January 2014

Edinburgh, Scotland

 

By the time Quinn and Gabe finally got to their destination, a winter twilight settled over the city, casting the skyline in a lovely shade of lavender. It was colder than it had been in London, a dusting of snow blanketing open areas and silvering tree branches. Gabe parked the car and looked up at the light spilling from the first-floor windows. Emma was behind those windows, but they had to attend to business first and see Mr. Lennox in his ground-floor office. Quinn reached out for Gabe’s hand, squeezing it in a gesture of support. His hand was freezing cold. He was nervous.

“Come, let’s get this done,” he said and walked toward the stone steps leading up to the door.

A young woman let them in and asked them to wait while she informed Mr. Lennox that his next appointment was there. Quinn glanced around the office. It was comfortable, somewhat old-fashioned, and completely devoid of any artifice, much like the man himself. When Mr. Lennox came out to greet them, Quinn instantly warmed to him. He was an older man, possibly in his mid-fifties, dressed in a pair of charcoal-gray corduroys paired with a comfortable woolen cardigan over a white shirt. He wore a tie, but still looked relaxed and casual. He was of average height, with sandy hair, warm brown eyes, and a friendly smile. Mr. Lennox introduced himself and shook their hands, treating them like old friends.

“Do come into my office. Would you like a cup of tea? Or perhaps something a wee bit stronger?”

“Tea please,” Gabe replied. Drinking hard liquor before meeting his little girl for the first time would not be the best idea, nor would it give Mr. Lennox a very good impression of him. Mr. Lennox must have anticipated Gabe’s answer because a tea tray appeared moments later, brought in by the assistant who let them in earlier. She poured out three cups and left as quietly as she had come. Gabe didn’t touch his tea, but Quinn added a splash of milk and took a sip. She always found the act of making and drinking tea soothing, and, at the moment, the warmth of the teacup in her hands was pleasantly calming. Mr. Lennox, who took his time adding sugar and milk to his tea, drank deeply, then turned back to Gabe, who was waiting patiently for the tea ceremony to end.

“I know you must be very anxious to meet Emma, but we have a few documents to go over and some papers for you to sign. I will need a picture I.D., Dr. Russell. Just a formality, you understand.”

Gabe handed over his passport, which looked well-used and had numerous stamps from all the places Gabe had visited in the last few years. Mr. Lennox studied the photo, then nodded and handed the document back, satisfied. “Now then, I have some documents here pertaining to Emma. Here’s her birth certificate, her passport, and a copy of her medical file. I also took the liberty of including this photo album. I thought you might wish to see it, and Emma will certainly need a keepsake once she’s older. There are several pictures of Jenna and Emma. You might wish to remove them, but I think Emma will want to have pictures of her mother.”

Gabe accepted the album, but didn’t look at it, setting it aside instead. Keeping his nervousness in check was hard enough without looking at baby snaps of Emma with her mother. Seeing them together, happy and utterly unaware of what was in store for them both, would probably undo him on the spot. Mr. Lennox clearly anticipated Gabe’s reaction because he continued without pause, moving on to the next order of business.

“Dr. Russell, I hadn’t mentioned this on the telephone, but there’s something else we need to discuss. After Emma was born, Jenna made a new Will and Testament. Her husband left her very comfortably off, and she had several investments and properties of her own, which she inherited from her father, who was divorced from her mother at the time of his death. Jenna left everything to you.”

“What? Why would she do that? She hardly knew me,” Gabe replied, earning himself a stern look from Mr. Lennox. Jenna clearly knew him well enough to have a child with him, the look said very eloquently, so Gabe’s sentiments were unworthy. They diminished the relationship and made Jenna’s judgment appear less than sound.

“Jenna had no close relatives besides her mother, who is now deceased, and she probably wished for you to keep the legacy in trust for Emma.”

“Did she create a trust?” Gabe asked.

“No. She left it to your discretion. The most valuable asset is Jenna’s house here in Edinburgh. The mortgage is fully paid off, so you needn’t worry about making payments. You can put the house on the market, if you wish, or you can let it to tenants. I can make the arrangements for you, if you are so inclined. There’s no rush to make any decisions. I don’t suppose you’d consider moving to Edinburgh?” Mr. Lennox asked, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Ah, no. My life is in London, Mr. Lennox.”

“Of course. Just a thought. We have several fine institutions that could benefit from your expertise, and yours, of course, Dr. Allenby.” Mr. Lennox included Quinn in his smile before returning to the documents spread out before him, leafing through the pages.

“Mr. Lennox, if we are finished here…” Gabe muttered.

“Of course, of course. You’re eager to meet Emma. I just need your signature here and here, and we are done.”

“Kelly, if you’ll just close up for the night,” Mr. Lennox called out to his assistant as he locked away the file, handed Gabe his copies, and reached for his briefcase, ready to leave. “It’s just upstairs. Very convenient, having an office so close to home. No commute,” he joked as he led the way.

Gabe and Quinn followed Mr. Lennox up the stairs. A delicious smell wafted from beneath the door. Mr. Lennox inhaled deeply and smiled. “Mari made shepherd’s pie. I do hope you’ll join us for supper. You must be hungry after the long drive.”

“Thank you,” Quinn replied, seeing as Gabe was incapable of speech. His eyes were glued to the door, which opened at the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

“There you are. Come in,” Mari Lennox exclaimed, opening the door wider to let them in. “Emma and I have been waiting for you, haven’t we, pet?”

