The Inheritance (5 page)

‘Em, I know you’re tired,’ she said
eventually, ‘but you could be a little bit more enthusiastic.  I’ve been
working really hard on the house all week.’

‘Sorry, Natalie.  It’s just the
journey has taken it out of me.  But the house and everything, it all sounds
great.  I can’t wait to see my room.’

This seemed to pacify Natalie, who
turned her attention to pointing out the various landmarks of London as they passed
and their significance.  Emma made a real effort to sound interested, but she
was so tired and felt a little resentful of Natalie for not understanding that.
  Natalie talked on and Emma nodded in the right places to keep up the illusion
that she was listening even though she was shattered.  Then just when she
thought she couldn’t take any more, Natalie’s voice chirped in her ear, ‘Here
we are.’

The taxi rolled to a halt.  Emma
got out and stood for a moment to look at her new home.  It was a handsome
house, terraced but large with three storeys and huge bay windows.  The
brickwork was a greyish buff colour and it all looked very smart.  Natalie paid
the driver and then the two girls wrestled Emma’s suitcase from the taxi and
into the generous-sized hallway of their new home.  Natalie threw her keys on
the polished wooden stand below the large gilt mirror.  Emma saw her glance at
her reflection as she did so.  Natalie would never allow her faultless
appearance to slip even for a moment. 

‘OK, Em, we’ll take your suitcase
up in a minute, but first I think a cup of tea and some cake is called for,’
she said.

‘That sounds great.’ Emma looked
around her as she followed Natalie down the hall towards the kitchen, greedily
drinking in her surroundings; the gorgeous decoration of the hallway, stairs
and, just visible, the landing above.  The walls were a pale pastel pink colour
and the floorboards were highly polished, obviously the original.  Natalie had
done a marvellous job that was for sure.  Or rather the team of painters and
decorators she must have hired. 

They had their tea and cake sitting
in the sunny conservatory.  Emma sank into the wonderfully comfy wicker seat
with its so-soft cushions.  Natalie asked her about the journey.  Emma told her
about Reg and his kindliness to her.

‘He was so sweet, Nat, you would
have loved him.  I think I’ll keep in contact with him.’

‘If you want, though I don’t really
see the point.  It’s not like you’re going to see him any time soon.  You’ll be
too busy for one thing and for another you don’t want an elderly hanger-on.  He’ll
be fussing over you – that’s what old people do.’

‘Nat, you can be so offhand
sometimes.’

‘Hey, I’m just telling it like it
is.’

‘Yeah, you’re good at that.’

‘Oh well if that’s the way you
feel, maybe you should head straight back to Cornwall,’ Natalie said.  Her face
was like a stormy sky as she looked away from Emma into the large grassy garden.

‘Nat, I’m only teasing.’ A little,
Emma thought.  When did Natalie get so sensitive?

‘OK, Em, but you could be a little
bit nicer to me.  I mean, ever since you’ve got here you’ve been really
unenthusiastic…’

‘Natalie I had a long train
journey.  Cornwall to London is a long way.’

‘I know that.’ Natalie pouted. 

Emma knew she would have to placate
her friend or she’d stay mad at her.  Natalie could be so childish sometimes. 

‘All right, you’re right.  I have
been a bit grumpy.  But the house is absolutely fantastic.  You’ve obviously
worked so hard on it.  I can’t wait to see my room.’

Natalie’s expression brightened. 
‘Oh it’s great, Em.  I would say it’s the best room in the house but that honour
belongs to my room!’

Emma grinned.  Even if her friend
could be selfish and self-centred, she was a lot of fun.  That was what had
always attracted Emma to Natalie.  She was so different from Emma’s
self-righteous sister and father with their sermonising and constant nagging of
her to play a bigger part in the running of the farm.  When Emma had first met
Natalie at sixth form college, she’d seemed like a breath of fresh air, always
encouraging her to be more outgoing and experiment by going to new places with
new friends, people she didn’t know too well. 

