TLMS 11

Chapter 11

At around this time, the Flanigan family had become embroiled in turmoil, and it was closely connected to the issue of inheritance.

William had died before his father. As a result, Edward and Thomas believed that the portion of the estate that would have gone to their elder brother would naturally be divided between them.

However, when Roger’s will was revealed, it became clear that their expectations had been completely wrong. Half of the estate was to be inherited by William, and if William had already died, it would be passed on according to William’s own wishes.

Edward and Thomas protested fiercely. Their argument was that they could have accepted it if their brother had survived their father by even a single day, but since he had died first, there was no way the inheritance could go to him.

However, after the lawyers investigated the matter, they found that Roger had written the will after William’s death and had explicitly included the condition: “Even if William has already passed away, his wishes shall be followed.” Roger had also thoroughly reviewed the relevant laws and prepared all the necessary documents to ensure there would be no legal issues.

William had left a will as well. According to the lawyers, William had divided his inheritance equally among his four daughters: Anne, Jane, Delia, and Eileen.

There was one condition. Since the daughters had still been minors at the time, the inheritance would only be distributed once the youngest, Eileen, reached the age of eighteen.

That year had finally arrived.

Earlier that year, Eileen’s eighteenth birthday had even been celebrated with her friends at school.

Although Eileen had since passed away, the fact remained that she had turned eighteen that year, which meant her sisters were now eligible to inherit the estate.

Of course, even after learning they could receive their inheritance, none of them immediately planned to divide up the assets and leave the mansion.

Eileen’s sisters had lived in the estate all their lives, and they came from a family where a woman living on her own was practically unimaginable. None of them really knew what they were supposed to do.

Then, not long ago, Anne shocked the entire household by announcing that she wanted to receive her share of the inheritance separately.

“Miss Anne has someone she’s seeing!”

Carol arrived with the sensational news and eagerly brought it up during tea time.

“She has someone she’s seeing? A daughter of the Flanigan family?”

Amy asked with an expression that was half disbelief and half amusement. Carol nodded enthusiastically.

“My grandmother always says that if two people are meant to meet, they’ll find a way even if every door is locked. Apparently he’s the son of a farmer who owns a small farm some distance away. I heard his family background isn’t very impressive.”

“Well, if they love each other, that’s what matters. Besides, there’s no family around here that can really compare to the Flanigans anyway.”

“That’s true. Unless she marries into some noble family from far away, any local match would mean marrying into a family of lower standing.”

“Wait, Carol! I think I heard something about this before!”

Amy suddenly exclaimed.

“I heard Mr. Edward was planning to marry Miss Anne into the Amber family. To their eldest son. Everyone’s been whispering that the Ambers could never refuse because the Flanigans are such an important business partner.”

“That’s exactly why people started talking about who Miss Anne is seeing!”

Carol became even more animated.

“I heard the elder of the Amber family probably won’t survive the year, so they want to hurry up and see their eldest grandson married. Apparently Mr. Edward called Miss Anne in and brought up the marriage.

But Miss Anne fought back, saying it was ridiculous. She asked how they could even discuss marriage when it hadn’t been that long since Miss Eileen passed away.”

“Well, she does have a point.”

“If it had stopped there, Mr. Edward might have let it go. But then Miss Anne said that, regardless of the traditions of the Flanigan family, she had no intention of marrying someone chosen for her by other people. That’s when everything exploded!”

According to Carol, Anne hadn’t simply ended the conversation by saying she couldn’t marry someone chosen by her family.

“I already have someone I’m seeing. We’ve been together for a whole year!”

At Anne’s sudden declaration, the members of the Flanigan family froze as if struck by lightning.

“If it’s not him, I have no intention of getting married!”

Melissa and Edward were furious that a woman would dare ignore the wishes of her elders and try to make such an important decision herself.

Nevertheless, they investigated the man Anne was seeing.

Once they learned he was merely the son of an impoverished farmer, they decided he was not worth considering any further.

They firmly declared that he was out of the question and demanded that Anne prepare to marry the eldest son of the Amber family before the end of the year.

Anne, however, stood her ground.

“I have property of my own. Eileen turned eighteen this year, which means I have the right to inherit my share! If Grandmother and Uncle insist on forcing me to marry a man I don’t even know, I’ll claim my inheritance immediately and leave this mansion!”

No woman of the Flanigan family had ever so openly asserted her property rights before, so her words came as a tremendous shock.

Until then, even when women in the family were entitled to an inheritance, they simply accepted whatever the family elders chose to give them.

Most inherited their share after marriage, and their husbands usually managed the property. In the Flanigan household, that was considered perfectly natural. How could a woman possibly involve herself directly in financial matters?

Edward was furious at Anne’s behavior, but Thomas advised him to cool down and try persuading her gently, so the matter was temporarily set aside.

Even so, rumors that Anne had openly challenged Edward spread quickly among the servants, and everyone became cautious, trying not to worsen the master’s already foul mood.

