Page 48 of The Hidden Daughter (The Lost Daughters #7)

SIX MONTHS LATER

Charlotte couldn’t believe they were actually there, and the Sognefjord was even more magical than she’d remembered it to be. She and Harrison walked hand in hand along the grass, staring out at the water, before turning back to admire the sprawling hotel behind them.

‘This is where the photo was taken,’ she said, retrieving Amalie’s battered photo from her pocket and holding it up for them to study. ‘I can almost imagine them sitting there, waiting for someone to click and take the picture. Perhaps a guest or someone else who worked here?’

Harrison slid his arm around her, and they stood for a long time, just admiring the scenery together in silence.

They’d both been so looking forward to the trip, but it was certainly an emotional one for both of them.

Charlotte had her great-grandmother Amalie’s ashes with her to spread around the fjord before they left, and Harrison was remembering his wife on their anniversary, something Charlotte knew that he always found harder to cope with on the date of her passing than at any other time during the year.

‘Are you thinking about her now?’ Charlotte asked gently, her head still on his shoulder.

‘Yes.’ She heard the emotion in his voice and knew that if he hadn’t already shed a tear, he would soon. ‘Does that make you feel uncomfortable?’

She lifted her head to hug him, her chest to his heart. ‘Not at all. If Amalie’s story has taught me anything, it’s that it’s possible to love more than one person in a lifetime. I don’t ever want you to think you’re being unfaithful to me by still loving Elly.’

‘It’s hard sometimes to imagine that I’ll never see her again, but at the same time the only place I want to be is right here with you,’ he said, his voice gravelly. ‘It makes no sense when I say it out loud, but both things are somehow true.’

Charlotte continued to hold him, needing the contact as much as he did.

But she’d been truthful with him—his love for his wife didn’t upset her; if anything, it made her love and respect him all the more.

And she’d learnt that no matter how he was feeling about the past, it didn’t mean he didn’t want her in his future.

‘Come on,’ Charlotte said, sighing as she grudgingly let go of him. ‘I could stand like this all day with you, but I have a surprise for you.’

Coming to the picturesque hotel at Sognefjord where Amalie’s story had begun had been Harrison’s idea, but Charlotte had known what would make it perfect, and as they walked hand in hand back towards the hotel, two familiar figures ran down the steps towards them.

‘You didn’t.’

She laughed. ‘I did. We couldn’t come away on your anniversary trip without your best friends, now could we?’

Harrison grabbed hold of her and gave her a big kiss, twirling her around in his arms before greeting his friends. Their smiles stretched from ear to ear, and Charlotte knew without a doubt that she’d done the right thing in inviting them.

‘Thank you,’ he said, just before Louisa threw her arms around him, followed by a handshake and backslap from Luke.

Louisa quickly turned to Charlotte, enveloping her in a long hug. ‘You’re the best. I honestly don’t know if I could have coped not seeing Harrison this weekend.’

‘As far as I’m concerned it’s a tradition we’ll always share together,’ Charlotte said. ‘I’ll never ask him to stop celebrating the life he had with Elly, and I’m just grateful that you’ve let me be a part of it.’

‘Is it just me, or is there nowhere as magnificent as this on earth?’ Louisa asked as they all turned and stood together, admiring the sparkling blue water and the endless stretches of wilderness that went as far as the eye could see.

‘It is,’ Charlotte said. ‘When I first saw it as a girl, I knew I’d never see anything like it again, no matter where I travelled in the world.’

‘I propose we head inside for drinks and lunch,’ Luke said, waving them back towards the hotel.

But when everyone else turned, Charlotte stayed.

‘You okay?’ Harrison asked.

‘I’m great, I just…’ She smiled up at him. ‘Would you mind if I spent a few minutes out here on my own?’

Harrison didn’t need to be asked twice; it was the nice thing about the way they were together, and he dropped a kiss to her forehead before following his friends.

She watched them go for a minute before walking closer to the water and staring out at the fjord, remembering Amalie’s words as she’d described her time there with Oskar, knowing that it was time to scatter her ashes.

Charlotte closed her eyes and inhaled the crisp air, seeing them in her mind, imagining what their life was like the summer they’d shared together.

What they’d been through when all they wanted was each other.

When she opened her eyes and blinked, she knew that if there was one thing she wanted to do while she was here, it was to float in the water with Harrison just as Amalie had with Oskar.

The thought made her smile, and as she looked out at the water again, watching the way the sun sparkled across it, she had the most serene sense of calm wash over her.

It was time to let go of the past and trust in love and family.

She was no longer going to live in fear, or worry about what had come before.

Charlotte was ready to live life, and as she turned to walk back to the hotel and saw Harrison standing by the door watching her, she knew that she was, somehow, exactly where she was supposed to be.

She had a job she loved, a man who adored her, and an entire lifetime to look forward to with him, not to mention an apartment with both of their names on the lease in Oslo that still felt surreal.

Mia hadn’t been lying when she’d said the little box bearing her great-grandmother’s name might just change her life.

It was on the last day of their holiday when Charlotte thought of Mia again.

She’d intended on sending her a message months ago to let her know what she’d discovered, and promptly forgotten about it.

But earlier that day, she’d decided to send her a quick text to update her on what had happened, and to tell her just how right she’d been about the box having the potential to change her life.

‘You look deep in thought,’ Harrison said, holding out a glass of wine as he came towards her.

It was just the two of them now—the others had left the day before—and they were enjoying their final day before returning to Oslo.

‘Do you remember I told you about Mia? The woman who gave me that little box of clues?’

‘Of course. She was the niece, wasn’t she? She found a handful of the boxes in her aunt’s old house.’

Charlotte nodded and took a sip of her wine, passing her phone to Harrison.

‘I just received this message from her. She was replying to something I sent her this morning.’

Harrison took the phone and she stared at the screen, rereading the message with him.

Your message couldn’t have come at a better time.

So happy it all worked out for you. But I find myself with a favour to ask, and I’m asking it of all seven of you who’ve received boxes.

I need help understanding a clue that Hope left behind, a clue that I think might tell me how she ended up in London all those years ago.

Maybe even how she came to open Hope’s House.

Would you consider helping me figure out what it all means?

Harrison handed her the phone. ‘What do you think?’

‘I think I need to say yes,’ Charlotte said. ‘I mean, without her, you and I wouldn’t have met, I wouldn’t have come back, I—’

Harrison laughed, interrupting her. ‘You don’t have to convince me. I think you should do it.’

‘You do?’

He pulled her close and kissed her. ‘I think we both know how much that little box changed your life, and if you can help someone else…’

Charlotte was already sending her a message back.

Of course. Let me know what I can do. I feel like all of us share a connection, so it would be great to meet.

She stared at her phone, waiting for a reply. It came almost immediately.

Great. I’ll be in touch soon.

Charlotte set down her phone and reached for Harrison, pulling him close. ‘We have about twenty-two hours before we have to leave to go back to reality.’

‘You know, I kind of like our reality, so it’s not the worst thing to imagine,’ he said with a grin. ‘Now that we’re living together, I get you all to myself all the time. But if you have something special in mind…’ His lips hovered over hers.

‘I was thinking about swimming in the fjord,’ she teased, not expecting Harrison to leap up and grab her, running with her in his arms down to the water as she squealed.

He hovered her over the water, before taking a step back and setting her on her feet, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her again instead.

‘I love you, Lotte,’ he whispered. ‘And I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you know it.’

Her lips parted, tilting upwards as his mouth moved on hers, unable to help the smile.

I can see why you loved it here, Amalie. It truly is the most beautiful place in the world.