That was a huge change for Emma,
who had always longed to do just that, to be with like-minded people out on the
town enjoying life, not stuck in some remote backwater she could never leave. 
With Natalie, she’d had the incentive to get the job working at the bar to help
pay for her nights out.  Before, she hadn’t known enough people or the right
kinds of people to warrant paying out for the taxi.  Natalie purposefully
included Emma in her plans for socialising which Emma was so grateful for.  The
only downside with Natalie was her selfishness.  But Emma could live with
that.  It was a small price to pay for a friend who had enabled her to live the
life she’d always wanted.

Moving to London was the culmination of
this change in Emma’s fortunes.  No matter that she’d had to use extortion to
get her way.  Her future was now assured.  She didn’t need to find a job; she
had her own money, a house and friends.  Life could only get better.

Emma slept in late the following
day.  When she finally surfaced it was nearly ten am. She was grateful that
Natalie had left her to sleep. She’d needed it after her long and tiring
journey the previous day.  Eventually she made it downstairs to the
generous-sized kitchen.  It had been designed to be light and airy and the sun
was streaming through the large windows making it even more appealing. There
was a plate filled with American style pancakes dripping with maple syrup on
the kitchen table.  A smiling Natalie wearing an apron awaited her. 

‘Oh, Nat.  You shouldn’t have,’ she
said.  ‘I would have come down sooner if I’d known…’

‘Forget about it.  You deserve it
after travelling all day yesterday.  Now come and sit down and eat and I’ll
fill you in on all the latest London gossip.’

Emma ate her pancakes and listened
as Natalie told her all about her new London friends.

‘Oh they’re so great, Em, you’ll
love them.  You know, I think the best thing about them is that although most
of them are, well, comfortably off they’re not snooty or snobby.  They’re
natural, you know?  My favourite of all of them has to be Jemima.  She’s quiet
but such a sweetheart; you’re going to get on so well with her.’

Emma smiled happily in between
mouthfuls.  She could picture herself with these people, chatting away in a
café or over a glass of wine at one of the many London bars.  Her London future
looked bright and rosy.

‘So when do I get to meet all these
wonderful people?’ she asked.

‘Tonight, if you’re recovered
enough after your journey.’

Emma rolled her eyes.  ‘I’m not
ninety, Nat.’

‘I know, but you were tired
yesterday.  So if you’re feeling young again, would you be up for a spot of
retail therapy?’

‘Definitely.  I thought you’d never
ask!’

******

A couple of hours later the two
friends were on Oxford Street, weaving their way in and out of shops.  Emma had
never been to Oxford Street before.   When she’d visited London years ago with
her father and Kate, they’d stuck to the most boring parts.  She’d been forced
to go to the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, which might be all
right for some people, but for Emma it was one of the dullest experiences of her
life.  She’d wanted to go and see the costumes at the V&A, but her family had
refused.

Now she could explore the
interesting parts of London and spend as much time and money as she wanted in
these amazing shops.  To Emma it was like finding the Holy Grail.  She had £100,000
– enough money that she could afford to buy pretty much what she wanted and she
was loving it.  She and Natalie spent the rest of the day in Oxford Street. 
They had a late lunch in one of the many cafés lining the road and continued
shopping after that.  Eventually they ended up in the women’s wear department
of Selfridges, trying on outfit after outfit.  Emma was desperate to look the
part of the wealthy heiress.  She felt that at the moment her look was a little
bit tired.  Natalie said she just needed some key pieces that would really work
for her.

‘And a bit of everything else!’ she
joked. 

Only it wasn’t a joke.   Now that
Emma had the money to treat herself, that was exactly what she intended to do. 
Why shouldn’t she spend her inheritance in the way she wanted?  It was her
money after all.  A niggling voice in her head told her that she should be more
frugal – she’d already spent well over £1000 today – but she ignored it. 
Instead she focused on what her friends back home would think.  She was sure
they’d be impressed.  As for her sister – well she could eat her heart out. 
She thought of Kate working on the farm, trundling along on the tractor, or
heaving hay bales around, dressed in her muddy jeans and wellie boots.  Emma
knew that for some unfathomable reason she enjoyed it.  But she didn’t envy her. 
What kind of life did she have?  Life on the farm was hard grinding work and
Emma was well rid of it.

‘Earth to Emma.  Are you receiving
me?’ Natalie’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

‘Er… yeah.  I was miles away,
thinking of home.’

