Page 26 of The Hidden Daughter (The Lost Daughters #7)

THREE WEEKS LATER

Amalie had written to Oskar to tell him the day she’d be arriving, but she was still nervous as she stepped through the gate onto his family’s estate.

He’d told her about where they lived and described it to her in some detail, but she hadn’t imagined quite how grand it would be, or how she’d feel standing at the bottom of the steps staring up at his house.

She wiped her palms against her skirt, but they felt damp again almost immediately, and she adjusted her blouse to give her something to do as she stood there.

Oskar had told her they had money, but this was more than money.

This was wealth on a level she’d never imagined, and it at least made sense to her now why his parents had been so cruel.

Oskar wasn’t just a boy intended to work in the family business; he was a young man on the cusp of inheriting a fortune.

But Amalie needn’t have worried, because the moment she placed her foot on the first step, the enormous front door was flung open and Oskar was running down to her.

‘Amalie!’ he called.

Any doubts she’d had about whether he’d still want to see her disappeared. The joy written all over his face was only surpassed by her own excitement, as she flung her arms around him. He cupped her face and stared down at her, his eyes searching hers before giving her a quick kiss.

‘I was worried you might change your mind,’ he said, taking her hand and grinning up at her, the diamond still sparkling where he’d placed it all those weeks earlier.

‘Me? Change my mind?’ Amalie laughed, before glancing at her stomach. ‘Never.’

‘Let’s go inside,’ he said, keeping hold of her hand as they walked up the steps together and into the house.

‘They know I’m coming?’

He stopped and turned to face her. ‘They know I’m expecting a visitor, and that I need to speak to them. I didn’t want to give them any reason not to say yes.’

Amalie nodded, a familiar knot forming in her stomach. It was the same one that had been there at the awkward dinner she’d shared with his family at the hotel.

‘How did your family react?’ Oskar asked, his voice hushed as he led her down the hallway.

Amalie tried not to stare, but the paintings alone were impossible not to notice.

She’d never seen anything like it—it was even more sumptuous than the Majestetisk Hotel, and she’d thought that was the epitome of luxury.

‘They were happy for us,’ she replied, keeping her voice low.

‘But my mother guessed about the situation before I told her. She suggested we marry quickly, and visit them afterwards so that they can celebrate our news rather than have anyone ask questions.’

Oskar paused in front of a closed door, turning to her once more and gently brushing a tendril of hair from her face.

‘Then marry quickly we shall,’ he said. ‘But first, let’s get this out of the way, and don’t let them make you feel less than you are for so much as a second, do you hear me?

We are marrying whether they consent to our union or not. ’

Amalie nodded, bravely tilting her chin and facing the door, her hand safely held in Oskar’s.

She had worries she wouldn’t voice, like how they were going to get by financially if his family cut him off, or where they might live, but she intended to keep those thoughts to herself for as long as she could.

Oskar was prepared to give up everything for her, and she needed to let him figure it all out.

He pushed open the door and held it for her, and Amalie had a few seconds to survey the room before his family saw her. It was enough for her to feel his mother’s fury at having to see her again—in her eyes, Amalie could sense a storm brewing.

‘Mother, Father, you remember Amalie?’ Oskar said, still holding her hand as they stood before them. ‘Amalie, this is my brother, Alexander.’

His family were seated at the dining table, but their meal lay untouched before them. It had clearly just been served. There were two other places set—a place for her this time—although maybe it was only because they’d been told a friend of Oskar’s was joining them and not her specifically.

His brother stood as Oskar’s parents sat in silence. He was taller than Oskar and wore a more serious expression, but he had the same warm brown eyes and thick head of hair, which made him seem familiar to her in a way. He walked around the table and held out a chair for her.

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Amalie. Please, take a seat.’

She glanced at Oskar, who indicated she should accept his invitation. But as she walked, she could feel his mother’s eyes following her.

‘Excuse my rudeness, I didn’t know we would be seeing you again today, Amalie,’ his father said. ‘A word before lunch, Oskar?’

