Valentina straightened her shoulders and lifted her hand to knock again on the door of Hope’s House. Inside she was a ball of nerves, but she tried her best to stand confidently as she waited for the door to open. There was a noise on the other side, but just when Valentina thought no one would ever answer, the door swung open.
‘Sorry to keep you waiting,’ said the dark-haired woman. She wore her hair pulled back into a soft bun, with some tendrils escaping around her face, and she was much, much younger than Valentina had expected. She also had a warmth about her that immediately put her at ease. ‘You must be Valentina.’
She nodded. ‘I am. And you are Hope?’ Valentina half expected her to say that Hope was her mother, or that she just worked there. In her mind, the woman running a place like this would be no-nonsense and straight-faced; the complete opposite of the person standing in front of her.
‘That’s me. Now please, come in and let me help you with your bags.’
‘I’m travelling light at the moment,’ Valentina said, trying not to be embarrassed by her modest belongings. ‘I had to leave Argentina in something of a hurry.’
‘Well, I’m just pleased that your English is so good,’ Hope said with a warm smile. ‘I wasn’t certain how well we’d be able to communicate, but I can see that we’ll be just fine.’
‘I learnt as a schoolgirl,’ Valentina said, aware that she had a thick accent despite her ability to converse in the language. ‘But being here in London has helped my language skills greatly. I’ve been here for a little while now.’
Hope indicated where she should leave her bags and led her into the kitchen, and Valentina was relieved that she didn’t ask more about the time she’d already spent in England. ‘Would you like tea? I’ve just made some sandwiches, and I’d very much like to catch my breath outside on the veranda. It’s been a long day.’
Valentina stepped forward to help. ‘Please, let me take these and meet you outside. I can find my way.’
Hope seemed grateful for the assistance. ‘Through the living room there,’ she said. ‘We can make the most of the sunshine.’
Valentina took the plate of sandwiches, her stomach growling at the sight of them, and walked through the house and to the outdoor table as Hope had instructed. She sat down and admired the garden, which was a ramble of roses and other flowers all growing together. It was like organised chaos, and as different as it was to the landscape she was used to back home, Valentina liked it. She often dreamed of the property she’d left behind, of the hours she’d once spent riding across the seemingly endless fields with Felipe, or lying under the branches of low-hanging trees, even just staring from her bedroom window at the only view she’d ever known. The longer she spent away, the more she yearned for everything she’d lost, aching to go back to the country she loved.
Hope appeared within minutes, carrying two cups of tea and a little jug of milk on a tray, pulling Valentina from her thoughts. ‘I was surprised when I received correspondence from your lawyer,’ Hope said. ‘It’s not often I have someone advocatingfor one of the young women who come to me, but he was very clear about seeking assurances before you came here. I was most impressed by how thorough he was, and how much he obviously cares about you.’
Valentina took one of the dainty sandwiches Hope offered to her.
‘He’s the only person who knows the truth about my situation, and I’m grateful that he was so understanding. I never saw myself in this position, and I would have been lost without him,’ she said. ‘Although I’m sure that’s a common theme among the young women who come through your door.’
Hope’s smile was kind, and she ate one of the sandwiches before speaking again. ‘I helped a young mother give birth today, and she believed right up until she held that new baby in her arms that her lover would come for her. Sadly, most of the women in my care have been let down by a man—just not all of them can see it until they’re faced with the reality of being alone and pregnant.’
Valentina swallowed her mouthful, noticing that Hope glanced at the wedding ring on her finger. Her throat felt suddenly dry. ‘Is my being married a problem?’
‘Not at all,’ Hope said, sitting back and nursing her tea in her hands. It was clear she was tired, her eyes bracketed by lines that spoke of fatigue rather than age, but there was such a warmth about her that she kept putting Valentina at ease. ‘I have little interest in the man who put you in this situation, and more interest in what I can do to help you and your baby. You’ll receive no judgement from me about what you choose to do, or about why you chose to come here in the first place.’
They sat in a comfortable silence for some time as they both ate the sandwiches and sipped their tea, the afternoon sunshine bathing them in warmth. It gave time for Valentina to study Hope, and made her even more curious about how a youngwoman not significantly older than her had come to run such an establishment.
‘Hope, if I asked you to care for my baby when I leave, to hold off from finding her adoptive parents, is that something you would be able to do?’ Valentina asked. ‘I intend on making a handsome donation to you once I return to Argentina, and?—’
‘What you’re asking is not something I can do,’ Hope said, gently, as if she were trying very hard not to hurt Valentina’s feelings. ‘If it were a matter of days or weeks, perhaps, but I care for women until they give birth, and for as long as it takes them to recover, and then I place each baby as soon as possible with their adoptive parents. I did respond to your lawyer telling him that I’m simply not set up to care for a child long term.’
Valentina took a moment to steady herself before speaking again, looking out into the garden. ‘Do you have other mothers who don’t want to give up their child? Is it something you’ve been asked before?’
‘Many of the women who come here would rather stay with their child. But in the end, most don’t have a choice. They do what they have to do, for both of their sakes, and to be honest it’s why I started this place.’ She paused. ‘I haven’t helped many mothers yet, it’s only early days, but I want to be able to help as many women as I possibly can.’
‘It’s just, well, I can’t take this baby back home with me immediately, but?—’
‘Valentina, may I give you some advice?’
Valentina nodded.
‘Whatever your reason for being here, everything you do from this moment on is your choice,’ Hope told her. ‘I’ll do everything I can to support you, and I will never part you from your baby if you don’t want that, but you need to make the best decision for your child. We can talk through your options andfigure out what’s best for you, and don’t forget that you still have time.’
Valentina swallowed. ‘But what if I don’t have a choice?’ She’d been so careful with her money, making it stretch as far as possible, but she knew that the only way she could secure her future in Argentina would be to leave her child behind.
‘We always have a choice, even when we feel that we don’t.’ Hope rose and disappeared for a moment, before coming back with a small wooden box. She passed it to Valentina, and Valentina ran her fingers over the smooth wood before opening it and looking inside. It was empty.
‘What is this?’ she asked, confused at what she’d been given.
‘I had a handful of these made, for those mothers who want to leave something behind. Sometimes it makes the decision easier, knowing that you can prepare a memento or two for your child.’
