Quinn wrapped a scarf about her neck, grabbed her purse, and followed Gabe out the door into the frigid January morning. At least the sun was out, which was something, given the weather they’d had over the past few days. It had been dreary and cold, the damp seeping into the bones, and the chill radiating from the inside out. Gabe would drop her off at the mortuary on his way to the office, and they would meet up later at Gabe’s flat.
“Did you take your mobile?” Quinn asked, amused by Gabe’s absent-mindedness. A week without his phone nearly undid him, despite the fact that she had hers and there was a telephone in their room at the inn.
“Got it,” Gabe replied, patting his pocket. “I’ve had a dozen missed calls from Scotland and a message from an attorney in Edinburgh. He said it’s urgent that I return his call.”
“Do you know anyone in Edinburgh?” Quinn asked as she settled into the Jag and turned up the heat.
Gabe shrugged. “I know a few other academics, but no one who’d call me on my mobile. They would contact me through the Institute or via email. I can’t imagine what this is about. I’ll ring him when I get to the office. Perhaps he has the wrong Gabriel Russell.”
“Well, I’ve had a message from Sylvia,” Quinn confessed, noting Gabe’s askance look. “She said that Jude is just about finished with his tour and should be back in London in a few weeks. She’d like to have me round for dinner so that I can finally meet the boys.”
“You don’t seem pleased,” Gabe remarked as he swung the car out of the drive.
“I’ve dreamed of having siblings since I was a little girl, but siblings have things in common, having grown up in the same household. Even if they are as different as night and day, they still share childhood experiences and memories. Logan and Jude never even heard of me until about a month ago. They’re strangers to me, as I am to them. I’m a little nervous about meeting them. They might resent my intrusion into their lives.”
“I’m sure they’ll love you,” Gabe said, giving her hand a squeeze.
“But what if I don’t love them? What if we have nothing in common and sit there in awkward silence? That’s worse than having no siblings at all.”
“Quinn, no family is perfect, and few siblings have the close, uncomplicated relationship that you envision. There’s always resentment, rivalry, long-festering hurts, and ongoing arguments.”
“How would you know? You’re an only child,” Quinn chuckled.
“But my mum is one of five. Not a single family gathering goes by without someone exhuming the past and rehashing their grievances ad nauseam. I think my mum and Aunt Janice enjoy bickering. It’s the bedrock of their relationship.”
“Do her brothers join in?” Quinn asked, curious about the family dynamic.
“They have their own established pattern, but they goad each other just as much as their sisters.”
“Will you come with me to meet my brothers?” Quinn asked, feeling slightly more optimistic.
“Of course. I’m curious to meet them myself. Will you be inviting the Wyatts to our wedding?”
“Oh Lord, I haven’t thought of that. I can’t imagine that Mum and Dad would feel comfortable knowing that Sylvia would be there.”
“So, you’ve finally told them?” Gabe asked. Quinn had picked up the phone a dozen times to call her parents to tell them about finding her birth mother, but every time she set the phone back down, unprepared for the conversation that was to follow. She knew it would hurt her parents, and she wished to spare them the pain, despite knowing that at some point she’d finally have to tell them the truth, especially since they would be coming for the wedding. It was easy to hold off, since her parents had retired to Spain a few years ago and were happily living in Marbella, but Quinn couldn’t stall forever.
“Yes, I called them just before we left for Dunwich. It wasn’t a very long conversation.”
“What did they say?” Gabe asked as he eased off the gas. Traffic was building up as they got closer to London proper.
“Not much, which is exactly how I know they are upset. Normally, they would ask a million questions and savor every detail, but they both got quiet and then said they had to go; they were meeting someone for lunch. Mum said she was happy for me, which, in essence, means that she’s not happy for herself.”
“They are just feeling a bit insecure. They’ve had you all to themselves for thirty years, and now your biological mother is a part of your life, and they can’t help wondering if your feelings toward them might change.”
Quinn threw Gabe a look of pure incredulity. “You seriously think that I will love my parents less because I finally met Sylvia?”
“I don’t think that, but they might. They feel threatened, especially since she’s an unknown quantity. Give them time. They’ll come round.”
“I hope so,” Quinn mumbled as she tried to picture a meeting between her mother and Sylvia Wyatt. The two women were so different. Quinn hadn’t thought of it before, but now that she imagined both her mothers in the same room, an unbidden thought popped into her head: Sylvia is not the type of woman you trust with your husband.