But now, having sold the business and with plenty of time on her hands, she was ready to launch herself into full investigative mode when it came to her great-grandmother and the mysterious sapphire. Part of her was still convinced it was all a hoax, but still, she was too intrigued not to find out more now.
She clicked on the link to an article about Hope’s House, reading with interest how the property had been left to a women’s refuge charity.Would it be strange if I contacted the lawyer or even Hope’s niece, Mia, given it’s been two years since the meeting at the lawyer’s office?Georgia sighed as she scrolled through a few other articles, until an obituary about Hope caught her eye.
If history has told us anything, it’s that unwed mothers were the subject of much shame, regardless of their situation. Wealthy families often had the means to hide such a scandal, but poorer girls and women were usually sent to convents, where they were treated as second-class citizens. But Hope Berenson was different. She treated every woman in her care with kindness and compassion, regardless of whether they had the money to pay for her services or not, finding suitable adoptive homes for almost every baby born at her dedicated residence, Hope’s House.
She was highly skilled at birthing babies, calling on the services of a kind-hearted doctor only in the most difficult of cases. Despite not opening her doors for many years, she will be dearly missed, and remembered forever for her service to the community.
Georgia hadn’t really given it all that much consideration, but reading the article made her think about what her great-grandmother must have endured. To have been pregnant back then…She thought it over, counting backwards and estimating that it must have been in the 1950s when her grandmother was born. It would have been a horrible time to be pregnant—post-war and within a generation that looked down on unwed mothers—and given the circumstances, her great-grandmother must have been young and unmarried. Had she come from a poor family, or one that had refused to accept that she was pregnant? Her father had told her that one of the reasons he didn’t speak to his mother, other than the fact that she’d been so rude and disrespectful towards Georgia’s mother, was because she’d wanted them to have Georgia adopted when she was born. Her father had recounted a very traditional upbringing to her, formed around a strict set of rules and expectations, which made her think that her grandmother most likely had no idea that she was adopted herself.
Georgia closed her browser and looked up her emails, going back to find one from the lawyer that she’d received after the meeting where she’d been given the stone. It had confirmed receipt of the box, and included their details in case she needed to make contact with anyone at the firm. Unfortunately, it didn’t have details for Mia, who was the person she really wanted to talk to, but she decided to email the lawyer anyway and see if perhaps he might release at least Mia’s phone number. After so long telling herself she didn’t care about that side of her family, perhaps she did want to know more about where she came from.And it might even give me some answers about why my grandmother was the way she was right up to her death.
She eventually closed her laptop and sat back, pausing before lifting the lid again. Patience wasn’t her virtue, and she decided to just google Mia and see if she could find her that way instead of waiting to hear back from the lawyer. When she finally found her on Facebook she sent her a message, before shutting herlaptop again and walking away from it. All she could do now was wait.
It had only taken a few hours for Mia to reply to Georgia’s message, but it wasn’t until three days later on Saturday that she’d been able to meet. She’d suggested they meet that afternoon at Dalloway Terrace, and Georgia was on her way to the restaurant now. Part of her was wondering if she’d actually gone mad, but she wasn’t going to stand Mia up, so she was committed to going.
She touched her palm to her bag as she stepped through the door, subconsciously checking to make sure the little box was still there. Since she was meeting Mia, she’d thought she should bring it with her, to show her what was inside, just in case she knew more about what had been left behind than she’d let on at the lawyer’s office.
Georgia was early, and she was shown to an alfresco table out the back with a wall of fresh flowers and a black and white awning above. It was perhaps the quaintest setting she’d ever seen, and as she gazed around and admired it, taking a quick video to send to Sam, two women approached her table.
‘Georgia?’
She dropped her phone back in her bag and half rose, not sure whether to hug Mia or stay seated. Mia made the decision easy, embracing her without hesitation.
‘Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me,’ Georgia said, taking her seat as Mia gestured to the heavily pregnant woman beside her.
‘This is Ella,’ Mia said. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I thought two heads might be better than one to help solve your mystery.’
‘Lovely to meet you, Ella, and I don’t mind at all.’ Georgia caught her bottom lip beneath her top teeth. ‘You look familiar, have we met?’
‘At the lawyer’s office,’ Ella said. ‘We were seated close to each other.’
‘You were there to receive a box?’
‘I was.’
‘Well, before we order I’d like to offer you both an apology,’ Georgia said, looking between them. ‘I want you to know that I’m not usually so rude, and I’ve felt terrible for the way I just upped and left that day. It wasn’t my intention to appear so uninterested.’
Mia nodded and Ella just smiled back at her.
‘I imagine you had somewhere else to be,’ Ella said. ‘And if I’m completely honest, I was convinced it was all a scam that day anyway.’
‘Did your clues make sense to you at all? I mean, what were you able to glean from what was in your little box?’
Ella laughed and exchanged glances with Mia. ‘I think we need to order drinks first, because we have a lot to unpack!’
Mia rose. ‘Let me order while you two get acquainted. Wine for us, and a mocktail for you, Ella?’
Georgia nodded as Ella said yes, and as soon as Mia had gone, Georgia turned to Ella, eager to hear more.
‘Did you start searching for your connection right away? Tell me what you discovered?’ Georgia asked.
‘I discovered a grandmother living on the most beautiful island in Greece,’ Ella said, her eyes sparkling, ‘and because of the clues I crossed paths with my new husband. My box contained an old photo and a folded sheet of music.’
Georgia laughed when Ella touched her stomach, having immediately warmed to her.
‘And this little peanut on the way is all thanks to that little box, too. It completely changed my life.’
Mia returned then, and Georgia considered them both before reaching into her bag. ‘Can I show you what was in my box?’
