Page 89 of The Missing Pages

“Are you suggesting what I think you are?” Violet had taken the letter back from Theo.

“Well, how likely is it that your grandmother would be given a book that’s the only thing connecting her to her birth mother, which has the same doodle and the same initials as this letter?”

Violet struggled to process what he was saying. “You really think my grandmother Helen could be Harry and Ada’s child?”

Theo shrugged. “I mean, yes, it sounds absolutely crazy, but so do all the weird things happening to you in the library. Maybe it’s what you suspected all along… that Harry wanted you to know.”

“I’m not following what’s going on here,” Ms. Elderkin interrupted them. “You think there’s something in these letters that connects you to the Widener family?”

Violet felt herself grow pale. “I mean… possibly. I really don’t know for sure.”

“What was your grandmother’s birthdate, Vi?”

“January 5th, 1913.”

Theo did a quick calculation in his head. “That’s nine months after the Titanic went down. Come on, it’s totally possible.”

“First things first, we need to see if we can find your grandma Helen’s original birth certificate.

Maybe her birth mother named Harry on it…

” Theo’s head was racing thinking that maybe Violet was soon going to see her entire life transformed as a possible heir to the Widener fortune.

“Oh my god, this is like the craziest story ever. A Christmas miracle!” He clapped his hands together.

“Slow down,” Violet said. “This is all going way too fast.” She looked at Ms. Elderkin. “Who actually owns these letters? The church?”

Ms. Elderkin shrugged her shoulders. “The church bought all of the existing furniture and contents of Lynnewood Hall when they purchased the property. So legally we do, I suspect. But we would want to do the right thing and donate it to the Widener archives, I would think.” She stood up a little straighter.

“I’ll need to speak with my superiors and get back to you on that. ”

“Tell me the name again of the place you remember your grandmother was adopted from,” Theo asked when they got back into the car.

“All that I know is that her adoption was arranged through St. Joseph’s Orphan Asylum. She mentioned that detail quite a few times to me.”

“Okay, so we need to go over there and check if they still have your grandmother’s birth certificate on file.”

Violet was relieved Theo had his wits about him and was making all the decisions. Her head was still spinning trying to process everything that had just happened.

“Aren’t those kinds of documents sealed or something?”

“I doubt it. It’s been eighty years. It’s probably just considered a historical document at this point.”

Violet turned on the car’s ignition. The morning snow had vanished, and now Lynnewood Hall’s driveway was just slick melted slush.

“Do we go home and call them first?” she asked through the hum of the car’s engine starting.

“No, we go straight there now,” he said. “My parents want me home tonight, and I need to be there when you find out.”