Chosen Child (33 page)

‘Honest truth.’

‘Are you ready up there?’ Liz’s voice called from
downstairs.

Ella took Soraya’s hand. She’d been allowed exactly five
minutes.

They were crossing the upstairs landing when Soraya pulled
her arm. ‘You know when I found that gold chain at Amanda’s? She
did
say it was her husband’s. But it wasn’t, was it?’

‘No,’ said Ella. But whatever that meant, it was completely
unimportant today. She led Soraya downstairs and hugged her hard, inhaling
deeply, not trusting herself to say more. And she got into Liz’s car and waved
as they drove off, and as soon as they turned the corner she howled.

Two years later

The house phone rang out, and Ella cursed, the mud pack
spread over half her face. How to ruin an expensive beauty treatment. Heck, no,
she would finish her face pack first. It wouldn’t be anything important on that
phone, and she could call back if need be.

Twenty minutes later and suitably rejuvenated, she lifted
the phone and took it to the window seat. As always, the view took her breath
away. The vastness of the Atlantic was spread before her eyes, the rugged
Cornish coastline contrasting starkly with the blue-green-white of the ocean.
Walking up and down four flights of stairs every time she went in and out was
worth it for this view.

The missed call was a strange number… or was it? On an
impulse Ella booted up the laptop and checked the area code. Oh. Shetland.
Nobody except Rick’s sister would be calling her from Shetland. Heaviness
descended into Ella’s stomach as she pressed connect.

‘Oh, Ella, thank you for calling back. How are you?’

Ella closed her eyes. Did they really need to exchange
pleasantries? But it was easier to play along. ‘Fine, thanks. You?’

‘Pete and I are fine, but I thought you should know Rick’s
not doing so well. He had a chest infection last week and now his kidneys… He’s
not going to make it, Ella.’

Ella stared at the sea far below. What was she supposed to
say – did she even care what happened to Rick? Yes, in a way she did, but it
wasn’t the kind of caring that made her feel good. It had been a relief when
Marianne and Pete took Rick to a nursing home in far-away Shetland. He had
never recovered consciousness and in a terrible way Ella was glad.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said at last. ‘Was there anything you
needed me to do?’ Hopefully that sounded polite enough while telling Marianne that
she didn’t want to be involved.

‘No, no. I realise you won’t come all this way to the
funeral. Will I phone you when… or would you prefer a card?’

Ella balked at the thought of an ‘I’m sorry for your loss’
phone call. But none of this was Marianne’s fault. ‘Give me a call,’ she said
slowly. ‘Then I’ll let the police know. The case is still open although they’ve
never found out anything more. Take care, Marianne.’

She replaced the handset and wiped her face on her sleeve.
The case would most likely be closed when Rick died. Uncertainty would reign
forever; what a horrible end to the worst time of her life. But now she should
put on her glad rags.

She was spraying perfume behind her ears when she heard a key
in the flat door.

‘We bought a cake! Double choc with raspberry ripple cream,
and ice cream to go with it! And I’ve got a present for you!’

Soraya hefted a large plastic bag onto the kitchen table,
beaming. And oh, how bittersweet this was. Ella knew she couldn’t share the
news of Rick, not today. She hugged Soraya hard and turned to smile at Owen,
who was unpacking not only ice cream but also champagne.

He stuck the bottle into the cooler and winked at her. ‘One
year today, huh?’

‘I can’t believe I’ve had a beautiful daughter for a whole
year. The best year ever.’ Ella opened the cake box while Soraya went for
plates.

‘Can we put a candle on it, Mummy?’

Owen poured champagne into two glasses and grape and elder
into a third. His eyes met hers, and Ella knew he’d seen the shadow behind the
joy. But this was Soraya’s day; the shadow would keep. She turned to the little
girl.

‘So what’s this present? Shouldn’t you be getting the
presents?’

Soraya jumped up and down. ‘It sort of is for me too. Owen
told me you had a secret for me, and we made it into a better one for you.’ She
handed over a small velvet box.

Wondering, Ella looked from Owen to Soraya to the little
box. She had arranged to have a butterfly brooch made for Soraya, with her name
on the back. The child was still wearing Ella’s brooch.

‘We got the new one made for you instead,’ said Soraya, and
Ella lifted the delicate blue enamel butterfly and examined it.
Ella and Soraya
was engraved on the back, and the date of
the adoption. Ella hugged Soraya to her chest, closing her eyes to keep the
tears in. To think she could have lost this treasure.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered. She could never say thank you
enough for her girl.

