Page 9 of The Hidden Daughter (The Lost Daughters #7)

PRESENT DAY

Charlotte glanced at her grandmother as she pulled out into the traffic. It had been a long day, and she felt more confused than ever. At the very least it had stopped her from worrying about her father, but now her mind was spinning with information.

‘I can’t stop thinking about the way her face lit up,’ Charlotte said. ‘When she spoke about Oskar, it was as if she were a young girl again, don’t you think? I’ve never seen her like that.’

Her grandmother glanced back at her as she stopped for a traffic light.

‘I thought the same. It was as if she reverted to a younger version of herself while she was talking about the past, but I think that’s what makes older people happy, thinking about their younger years.

Maybe it’s one of those memories that’s stayed with her, while others have been forgotten.

Or perhaps he was her great true love, and she’s kept him hidden all this time. ’

‘But if that’s true, then who is this Oskar? And why haven’t we heard about him before? How has she kept him secret her entire life until now?’

‘Honestly, I don’t know what to think. Part of me wonders if she’s confused, but then the look in her eyes…’ Her grandma sighed. ‘Maybe I just don’t want to imagine a reality where my father wasn’t the love of her life. It’s hard to hear, even without him being here.’

‘For what’s it worth, I don’t think she’s confused,’ Charlotte said.

She’d always been honest and up front with her grandmother, and even though it might be difficult to face, she had to say it.

‘She was so lucid and emotional, and it seemed to be a memory that hasn’t left her even after all these years.

What I don’t understand is why it had to stay hidden, or who she was referring to when she said it was supposed to stay a secret.

Who would have asked that of her? Oskar? ’

‘But if this Oskar was her great love, then what does that say about my father?’ Charlotte’s grandmother asked. ‘If the date on the photo is correct, then she married my father the year after she met this Oskar, and she became pregnant with me immediately, which means…’

Charlotte heard the sadness in her grandmother’s voice. It wasn’t an easy thing to find out a secret about a parent; she knew that first hand.

‘Right now, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a memory being shared,’ Charlotte said, patting her grandmother’s hand.

‘Other than to say that Amalie might have had two great loves, it doesn’t mean she wasn’t in love with her husband.

We don’t know that. Perhaps Oskar was just a summer fling, after all? ’

But as she shifted slightly to stare out of the window, Charlotte was wondering herself just what other secrets Amalie was hiding, about the life she’d had before she was married, about secrets that had been kept now for decades.

And she also found herself impatient to go back the following day to hear more of Amalie’s story.

The nurse had told them not to push too hard for answers, to remember how tired Amalie would be after talking for so long; but Charlotte had a feeling her great-grandmother wanted to keep talking, and with her health deteriorating so quickly, they didn’t have long to find out everything they could about the mysterious Oskar.

Or how Amalie’s connection to him had led her to leave behind a mysterious box of secrets.

‘Did you see her face when she held that little box?’ Charlotte realised they were outside her grandmother’s house already.

‘I did. It was as if someone had breathed life back into her lungs,’ Charlotte replied. ‘That’s what I thought, too.’

Charlotte’s only regret about the afternoon was that they’d had to leave the box behind at the respite hospital, rather than taking it home with them.

Amalie’s fingers had tightened around it, and even in sleep her grip had been firm, which meant that neither of them had had the heart to prise it from her hand.

They’d also left the ring on her finger, not wanting to upset her by trying to take it off.

‘I think we should go back tomorrow afternoon,’ her grandmother said, as they both reached into the back seat for the groceries they’d bought on the way home.

‘I have this horrible feeling that she might lose consciousness before we hear the whole story, and that I might have to spend the rest of my days wrestling with it, trying to figure it all out.’

‘Then we will. After my meeting, we’ll both go back and see if she can’t tell us the rest of her story. I have a sense she’ll be ready to tell it the moment we walk in the door.’

‘You’re feeling okay about your interview tomorrow?’ her grandmother asked. ‘Is there anything I can do?’

