The Inheritance

Jack gazed at his beautiful daughter. Those eyes, so like his own, gazed back.

"And despite all this it never occurred to you that I could possibly be yours?" said Lottie, her voice trembling a little. Jack hoped fervently that she wasn't going to burst into tears. He wished he knew how to comfort her. It felt so awkward… if he had taken part in her upbringing he could hug her but as it was they were virtual strangers. At that moment he felt a surge of resentment against Nicole. Why had she excluded him from their daughter's life? Of course that was obvious. It had been illegal for them to have a child together, whether or not she was masked. However much he might have wished it otherwise, they could not have been together as man and wife. And yet he felt that she should not have left his life like that taking his daughter away. Looking at her now the pieces had all fallen into place he felt a sense of pride in the woman she had become mixed with a terrible sadness that he had never been able to be there with her.

Tears shone in Lottie's hazel eyes. At that moment he wanted to connect with her more than anything. "You are my only child, Lottie. I haven't a wife or a girlfriend. You could live with me. We are family."

"I… I… yes… we've got to try," said Lottie, her bottom lip trembling. Sparkling tears trickled down her cheeks. Anne's eyes darted to Lottie and then to him.

"And your mum Lottie, you'll tell her…" said Anne.

Ah yes, there was that little snag. It would be so weird facing Nicole again. What could they do? Get married for Lottie's sake? A bit late for that. He pictured himself with Nicole in the Mask – that would have made for an interesting family photo…

"Oh yes, I've got to confront her about these secrets she's kept for so long," said Lottie, wiping the tears away from her cheeks, "Jack… Dad… can you come now? We can't delay. We've already lost so much time."

She was right. They left the pub. It was dark outside and the night air was cool. Lottie proudly slipped her arm in his.

Jack's heart was hammering at the thought of seeing Nicole again.

"Are you nervous, Dad?" asked Lottie. The light of a lamppost illuminated her long pale face and glinted off her auburn hair.

"Just a little," he admitted. "Nicole and I do go back a long way… that is, it's been so long…"

"She's quite approachable," chimed Anne.

"So approachable. But she kept us in the dark," said Lottie grimly. "We will have words." She gazed at him again and when she spoke her voice was soft once more. "We'll get the bus the rest of the way if you're nervous. I've got an adult oyster with me if you need one."

"I – I have my own, Lottie," he replied. He registered that she now spoke to him tenderly but what was the dynamic between them. Really they couldn't ever be like father and daughter. She seemed so mature for her age and he thought her concern was rather like that of an older sister.

"Well that's a stroke of luck," said Lottie as they approached a bus stop and the bus came into view.

On the bus Lottie held his hand. "I wish I had my youtube favourites playlist to calm me," he said abruptly. He tended to say what was on his mind without thinking how it might sound. He thought perhaps he had been alone too long. Oh well, he was proud of his playlist. "It's got all types of music from all different eras."

"I'm the same, I like all kinds of music," said Lottie.

"I think something that is cheesy and eerily soothing would calm me now, like Johnny Leyton."

Lottie giggled, "mum could say, 'Johnny… remember me,' in a ghostly wail."

"I see why you're so random, Lottie," said Anne cheerily, "runs in the family."

Lottie raised her eyebrows. "Anne, do you mind?"

Jack was beginning to feel more at ease. "Lately I've been listening to Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat."

Lottie smiled and began singing Any Dream Will Do.

Jack liked her voice. "I wish I could sing, but I never trusted my voice after it broke on me and then turned in to a bass."

Lottie laughed, her hazel eyes shining.

Jack felt very much at ease with his daughter now. "I do wonder what happened to Jacob to make him passive-stupid by that point in Genesis. He was really unaware of what the horrible brothers were up to? The part which stayed with me the most was how he loved Joseph so much that he would wake up and get to his feet when Joseph appeared. What must he have gone through when they were separated?"

Lottie knew what he was driving at although Anne looked baffled. Tears shone in her eyes again.

Eventually they reached their stop. Jack held his daughter's hand as they approached the house. Anne trotted a little way behind them. The street was in a nice area, a row of terraced houses with privet hedges. Nicole had done well for herself to live here, especially as she had become a single mother.

Jack's heart began to thud as they approached the green painted front door.

"Are you OK?" whispered Lottie.

Jack nodded, but his throat seemed to have seized up.

Lottie opened the front door.

"I'm home!" she called.

The lighting in the hall was soft and pleasant. The air smelled faintly fragrant. The front door included a stain glass pane through which the moonlight shone.

The sound of footfalls. Then Nicole was here. Jack's heart skipped.

She was clearly older, her glossy blond hair appeared to have been bleached, perhaps because it had started to go grey. She was carefully made up although her skin was not quite as lustrous and radiant now. She had not gained much weight although he wondered if she was as graceful and slender as she had been when they had done the deed… he wasn't sure… She gave a start as she saw him, her violet blue eyes wide and shocked, as though she had seen a ghost. Her mouth opened and shut, like a fish out of water.

Anne followed them in at this point. "Nicole, are you alright?" she asked.

Lottie's eyes were very bright as she pointed at Nicole. "See anyone familiar, Mum? Anyone you didn't tell me – tell me about for – for sixteen years?" Her voice trembled with emotion. Jack's insides squirmed. He felt so bad for Nicole at this moment. But it was she who had hidden his daughter from him…

"Jack…" said Nicole weakly. She looked really pale. "I – come in…" she beckoned them all into the front room where they sat down on couches.

"I'll make some tea, shall I?" said Anne brightly.

"Yes dear..." said Nicole, her voice still faint. Anne left the room

Lottie glared at her mother. "You really have some explaining to do, understand? You've got to tell the rest of the strange story of the she-mask. Starting from the end of Jack's involvement. He is my father and he still doesn't know."