‘I’ll be eternally grateful to her. You were my little angel and she brought you up. For years, the only thing that kept me going was the hope that we’d be reunited one day, and not a day’s gone by that I haven’t thought about you. You’ve always been in my heart,’ Jenny confessed. ‘Can I ask, how did you know my details to start the search?’
There was a rent card that somehow got moved with my belongings every time I was allocated another foster home. It was only when I got older that I realised quite possibly that the details on that rent card was yours as the surname matched my own.’
‘I took the rent card when I left Matt, I didn’t want him discovering that I had blown all the rent money on drugs and that it hadn’t been paid. I must have dropped it when I was in labour.’
The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts.
‘Why come looking for me now?’ asked Elle. She took a sideward glance towards Jenny.
‘It was the right time. I’d gone to start the search so many times, but I was scared of rejection, I suppose. I talked it over many times with George and Wilson. If I’m honest with you, Wilson was apprehensive when George and I told him the truth.’
‘Why?’ I asked.
She took a breath. ‘Because Wilson is adopted, and you’re my biological child.’
‘Wilson’s adopted?’
Jenny nodded. ‘George and I were unable to have children together. Wilson went through a difficult period as a child, and we didn’t want him to feel anxious or rejected, so we only told him about you a few years ago, if that makes sense?’
Elle nodded. ‘Has George always known about me?’
‘Yes, from the outset. As soon as I knew we were serious about each other, I told him I had a daughter. He’s been brilliant. He’s the one who finally gave me the strength to start the search.’
‘He sounds like a good man.’
‘He is.’
‘That day in the library…’
‘Your birthday,’ she said.
‘You were using the computer.’
‘That’s when I started the search,’ she confirmed.
‘I sat at the very same machine when I started my own search. I always thought I’d know instantly if I ever stumbled across my mother, but there you were – so close by – and I didn’t have a clue.’
‘The night of the hen party…’ Jenny paused.
‘It brought it all back, didn’t it?’
She nodded. ‘I know I never miscarried, but when we discovered Eleni had lost her baby…’ Jenny fought back the tears. ‘I felt the way I felt when I left you that night.’
Elle touched her knee.
‘I’d love it if you would be a part of my family and get to know us better.’
‘I’d love that too,’ Elle said, meaning every word.
ChapterThirty-Six
Two hours later, Elle and Jenny were still sitting outside the café, talking about anything and everything. They had so much to catch up that they’d completely lost track of time.
Feeling a presence at the side of the table, Elle glanced up mid-conversation to see Irene and Wilson standing in front of them.
‘Is everything okay?’ asked Irene, with a look of confusion on her face.
Wilson looked equally confused, holding his rug and book. ‘I’ve been waiting for you for ages.’
