Page 7 of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay
This is mad. I’m going to wake up in a minute and find that Charlie and I are even later for school because I’d nodded off to sleep again and started dreaming.
‘Yes,’ Benji continues in a calm voice, ‘as I said before, subject to the appropriate checks, you, Amelia, are the next Chesterford in the family lineage. The last Earl died without any children or any siblings. I’ve had to go back up through his father’s brothers and then back down through their children to find you – the closet direct descendant still alive. It’s been a very complex process – one of the most extensive searches I’ve ever completed, in fact.’
‘So you’re telling me that it would have been my father, if he was still alive, who would have been the closest direct descendant?’
‘That is correct – your father was related very distantly to the Northumberland Chesterfords by marriage on his great-grandmother’s side. But surprisingly, through all the Chesterfords I researched, and all the branches of the family tree I studied, you are actually the most direct descendant from one of the original Earls, and therefore you now inherit the family seat – Chesterford Castle.’
I sit back in my chair and shake my head. I reach forward for my coffee but I find my hands are shaking – through shock or the fact I’m not used to this much caffeine any more, I’m not sure. But I hurriedly put my cup back down when it wobbles in my hand.
‘I can only imagine what a huge shock this is for you, Amelia,’ Benji says kindly. ‘It’s one of the biggest bequests I’ve ever dealt with, too. To find you’re now not only the owner of this magnificent medieval castle, but also a direct descendant of one of the oldest noble families in England must be inconceivable.’
I nod slowly, wishing there was something a bit stronger in my cup than coffee right now. ‘And you’re sure?’ I ask steadily. ‘There’s no chance you’ve made a mistake?’
‘No, as I said, provided you have all the appropriate paperwork to verify your identity then Chesterford Castle is all yours.’
I think again for a moment. It’s no good; I simply have to voice the question on the tip of my tongue. ‘How much is it worth?’ I blurt out, almost ashamed to ask. It seems so rude to talk about money when Benji is so thrilled and excited by my family history.
‘I’m sorry?’
‘How much is the castle worth? When it goes on the market, how much am I likely to get for it?’This might be better than a cheque. A castle – how much was that worth these days? It could be millions. I swallow hard while I await his answer.
Benji stares at me for a moment. ‘I think you may have misunderstood me, Amelia. I apologise if I’ve misled you in any way, but the castle is not for sale.’
‘Yet.’
‘No, not at all. The terms of the ancient bequest state that any Chesterford who may inherit in the future must work towards the upkeep and maintenance of the castle. They should live in the castle and—’
‘Wait, did you just saylivein the castle?’
‘I did.’
‘But I can’t live in a castle! Let alone one in Northumberland. I have responsibilities. I have a ten-year-old son who is at school just down the road from here – we can’t just turn our lives upside down to go and live in a castle!’
‘Yes, I know about Charlie. I was just about to come on to him.’
‘What do you mean? What has Charlie got to do with this nonsense?’
For the first time since I’ve met him, Benji looks uncomfortable. He fiddles with one of his cufflinks. ‘How much of a feminist are you, Amelia?’ he asks, looking a little apprehensive.
‘Why? What has that got to do with anything?’
‘Because the strength of your views will likely affect how you receive my next piece of information.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You see, the tenth Earl was quite a forward-thinking man for his time. He realised that there wouldn’t always be a male heir in the Chesterford family to inherit the castle and the title Earl of Chesterford. So it might not always be possible for his family home to be passed down directly through his family. It has always been common practice in the aristocracy for male heirs to inherit titles and land. Females were simply passed over. So sometimes property and titles ended up going to a deceased’s brother or a distant cousin, instead of to his children.’
‘Yes, I did know that – talk about sexist! But all that’s changed now, hasn’t it? Before Prince George was born they changed it so girls could inherit titles too, didn’t they?’
‘Royalty did yes, but not the peerage.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean that it is still law today that a hereditary title of the peerage must be passed down through the male line of descendants. It’s a type of primogeniture.’
‘You’re kidding me?’
Benji shakes his head. ‘Nope; madness, isn’t it, in this day and age. There have been some pretty high-profile cases over the last few years where daughters that should have inherited their family’s estate and title have been passed over in favour of a distant male relative.’
