Chapter 28
Hope stood outside the house, having already checked the address several times, hesitating before lifting her hand to knock.
It wasn’t what she’d expected. She’d been told that her uncle was an old bachelor, which had led her to believe that he’d have an apartment, or something less homely, perhaps.
But this was a home that looked as if it was built for a family, and she wondered if perhaps a wife was going to open the door, or that he might not even live here any longer.
Once Hope had summoned the nerve, she quickly tapped three times and then stood back. She had no idea if she’d done the right thing in coming here, but it wasn’t as if she’d had other options that she could consider instead.
Footsteps sounded from inside, and the door swung open revealing a man with a thick crop of white hair and an equally thick moustache.
He seemed to consider her, glancing at her swollen stomach and then back up to her eyes.
She couldn’t see any family resemblance to her mother, except for their blue eyes perhaps, but she found herself full of hope as she stood before him.
‘May I help you?’
There was barely a hint of a French accent as he spoke, and she wondered just how long he’d been in England.
‘Charles?’ she asked.
He laughed. ‘Well, that depends on who’s asking.’
She instinctively touched her hand to her stomach. ‘I believe that you’re my uncle. My name is Hope, and my mother—’
‘Is Thérèse,’ he said, his gaze softening as he held out his hand, his eyes indicating he couldn’t quite believe who was standing in front of him. ‘Come in, Hope. It’s lovely to meet you at last.’
‘You—you knew about me?’
He smiled. ‘I still have friends in France. They write to me sometimes and keep me abreast of the news, but I must say it’s been a while since I heard much of anything.
Once I left, your mother and the rest of our family never showed any interest in staying in touch, and although I knew I had nieces and nephews, I didn’t think I’d ever meet you. ’
She hesitated in the hallway, glancing around and wondering who else lived in the house. Did he have a wife and children, or was he a bachelor?
‘I’m sorry to turn up unannounced like this, but—’
‘It’s a lovely surprise to see you. There’s no need to apologise,’ Charles said. ‘Now, may I offer you coffee? The British love their tea, but it’s the one thing I haven’t acclimatised to even after all these years.’
Hope laughed, a warmth spreading inside her that she hadn’t felt since she’d last been with Gus. ‘That would be lovely, thank you.’
She followed her uncle, taking in the framed art hanging in the hall and glancing in at the rooms they passed.
When they reached the kitchen, he gestured for her to take a seat at the table, and she watched as he made coffee and eventually came to sit across from her.
Hope still didn’t know quite what she was going to say to him, but at least he’d seemed happy to see her.
‘I’m not sure I want to know what your mother has told you about me, but the very fact you’ve turned up on my doorstep would indicate she hasn’t told you much at all.’
Hope laughed and touched her stomach. ‘I could say the same. If she’d spoken to you about me, I think perhaps you might not have invited me in so readily.’
‘Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, Hope. The very fact that we’re both clearly outcasts tells me that neither of us would have turned the other away.’ Charles’s gaze followed her hand. ‘I’m guessing you don’t have a husband?’
‘I have a fiancé,’ she said, willing her voice to stay strong as it threatened to crack.
‘He intends to join me, but his family…’ She quickly wiped away her tears with her fingertips, trying to hold them back.
‘Let’s just say that I wasn’t the future they’d imagined for their son, and my own family was uninterested in helping me, which has left me in a predicament that I couldn’t have foreseen. ’
‘I know all about not living up to expectations,’ Charles said. ‘And having a family that chooses to turn you out rather than understands who you are or the conflict you face.’
Hope studied him, trying to read his expression, and failing. ‘Is that why you left France?’
He nodded. ‘It is. It’s also why I changed my name to Berenson. When I moved here, I chose to leave it all behind.’
She looked around at the well-furnished house, and then back at him, taking in his tailored clothes. She couldn’t see how anything about her uncle could have disappointed anyone; from first impressions, he appeared to have it all. ‘I don’t—’
‘Let’s just say that it was very clear from the time I was a young man that I was never going to live the life my family expected of me. I didn’t want to marry, I had little interest in eligible women and I, well, I didn’t fit neatly into the box they destined me for.’
Hope digested what he said, wondering why it was so worrisome that a man would want to remain a bachelor, before suddenly understanding his veiled words. He’s trying to tell me that he’s not interested in women.
She met her uncle’s gaze, the way he was waiting for her to understand, and when she finally nodded, he continued.
‘So you see, I’m not going to judge you for finding yourself pregnant. There are worse things in the world than a child conceived outside of wedlock, especially one conceived in love.’
Hope smiled at her uncle, sensing how kind he was—much kinder than the family he’d left behind.