‘You mean that miserable old
farm?’  Emma nodded.  ‘Em, London is your home now.  Don’t tell me you’re
missing the countryside or some crap like that!’

‘No, of course I’m not.  I was
thinking about my sister and what a miserable existence she has.  London is a
million miles away from all of that.  And I’m so glad I don’t live there anymore.’

Natalie nodded, satisfied.  ‘Good. 
Well I think the store actually closes in half an hour, so you’d better make a
decision soon about that gorgeous silk blouse.’

‘Oh, it’s a keeper.’

It was dusk outside as they left
Selfridges.  They were some of the last customers to leave and it was late
because the store didn’t close till nine. 

‘I think we should get a taxi
home,’ Natalie said.

‘That would be great,’ Emma
sighed.  ‘I’m so tired and weighed down by all these bags.’

‘Yes, you do look as though you
bought the entire store!’ Natalie laughed.  She stuck her arm out and in no
time at all a taxi pulled up.

On the way home Natalie told Emma
about a party that was taking place one evening in a couple of weeks’ time. 
The venue was a house a few streets away from them.

‘It’s these guys I’ve met; there’re
four of them sharing a house.  I can’t think of anything worse.  Two people
sharing is great, but any more than that isn’t.  Going round their place for a
party should be fun though.  You’ll love them and they can’t wait to meet you!’
Natalie smirked.

Emma raised her eyebrows.  ‘Oh
yeah?  What have you told them about me?’

‘Nothing
too
risqué.’

‘Humph.  Well it sounds like I need
to attend this party if only to set the record straight,’ Emma said as the taxi
pulled up outside their house.  ‘Anyway I don’t want to think about it
tonight.  I’m knackered.’

‘Oh you’ll recover,’ Natalie said
as they clambered out of the car, looking like two upmarket bag ladies with
their huge number of shopping bags.  ‘London life is fast paced but you’ll get
used to it.  I did.’

Emma thought to herself that
Natalie probably hadn’t needed to get used to London at all.  It was as though
she was born to live in this great city; she was certainly attracted to it like
a bee to nectar.  They paid the taxi driver and headed inside.  All Emma wanted
to do was sit down and rest, but Natalie insisted they sort their shopping
out.  Her reasoning was that if they didn’t do it now, they’d only have to do
it later.

It seemed to take forever to cut
off all the price tags from the many items of clothes they’d bought.  They were
sitting on Natalie’s bedroom floor which was a multi-coloured sea of clothing. 
There were shoe boxes and piles of clothing everywhere as she and Emma sorted
through what they’d bought.

‘Nat, do you really have enough
room in your wardrobe for all this?’

‘Oh I can make room for it.  Why
don’t you just worry about what you’re going to keep out of your old clothes? 
You could certainly do with getting rid of some of it.  I mean, what about that
denim jacket you’re always wearing?  You must have had that for at least five
years.’

‘Two.’

‘Well anyway, it’s looking tired on
you.  You bought that lovely camel jacket today.  Why don’t you just replace it
with that?’

‘All right, you’re right.  I’ll go
through my stuff.’

‘Clearing out clothes is a blast. 
Trust me.  I can help you.  You’ll feel so much better with a whole new
wardrobe.’

Emma yawned and leaned back on
Natalie’s bed.  ‘Nat, can’t we just leave it there?  It’s ten thirty and my
stuff’s pretty much sorted.’

‘Oh all right.  You’re no help in
that state anyway.  Just go to bed and I’ll see you in the morning.’

Emma rolled her eyes.  Natalie
could be so tetchy sometimes but Emma knew she’d be all sweetness and light in
the morning.

******

The night of the party soon
arrived.  It didn’t start till late and by the time Emma and Natalie showed up
it was already nine thirty. Emma wasn’t bothered.  She had got up late yet
again that morning but told herself she needed to, to sustain her lifestyle. 
And wasn’t living this way the whole point of her moving to London anyway? 
Natalie had insisted they both have new outfits for the occasion to make a good
impression.  Emma had no objection; she loved going into central London to all
the department stores. 

