Page 140 of Road Trip
“Please call me Mac. And as long as you don’t mind, I have no objections.”
Maeve nodded and Liam reclaimed his seat.
“Esme Rossington has been a client of our firm for many years,” he started. “My grandfather and my great-uncle were her father’s solicitors. That family has had its share of troubles and tragedies, but through it all, Esme managed to, if not maintain the family’s prewar status quo, at least not go down with the ship, as it were. She was a true eccentric.”
“So I gathered,” Maeve said wryly.
“Her health had deteriorated these past months, and she was quite cognizant of the fact that she had no close relatives whom she could call upon for assistance. In fact, under ordinary circumstances, she loathed the idea of asking anyone for any type of assistance. Her main worry was what would become of Sinead if she became totally incapacitated, or if she were deceased. She’d decided to leave everything to the Humane Society.”
“And then she met my sister, Therese,” Maeve said. “Right here in the Willow Tree.”
“And your sister showed Sinead here some affection. And then she started asking questions about Esme’s family, and the manor house, and a missing ancestral portrait,” McCracken said. “And of course, that was quite alarming. The painting had only just sold a few weeks earlier, and Esme worried that somehow these questions would muddy the waters with the auction house. She needed the money from the sale.”
“You knew about the portrait of Lady Geraldine?” Maeve asked.
McCracken puffed up a bit with pride. “I helped make the arrangements for the sale. Esme didn’t trust many people, but she did trust me.”
“I still don’t understand. My sister and I have only been here a little over a week. Esme just met us, but you’re trying to tell me that she’d trust us to take care of her dog? That doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m sorry,” McCracken said. He unfolded the handkerchief and dabbed at his forehead and temples. “Perhaps I’m not makingmyself clear. It’s not just Sinead you’re inheriting, it’s everything. In trust for the dog.”
“Everything?” Maeve’s brow wrinkled as she wrestled with the concept.
“Her entire estate. The cottage and the two acres it sits on, and all her other assets. Naturally, you and or your sister would be required to reside there, to care for Sinead, as her guardian, as it were. As executor of the estate I can say you’d receive an income derived from Esme’s investments during the dog’s lifetime, and afterward, everything would revert to you and your sister.”
“Holy shit,” Liam said under his breath.
“Indeed,” McCracken said. “It’s highly unusual, but then Esme was a highly unusual woman.”
“But, why?” Maeve persisted. “We were strangers to her until this past week.”
“That’s not entirely true. There had been whispers among family members over the years, about a woman named Kathleen Connor who’d fled to America and was rumored to be the illegitimate offspring of Esme’s grandfather, Lord Rossington. After your sister Therese introduced herself, Esme called and asked me to investigate whether it was possible that your great-grandmother wasthatKathleen Connor. Fortunately, my office assistant Jenny, who is actually my eighteen-year-old granddaughter, is a wizard on the computer. She found your mother’s obituary, andhermother’s obituary, online in a matter of minutes.”
McCracken pulled his cell phone from the inside breast pocket of his jacket. He consulted the notes app on his phone. “Your late mother was Mary Helen Sullivan Dunagin, andhermother was Julia Mary Murphy Sullivan, whose mother was the aforementioned Kathleen Connor.”
“I don’t believe this,” Maeve said. “It’s too surreal.”
“Once Jenny verified the family connection, Esme instructed me to draft a new will, cutting out the Humane Society and instead making you and your sister Sinead’s guardians, and eventually, her heirs.”
“But what about Esme’s brother Geoffrey? Shouldn’t he be her beneficiary?”
McCracken’s upper lip curled slightly. “Ah yes. Geoffrey. The prodigal son. D’ya know, he stopped by my office just an hour ago. Carrying on about his dear sister’s tragic demise. He seemed quite cut up about it. I hadn’t laid eyes on the man since his father’s funeral. It’s terribly petty of me, I know, but I did take some pleasure in letting him know his sister had completely cut him out of her will.”
Maeve looked down at the spaniel dozing on her lap. “I don’t know what to say.”
CHAPTER 60
“Well?” McCracken said expectantly.
“This is… a lot,” Maeve said finally. “I need some time to process all of this.”
McCracken looked shocked. “I expected you would be thrilled, overjoyed, at this news. It would be premature to speculate on the size of Esme’s holdings, but you do realize that you and your sister stand to inherit a sizeable estate, don’t you?”
“A sizeable estate with considerable strings and a huge commitment attached,” Maeve pointed out. “You’re expecting us to walk away from our homes, our families, friends, and our careers, to drop everything and move to a new country, into a falling-down, rat-infested dump.”
“Career?” McCracken folded and unfolded his handkerchief. “You’re a university professor, correct? We have several prestigious universities in the region, although practically speaking, you won’t really need a job. And your sister, the actress? No reason she couldn’t pursue acting right here in Ireland.”
“Please stop!” Maeve begged.
