The Will

The room felt too full, even before anyone spoke. It was the kind of silence that pressed itself against the skin, heavy, waiting, expectant. Tessa stood beside the long dining table, her hands loosely clasped in front of her, pulse thudding in the soft place beneath her jaw. She had expected a quiet afternoon.

She had expected to prepare for the children’s return from school, maybe listen to Ayisha rant about something irrelevant and distracting. She had not expected a procession ...