Free Anna Jacobs by An Independent Woman

Serena. “Is it wise to burn your bridges like this, Miss Fleming?”
    “I don’t know whether it’s wise or not, Mr Pearson, but it’s what I want. He isn’t an easy man to live with and if it weren’t for my mother, I’d have home left years ago. He made her life a misery.” After a short pause, she added, “Mine too.”
    “He can be a very—difficult man to cross.”
    “I shan’t be staying in Tinsley for long, not once I’ve got my money.”
    She looked as if one puff of wind would blow her away, she only came up to his shoulder and her face had betrayed how afraid she was, but it seemed to Justin that this act of defiance was one of the bravest things he’d ever seen in his life. “My client and I had better discuss the inheritance in more detail with you, then, Pearson,” he said. “And if you can’t supply the answers we need, presumably you can find out from your client. If not, we’ll apply to a magistrate for an order to hand over all documentation. We gather that there is an annual income of five hundred pounds. Is that all?”
    “There is also some property involved.” Pearson went across to Ernest’s desk and shuffled through the folder of papers. “The details don’t seem to be here, but I can check them for you when I next speak to Mr Fleming.” He frowned at the door, clearly at a loss as to how to deal with the situation. “If I remember rightly, it was just a few workers’ cottages.”
    “I own some houses?”
    Mr Pearson looked at her in surprise. “You didn’t know that?”
    She shook her head. “My father would never discuss business matters with a woman. I signed some papers when I turned twenty-one, and have seen nothing since.”
    “We shall need a complete list of the property involved as soon as possible,” Justin made a note in a little black book he carried everywhere.
    Pearson shot him a dirty glance then turned back to the desk, picking up a piece of paper and reading it quickly. “When she inherited, there were seven cottages in the village of Horton. I can only presume that your father has been managing them for you, collecting rents and so on, though there are no records of those transactions here.” He frowned. “You’ll have to apply to him for current details and of course, I presume there will be money in the bank from the years of rent payments. It should be quite a substantial sum, since it’ll have been accruing interest for the past fifteen years ever since your godmother died.”
    Serena felt instantly better. It was easier to act independently when you had a comfortable sum of money behind you. She knew some women went out and earned a living, but she hadn’t been trained to do anything except manage a gentleman’s household.
    Mr Pearson was reading another piece of paper. “Yes, I remember now. The end cottage is slightly larger than the others and your godmother left her former maid the use of it rent-free for as long as she lived, in recognition of her services. Your father wasn’t happy about the woman occupying the house, which would have commanded a higher rent than the others, but I had to advise him that there was nothing he could do about it.” He looked at Serena again and shook his head. “This is so unnecessary , Miss Fleming . Your father is a respected businessman in this town. Who better to handle your affairs?”
    “I’m not acting rashly. I’ve been considering this for several years.”
    Justin cleared his throat to gain Pearson’s attention. “It’s very inconvenient that Mr Fleming walked out in the middle of our discussion. Can you find out how matters stand and get back to me later this morning? My client needs somewhere to live and if she owns some property, that might be ideal.”
    Pearson’s lips curled scornfully. “A worker’s cottage? My dear fellow, it would be most un suitable for a Fleming. But I will get back to you as soon as possible. You’re still in Bridge Lane? Very well, I’ll send word