Chapter 2
LONDON, PRESENT DAY
Mia sat at the bar and opened the worn, black leather notebook that she’d found in Hope’s office, just as she had so many times before. She opened it to the middle, a blue ribbon marking the page, and stared at the drawings. It doesn’t matter how many times I stare at them, I still can’t look away.
The trouble was, no matter how many times she ran her eyes over the sketches, she still couldn’t figure out the significance of them, either. If only you’d told someone before you passed away, Hope, instead of keeping everything a secret.
She reached into her bag and took out the small green bottle she’d found four years earlier, as well as the little wooden box, placing them in front of her.
It was all such a mystery, and one that she’d become obsessed with solving, even if she did feel as if she was simply going round and round in circles most days.
Everything about Hope and what she’d left behind continued to baffle her as much today as it had when she’d discovered the clues, but she hadn’t given up—yet.
If anything, she’d felt a renewed interest in finding out more about her elusive great-aunt.
But as confusing as everything was, it was Hope’s connection to the little green bottle that continued to fascinate Mia the most; and why her aunt had so many variations of sketches that all loosely resembled the fairy on the label, too.
She’d never once seen Hope draw when they’d visited her, but if this was indeed her diary, which Mia had every reason to believe it was, then they must have been sketched by her aunt.
She couldn’t think of any other explanation.
‘May I offer you one of our famous cocktails?’
Mia looked up, and into the eyes of a smiling bartender. ‘I haven’t looked at the menu yet, but…’
‘Do you trust me to make you something?’ he asked, flashing her another smile. ‘If you don’t like it, it’s on the house. I promise.’
She laughed, finding it impossible not to smile back at him. It had been a while since anyone had flirted with her, if that’s even what he was doing. He was probably just very good at his job.
‘Sure. Why not.’ She’d arrived half an hour early to meet the girls, so she had plenty of time to sip a cocktail.
Mia watched him as he turned and picked up a cocktail glass, pouring something inside that he swirled around then tipped out.
Once he’d finished, the glass was coated in the most fascinating vivid green, almost as if someone had added food colouring to it, and she stared in wonder as he finished mixing her drink, before nudging it towards her.
‘The magic of absinthe,’ he said with a grin. ‘I’m trying to change people’s perception of it.’
‘Absinthe?’ she repeated. ‘I know I said I’d trust you, but—’
He looked confused. ‘Sorry, when I saw the bottle you were studying, I thought it would be a welcome surprise.’
Mia’s eyebrows shot up. ‘This bottle?’ she asked. ‘You recognise it?’
He rested his elbows on the counter and leaned towards her, hand hovering over the little bottle she’d set in front of her.
‘May I?’
She nodded, even though her instincts were screaming at her not to let anyone touch the precious little keepsake that had once belonged to her great-aunt. But she was curious enough to let him.
‘This,’ he said, carefully turning it over in his hand and looking at it, ‘is most definitely a very old absinthe bottle. It would have been a forbidden substance when it was made, if I’m guessing the era correctly. You have your hands on quite the vintage.’
‘You can tell all this just from looking at a bottle?’ she asked.
‘It was the green fairy that gave it away,’ he said with a shrug. ‘Now are you going to try that cocktail, or just admire how pretty it is? I promise you’ll like it.’
Mia hesitated. It wasn’t something she’d ever particularly wanted to drink before, but she had to admit she was curious, so she took a little sip. It was sweeter than she expected, but she sipped again, finding that the flavour was as unusual as it was delicious.
‘So? What do you think?’
‘I think,’ she said, setting the glass down, ‘that it’s one of the nicest cocktails I’ve ever tried.’
‘You seriously didn’t know what this bottle was?’ he asked.
Mia sighed, feeling stupid that she herself hadn’t recognised the drink the bottle had once held, and that a stranger had figured it out so quickly.
‘I seriously didn’t know. But thank you, you’ve actually solved the mystery I’ve been mulling over for years.
’ Who knew that all she’d needed to do was sit in a bar and the answer would be given to her?
‘It was left behind by my great-aunt, who passed away some time ago, and I’m trying to piece together all the clues to her past.’ She sighed.
‘And as exciting as it is to know what it means, it still feels very much like a dead end.’
‘Well, I’d say she must have had a very interesting past if it was linked to the production of absinthe,’ he said with a chuckle. ‘It wouldn’t have been for the faint of heart, that’s for sure.’