Like water flowing from top to bottom, the frustration trickled down through the household. The family vented their irritation on the butler and the head maid, and the butler and head maid in turn took it out on the lower-ranking servants.

“How exactly have you been managing the mousetraps?”

Mrs. Pierce, the head maid, was in a terrible mood from early that morning. Rumor had it that Edward had criticized her the previous day over the cleanliness of the mansion and the behavior of the maids.

Still, she had reason to be angry.

Small cage-like mousetraps had been placed throughout the estate, baited with cheese and food scraps. Several mice had been caught alive, but while the maids delayed dealing with them out of fear, a number of the trapped mice somehow disappeared without a trace.

To make matters worse, one mouse had run across the room while Eileen’s three sisters were having tea with Count Penwood. Anne, who was terrified of mice, had fainted straight into Count Penwood’s arms.

Having mice running around in front of an honored guest was an enormous embarrassment.

At Whittington Manor, Ian had once casually joked, “How much can a single mouse possibly eat?” But no one at Flanigan Manor was in the mood for such humor, so the maids continued to suffer constant scolding.

“There was a moment when I wanted to give up on everything and just go home because of those mice.”

When I briefly had the chance to see Ian, I even complained to him like that.

Just when it seemed the mouse incident had finally settled down, Anne and Edward got into another fierce argument.

As it happened, I was there.

Carol, who usually served the west wing, had developed a severe stomachache that afternoon, so I was sent in her place to attend the family during dinner.

“Anne, about what happened the other day.”

At the dinner table, where the entire Flanigan family had gathered, Edward suddenly spoke.

“I’ve arranged a dinner with the Amber family for next weekend.”

“Uncle Edward, what exactly do you mean by that?”

Anne set down her fork with a sharp clatter beside her plate.

“Wasn’t that matter supposed to be dropped?”

“And who decided that on their own?”

“Uncle, it doesn’t matter how many times you bring it up.”

Anne lifted her head and stared directly at Edward.

“I’m not marrying someone chosen by the family. I already have a fiancé!”

“Marrying that ignorant pauper will only ruin your future.”

“Ben is not ignorant! What do you know about him that gives you the right to judge him?”

“Anne, you’re young and you’re a woman. You don’t understand how the world works. When you get older—”

“That’s enough! Women, women, women!”

Anne suddenly leaped to her feet.

The chair crashed backward onto the floor with a loud bang.

Her younger sisters, Jane and Delia, sat frozen with wide eyes, too frightened to know what to do.

“Do you know what people outside say about the Flanigan family? They call this place old-fashioned and suffocating! Who still goes around talking about what women should do or preserving family dignity in this day and age?”

“Anne! How dare a woman raise her voice like that!”

“I said enough! This is my marriage, so why can’t I decide for myself? If the Amber family is so wonderful, Uncle Edward can marry their eldest son himself!

I have money of my own, so it doesn’t matter if Ben is poor. Tomorrow I’ll contact a lawyer. I’ll claim my share of the inheritance and leave this miserable house immediately!”

“Anne!”

“Wouldn’t it be easier if you just let me go quietly?”

A meaningful smile appeared on Anne’s face as she placed a hand on her stomach.

Edward’s face turned pale.

“You can’t mean…”

“That’s right. I’m pregnant.”

Anne’s unexpected announcement left everyone speechless.

“If word gets out that an unmarried woman is pregnant, the reputation of the Flanigan family will be… well, I don’t need to explain the rest, do I?”

“Anne!”

“So if you truly care about the family, you’ll simply let me do as I please.”

Anne burst into laughter and righted her chair before sitting back down.

Neither Edward nor any of the other family members seemed capable of saying another word.

“Randall, pour me a glass of wine too.”

Realizing that she had seized control of the situation, Anne pushed even further and demanded wine from the butler.

“Anne! What nonsense is this? A woman drinking wine?”

“What’s wrong with having a drink on such a wonderful day?”

Ignoring Edward completely, Anne snatched the bottle from the butler’s hands and filled a water glass to the brim.

“To Anne, who is finally leaving the Flanigan family!”

Before anyone could stop her, she drained the glass in one gulp.

Almost immediately, tears welled in her eyes and she broke into a fit of coughing.

It was hardly surprising. Someone drinking alcohol for the first time had emptied an entire glass at once.

But Anne apparently had no desire to appear weak, so she drank two more glasses in quick succession.

“Not bad. And all this time women weren’t allowed to drink it…”

By that point, the rest of the family could no longer continue the meal and rose from the table.

I had to clear away the dishes, so I couldn’t keep watching the chaos unfolding among the Flanigans.

Anne also left the dining room shortly afterward, staggering slightly with the wine bottle still in her hand.

That was the last time I ever saw Anne.

The following morning, Anne was found dead in the pond between the west wing and the east wing.

She had drowned.