Chapter 23
THE SOLICITOR
I awkwardly knock on the door of O’Connor I’m sure of it.
Kayla is kind enough to take time away from her hectic life to join me here, so I don’t want to add any more unnecessary stress to her already full schedule.
She had a full day of client meetings when I left her, and from what I could tell, she was scheduled to be tied up until dinner.
That girl is a powerhouse. Even with a hangover.
The door creaks as it opens, unveiling an elderly man wearing a dark-green bow tie sitting behind his desk. He lifts his gaze from his work and beams at me. Only now do I catch the resemblance – vivid blue eyes just like James.
‘Come in,’ he says, extending his hand outwards. ‘Jonathan O’Connor – nice to meet you.’ He radiates a kind, yet strong energy.
I return the handshake with a smile on my face. His grip is firm, and his skin feels soft and smooth like suede.
‘I’m Daisy,’ I reply, my voice trembling slightly as I attempt to control my nerves. ‘It’s nice to meet you. I’m here to sort out some family property matters related to Rose Clarke’s inheritance.’ I force a small smile, hoping he hasn’t noticed the fear that’s overtaken me.
He waves his arm towards an empty chair across from him and gestures for me to take a seat. ‘Ah yes, my son James has filled me in on the details. He should be here soon.’
The room is small and cramped, in stark contrast to the sprawling Irish countryside outside.
His desk is overflowing with mountains of frayed documents.
Stacks of legal briefs and yellowing title deeds encroach into every nook and cranny on the worn wooden floor and come within inches of the high ceiling.
Old leather-bound tomes line the walls, along with framed Latin certificates of prestigious qualifications from top universities.
The smell of old leather, stale coffee and ageing parchment fills the air.
I sit down and take a deep breath. Usually I like to be prepared, but I’m at a loss today since I don’t have the paperwork I was asked to bring. It’s embarrassing; James travelled all the way to London to find me, only for me to turn up in Innisfree without so much as a proof of address.
‘I’ll do my best to help sort out the situation with the house,’ Jonathan says before fixing me with a piercing gaze.
‘It’s a bit of a tricky one this… but never mind – we’ll get there, I’m sure.
’ He pauses suddenly, looking up from behind his glasses with a twinkle in his eye.
‘So let’s not waste any more time – do you want me to tell you the good news or the bad news first? ’ he asks, his face unreadable.
I clench my jaw and take a deep, steadying breath, acutely aware that whichever path I choose, it probably won’t be straightforward. ‘Bad news first…’ I croak out, my voice barely above a murmur.
He lifts a folder. ‘Might as well get the unpleasant stuff out of the way, right?’ He adjusts his glasses on the bridge of his nose.
‘I’m afraid the property is in a state of disrepair,’ he says.
‘Not derelict yet, but not exactly an acceptable standard either. Unfortunately, the house insurance policy has lapsed and the company won’t renew it as it’s vacant and in need of modernisation.
You’d have to get the house in a habitable state and get insurance so that you can connect the utilities, water, gas and so forth before you can list it for sale.
But all those costs are, luckily, covered by the estate, so you’ll not have to worry about more expense.
’ Jonathan’s gaze is intense, and I feel my heart thumping in my chest. ‘Presuming you want to sell it, that is? I understand you live in London and have no connection to the house, so I’ve assumed selling the property is the most likely outcome. Please correct me if I’m mistaken.’
‘No, you’re not mistaken. I’ll have to sell it,’ I reply, although now I’m wondering just how simple that’s going to be given what Jonathan has just said. And of course, what Stephen had told me earlier about The Lake House being in such a state.
‘Selling is my only option as London is where my life is – my boyfriend, my job, everything I’ve ever known, really. So, I’m not able to stay here, as lovely as Innisfree is.’
And I mean that. I really love it here. A sudden sadness settles in my chest as I realise that this special place, Innisfree, would soon no longer be a part of my life. My time here would soon be over and it would be back to reality with no promise of return.
