Page 69 of The Lost Story of Sofia Castello
EPILOGUE
PORTUGAL, AUGUST 2000
The tide is out, and the sky is streaked copper and pink from the setting sun. I stroll over to the rock pools and plonk myself down on the sand. I smile as I look down at the driftwood bangle on my tanned wrist and the words Gabriel carved into it: ‘ Is that so? ’ book-ended by two hearts. A sudden breeze ruffles my hair, and I turn to see my dream daughter skipping across the beach towards me. I feel a pang of sorrow at what I know I must do.
‘I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to be your mum,’ I whisper as I picture her coming and sitting cross-legged on the rock beside me. ‘And thank you so much for coming to see me, but now I need to carry on, on my own.’ I start to well up and close my eyes.
When I open them again, she’s gone, but I see a flicker of colour on the rock where she’d been sitting. I wipe my tears away and realise that it’s a butterfly. Its wings are the same shade of red as my dream daughter’s hair, and I smile through my tears as it takes off into the air. Watching it go, I feel a burst of joy.
The past few months have undoubtedly been challenging, but they’ve been the equivalent of me squeezing through a tiny crack in the chrysalis. They’ve given me the strength to finally fly free from the past and into my future – a future beyond my wildest dreams.
Tomorrow, Jane will send out a press release, announcing the imminent publication of Sofia’s book. It’s being published by the same house that published Sir Lawrence’s autobiography and they’ve somehow managed to keep the whole thing under wraps throughout the editorial process, with only a handful of staff working on it at breakneck speed and in top secret. Tomorrow, the whole world will discover that Sofia Castello is alive after all, and they’ll finally get to learn her untold story and the story of her and Sir Lawrence Bourne. Their love story.
I smile as I think of all that’s happened since our infamous lunch at the Savoy. That same afternoon, Sir Lawrence took us to meet his friend from his SOE days, who confirmed that Emilio had indeed been responsible for letting the Germans know Sofia would be on the plane. Sofia and Lawrence then went on to London Bridge to commemorate the anniversary of their first meeting together. Gabriel had been a little wary about letting Sofia go off on her own, but after she’d told him in no uncertain terms that she’d still be able to ‘fillet a man like a fish’ if need be, he acquiesced. The talent for menacing fish metaphors runs deep in that family.
Gabriel and I spent the evening creating some special London memories of our own and now 8 May is an anniversary for us too, marking the day that we officially became a couple.
The next morning, when we came down for breakfast in the hotel hand in hand, we found Sofia and Sir Lawrence draped all over each other at a table in the corner, and they’ve remained inseparable ever since. As Sir Lawrence movingly put it, ‘We have so much lost time to make up for and not a lot of time left to do it.’ I only hope that with all the furore the book is bound to cause they’re able to do so in peace. Sofia has recorded an interview with Jane to be released alongside the book, and as soon as the announcement is made tomorrow, she and Lawrence will be escaping to his private bolthole in the Bahamas.
Of course, they’re not the only ones whose lives will be changed tomorrow. Sofia and Jane have insisted that my name be on the cover of the book as the co-author. Jane reckons that this will have publishers clamouring to sign me, and I’ll be able to write my own books again. Part of me is excited at the prospect, another part slightly jaded at the fickle nature of the business. Whatever, I’m going to take my time and wait and see if the muse strikes me.
As well as being credited as co-author, Jane and Sofia have ensured that I get a fifty per cent share of the advance and the royalties, meaning I can afford to take my time before deciding what to do next – or, rather, what to do after my trip to Brazil with Gabriel. Spending time in Portugal has sparked a real wanderlust in me, and I’m craving my next adventure. And the thought of adventuring with someone who makes me feel so seen and loved and makes me laugh so much has been the equivalent of taking a power hose to my relationship with Robin and blasting away all the painful memories. As Sofia once told me, sometimes the things that seem like the end of the world are actually the prologue for something truly delightful, so it makes zero sense to feel bitter. If anything, all I feel now is thankful that, to quote Gabriel, Robin is ‘slithery as a bucket of fish bait’.
Taking one last look at the sea, I stand up and begin walking back to the cottage, where Gabriel, Sofia, Lawrence and Jane are all waiting for me.
My new family.
***
Did Sofia and Lily’s gripping tale break your heart and then put it back together again? You’ll love The Paris Network ! When Jeanne uncovers a dusty old box in her father’s garage, her world as she knows it is turned upside down. She has inherited a bookstore just outside of Paris from a woman she has never heard of... As Jeanne pieces together Laurence’s incredible story, she discovers a woman whose bravery knew no bounds. But the truth about who Laurence really is will change everything...
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