece of paper from his leather satchel. ‘I have it here and am happy to read it aloud.’
‘Go on,’ invited Shane.
Clarence cleared his throat.
Emberlyn, if you’re reading this letter then my suspicions are just and my children are in fact hoping to have my will declared invalid. Such loving children they are. I don’t blame them for not thinking much of me – they have good reason for that. Why should they love a mother who isn’t a real mother? But it gives them no excuse to demand that my last wishes be ignored. I could tan their asses for that.
Despite the crap they tell me, I don’t believe for a second that either of them want the manor for themselves. They only wish to sell it. Still, I’ve given them the benefit of the doubt by allowing them to win over the manor themselves. If they’re contesting the will, it means they did not; that you now hold it. The house will have sensed what I myself strongly feel – they care nothing for it and have no intention of nurturing it with their own magick. And if that’s the case, where’s the wrong in it going to the one person who adores it?
You, I know, will cherish the manor. You, I know, will raise children there who will also grow to love it. That’s how it should be.
Gill loved the dollhouse as a child, you know. And Dez’s father taught him to drive in my truck. Mari is obsessed with the brooch she stole, and Ames was a master chess player as a child. In other words, I have not bequeathed random objects to them. They will inherit things that have meaning to them, they just probably won’t find that enough.
As for my leaving the land to Jax Stone, it’s only fair. The land should rightfully be with a descendant of Lupin, just as the manor should always home a Vautier. It’s as simple as that. I also know he won’t let it become a pretty housing estate – the coven doesn’t need one. It’ll actually be safer for them not to use my land, since someone has made several attempts to poison it.