Oskar looked to her before nodding and following his father from the room. Their voices were muffled, but it was obvious from the tone that they were arguing.

‘Amalie, Oskar tells me that you met at the hotel in Sognefjord,’ Alexander said, his smile kind. ‘Have you come directly from there?’

She returned his smile. ‘I’ve actually been home to see my family since then, but yes, that’s where we met.’

Amalie reached for the glass of water in front of her, her mouth suddenly dry, but her hand fell away in fright at his mother’s gasp.

‘What is that?’ his mother cried.

She realised her error then, that his mother had seen the diamond ring on her finger, and Amalie looked to Alexander for help, but his face had drained of colour, too. Thankfully at that moment Oskar’s father burst through the door, taking the attention from her. Oskar followed close behind.

‘They mean to get married,’ his father blustered, marching towards the table before pointing at her. ‘Did you put him up to this? Was it your idea to—’

‘Father, enough!’ Oskar interrupted, coming to stand behind her, his hands on her shoulders. ‘I asked Amalie to visit today so that we could share our good news. We’re in love, and we’re to be married.’

‘Love? What do you know of love?’ his mother exploded. ‘You have your whole life planned, Oskar, and there are many suitable girls from wonderful families who’d—’

‘Do not insult my fiancée by talking about suitable girls, Mother. We are to be married, with or without your permission,’ he said.

‘I brought Amalie here as a courtesy, so that you could welcome her into our family and celebrate with us, so please, can we put this behind us and enjoy our lunch together?’

Amalie’s heart was pounding, and she was grateful for the weight of Oskar’s hands on her shoulders.

‘Son, I want you to listen to me very carefully,’ his father said, his eyes fixed on Oskar.

He never even glanced at Amalie. ‘You have been born into a place of privilege due to my hard work and that of your grandfather, and with that comes responsibility. You can think about marriage later, once you’ve established yourself in the business, once you’re older, once—’

‘I’m not joining the business,’ Oskar said. ‘I’ve done everything you’ve asked of me until now, but I want to be a chef, not a businessman. I’m not like Alexander, or you. Can’t you see that?’

Amalie bit down on her bottom lip as tears started to slip furiously down her cheeks.

‘Stop behaving like a child!’ his father bellowed. ‘For goodness sake, Alexander, talk some sense into your brother. You will not be getting married, Oskar, not to this girl or any other of your choosing. Your mother is right, we’ll be—’

‘Amalie is pregnant,’ Oskar said. His words were only spoken quietly, but they still had the power to make everyone fall silent.

Amalie bravely looked up when his mother threw her napkin onto her plate and rose, pausing only to speak to her husband, her fingers like claws around his arms as she gripped hold of him.

‘Fix this,’ she muttered, before marching out of the room.

‘You’re certain the child is my son’s?’ his father asked.

‘Father!’ Oskar reprimanded.

‘It’s a reasonable question.’

‘Yes. It can only be your son’s,’ Amalie replied, keeping her voice even and trying not to cry from the shame of it all. ‘There has been no one else.’

Alexander stood then, distracting his brother and father as he went to the drinks cabinet and poured a glass. She watched as he took it to his father, passing it to him before placing a hand on his back.

‘This has been a lot to digest,’ Alexander said. ‘I suggest that we take a moment to gather ourselves and then perhaps I could take Amalie for a walk while you both have a more civilised discussion.’

‘There is nothing to discuss,’ his father said, after downing the drink. ‘Oskar, it’s no exaggeration to say that you’ll be throwing your life away if you marry this woman. But you’re a grown man and the decision is yours to make.’

Amalie’s heart began to race again, but she could see from the look on Alexander’s face, the way his hand lifted to his head as if he were in pain, that he knew the situation was about to get worse.

‘Should you choose to make this decision, though, you must know that it comes with consequences,’ his father continued.

‘I have raised you to take over my business with your brother, and failure to take up a position at my company after graduation will result in you being disinherited. You will receive no further dividends from our company or be able to draw money from your trust, and you will no longer be welcome in this house.’

