Page 53 of The Stolen Child

‘You’ll be dead on your feet, though,’ Elsie said, frowning.

‘I know. I’ll not do much other than sleep and work for a while. But it will be worth it. I know it.’

‘Well, we better make the most of tonight. The Grove won’t know what’s hit it when we walk through the door.’ She picked up a hairbrush and handed it to Sally. ‘Go on, work your magic on my barnet.’

An hour later, they stood at the bar, waiting to order their drinks. Sally felt giddy thinking about the possibilities that lay ahead for her.

Three men were playing darts, and when they glanced over at the girls one of them winked at Sally, making her cheeks flame.

‘About time you broke a few hearts,’ Elsie said, nudging Sally’s side.

‘When would I have time for that?’ Sally replied with a laugh. ‘What about you? Have you found any hunks that you might marry?’

Elsie laughed. ‘Chance would be a fine thing. Sure, who’d have me?’

‘I would,’ a deep voice said from behind them.

They turned round in surprise. Standing behind them, tall, lean, with shaggy long hair that reached his black biker-jacket-clad shoulders was a face from their past. Even though it had been over four years since he’d left Sunshine House Orphanage, he’d not changed a bit.

‘’Allo, Elsie love. Long time no see,’ Reggie said with a goofy grin.

‘Hello, Reggie,’ Elsie replied, beaming back at her old boyfriend.

NOW

August 2023

Lily

Departures lounge, Dublin Airport

Michael drove into the designated drop-off area at Terminal 1 at Dublin Airport. Lily turned to look at him, her eyes wide in wonder.

‘I can’t believe I’m doing this,’ she said. They both stepped out of the car, and Michael opened the boot to grab Lily’s overnight case.

The previous evening, Zach had phoned her to tell her he’d booked a flight to Malaga, Spain. In his words, he was going out of his mind waiting for their DNA results, so he decided to go back to the home he’d lived in with his mother in Ronda. He wanted to ask Señor and Señora Alvarez more about his time there. See if he could unravel some mysteries in his mind by retracing his footsteps.

Lily had wished him luck; she understood his need to keep moving. She felt restless and envious that Zach had something to do while enduring the agonising wait for results. Gaga was with her father, who was beside himself with hope and anticipation that, finally, his quest might be over. Her mother was, as usual, nose down in her ledgers, keeping track of her growing empire of flats and houses. While her father was an open book, his every emotion displayed for all to witness, her mother remained guarded and was harder to read.

It was Michael who suggested that Lily book a ticket. With his eyes on his mobile, he told her that seats were available on the same flight Zach had booked.

‘You could do one overnight in Spain and be home to tuck Ben back into bed. Ready for your clients on Monday.’

Lily had rallied against the idea. She’d gone to bed, tossing and turning as she ran through the valid reasons why she shouldn’t go with Zach. He was a stranger to her. While she might feel a connection to him, that was most likely her subconscious looking for one. Because she wanted him to be her brother. Zach could be unhinged, dangerous even. But she discounted this thought as fast as it came. Her instincts told her that, whether or not he was Robert, his intention was not to cause her any harm.

Over coffee and hot buttery toast earlier that morning, Lily casually asked Michael what time the flight was. And her husband once again surprised her in the best way.

‘Flights at eleven o’clock. But you’ve got lots of time. I’ve checked you in already.’

‘What?’ Lily asked, dumbfounded as her heart began to race.

‘I knew you would change your mind, so I booked a ticket. We’ll need to leave in an hour, which gives you plenty of time to shower and pack an overnight case.’

‘I don’t deserve you,’ Lily said, her heart swelling with gratitude and love for her husband.

‘Yes, you do. I don’t want you to have any regrets, Lily. What if this is your brother? You’ll feel so bad that you’ve left him to deal with this alone.’

And so, here she was, kissing her son goodbye and hugging her husband tight. ‘A few weeks ago, I wanted my parents to finally admit to themselves that Robert is dead. And now I am about to fly to Spain with a man who could be him.’