Chapter 20: Whose Money

"This gentleman drew up the Tarrant family trust," Poppy's grandmother said.

"He did it forty years ago, with my husband and me in the room."

The old man in the gray suit bowed his head to the guests.

"My husband and I are the two settlors," she said. "The deed says either one of us may remove the trustee for self-dealing."

Lydia's face had gone white.

"Father gave me his power of attorney."

"For his personal accounts," the old lawyer said, in a dry, patient voice.

"It never touched the deed, Ms. Tarrant. You have been signing as trustee on a power that did not reach that far."

"Then I'll fix it. Mother, we can fix it at home."

"There is no fixing it."

Poppy's grandmother opened the folder and took out a single typed page.

"For six years you have used my family's money to decide who may love my granddaughter."

Her voice did not rise.

"You wrote a contract about assets that do not exist, and you asked a pregnant woman to sign away her right to leave."

She laid the page on the cloth.

"As settlor, I remove you as trustee. As of this morning, your cards are cancelled. The car at the gate belongs to the trust."

"You can't do this in front of people."

"I find it is the only place you have ever listened."

A woman near the back made a small sound that might have been a laugh.

Lydia turned in a circle, looking for someone to appeal to.

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