They didn’t restrict themselves to
the temple of shopping that was Selfridges; they frequented its rivals such as
Harvey Nichols and occasionally even Harrods.  Emma was in awe of the legendary
Harrods.  Even though she already had almost a whole new wardrobe with plenty
of expensive designer outfits, she still felt dowdy whenever they went inside the
plush building.  She couldn’t help eyeing her reflection in every mirror she
walked past, feeling the need to make sure she was presentable at least. 
Natalie told her not to worry, that thanks to her she would soon have a
wardrobe to die for.

‘Soon you’ll definitely cut it with
the fashionistas in Harrods!’ she said.

Emma had smiled, thinking of the
women who scurried about the posh department stores like couture-wearing ants. 

Tonight however, she felt well
dressed.  She and Natalie had decided against wearing dresses because Natalie
felt that it would be too formal.  As she had insisted, they’d taken a special
trip out to Oxford Street yet again that morning to get their outfits, which consisted
of dark trousers and sparkling tops.  Natalie’s was covered in gold sequins and
Emma’s was made of a satiny, sheeny fabric which shone when it caught the
light.  They were also wearing sky-high heels, another purchase made that day. 
Emma’s collection of shoes was slowly but surely increasing.  The thought made
her smile.

The two friends managed to totter
across the few streets that separated their house from the house where the
party was to take place.  It was partly their unsuitable-for-walking shoes that
had made them tardy.  Now Emma felt a sense of trepidation as she stood at the
threshold of the party venue.  It was a house very much like their own, only slightly
smaller.  She could hear raucous laughter and noisy chatter emanating from the
brightly lit hallway.  Loud music was thumping away.  Natalie confidently rapped
the door with the imposing-looking knocker.  It seemed to Emma that they were
waiting a lifetime before the door was flung open.  A young man of about their
age was standing there.  He was obviously drunk already but recognised Natalie.

‘Come in, Nat, come in.  And who’s
your sexy friend?’ he smirked.

‘The name’s Emma,’ Emma said and brushed
past him into the house, Natalie in her wake.

‘I was only being nice,’ the bloke
called after her.

‘What was that all about?’ Natalie
asked.

Emma shrugged.  ‘I just hate being
treated like a piece of meat.’

‘I don’t know what you’ve done with
my friend Emma, but I have to say I rather like her feisty replacement!’

Emma grinned and grabbing Natalie’s
hand, she darted down the hallway and into the kitchen where cocktails were
being made.   She was feeling reckless.  Seeing as she didn’t know anyone here
and felt shy in spite of her bravado just now, she decided she’d just drink as
much as possible.  She had nothing to lose and the drink would make her feel
more confident and chatty.

‘What’s your poison?’ another young
man asked her.

‘Um… the strongest, fruitiest
cocktail you can make,’ she said.

‘Coming right up.’ 

And within a few minutes he handed
her a delicious-looking pink cocktail with a straw and umbrella in it.  Emma
stood at the kitchen work top guzzling her drink as fast as she could, with
Natalie next to her doing the same.  By the time she’d finished her drink, she
felt a little lightheaded but was determined to have another.  She beckoned to
the young man, but as she did so felt a hand on her wrist.

‘Come on, Em, I know you enjoy your
drink,’ Natalie said, ‘but don’t you want to meet our new friends first while
you’re still sober?’

‘You’re right, it’d be rude not to
say hello,’ Emma said, though she felt that she’d much rather drink a few
cocktails until she felt more garrulous and then chat.  But she dutifully
followed her friend into the large living room.   It was full to the brim with
people, and she didn’t know a single person there.  She knew, though, that
she’d never get to know anyone if she didn’t make the effort to talk to people. 
Natalie steered her over to a group of girls who were laughing loudly.

‘Hey, girls.  How are you?’ Natalie
asked.  ‘This is my friend Emma I told you about.  She’s only just arrived in
London and doesn’t know anyone.’

‘Natalie…’ Emma muttered feeling her
face turn red. 

‘Hi, Emma,’ one of the girls shouted. 
The music was so deafening Emma struggled to hear her at first.  ‘I’m Alison
and this is Lizzie.  Welcome to London.  It doesn’t get much better than
this.’  She gestured to the scene around her, people laughing, chatting,
drinking and generally looking like they were having a good time.