Valentina stared down at the box. ‘So I would put something precious inside, for my child to be given one day? If I chose to leave him or her behind?’
Hope reached for her hand and held it. ‘That’s right. It’s your chance to leave something for your child, so they might have a connection to you or a clue, if they ever try to find you one day.’
She put her hand in her pocket and found the familiar shape of the tiny horse, the figurine that she’d kept against her body since the day Felipe had given it to her. It seemed almost meant to be that it was small enough to fit in the little box, as much as it would break her heart to part with it. Although she supposed she was going to break her heart the day she left her baby, anyway.
Besides, Valentina had already made her mind up—she was returning to Argentina to follow the plan she’d agreed upon with her lawyer—which meant that she would have to leave her baby in Hope’s care. Without her inheritance, she would be faced with returning to her husband or being penniless in a foreign country,and she knew that her best chance of securing a future for her child one day was to return home. If Hope couldn’t care for the baby in her absence, then she’d just have to cross her fingers and pray that when she returned to London, she’d be able to find a way to get her baby back.
Even if it meant leaving that child behind with only a tiny box of mementos, and the promise that one day, somehow, she would return.
‘How long could you wait, Hope?’ Valentina asked, needing to know the answer to her earlier question. ‘If I asked you to wait before finding adoptive parents for my baby, is thereanylength of time you could give me? That we could agree upon?’
Hope seemed to study her, and Valentina watched as she took a big breath, as the answer was hard for her to give. ‘In this hypothetical situation, you would be leaving the baby in my sole charge? It wouldn’t be both of you staying?’
Valentina nodded.
‘It would depend on how many other women were in my care, and what other responsibilities I had at the time,’ Hope said. ‘I have no family members or staff to assist me, so looking after a baby isn’t something I could do for long. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to help other women in need.’
‘A few days then?’ Valentina asked, as her hope began to fade. ‘A week or two? I just need to know.’
‘If you were confident that you could return within a week or two, then I would do my best,’ Hope said. ‘I’ve never had anyone ask me before, that’s all, but I suppose there would always be someone staying here who could help. I can tell that it matters a great deal to you.’
‘I would pay you handsomely on my return,’ she said.
‘Valentina, I don’t do this for the money, but I appreciate the gesture. A donation towards costs is always welcome but not necessary, so I don’t want you to ever think you’re in my debt.’
Treat other people as you expect to be treated yourself. Show great generosity to those who are kind to you.
With her father’s words echoing in her mind, Valentina reached out and touched Hope’s hand.
‘I won’t think I’m in your debt, Hope, but if you assist me through childbirth and help me to keep my baby, I’ll want to spend the rest of my life finding ways to repay you all the same. I’ve lost everything this past year, but I’m determined to change that, for the future of myself and my baby, and especially for those who go out of their way to help me.’
Hope’s eyes met hers, and Valentina found herself wondering what she’d seen in her life, what had compelled her to open a house to help young pregnant women. Whatever her reason, Valentina was thankful she had, because she had no idea what she would have done if Hope hadn’t opened her doors to her.
It had been either here or a convent in the countryside, and she doubted she would have lasted at the latter for more than a few days at best.
‘Thank you, Hope, for welcoming me into your home,’ Valentina said, at the same time as Hope nudged the plate of sandwiches towards her. ‘I was forced from my own home, in Argentina, by my family, and yet you, a stranger, you’ve opened your home and your arms to me.’
Hope’s eyes met hers. ‘It’s their loss, Valentina. One day they’ll realise how foolish they were to treat you so poorly, and if they don’t? Then they don’t deserve to have you in their lives.’
Valentina couldn’t have said it better herself, and she had to presume that Hope was speaking from experience to say it with such conviction.
22
PRESENT DAY
Rose couldn’t have visualised a more perfect day. She’d lain in the grass and watched Benjamin work his horses, smiling and waving whenever he looked over at her, and now the man in question was striding towards her, no horse in sight. She propped herself up on her elbows to get a better look at him.
‘I think you’re missing something,’ she said, dropping the book she’d been reading and holding up her hand to block the sun from her eyes. ‘You don’t have a horse.’
‘I’ve finished for the day.’
She grinned. ‘Does that mean I now have your undivided attention?’
He grinned straight back at her. ‘I’m hot and sweaty, and I could really do with a shower, but if you want my attention now…’
Rose lay back in the grass as Benjamin lowered himself over her, propped up on his elbows as he dropped a sweet kiss to her lips. She couldn’t resist, kissing him back, but when his damp hair touched her skin, she laughed and wriggled away.
‘I’ve changed my mind! You do need a shower!’