‘I thought as much,’ confirms Jonathan. ‘Perfectly reasonable under the circumstances.’ He smiles reassuringly as he opens the folder, pulling out some documents and laying them in front of me.
My eyes scan the unfamiliar words and phrases for what feels like an eternity before I finally get the gist of their meaning.
Jonathan confirms my understanding that the title deeds are outdated and need to be in my name for me to legally claim the house – but it’s going to be a lengthy process that involves multiple rounds of paperwork and endless bureaucracy.
I sit in silence as Jonathan goes through every detail of what needs to be done, flicking through legal papers and speaking in technical jargon that only he understands.
‘Do you have the required documents James asked you to bring?’ he finally asks.
‘Err…’
Right then, James appears in the doorway, turning around and pushing the door open with his back while carefully holding a tray of four coffee mugs. He gives his father a nod, setting one mug in front of each of us. He raises an eyebrow at me and silently mouths, ‘Where’s Kayla?’
I shake my head and mime that she had to work, pretending to type on an invisible keyboard. Jonathan then coughs. James and I both give each other a knowing look, as if we’ve been caught talking during class.
‘Do you have the documents with you, Daisy, at this moment in time?’ Jonathan asks again. His voice is all business.
I squirm in my seat, fidgeting and gripping the chair’s arms. My palms are moist with sweat as my throat tightens, a lump forming as I anticipate the worst. Time to come clean and fess up. ‘At this particular moment in time… no.’
Jonathan’s face is a picture of concern.
‘The thing is, the airline misplaced my suitcase with all the paperwork in it, but they’ve assured me that it’ll show up. It’s not too much of an issue, right?’
His glasses hang on the bridge of his nose, and his mouth is tight. ‘It’s very much an issue. We can’t move forward without verification.’
‘I’m so sorry for the inconvenience,’ I say in a quiet voice.
Jonathan blows out his cheeks. ‘This is quite a setback, indeed.’
James leans in closer to me and asks, ‘If I may?’
I nod in response.
‘Dad, we take the approach that the documents are merely delayed, en route – not lost. With that in mind, I’m willing to go ahead with the repairs and make sure everything meets the insurance requirements,’ James proposes.
Jonathan takes a moment to ponder this, tapping his finger against his lips while gazing upwards.
‘With Daisy as sole heir, there’s no one to contest – we can assume pro tempore guardianship until the papers get here?’ suggests James.
‘Okay.’ Jonathan offers a nod of agreement.
‘Yes, that can work.’ He quickly flips through some papers and pulls out a light-green one.
After scanning its contents, he hands it to me.
‘Here, I’ll need you to sign this before we can move forward with the administrative process – without the verification documents, this is as far as we can go today. ’
As I finish reading the document, I notice James’ eyes fixate on my signature. His brow wrinkles, and he tilts his head as if trying to decipher it.
‘I know – my handwriting is terrible,’ I say with a sheepish grin. ‘Considering I draw for a living, you’d think I’d have better penmanship. My mother said my words always looked like chicken scratches on paper.’
His gaze rises to meet mine, studying me intently. He’s about to say something but pauses. The air stretches with tension, leaving me feeling exposed.
Then, he chuckles softly. ‘Your handwriting is perfectly legible. It’s just… something else.’
‘What?’ I inquire, curious.
He shakes his head and smiles. ‘Never mind.’ He hands the document to his father, but I can’t help noticing that before doing so, he takes one last look at my signature.
Jonathan signs his name on the page with practised grace, adding his date and seal for archiving.
‘Now, I can give you the keys to the house and we can start sprucing it up,’ says James.
I find myself looking into his eyes again, until Jonathan claps his hands together to get our attention.
‘Yes, you’re free to move forward for now. I’m glad that, at least, was resolved today.’ He sighs with relief.
James adds, ‘Once your paperwork arrives, we can resume the official handover as planned. In the meantime, we can get started researching contractors, gathering supplies and making lists of necessary repairs.’
