Page 127 of Don't Believe A Word

He took her in his arms as David said, ‘OK, unless we want to bring them straight into the kitchen, you guys should probably start making your way to the drawing room.’

‘Can I come?’ Anna whispered to Sadie.

‘Of course,’ Sadie replied, squeezing her hand. ‘You all should,’ she told David and Cynthia. ‘Let’s give them the biggest and warmest welcome we can.’

*

The drawing room was large and grand, with high, corniced ceilings, capacious furniture and an entire wall of towering sash windows overlooking an early blossoming copse just beyond Cynthia’s rose garden. As they entered Anna crossed to the ornate limestone fireplace and lit the touch paper beneath a stack of knotted twigs, while Sadie, mindful of her father’s photophobia, went to close the shutters and turn on the lamps.

A moment later she was standing in the midst of them all, hands bunched to her face as she listened to the voices outside, David greeting the guests and bringing them through to where everyone was waiting. Cristy watched the girl closely, never more beautiful, nor vulnerable or hopeful. As their eyes met Cristy felt her tension fleetingly increase, before she relaxed and willed inner strength Sadie’s way.

It was going to be all right, it really was.

David came through the door first and held it wide for Evie to follow, and as Lukas and Gabe came in after them Cristy heard Sadie’s breath catch on a sob.

‘Sasha?’ Gabe said, removing his dark glasses. ‘Sasha, my girl?’

‘Hello, Dad,’ Sadie whispered, her mouth trembling on the words. ‘Thanks – thanks for coming all this way.’

He broke into a smile and Cristy realized this was the first time she’d seen him look happy.

‘I’m glad we did,’ he said. ‘I was very keen to see you,’ and as tears dropped onto his cheeks Sadie ran to him, crying too.

‘It’s all right,’ she soothed, holding him tight. ‘Everything’s going to be all right.’

He nodded, and his voice was muffled as he said, ‘I missed you so much. I was always thinking of you …’

‘Sssh,’ she whispered brokenly, ‘we’ve found one another now and that’s what matters.’

Cristy glanced at Connor as he captured the moments with his phone.

Lukas came forward and cupped Sadie’s face in his hands. ‘I’m Lukas,’ he told her, ‘your uncle. I know you probably don’t remember me …’

‘I remember your hat,’ she told him. ‘You used to wear a hat.’

Laughing in surprise he said, ‘I did. You’re right. I can’t believe … Imagine you remembering that when you were so small …’ His voice faltered, but he pushed on, his accent a little more pronounced as he said, ‘I can’t tell you how happy we are to see you. We always hoped you’d come to find us one day …’

‘I wish you’d come for me,’ she said. ‘If you knew where I was …’

‘We thought you were safe, that you were getting everything you needed, but we wrote, many times … It seems clear now that our letters were intercepted. Oh, what mistakes we made … Can we ever forgive ourselves?’

‘No, please don’t say that. You’re here now and we have so much to catch up on.’ Sadie turned back to her father and Cristy suspected that only Janina had ever looked at him with so much tenderness.

‘We have many stories to share with you,’ Gabe said shakily, ‘memories of when you were born and how precious you were …’

‘I want to hear them all,’ she said, gazing up into his eyes, ‘but we should at least let you sit down first.’

He smiled again and let her lead him to a sofa where she sat between him and Lukas holding their hands. ‘To think,’ she said to Anna, ‘I’ve only ever had women in my life, and now I only have men.’

‘Hey, just a minute,’ Evie cried, from where she’d been left at the door, ‘you have me too and last time I looked …’

Sadie leapt up to embrace her. ‘I’m sorry,’ she gushed, ‘sostupid of me. You’re Evie, obviously, and I couldn’t be happier to meet you.’

‘The feeling’s mutual,’ Evie assured her, patting her back. ‘I’ve heard so much about you over the years, and now here you are, as beautiful as a summer’s day and exactly as I always pictured your mother to be.’

‘She is,’ Gabe assured her. ‘You’re just like her, Sasha,’ and as more tears pooled in his eyes Sadie went back to his side and wept with him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE