“Were they impressed?” Kate asked.
“They didn’t know,” Meena said. “With the name change, they didn’t realize I was the owner. Oh! I wanted to arrive in a limo. I wanted to smash their faces in my success. But before that, I went to see a couple who’d worked there for years. I didn’t want them to think I’d turned into a snob, so I stopped at their house to say hello. And truthfully, I was scared to see my siblings.”
“Afraid they’d turn you back into the old Willa?” Sara asked.
“Yes, I was, but the couple couldn’t get over how I’d changed. They said I wasn’t the same person. They hadn’t heard that I ran a business. I asked how their children were.” She looked at Kate. “Their daughter had become an estate agent.”
“Good choice,” Kate said.
“In my case, very good. The man let it slip that he knew our family home was to go on the market the day after the funeral.”
“Without your consent?” Kate asked. “Is that allowed under English law?”
“No, it isn’t. It was assumed that I’d agree.” Meena was smiling in a secret way. “In a flash, I came up with a plan. They called their daughter, she came over, and I made a low cash offer for the house and property. Then I told her what I had in mind. When it was all in place, I went shopping for clothes, and I bought some cheap hair dye.”
“Back to Willa the Unwanted,” Sara said.
“Yes. It was hard to slump in that position of I Hate the World but I managed it. I rented a cheap car and drove to the family home.”
“And how were your siblings?” Sara asked.
“Eight years of hard living had taken a toll on them. They looked bad and they were frantic to sell the house. Beatrice started out by threatening me and I obligingly looked scared.” Meena’s smile was getting wider by the second.
“They were desperate to get me to agree because the agent had told them they already had a cash offer on the house. But they had only twenty-four hours to say yes or no. When they were told the company that wanted the house was Renewal, my siblings said that such a rich company could afford to pay more. They wanted to counter for a lot more money.”
Meena picked up a chocolate brownie off the table and ate it. “I said they weren’t being fair, that the house was falling down.”
“I love this,” Kate said. “My kind of espionage. Was the agent there?”
“Oh yes. She looked at me to nod yes or no at every question. Three times she stepped into the hall to fake a telephone call, but really she was looking at me. I made thumbs-up or -down behind the huge dress I was wearing.”
“This is my fantasy deal,” Kate said in envy.
“How much did you end at?” Sara asked.
“For my low offer,” Meena said in pride.
Kate leaned back on the couch and sighed in satisfaction. “Less commission for the agent, but cash and a quick sale made it up to her.”
“Everything was done quickly,” Meena said. “I’d written a check and papers were signed.”
“When did you tell them?” Sara asked.
“Late the next morning. I let them awake to champagne to celebrate. They needed it because the will had been read. Our father had left us each a pittance. He’d spent everything on the upkeep of the house.”
“So you got a house that had been renovated.” Kate was smiling in wonder. “And it was repaired with the money your siblings would have inherited.”
Meena nodded. “I kept up the charade until the agent called to say that the sale had been finalized. At 2:00 p.m., Katrina arrived with three cars full of my officers.” She looked at Jack. “They are a rather attractive lot.”
“Understatement,” Jack said.
“I got out of my disguise, put on something very expensive, then went downstairs to meet them. My sibs were there, smiling in triumph. They thought their money problems were over forever. My brothers were hitting on my officers.” Meena was smiling in pleasure at the memory.
“I guess they were shocked when they found out the truth,” Sara said.
“I’ll never forget Beatrice saying, ‘You own Renewal? You?’”
They were silent for a moment as they imagined the scene.