‘Father,’ Alexander cautioned. ‘Please.’

But not even his eldest son could stop him, it seemed, and Amalie felt Oskar’s pain radiating from him as he stood behind her. She wished to comfort him, but knew that it wouldn’t help matters for her to touch him in front of his father.

‘And if I agree to join the company after graduation?’ Oskar asked. ‘After my wedding to Amalie?’

‘There will be no wedding. Amalie,’ his father said, turning to her, ‘I will write you a cheque today so that you can return home to your family. It will be enough for you and the child to live comfortably, on the condition that you are never to contact my son again, and never to divulge his involvement with you.’

Amalie froze. Part of her wondered just how much she was worth, how little the father of the man she loved thought he could pay her to make her walk away.

‘If your son doesn’t want to marry me,’ she said, summoning all her bravery, ‘then I will walk away. I don’t want your money.’

She saw Alexander from the corner of her eye pouring another drink, but it was he who consumed this one.

‘You have a choice to make, Oskar,’ his father said, taking his seat at the table again, calm now as if he’d asked his son to fetch him something rather than threatening to disinherit him. ‘Now please excuse me while I have my lunch in peace.’

Amalie jumped when Oskar slammed his fist on the table between her place setting and his father’s.

It was his brother who came round to her and pulled out her seat, offering her his arm and escorting her from the room.

It was Alexander who took a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her for her tears.

‘They’re at loggerheads now, but it will all blow over,’ he said, his voice low.

‘I don’t believe you,’ she said, dabbing her cheeks and the corners of her eyes. ‘I just don’t understand why they hate me so much. Oskar and I make each other so happy. All I want is to be his wife.’

Oskar burst through the door then and folded her into his arms. She inhaled the scent of him, holding him tight as his brother stepped away.

‘Oskar, I want you to listen to me,’ Alexander said. ‘If you intend to marry, then do it quietly. Take Amalie away from here and give them time to come to terms with the situation. A grandchild will change everything, once it’s born, and they’ll eventually soften to the idea.’

Amalie looked between the two brothers, her heart melting as they embraced. She’d been wrong to fear meeting Alexander—despite the parents who’d raised them, or perhaps in spite of it, they were both kind men with big hearts.

‘If you need money, anything at all, you let me know,’ Alexander said. ‘You know I’d never turn my back on you.’

She stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

Oskar and his brother clasped hands, before Oskar put his arm around her and walked her to the door.

Less than an hour later, they sat on a park bench near his family’s home, her head to his shoulder as they watched a family picnic, the children running around with a kite that was soaring high in the sky.

‘I can’t ask you to do this for me,’ Amalie said. ‘They’re your family.’

‘You haven’t asked me,’ Oskar replied, touching his head to hers. ‘This is my decision, and one I want to make. You’re my family now, Amalie. You and our baby.’

‘Then what do we do now?’ she asked. ‘My father told me not to come home until I was married. He doesn’t want a scandal, and—’

‘Amalie, I’m not sending you home,’ he said. ‘We have friends in London, and I want you to go there and wait for me. I’ll join you by the end of the month, but I need to get some things in order first.’

‘You want me to go ahead without you?’ She couldn’t disguise the tremble in her voice. ‘To another country?’

‘I need to know you’re safe and settled, and I think it’s best if we have a fresh start there. We can get married as soon as I join you, and I can arrange a transfer to a university there. I still want to finish my degree, and after that we can figure out what to do next.’

She breathed deeply. ‘If that’s what you want, then I’ll go. But promise you’ll come quickly. I don’t like the thought of being alone for long.’

She kept her head on his shoulder as he kissed her hair. ‘We’re going to have a wonderful life together, whether my parents approve or not,’ he murmured. ‘And my friends are lovely, I promise you they’ll welcome you with open arms. I’ll write to them today.’

Amalie had always been reluctant to believe in promises, but Oskar had given her no reason to doubt him. Everything he’d promised so far had come true.

And she knew that in that moment, she’d have agreed to move halfway around the world if Oskar had asked her to, if it meant they could be together.