Mistress of Siren Cove

Chapter 7: Learning and Using the Power

The day after arriving in Chicago, she met with a partner in her old firm, told her story, and engaged the firm to represent both her and Andrew's estate. After this, she met with Andrew's family, who had gathered in Chicago on hearing the news of his death. Andrew's death was not official, but they all believed he was dead, and were demanding an immediate reading of his will.

After the reading, Elysia was met by hostile eyes. They would all get something, but only a fraction of what she would receive. As an attorney, with some experience with the estates and families of people who had passed, she had expected this. She was sympathetic, but firm. She had to be firm because she was to inherit most of his estate, despite their knowing each other for only three months.

"I'm not the cause of your pain," Elysia said, calmly, "it was a tragic accident, and I have to bear the loss of the man I love." The room, where she stood with her attorneys, amid ten of his relatives, was silent, save for the soft murmur of a clock ticking away the seconds, marking the passage of time, as they all grappled with the fact that the world had irrevocably changed for all of them.

Elysia saw the struggle in their eyes, and the hostility in some, especially Andrew's brother. She did not blame them. She silently agreed that she did not deserve all of his money, but she knew something that they did not: he was still alive, and it was his money to do with as he would. She was merely here to bring it back to him. She understood their pain, for she shared it too, missing Andrew and the life they could have had if they had not gone on that trip.

As the meeting came to a close, with no words of comfort left to offer, Elysia left the attorney's office. She was concerned with the struggle before her, to bring Andrew's money back to him. She had talked to her firm and requested a bereavement leave of absence for at least three months. This was granted, and she was free to do what she wanted. The only thing she wanted was to settle all the legal matters and get back to the island.

She was convinced that Andrew had found happiness, at least for now, teaching tennis to the islanders and finding companionship among the siren women, so she did not worry about him. She was able to focus entirely on her first task, which was the process of having Andrew officially declared dead.

This process could wait until tomorrow, however. She decided she'd had enough for the day and went home. She was alone in the big house, which she had visited only a few times before she and Andrew were married, and she was fascinated poking around in the closets and his study. She wandered through the large garden. She found two expensive cars in the garage but had no idea where the keys might be. So far, she had relied on taxis.

Late in the afternoon, as she sat in the kitchen, wine glass in hand and eating a sandwich she ordered for delivery, the doorbell rang. She was expecting this. It was Antoinette.

"Hi Annie, welcome to Andrew's home."

Antoinette looked around, clearly impressed by the opulent surroundings.

"I ordered a sandwich for you, if you're hungry."

Antoinette was, and ate with Elysia at the kitchen table, sharing the wine. They chatted about their trips. Antoinette's was mundane. She already had a passport and had visited the United States a number of times, though never Chicago. She was far more interested in the details of Elysia's more unusual trip home.

"It will take some time to finish our business here," said Elysia. "Andrew must be declared dead, I'll have to arrange a memorial service, and then I must begin the paperwork to settle his estate. I'm his primary beneficiary, but there are others. I believe it's a rather large amount."

"And you can do all that?"

"A lot of it. I was trained as a lawyer. However, most of it will be done by my old firm. Maybe we'll be here a month. It will be nice for you, seeing what life is like here. Even before the estate is settled, as the widow I'll have enough money to show you the sights. This can be fun Annie, especially since we know Andrew is enjoying life on the island, playing tennis, and playing with all the women who want him."