She noticed that Donnelly was writing all of this down on a notepad as she spoke. At least shethoughthe was. Maybe he was just doodling; bored by her predicament. Probably used to more exciting stuff.
The solicitor said nothing for a while until he asked, “I assume you’ve discussed all this with Mr Quinn at some point?”
Karen stiffened. “At this stage, we communicate purely through our solicitors. Mine – the one I hadbefore you I mean – initially hoped we might be able to come to an arrangement. But Mr Quinn and I have quite an … acrimonious relationship. He won’t agree that I’m entitled to anything. Which is why I am here with you today.”
She was amazed at how civil she made it all sound.
“I see,” Donnelly stated. “Well, as things stand at the moment you may indeed have no option but to take this to the courts. You are quite fortunate that Mr Quinn has let you stay on so far. However, I would imagine – if things are as you say – that he may well be keen to move on and bring matters to a satisfactory conclusion.”
Karen was fuming. Why was he takinghisside? Keen to move on indeed. He made it sound like she was nothing – just a temporary inconvenience. What aboutherfeelings? She wanted this sorted out so she could begin to move on too. But she’d be damned if she was going to just roll over and play dead. There was no way anyone was going to throw her out on the street. She had paid her dues too; hadn’t Donnelly himself admitted that?
The solicitor noticed her expression and smiled kindly.
“My dear, I know nothing about your personal relationship with Mr Quinn, which has no bearing on this situation regardless. I’m merely discussing legal options with you, but one thing you also need to consider is that the sooner this matter is resolved, the better for both parties.”
Karen nodded. This was awful. At least withmarriage, everything was pretty much black and white and you knew your rights.
How did it ever come to this? she wondered, her heart aching afresh. She and Shane had so much fun at the beginning, picking out bits and pieces in DIY and furniture stores, and making that house into a home together.
Stop it, she warned herself then. Don’t get maudlin; just concentrate on the task at hand.
“I understand and I’m sorry if I seem a little … emotional.” Her head lowered and she looked up at him through dark eyelashes. “I suppose I just never considered that something like this could happen.” She felt a lump form in her throat.
“I appreciate the personal difficulty,” he said kindly, “but now you must try to be pragmatic. Please think some more about an agreement with Mr Quinn before you opt for the courts. Because you were never married and the house was never in your name I worry that your claim may be dismissed as frivolous. As for contents … this is something you may well have to iron out between you. Unless you have retained receipts for each purchase, it is nigh on impossible to ascertain ownership of fixtures, furniture etc.” The solicitor leaned forward and regarded her thoughtfully. “Are you absolutely sure that you want to follow through, my dear? I must tell you that I don’t believe you can retain even part-ownership of the property. The law is pretty clear in this instance.”
Karen wasn’t fazed. “You’re not the first person, or indeed the first professional to tell me that. But I owe itto myself to follow through, and I’m determined that nobody will take that house from me – not without a fight.”
He set down his pen. “All right. I’ll press ahead with Mr Quinn’s solicitor and be in touch again with next steps.”
Karen stood up and went to shake his hand. “Thank you. And thanks also for taking the case. This means a lot to me. I haven’t had much luck over the last while.”
“You’re welcome and rest assured that I’ll try my best for you.” He smiled and shook her hand warmly. “You have my number– any further queries, please give me a call.”
As she left, Donnelly noticed the steely determination in her dark eyes and shook his head as he sat back down behind his desk. It was a common occurrence these days. So many couples buying property outside of marriage without giving a second thought to their legal rights should anything go awry.
Poor girl, she was determined to go as far as she could with this. And despite his intricate knowledge of the law and the futility of such a case, the solicitor hoped that somehow, this lady might emerge victorious.
She deserved to.
3
“Not much of a housekeeper, is she?”
Barbara Quinn looked around the small kitchen and wrinkled her nose in disgust, eyeing used teabags on the table, a smear of butter and scattering of crumbs on the worktop, dried spaghetti on the wall above the cooker and a pile of used dishes in the sink.
“No, tidiness was never Karen’s forte,” her brother agreed, opening the fridge and stepping back as a strong whiff of something unidentifiable filled his nostrils.
“I wish the estate agent would hurry up. What if she comes back?” Barbara didn’t want to stay here any longer than necessary. She was sorry she had come actually; sorry that her curiosity had got the better of her. The place was an absolute dive.
“Relax, she’s at work.” He looked around the room and frowned. “Itisan awful mess, isn’t it? I suppose I’d better go upstairs and do a bit of tidying up in the bedrooms.”
“Don’t be long. It’s nearly lunchtime and I fancy going into town for a bite once we’re finished.”
Barbara went into the living room and flopped onto the small two-seater couch among a couple of brightly coloured scatter cushions. This was a nice room. The bay window was a lovely feature and seemed to make the space feel a lot bigger than it was. Despite the mismatched furniture and that gaudy rug.
If she got her hands on it, she’d replace the cheap pine laminate flooring with solid oak, and have the walls repainted a more muted colour - anything but that vulgar terracotta. And purple cushions on a cornflower-yellow couch? That girl hadn’t an ounce of taste.
Barbara picked up a magazine from the coffee table and began to flick idly through it. She was studying a page from the fashion section so intently that she didn’t hear the key turn in the front door. She did, however, hear it shut and startled by the noise, leapt up from the couch.
