Chapter Eight. #2
“There’d been a maid who’d had her eye on me.
Out of sheer spite, I scooped Rosamund up and made her my wife.
Rosamund was low-class, and my mother nearly had a heart attack.
I took Rosamund everywhere, enjoying her crassness, rudeness, and ill manners.
Sonia threatened to cut me off after six months, unless I broke up with her.
That’s when Rosamund played her trump card.
She was pregnant. Such a brilliant stroke.
Mother was furious, but she couldn’t throw a Jasper heir away.
“By then Lyle had become bored with Susan. He’d no desire to be a father and had only married her because she’d got pregnant and Sonia threatened to cut him off.
The truth came out before he left. But the damage had been caused.
I left with Rosamund and cut off Sonia, Susan, and Lyle.
Eventually, Rosamund ran off too. I didn’t have access to the wealth I once did.
Susan regretted her choice, but it was too late for us.
We met once briefly, and sadly we’d moved on. ” Edmund sighed softly.
“That’s terrible,” I gasped, unsure how to feel. This man had loved my mother, and they’d both been tricked.
“Why didn’t you talk to my dad or Christopher?” Thea asked.
“Christopher became obsessed with wealth. He cut us all off and married rich. No offence, Ophelia,” Edmund said, holding his hands up.
“None taken. My father is a money-grabbing bastard. I’m well aware of what he is, and I don’t like him,” she replied. Pain flashed in her eyes, but she smiled through it.
“Simeon and I were a different story. We drifted apart, no anger, nothing. I went off the rails a bit, and Simeon settled down. I’m glad that he was happy,” Edmund admitted.
“The Jaspers seemed cursed to me,” I muttered, and Edmund nodded.
“Can’t disagree,” Ophelia said.
“Dad, that’s so sad.” Poppy pulled a miserable face.
“Anyway. It pleases me to see you girls got the inheritances you deserve. Just be mindful of Christopher and Lyle. Especially Lyle, as he thinks he’s entitled to it,” Edmund warned.
“I’m just going to check on dinner,” I said. “Does anyone need a refill?”
“Please. All that talking has made me dry,” Edmund replied with a smile.
I gathered up the mugs and headed downstairs. Edmund’s story about him and my mum had thrown me for a loop. She’d never mentioned Edmund, but… oh. I rushed back upstairs.
“Two minutes,” I called as the others stared at me in confusion. In my bedroom, I opened the drawer that held some jewellery. Carefully, I pulled out a gold necklace with a heart pendant. Mum always cherished this.
“Did you give Mum this?” I asked Edmund when I returned downstairs.
Edmund looked at it in surprise. “Susan kept it?” He slowly reached out a finger and touched it.
“Mum treasured this. Told me that the man who’d given it to her had been her real love,” I whispered.
Edmund smiled. “That warms me. Did Susan have a good life?”
“We were happy. Here, take this. It belongs with you,” I said, pressing it into his hand.
“Thank you, Lyra.” Edmund nodded.
I headed back downstairs to make drinks.
William
What Lyra had just done was incredibly kind.
Edmund’s generation was a hell of a mess.
It was lucky they hadn’t inherited. Lyle and Christopher would have sold Leafpoint out from under me.
They wouldn’t have given a damn about anything but their own needs.
Even so, knowing what I did now, I had cause to be more concerned.
The living always served their own goals.
Lyra wasn’t worried about mine. And that was dangerous.
It was time to make Lyra uncomfortable, but I decided to let her have tonight.
Lyra
Despite my offering the spare bedrooms, Poppy and Edmund headed for the Gull’s Nest. It had been great spending this evening as a family, something I’d craved since Mum’s death.
Edmund made us smile with his stories of Poppy as a young girl.
It was obvious Thea missed her dad; you could tell she wished Simeon was there to share tales too.
But as much as he spoke about their life, Edmund pried into ours more.
He wanted to know everything. Even Ophelia warmed up.
She was also booking into the Gull’s Nest.
When they left, I tidied up and washed the dishes. William was watching; I could sense him. Just as I picked up the leftover casserole, William appeared in front of me, and I threw it over him. He stared in sheer disbelief as I gaped, horrified.
“Oh no!” I whispered as he continued to glower. Without a word, William wiped his face and clothing and then stomped away. A giggle escaped me. That was twice; what would be my encore?
The town meeting was in full swing. Keith Keating sat on the raised dais as business was conducted. His smirk widened when he saw me. He let the discussion continue until the mayor stood up.
“Now we come to Mr Keating,” she exclaimed and took a seat. Joseph slipped in beside me and offered a wink.
“I’m proposing a motion to tear down the Jasper lighthouses as they are known. I have here a surveyor’s report stating that the four are unstable and should be torn down for public safety,” Keith said, standing. Murmurs rose through the crowd as everyone looked to my cousins and me.
“You say they are structurally unsound based on a surveyor in town?” Joseph asked, getting to his feet.
“Who are you? This is a meeting for residents!” Keith snapped.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the solicitor for the Jasper family.” Joseph smiled.
The whispers rose again as we kept our faces blank.
“You’ve no say in what happens to those lighthouses,” Keith spat. “If this council condemns them, down they come.”
“Since when can the council authorise the demolition of private property?” Joseph asked.
“When it becomes a danger to the public,” the mayor snapped. Oh, she was in on this too.
“Then it’s a good job I have these.” Joseph pulled some folders from his briefcase.
“I would suggest you have your surveyor re-attend college again. Each file here contains maintenance records dating back a hundred years and surveys dating from then until five years ago. There are also three additional reports from independent contractors dated this week, along with plumbing and electrical records. No issues were discovered with the Jasper lighthouses.”
Keith stared at the files, stunned.
“On top of all that, this is the Jasper Trust, not Penhaven Town’s Trust. Should any of the lighthouses be found to be unstable, they are to be taken down, brick by brick, and rebuilt.
Those are the conditions, and nobody here can overrule them without a major lawsuit.
In addition, I’m aware the council has pre-approved plans to build a housing estate on the land.
Think again. That property is private and cannot be sold under the terms and clauses of The Trust. Such a violation will be met with legal action. ”
“That estate can create many jobs,” the mayor bit out.
“Not at the cost of this council stealing private property. If you’re so worried, Mayor, your house has three acres of land attached to it. Why not donate that?”
The mayor stared at Joseph as her mouth worked silently. Joseph pulled out another file and walked up to the mayor. “This council and you have been served.”
With that on cue, we all stood up, smiled sweetly, and followed Joseph out as the small-town hall erupted. Score one to us.
I was woken suddenly, but didn’t know why. Peering into the darkness, I tensed. I wasn’t alone. Was it William? The moon remained hidden by clouds, letting in very little light. I was just about to call myself an idiot when I heard a shuffle. There was something here with me.
A slithering noise came from near the door, and I froze. Was that a snake? Was William messing with me?
The sound occurred again, and I pulled my knees up into a ball. If this was him trying to frighten me, then he was making moves to chase me out. That could turn out either way.
“Go away, William!” I spat.
A loud hiss sounded in response, but I refused to interact with it. “I’m calling a priest,” I threatened and closed my eyes.
It took me ages to fall back asleep and just as I did, William hissed again. This was war! That ghost was not chasing me from Leafpoint!