‘I wanted to keep your old one, you see,’ said Soraya,
pulling back and staring into Ella’s face. ‘Because it reminds me you love me.
Can we cut the cake now?’

Amanda fought her way up Buchanan Street, Glasgow wind and
rain making it almost impossible to control her umbrella. Working at weekends
was the downside to her job in a city centre stationery shop. On the other
hand, it gave her the odd day off during the week, and Suze was always happy to
babysit. Amanda reached the underground station and descended thankfully out of
the rain.

The orange train rattled its way round to Hillhead, where
Amanda got off. The rain had stopped, and she hurried past red tenements in
Highburgh Road. This was the best part of the day, going home to her kids. She
would never forget how nearly she had lost them; thinking about it still made
her shiver. Gareth and the old life were gone, but she still had her children.

What she no longer had was confidence that she was safe. If
Rick ever woke up... There was no way to know what was happening with him.
She’d called Ella once, a few weeks after Rick’s operation, to be told he was
still unconscious and Soraya was still in foster care, and something in the
other woman’s voice had prevented Amanda ever phoning again.

Life here was good, but the black uncertainty hanging over
her head was always there, ready to pounce, and sometimes it stalked her at
night, too. You heard all the time about people who were in a coma for years,
and then they woke up and started talking. If Rick did that, the police would
investigate.

Amanda shook her umbrella before going inside. Any time at
all, there could be a knock at the door and a policeman would be standing
there, waiting to take her away. The fear was a permanent weight in her middle.

‘Mum! Nana’s making spaghetti for tea!’

Amanda ruffled Jaden’s hair, smiling wryly at the Glasgow
accent. But this was a good place to bring up your kids.

‘Where’s my Jasmin?’ she called.

Jasi always hid when she arrived; it was their special game.
Amanda would search and search and eventually find her daughter, in the same
place every time, behind the living room curtains.

‘Where’s Jasi? Not in the kitchen… and not behind the sofa…
and – oh! Yes…
there
she is!’

Amanda seized the child to shrieks of laughter and held her
close. And how thankful she was to be able to hold her daughter, this amazing
wriggling creature with the shock of dark hair, and grey eyes.

Just like her daddy’s.

The End

If you enjoyed
Chosen Child
, you
might be interested to read Linda Huber’s other novels:

The Paradise Trees

He had found exactly the right spot in the
woods. A little clearing, green and dim, encircled by tall trees. A magical,
mystery place. He would bring his lovely Helen here… This time, it was going to
be perfect.

When Alicia Bryson returns to her estranged father’s home in
a tiny Yorkshire village, she feels burdened by his illness. Her hometown
brings back memories of a miserable and violent childhood, and Alicia worries
that her young daughter Jenny’s summer will be filled with a similar sense of
unhappiness.

The town is exactly as she remembered it, the people, the
buildings, even the woods. But Alicia’s arrival has not gone unnoticed.

Someone is watching her every move. Someone who has a plan of
his own. Someone who will not stop until the people he loves most can rest
together, in Paradise.

The Cold Cold Sea

They stared at each other, and Maggie felt
the tightness in her middle expand as it shifted, burning its way up… Painful
sobs rose in her throat as Colin, his face expressionless now, reached for his
mobile and dialled 999.

When three-year-old Olivia disappears, her parents are
overwhelmed with grief. Weeks go by and Olivia’s mother refuses to leave the
cottage, staring out at the turbulent sea and praying it didn’t claim her
precious daughter’s life.

Not far away, another mother watches proudly as her daughter
starts school. Jennifer has loved Hailey for five years, but the child is
suddenly moody and difficult, and there’s a niggling worry that Jennifer cannot
shake off. As she struggles to maintain control there are gaps in her story
that even she can’t explain.

Time is running out for Maggie at the cottage, and also for
Jennifer and Hailey. No-one can underestimate a mother’s love for her child,
and no-one can predict the lengths one will go to, to protect her family.

The Attic Room

A father’s secret. A mother’s lie. A family mystery.

An unexpected phone call – and Nina’s life takes a disturbing
twist. Who is John Moore? And how does he know her name?

Nina travels south to see the house she inherited, but
sinister letters arrive and she finds herself in the middle of a police
investigation. With her identity called into question, Nina uncovers a shocking
crime. But what, exactly, happened in the attic room, all those years ago? The
answer could lie close to home.

The arrival of her ten-year-old daughter compounds Nina’s
problems, but her tormentor strikes before she can react. Searching for the
truth about the Moore family puts both Nina and her child into grave danger.