Emma, who was sitting on the floor, carefully set down the piece of Lego she was holding and looked up at the two strangers who were staring at her in silent awe. She seemed a bit frightened, her eyes huge in her face as she regarded them solemnly. She looked just as she did in the picture, only more vulnerable somehow.

“Won’t you say hello, love?” Mrs. Lennox prompted.

“Hello,” Emma whispered.

“Hello, Emma. My name is Quinn, and this is Gabe,” Quinn said since Gabe remained mute. “We came all the way from London to see you.”

“Do you know the Queen?” Emma asked.

“Not personally, but I hear she’s quite nice,” Quinn replied. She elbowed Gabe in the ribs, in an effort to get him to speak.

“What are you building?” Gabe asked. His voice sounded shaky, but he managed a quivering smile.

“It’s a castle with a tower,” Emma replied proudly.

“Is the tower to watch for the enemy?” Gabe asked, taking a step closer.

“No, it’s for the princess. It’s got the best view,” Emma explained, pointing to something just in front of the castle. It was hard to tell what it was since there was a pile of small pieces of different colors littering the carpet.

“Right. Of course. Great view,” Gabe mumbled, making Mrs. Lennox guffaw with laughter.

“Is there a prince?” Gabe tried again.

“Well, of course there is. Who else is going to rescue the princess?” Emma asked matter-of-factly. She held up the plastic prince in one hand and the princess in the other. “They are going to kiss,” she announced and demonstrated, making a loud “mwah” sound.

“Are they in love then?” Gabe asked, warming up to the subject.

“Yes, but they haven’t met yet. The prince has to kiss the princess to wake her from a sleeping spell.”

“Right, silly me,” Gabe replied with a smile. Emma was talking to him, which was a step in the right direction.

“Mari made shepherd’s pie,” she announced. “My grandma used to make it sometimes. She died,” Emma whispered. Her mood changed dramatically, her eyes filling with tears at the mention of her grandmother. “I miss my mum,” she said.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Quinn said, stepping in. “Gabe used to know your mum.”

“Did you?” Emma asked, looking at Gabe with new interest. “Did you love her?”

“Yes,” Gabe answered without a moment’s hesitation. “I loved her very much.”

“Did she tell you about me?”

“I’m sure she meant to, but we hadn’t spoken in a long time. She was very busy.”

Emma nodded wisely, as if she understood how busy grown-ups could be. “I’m hungry,” she said.

“Let’s wash your hands, pet. Quinn and Gabe will join us for tea. What do you think of that?” Mrs. Lennox asked, her tone jovial. Emma shrugged, as if she didn’t care one way or the other.

Quinn risked a peek at Gabe. His eyes followed Emma, and Quinn could see the beginnings of panic in his gaze. Emma had no idea that he was her father, nor would she simply go off with them without a second thought. She felt safe and comfortable with Mari Lennox, which was saying a lot of a child who’d just lost her two closest family members.

“Have you got a place to stay for the night?” Mrs. Lennox asked when she returned and settled Emma at the table. Mr. Lennox had mentioned that they could stay in Jenna McAllister’s house since it now belonged to Gabe, but they’d declined.

“Yes, we booked a room,” Quinn replied as she took a seat opposite Emma, who was watching her intently.

“I think Emma will need a few days,” Mari said quietly as she served Emma and poured her a glass of milk.

“A few days for what?” Emma asked as she lifted a fork to her mouth.

“A few days to make friends with Quinn and Gabe,” Alastair Lennox chimed in.

“They are too old to be my friends. Besides, I already have friends. I want to go back to school. I miss Lucy, and I miss my room. I want to go home,” Emma added sulkily.

“Will you have that drink now?” Alastair asked as he surveyed Gabe’s look of dismay.

“Yes, I think I will.”

**

Quinn felt overwhelming sympathy for Gabe as he tossed his coat over a chair, kicked off his shoes, and collapsed on the bed with a groan of misery. “That went well,” he mumbled as Quinn snuggled next to him. The meeting with Emma hadn’t been a resounding success, but it hadn’t gone badly, in her opinion, and she intended to talk Gabe out of his sour mood.

“Come now. Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” Quinn said, but tempered her words with a tender kiss so as not to hurt Gabe’s feelings. “That went as well as could be expected. Did you think that Emma would throw herself into your arms and call you ‘Daddy’? She’s never set eyes on you before. Give her time. Make friends with the princess and learn to build Lego castles — that’s what dads do. She’ll come around. Perhaps we should stop by Jenna’s house and pick up some of Emma’s things for her new room. She’ll want her things around her. I actually think that putting a framed picture of her mother in her bedroom would be a nice idea.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Gabe replied, already feeling better. He’d never been one for sulking, and having something to focus on helped him feel a bit more in control of the situation. “Perhaps one of the pictures from the photo album, or maybe there’s already a good photo at the house. We’ll have a look tomorrow. Do you think it would be a good idea to bring Emma with us?”

“No, it might be painful for her, but maybe we should take her to the nursery school and let her spend some time with her friends. She’s been cooped up with Mari since Jenna died, and it can’t have been much fun for her.”

Gabe nodded. “I had no idea you were so knowledgeable about children. Perhaps we should start one of our own. Right now!” Quinn giggled as Gabe rolled on top of her and pinned down her wrists, kissing her tenderly. He was still smiling, but she could see a shadow of desire in his eyes as the kiss turned more passionate. Quinn wrapped her legs around Gabe’s waist and kissed him back, glad that he was in better spirits.

“Maybe not at this very minute, but you can never have too much practice,” she said when Gabe finally came up for air. “I think one child at a time is a good plan.”