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“Christ, Faith, I never imagined… I’m so sorry. I just thought—”
She interrupts my efforts with a gentle hand on my arm. “What situation? What’s happening here? Who’s dying?”
I’m lost for words. Suddenly, I have not the first idea where to start. I’m relieved when Aaron steps in to help me out.
“Ruth Lowison is Beth’s natural sister. They have the same birth mother. She’s come to Scotland trying to find Beth.”
Faith sinks into her chair. Her face pales. “Are you…? Are you sure?”
“We have the DNA to prove it. We’re sure.”
I take up the story. “Mrs Lowison, there’s no easy way to explain this. Bottom line, Ruth and Beth’s birth mother, is ill. She’s dying, in fact, but she wanted to see the daughter she had to give up for adoption as a baby once before she goes. That’s why Ruth came to find her.”
Faith takes this in. “Does Beth know this?”
“She does, but she refuses to see Ruth,” Aaron explains. “She thinks it will hurt you, Faith. She says she has one mother, and that’s you.”
“I… I…” Faith gives her head brisk shake. “That’s nonsense. Beth is my daughter. She always will be, no matter what. Her birth mother popping up makes no difference to that. To me. Surely Beth sees that?” The question is directed at Aaron.
“She doesn’t see it that way at all,” he confirms. “She’s convinced she’d be disloyal to you if she agrees to meet Ruth, even more so her birth mother. She wants to protect you, and Jacob. She thinks it would unsettle him, confuse him.”
Faith is normally one of the calmest, most mild-mannered individuals I know, but her usual demeanour shatters. She gets to her feet and rounds on Aaron. “I’ve never heard such rubbish. What sort of a woman does she think I am? And you, Aaron Savage? Am I really so needy and insecure? What have I said, or done, to make her think that? Or you for that matter?”
“Nothing. I don’t think—”
She turns to me. “That poor woman. What must she be thinking?”
I have no chance to answer, not that I have the faintest idea what might be going through Mrs Lowison’s head right now anyway. I settle for what I can be sure of. “She just wants to see her daughter,” I begin. “Before she dies.”
“Yes. Of course she does. Obviously.” Faith washes her hands at the sink. “I’ll go and find Beth now and tell her so.” She heads past me to the door, then stops, turns back. “I can’t guarantee what she’ll say, but if she digs her stubborn heels in, will it help if I come to see Mrs Lowison?”
“You’d do that?” I can’t quite believe I’ve heard right.
She narrows her eyes at me. “Oh yes. Yes, I’d do that. I’ve spent the last twenty-five years wanting to meet that woman. It sounds as though this is the only chance I’m going to get.”
“Youwantto meet her?”
“I do, yes. I owe her that much. I want to say thank you for what she gave us, me and my Harry. I have my family, my precious daughter, my grandson, all because of the sacrifice she made. I don’t know what the circumstances were. I can only guess, but it can’t have been easy. And what she must have gone through, in the years since…” Faith’s blinks away tears. “She needs to know we took good care of her baby. She needs to know that Beth is well, and happy. She needs to know she did the right thing.”
I’m stunned at this turn of events, but I rally quickly. I gather my wits and manage to think straight at last. “Mrs Lowison is in Cambridge. It’s a long way, and there isn’t much time. We’d need to leave now…”
Faith is undeterred. “We shall be needing the use of one of your helicopters then, Mr Savage.” Matters seemingly settled to her satisfaction, she marches out of the kitchen.
We all stare after her with varying degrees of stunned amazement. Ethan is first to speak. “I guess I’d better tell Magda to refuel then.”
Ten minutes have passed.We need to be off. Now. For the millionth time, it seems, I glance up at the castle, willing Faith to emerge with Beth in tow.
Two more minutes…
Despite constantly watching the door, the commotion and flurry when Faith emerges still manages to take me unawares. She rushes down the front steps, a small holdall in her hand.
Ethan is waiting at the foot and takes her bag from her. “Let me…”
He flings it into the helicopter and offers his hand to Faith. “No Beth?” he murmurs.
The answer is writ large across Faith’s face. “She’s a stubborn fool. She’ll regret this, eventually. I told her that.”
My heart sinks. It was what I feared, but I had to try. Faith was the best chance, theonlychance. There’s no more I could have done and now I’ll settle for what I can get.