Someone approached the bar at the other end and the bartender leaned in one last time, his grin contagious.
‘The drink’s on the house, even though you liked it. But let me know if you have any more questions once I’m finished serving. I’m curious about your little mystery.’
Mia nodded and took another sip as he walked away, knowing that her cheeks would be bright pink from the attention, given the heat in them.
She had plenty of questions for him, but she also had every intention of doing a little research herself first, so she didn’t appear quite so foolish.
Of course she’d heard of absinthe before, but she hadn’t known that it was linked to a green fairy.
Mia was pulled from her thoughts when she felt a warm hand at her back.
‘You look like a woman trying to solve a mystery.’
She turned and laughed, throwing her arms around the beautiful brunette standing behind her.
‘Charlotte!’ She hugged her, forgetting all about her research the moment she saw her. ‘It’s so good to see you.’
‘There’s only so long I can spend with my brother and boyfriend watching football,’ Charlotte said with a groan. ‘Your invite gave me a reason to escape. I’m craving some feminine energy.’
Mia couldn’t help but notice how good Charlotte looked.
The last time she’d seen her had been when she’d given her the little wooden box that had been left behind for her grandmother, in the middle of a busy restaurant shift, although they’d stayed in touch ever since.
But there was something different about her now—her eyes were even brighter, her smile wider.
‘How’s Norway treating you?’ Mia asked.
‘It’s great. I’m so happy there,’ Charlotte said, settling beside her. ‘But it’s also nice to be back in London for a bit. It’s like being torn between two homes, and I can’t decide which I like more.’
Mia closed the diary and went to put the bottle in her bag, but Charlotte reached past her. ‘This is one of your clues?’ she asked. ‘That Hope left behind?’
‘It is. An old bottle of absinthe, according to one very attentive bartender.’
Charlotte turned and then looked back at her. ‘Hmm, so he’s gorgeous and useful.’
They both laughed, but were immediately interrupted by another woman wrapping her arms around Mia from behind, her smile as warm and welcoming as Charlotte’s had been.
‘Georgia!’ Mia stood and hugged her properly.
‘We’re just missing Ella,’ Georgia said with a sigh. ‘This would have been a proper reunion if she was here, especially given she was the one who kept pushing you to solve your own mystery.’
Mia turned and gestured to Charlotte. ‘Georgia, this is Charlotte. Charlotte, Georgia. And the Ella we’re talking about is another of the great-granddaughters I’ve met along the way.’
‘Ella, who’s currently loved-up and holidaying in Greece,’ Georgia said, before opening her arms and greeting Charlotte warmly with a hug. ‘She would have loved to meet you.’
‘It’s like we’re already old friends, given the journeys we’ve all been on,’ Georgia said, glancing from Mia to Charlotte. ‘If we can just help Mia solve her clues, it will feel like we’ve come full circle.’
‘Let’s get a table,’ Charlotte said. ‘And drinks. Georgia, do you want what she’s having, or something different?’
‘Just so you know, this one has a hint of absinthe in it.’
Georgia raised her eyebrows when Mia held up her green drink. ‘Ah, I think I’ll go for something more mainstream. Maybe a margarita?’
They moved to the table and Mia set down her things.
‘So tell me about this bottle. How does it link to Hope?’
‘Honestly, I don’t know. What I do know is that it seems unlikely my aunt was involved with an illicit substance in France, and then came to run a home for unmarried women and babies in London.’
‘And he’s sure it would have contained absinthe?’
Mia nodded. ‘He recognised it immediately, although I’m not sure how it’s going to help me.’
Georgia placed her hand over Mia’s. ‘Well, it’s lucky we’re here then, isn’t it, to help you figure it all out? Because after everything you’ve done for us, there’s absolutely nothing we wouldn’t do to help you.’
Mia sighed and linked her fingers with Georgia’s.
If anything, locating the seven women whose grandmothers had been connected to Hope’s House had given her a group of extraordinary friends to call on, and the fact that Georgia was sitting across from her was testament to just how close they’d become.
She often thought about finding those boxes, and the chain of events that led to her sitting in a lawyer’s office, trying to explain why they’d summoned seven strangers to join them, and just how much it had changed all of their lives.
‘Heads up,’ Georgia whispered as she leaned in. ‘Your gorgeous bartender is heading this way.’