‘Mama?’ Isabella cried. ‘Mama! Please, help her! Somebody, do something to help her!’
Delphine would have opened her eyes if she could have, to reassure her Isabella one last time. But suddenly everything felt so heavy; her eyelids, her chest, her heart.
This time, she didn’t try to speak. Instead, she used her last reserves of energy to smile, and suddenly she was able to open her eyes. But as her focus blurred, it wasn’t Isabella she saw, but Florian.
He was standing outside his stately home, his hand outstretched, and he hadn’t aged a day. His smile was just as she remembered it, and when he said her name, when she lifted her hand to take his, all the pain left her body. His palm slid against hers and their fingers intertwined, as he lifted their hands and pressed a warm, slow kiss to her knuckles.
Delphine could hear someone saying her name, but the pull to keep her eyes shut and keep hold of Florian’s hand, to finally walk back into his embrace, was too strong to fight.
She only hoped he would understand what she’d done, would forgive her for the decision she’d had to make, for the life she’d lived without him.
As her breath stuttered from her throat, as the pain she’d felt for so long finally disappeared, Florian’s arms encircled her, drawing her close.
I’m finally home, my love. I’m finally home.
32
LAKE GENEVA, PRESENT DAY
‘I’ve never been so nervous,’ Georgia said, running her hands down the front of her jeans and looking over at Luca. ‘How do I look?’
‘Beautiful, as always,’ he said. ‘I only hope you’re not this nervous when we get married.’
That made Georgia smile. ‘I’m not nervous about our wedding. That, I’m excited about.’ She went to speak again, but saw the way Luca was looking past her. ‘They’re here?’
He nodded. ‘I think so.’
Georgia stood and turned, and as she did, she saw two women with dark blonde hair walking towards them. The older of the two women was perhaps thirty years older than her, but the younger one appeared to be of a similar age to Georgia. She knew instinctively it was them, and when they both smiled in her direction, she felt a huge sense of relief.
‘They’re going to love you,’ Luca whispered, standing with his hand on her shoulder. ‘How could they not?’
‘Georgia?’ the older woman said.
‘Anna?’
She’d expected to feel uncertain, worried about what to say and awkward about meeting someone with a shared biology, butAnna immediately grinned and hurried forward, embracing her in a hug.
‘I can’t believe we’re actually meeting,’ she said, standing back and gesturing to the other woman beside her. ‘This is my daughter, Mara.’
‘It’s lovely to meet you both,’ Georgia said, giving Mara a quick welcome hug. ‘This is my fiancé, Luca. He’s here for moral support.’
Luca laughed good-naturedly and shook both their hands, before disappearing to find a drinks menu. Georgia imagined it was his way of trying to give them a little space.
‘I wondered if we might look alike,’ Anna said. ‘I had visions of meeting you, and realising you looked just like one of my daughters.’
‘Me, too,’ Georgia said. ‘I kept thinking that I’d see you both and feel immediately as if you were family due to some weird physical resemblance, but I suppose we do all have the same blue eyes?’
Mara grinned. ‘You’re right, we do!’
They all looked up when Luca returned, to check they all liked rosé, and when they were settled again and seated around the table, Georgia took out the little box.
‘I know you were probably sceptical about my intentions when I asked my lawyer to contact you, so please don’t think that I expect anything from you at all,’ she said. ‘I started out on this journey trying to understand more about my grandmother’s adoption, and that’s all I’m trying to do.’
Anna nodded. ‘As I said to you over the phone, we knew nothing about any of this. It was certainly a well-kept secret, from my sister and me, anyway. We had no idea that our grandmother was anything other than a devoted wife and mother, and my mother, Isabella, certainly never mentioned anything.’
Georgia held out the box. ‘I was given this when I first became aware of the adoption, and at the time it contained a sapphire as well as the newspaper clipping that’s still in there. The photo I’ve added, after finding it in a safety deposit box.’
‘May I?’ Mara asked.