She could tell he’d taken a leap of faith in describing his situation to her, even if he had been vague, leaving it to her to follow the clues.
She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been for him.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ Hope said.
He reached for her hand, covering it with his warm palm. ‘What is it you want from me, Hope? Why did you choose to come here?’
She blinked away her tears, looking at his hand, at the comfort he was showing her when she was essentially a stranger to him, even if they did share blood.
‘Because I had nowhere else to go, and I was told you might be the only family member who would help me. I was hoping for a place to stay, just until—’
‘Then you have it,’ he said, sitting back and picking up his coffee cup, as if it were the easiest decision in the world. ‘You’re welcome here for as long as you need. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t like the company.’ He chuckled. ‘I can’t say I enjoy rattling around this big house on my own.’
Her heart leapt. ‘You’re certain? I can cook for you and clean the house and—’
‘You will do nothing of the sort,’ he said. ‘I have a lady who comes in twice a week to help me, and I’d prefer to enjoy your company and get to know you—until your fiancé joins us, perhaps?’
They looked at each other over their coffee cups, and Hope felt a weight lift from her chest that had been there since Gus had left.
‘My fiancé’s name is Gus,’ she began, cradling her cup between both palms to warm them.
‘I want you to know that we love each other very much. He won’t leave me here alone, but I don’t know when he’ll come for me.
He’s been conscripted into the army, so it could be a very long time unless he finds a way to be released early. ’
Charles’s gaze was kind. ‘Then I look forward to meeting him. But until then, you’re safe here, Hope. Having a roof over your head won’t be something you’ll ever have to worry about while you’re in London. We just have to hope that the rumours about an impending war are just that.’
She stood to take the empty coffee cups, smiling properly for the first time since Gus had left. The rumours of war were increasing, but she refused to believe that Europe would implode; or maybe she just couldn’t stand the idea that Gus might find himself doing more than simply training.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘You’re the first family member who’s offered me true generosity in longer than I can remember, and I will never forget it.’
His eyes met hers. ‘A feeling I knew well before I moved here. But you’re in London now, Hope. You can tell people here what you want them to know, and nothing more. This can be a fresh start for you, as it was for me.’
‘You think I should tell anyone I meet that I’m married?’ she asked.
‘I think,’ he said, his smile kind, ‘that that’s something only you can decide. But if you do, there’s no one here to say otherwise.’
He was right. There was no reason she couldn’t be a married niece, visiting while her husband was away in the army. And when Gus arrived, they could have a private ceremony, and no one would be any the wiser.
The next morning, Hope stood in the kitchen. Despite what her uncle had said about his housekeeper, she wanted to show him how much she appreciated his kindness, and she’d made coffee and had just taken a fresh loaf of bread from the oven. She turned when she heard footsteps behind her.
She’d presumed, given he was much older than her mother, that her uncle no longer worked. But he was dressed as if he was ready to go somewhere important.
‘I’ve made breakfast, if you’d like something,’ she said.
Charles came over to look at the bread and shook his head. ‘You did this for me?’
‘I want you to understand what it means to me, having a home to feel safe in while I’m pregnant,’ she told him. ‘This is the only way I know how to show you.’
‘Well, I’ll have a quick cup of coffee, and you can save that bread for when I return.’
She turned to pour the coffee. ‘You’re off somewhere important this morning?’
‘To see my lawyer,’ Charles said.
Hope passed him the coffee. ‘Well, I do hope everything’s all right. I don’t want to put any extra burden on you.’
The smile he gave her was one she wished her father had been capable of. It was full of warmth, and she couldn’t help but return it.
‘I thought I’d die an old man with no family, Hope. But you arriving on my doorstep, well, it’s changed everything.’
‘I’m truly not inconveniencing you?’
‘No, my dear girl. If anything, you’ve given this old man’s life purpose again.’
‘Well, I’m very grateful to be here.’
He smiled as he lifted his cup. ‘I cannot wait to share you with my friends. They’ll be so thrilled to meet you at our next dinner party.’
Hope smiled and watched as he quickly downed his coffee and turned on his heel to leave the house, knowing how fortunate she was. Nothing would feel right until Gus joined her, but until then, she knew how lucky she was to have an uncle who was kind enough to see her situation for what it was.
She only hoped that whatever he was going to see his lawyer about wasn’t ominous, because it was a beautiful day and the sun was shining, and she was hoping that they might be able to sit outside and enjoy lunch.
If she was going to live with him, then she wanted to make up for lost time and find out more about the uncle who’d remained mostly a secret for her entire life. Until now.