‘Let me just double-check something… it’s a quick sale you’re after if I understand?’ Jonathan asked, his eyes studying mine intently.
I nodded in agreement, not wanting to take any more of his time than necessary.
I’d already spent so much time and energy trying to sort out this paperwork mess and don’t have any leeway for viewings or waiting for a traditional estate agent to sort out the sale.
I need to get working on my illustrations, and I need to get back to Ash.
‘Yes, that’s right,’ I say with a sigh. ‘The sooner it’s done, the better.’
Jonathan shifts in his chair and leans back, taking a deep breath before continuing. ‘Well then, auction it is. Let’s get started, shall we?’
Jonathan quickly flips through the pages of a notebook. ‘Yes, you’ll be able to make the next auction if you act quickly and get the insurance in order – otherwise you’ll have to wait another six months.’
I shake my head. ‘That’s too long; I need the quickest way possible. Is there a lot of work to be done to bring it up to scratch?’
Jonathan and James make the same facial expression, although Jonathan responds with a ‘yes’, while James answers with a ‘no’.
Jonathan turns to me, his expression softening.
‘James will give you a clearer picture when he shows you around, but the gist of it is that Mick had put aside enough money to fund any repairs so you shouldn’t have to worry about footing the bill if you find a team to put in the work and you don’t mind getting your hands dirty with the cleaning and decorating. ’
‘Don’t let the state of the place put you off – it can be fixed up in no time,’ James says encouragingly.
Jonathan continues. ‘And I have it on good authority that there have been several people who’ve already shown an interest in it. When it passes inspection, it will make a decent sum once sold.’
He stops briefly, swallowing, and changes his demeanour from lawyer to father.
‘Mick was devoted to James; they had a special fondness for one another… an enviable relationship,’ he continues in a softer voice than before.
‘James knows more about the history of the house and area than I do.’ His words fade as his eyes drift to a faraway place, lost in his musings.
‘Mick stepped in where I couldn’t. I’ll be forever indebted.
Parenting isn’t always smooth sailing; he came just in time, doing the hard things I couldn’t bear to do when I was at my lowest, and filled the role of father figure with patience and grace.
He was a godsend. With his rough-hewn hands, he helped guide our ship as it sailed through choppy waters.
There were times when I wanted to sway from the course, but he held firm, never flinching in difficult moments.
His kindness and generosity have earned him a place in our hearts forever.
He might not share our bloodline, but Mick is family in every way that matters. As they say, it takes a village.’
James pretends to pick lint off his shirt, and I can see the muscle in his jaw twitching. Meanwhile, Jonathan keeps his eyes trained on the floor. It seems like the three of us have something in common – we’ve all been taken in by someone at some point.
James rubs his neck and takes a deep breath, then gives a hearty cry of, ‘Congratulations, Daisy!’
Jonathan too springs into action, pulling out a rusty set of keys from the drawer next to him.
My heart swells as if it wants to burst out of my ribcage. For the first time since I entered this cramped office, I feel a glimmer of hope. And my excitement nearly skyrockets when James leans in and whispers, ‘You want to see it right now?’
‘Right now? As in right now right now? Can we really do that?’
His blue eyes glint as he continues, ‘Why not? You’ve come all this way. Let’s go!’
I smile widely and nod.
James blows out his cheeks as he slowly slides off his tie, undoes the top button of his shirt, then takes off his stiff cufflinks with a sigh of relief.
He leaves the room and returns in something far more comfortable: a pair of worn-out jeans, a plain white T-shirt and an old baseball cap.
The hat casts a long shadow over his dark hair and bright-blue eyes, making them stand out even more.
With ‘lawyer James’ gone, I can sense his feeling of liberation.
He flashes me a winning grin and takes his car keys out of his pocket.
‘How you feeling?’ he asks as he leads me out of the office.
‘Better than ever,’ I say firmly, my resolve solidifying with each word. I can almost feel the future opening before me.