Charlotte grinned. ‘Let me cook for you tonight. It’s the best way for me to settle my nerves.’

Her grandmother met her around the front of the car, looping her arm through hers and standing on tiptoes to press a kiss to her cheek. ‘I’ll take every meal and every moment with you, Lotte. It’s so good to have you home.’

Charlotte clasped her grandmother’s hand, keeping her close and touching her head to hers. I’m happy I’m home, too, Grandma.

It had been too long, and no matter what happened with the job interview or what they discovered from Amalie, Charlotte knew that she could never leave it so long again.

It would break her heart to think that something could have happened to her grandmother and she might never have seen her again.

Seeing Amalie had made her understand just how quickly a loved one could deteriorate.

This is home. No matter how hard it is, no matter what’s happened in the past, this is home and always will be.

By the time of Charlotte’s late morning appointment, she’d already run through her old neighbourhood, showered, made breakfast for her grandmother and had time to walk part of the city.

As much as she’d have loved to sleep in, rising early and making the most of her morning was as much a part of her as cooking was.

It also meant that she’d had plenty of time to prepare.

The hotel was magnificent, and Charlotte couldn’t help but appreciate the modern architecture.

In London, she’d loved the history of the buildings and admired it all, but this was contemporary design at its finest, built close to the water and somehow looking as if it had always been there.

It managed to blend modern with classic, and she could only imagine how stunning it would look lit up at night, and how popular it would become with tourists visiting the city.

She approached the door, noticing the closed sign but pushing it open anyway.

Daniel had told her to come straight in and that someone would take her to the restaurant, and once she was inside, she could see that it was a hive of activity, with furniture being moved and people coming and going.

There was even an enormous chandelier-style light being hung in the foyer, with someone down below calling out instructions.

‘It would be so exciting to be part of something so new and vibrant,’ she whispered to herself.

‘I’m sorry?’

Charlotte jumped when a man with a British accent spoke, laughing at herself and shaking her head. ‘It’s me who’s sorry, I was talking to myself. I’m told it’s the first sign of madness.’

The man standing beside Charlotte was tall, almost half a head taller than her, and he had thick, dark brown hair and eyes just a few shades lighter.

He was dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt, with worn boots, and he had a jacket slung over his arm, and it occurred to her that he was very casually dressed for an employee.

Although on second thoughts, he might have just been there looking for someone, the same as her. She wasn’t sure.

‘May I give you directions?’ he asked. ‘The hotel is still closed to the general public, but you have that look about you as if you’re trying to find someone.’

So she’d been right about him working here. ‘I’m looking for Daniel,’ she said. ‘He said one of the hotel staff members would show me where to go, so thank you.’

‘Happy to be of service,’ he replied, giving her a half-smile that was hard to read, before pointing to the far corner. ‘Daniel is straight through there, in the restaurant. Just be careful, there’s a lot happening today with all the finishing touches taking place.’

‘Thank you,’ she replied.

Charlotte began walking again, glancing over her shoulder at the handsome man who’d helped her and wondering who he was.

She guessed he could be a manager or even one of the concierges.

But she didn’t have long to wonder, because the moment she stepped into the restaurant, Daniel was on his feet and coming over to greet her.

‘Charlotte! Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me.’

She returned the air kiss to her cheek and clasped his hand in return. ‘I’d forgotten how much I missed it here, so I think it’s me who has to thank you. There’s nothing quite like coming home.’

‘Well, whatever the reason, I’m happy to have you here in Oslo.

I know you’d be perfect as our executive chef, and although you weren’t involved in the design of the kitchen or restaurant, you would have full creative control over the menu if you were to accept our offer.

I have complete trust in your ability to deliver the very best in modern cuisine for our guests. ’

‘There’s already an offer?’ she asked, her lips twisting into a smile as she sat where Daniel gestured. ‘I was under the impression that this was just a conversation, but you appear to have jumped straight in at the deep end.’