The Jane Austen Society(83)
Adam and Adeline took a cup of tea with Mrs. Lewis for a few minutes, then headed upstairs, as they had been doing most days that week. They would sit down in the spare bedroom, Adeline usually cross-legged on the floor and Adam on an upturned crate, and they each had a set of photographs that Yardley had had made from Evie’s little catalogue. They were going through the wooden crates of books in almost quiet ecstasy, making sure the number on the crate corresponded with both its contents and the assigned section of the catalogue. They marked up any discrepancies with red ink pen right onto the photographs, pleased to have found just a handful of misplacements out of the hundreds of books so far. This was a particular relief, given how rushed the move of the entire library had been the previous week.
They were still at their task an hour later when Frances Knight surprised them by suddenly appearing in the doorway. Adam started to get up, but Frances motioned for him to stay sitting.
“The wedding is starting soon—shouldn’t you two be getting ready? Although”—Frances smiled at Adam in his old-fashioned but well-fitted suit—“I have to say, Mr. Berwick—I mean, Adam—you already look very well this morning.”
Adam practically blushed—for all the years he had worked for and admired Miss Frances, she had never addressed him in such an informal and teasing manner. It gratified him that the recent news of his paternity had only increased her warmth towards him. Upon first hearing the news, he, too, had not immediately processed the one silver lining to his mother’s deception: that he had a sibling again, and that his new sister was someone as wonderful as Frances. By taking a few chances, Adam was starting to see that life never completely gave up on you, if you didn’t give up on it.
“We could say the same about you, Frances, what with the wedding breakfast being held at the Great House in just a few hours,” Adeline replied.
Frances waved both her hands as if in resignation. “Josephine has it all shipshape and under control. And I’m afraid I have something rather pressing to tell you both that could not wait.”
Adeline and Adam stared at Frances in concern, especially as she was never one to exaggerate things.
“It’s a good thing you’re both sitting down already.” She pulled a letter out from the right pocket of her voluminous skirt. “Andrew Forrester brought me this letter first thing this morning. He received it as my solicitor of record. The letter is to inform me that following the recent court order declaring Colin Knatchbull heir to my father’s estate, the entire property has been sold outright to a golf course development company called Alpha Investments. The letter is also written notice that my rent-free accommodation at Chawton cottage is hereby terminated by Alpha. It gets worse—Mimi’s fiancé Jack Leonard is on the board, so he must have had a hand in all of this. Andrew and I just walked here together to tell you—he’s right behind me, he just wanted to stop in at the cottage along the way to warn the other tenants as soon as he could.”
Adeline stood up carefully among the books she had been perusing. Evie had everyone on a strict system of accountability, and they all lived in fear of accidentally disturbing her order of books inside the dozens of crates.
“Let me see that.” Adeline reached out for the letter tightly gripped in Miss Frances’s hands. “I don’t understand . . . where are you supposed to live?” Adeline sat back down on one of the crates and looked at Frances glumly.
“What did Mr. Forrester say?” asked Adam.
“He said that my father’s will made it extremely clear that my rent-free accommodation was not legally binding upon any future owners after Colin. Andrew had hoped I might acquire some kind of easement over time instead, but unfortunately my not yet living there precludes any common law entitlement to reside.”
Adam and Adeline stared at Miss Frances, still confused by the complex legalities of her present situation.
“Basically,” she sighed, “if I had been living there long enough, we might have been able to argue that I had a right to stay.” She gave what, to them, seemed the first overt look of displeasure with the whole debacle. “I had wondered why Mr. Knatchbull and his lawyer were so accommodating about my staying in the Great House until after the wedding.”
Adam looked down at the book in his lap, unable to face Frances as he said, “It’s all my fault. I just had to say the word.”
Frances put her hand out and touched his shoulder. “Don’t even think it, Adam, please? I know I’m not, and I’m not the only one—after all, that’s why we held the vote.”
“Still, this is just terrible for you, Frances,” Adeline was saying.
Miss Frances took the letter from Adeline and folded it back into the pocket of her skirt. “It will somehow work out—it always does. But I do feel for everyone in the society. I think Evie in particular will be devastated. She’s worked so hard. And to find all this out on Mimi’s wedding day no less.”
Adam looked at his watch. “Mr. Sinclair’s at the station by half past ten.” He stood up from the upturned crate and swept the dust from the books off his knees.
Frances looked over at Adeline and explained, “I’m lending the Rolls to Adam today, to go get Yardley in style.”
Adam reached down to help Adeline up from her own crate. She stood looking glumly at Frances before reluctantly asking, “So what do we do now? Do we wait, until after the wedding, to say anything about the cottage? I know I had jitters enough on my big day and my groom was a peach.”