Page 89 of The Forsaken
“Certainly, I will do that. It would help if I had something to forward to her, as well as your own contact details, if you wish to leave them.”
Quinn sprang to her feet. “I will write her a letter and post it to youforthwith,” she said crisply, using the legal term with great sarcasm. “Thank you for your time.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help.” Mr. Richards uttered the words but clearly didn’t mean them. He’d likely put Quinn out of his mind as soon as they left his office until he received the letter from her.
“I bet you are,” Logan grumbled under his breath as they left the solicitor’s office. “Home?” he asked as they walked toward the playground.
“Home. There’s nothing more to learn here.”
“Is it me, or was he particularly guarded?” Logan asked.
“It wasn’t you. He gave us nothing.”
“Quinn, have you considered the possibility that Quentin might already know?”
Quinn stopped walking and turned to face him. “Know what?”
“Know that she is a twin. Surely, Dr. Ian Crawford saw the news and read the papers, and put two and two together. Two babies, found on the same morning, wrapped in similar blankets, with identical notes attached to the folds. It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to deduce that they might be related.”
Quinn lowered her eyes to the ground. Logan was right. The news had come as a thunderbolt to her, but Quentin might have known about her twin all along. Perhaps she had no interest in finding Quinn, and wouldn’t wish to meet her now. She shook her head. “No, we have to operate on the assumption that Quentin doesn’t know. Karen seemed genuinely surprised. If her parents knew Quentin had a twin, surely Karen would know as well. She was old enough to hear the talk, even if they didn’t tell her directly.”
“I suppose it’s possible that the good doctor only wanted the one baby and had no wish to defend his decision to separate the twins. His wife would have put a kybosh on that adoption right quick if he wanted to adopt both of you.”
“I suppose.” Quinn sighed. “As a student of history, I know that people are always motivated by self-interest, but it still amazes me sometimes how selfish human beings can be. Did no one care about us? About what we might mean to each other? They separated us and gave us away, like a litter of puppies. Even our own mother couldn’t care less about keeping us together.”
“I’m sorry, Quinn. I can only imagine how that knowledge must hurt,” Logan said kindly. “Do you believe in destiny?”
“To some degree. Why?”
“My mother found you by accident. She saw that article about your house being broken into for grave goods. Right?”
“Right.”
“Then you ran into Reverend Seaton at Rhys’s office, having gone there that day on a whim. What were the chances of that happening?”
“Very slim.”
“Perhaps the universe, or destiny, is pushing you toward finding Quentin. You’ve found your birth mother and your natural father in less than a year, after decades of wondering about them. And now you know you have a sister. We might not have a lot to go on, but we’ve gotten further in the past two days than we thought possible. We know something about Quentin and her life after she was abandoned. We have a way to contact her. Perhaps you should just write that letter and take a step back. Let her come to you. I know she will.”
Quinn gave Logan a watery smile. “Even if we never find Quentin, I’m really glad to know you, Logan.”
“Me too, sis.”
FIFTY-FOUR
On the ride back, there was no discussion of what had transpired. Emma would have been full of questions, being permanently attuned to every conversation between the adults, and Quinn needed a little time to process what they’d discovered in Leicester. When Emma was finally in bed, she filled Gabe in on everything she and Logan had learned, and everything they hadn’t.
“Logan is right, Quinn. You’ve made significant strides in the past few days. Be patient. I know it’s hard, but you must allow this situation to play out naturally. The lawyer will pass on your letter, once you’ve written it, and then Quentin will contact you.”
“Sure of that, are you?”
“Very sure. I do think you owe Seth a call.”
“I know. I keep putting it off.”
“Quinn, I know you dread calling him, but he’s your father, and he deserves to know what you’ve discovered. Besides, I’m sure he’s desperate to hear from you. He was so excited to have met you, and so looking forward to becoming a grandfather.”
Quinn nodded but didn’t reply.
