The labour had been every bit as traumatic and painful as Evelina had imagined, but it had happened quickly, and for that she was grateful. Hope had stayed calm and quiet throughout, urging her on when she needed the encouragement, and whispering reassurances to her when she was exhausted and ready to give up. In the end, her daughter had entered the world swiftly, and even though Evelina had been afraid when she hadn’t heard her crying, it appeared she was simply taking the world in.
‘She’s healthy?’ Evelina whispered, still not taking her eyes from her.
‘She is,’ Hope said. ‘She’s a very healthy little lady from what I can see.’
Evelina glanced over at the Moses basket on the other side of the room, and her hold on her baby tightened. She saw that her daughter’s face wrinkled up then, as if sensing her mother’s agitation, and a noise that sounded like a cat meow suddenly filled the room, until Evelina gently rocked her, holding her closer to her body to soothe her.
‘Does she have to go in there?’ she asked.
Hope stroked her hair from her face. ‘The Moses basket is the best place for her, especially when you’re both sleeping, but you can hold her for as long as you like, and we can always move the basket so it’s right beside you. That way you can keep your hand on her all night, if that’s what you want. She will be in here with you the whole time.’
Evelina nodded as fresh tears slid down her cheeks. ‘I want to hold her forever,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t think, I don’t?—’
‘Shhh,’ Hope said, still stroking her face as Evelina stuttered her words. ‘You’ve just given birth, there’s no need to think about that now. I want you to rest, and we can talk about what you’re going to do in a few days’ time, once you’ve had time to think.’
Part of her hadn’t believed that Hope would keep her word, which was unfair as the other woman had done nothing other than show her kindness. And now that her child had made her entrance into the world, Evelina felt a protectiveness inside her that she’d never felt before, an inability to imagine never not having her baby by her side.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I just?—’
Evelina looked up at Hope, and it was only then that she saw the tears glistening in her eyes, too.
‘This first moment is very precious, so I’m going to leave the two of you for now. I’ll be back in a little while with coffee and sandwiches so you can regain your strength.’
She wished she’d said something—anything—to comfort Hope or to thank her for what she’d done for her, but instead she held her daughter closer and inhaled the smell of her, studied her perfect little face and tried to commit her button nose and dark eyelashes to memory.
But as she gazed down at her in wonder, she couldn’t help but hear Hope’s muffled cry from the hallway.
‘I think I’ve decided what to put in my little box,’ Evelina said, as her baby lay asleep beside her, the wooden box in her lap as she stared down at it.
‘I’m pleased you decided to do it,’ Hope said, pausing beside her with an armful of washing. ‘Are you going to put your diamond bracelet in there?’
Evelina glanced at her wrist. She hadn’t even thought about leaving that for her daughter. She preferred the idea of leaving mementos that meant something to her and her only, with no link to Antoine.
‘Actually, I would like you to have this,’ Evelina said, immediately taking it off. ‘As my way of paying you for my stay and saying thank you for everything you’ve done for us.’
Hope’s eyebrows drew together, and it took Evelina a moment to realise that she was being frowned at.
‘I meant it when I said I didn’t expect anything from you, Evelina,’ Hope said. ‘You certainly don’t have to pay me, or leave something behind in lieu of payment. It’s been a privilege to have you here.’
‘But I want to,’ Evelina said, placing the piece of jewellery on the low side table. ‘What you’ve done for me, well, I’ll never be able to adequately thank you, and this is my way of ensuring you can open your door to another woman in the future. Please.’
‘I can’t take that, it’s?—’
‘Yours,’ Evelina said. ‘I don’t want it. I can’t even bear to look at it now, not after giving birth, after…’ She took a breath. ‘You’ve taken such good care of me, and it’s the only way I can repay you.’
‘You’re certain? I can tell it’s valuable, and you never know when you might need the money.’
‘I’m certain. It wouldn’t be enough to raise a child on at any rate. It feels like the least I can do for you,’ Evelina said, smiling up at Hope. ‘Now, tell me again what you intend doing with the box. How do you make certain she’ll receive it one day?’
‘The honest truth is that I can’t,’ Hope said. ‘All we can do is hope that her adoptive parents will have the purest of hearts andintentions, and want what’s absolutely best for her. And if for some reason they don’t want to take the box, then I can always put it away for safekeeping, and find a way to give it to her when she’s of age.’
‘You’d go to such lengths to reunite my daughter with this box?’ Evelina asked. ‘Even if the adoptive parents wanted no part of it?’
‘When I give someone my word,’ Hope said, setting down the load of washing in her arms and placing a hand on Evelina’s shoulder, ‘I always mean it. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to help you, Evelina, after what I…’
Evelina sat straighter, listening carefully to Hope’s words as they slowly drifted away. She was so curious about Hope, about how she’d ended up living in this big house on her own, with such an unwavering desire to help unmarried women with their babies.
‘After what?’ Evelina asked gently, still turning the box over in her hands and seeing a pained expression pass over Hope’s face.
