‘He’s unique, all right.’ Her tone wasn’t complimentary. There was a sudden sound of a whimpering baby behind her. She reached into her pocket and took out a business card. ‘My mobile’s on that. If you can’t get hold of Dean to organise anything with Sullivan any time, ring me instead. I’ll always say yes, believe me.’

‘But you don’t even know me.’

‘Dean and I googled you. You were a conference organiser in Melbourne. You graduated with honours from Melbourne University. You’re also Olivia Montgomery’s goddaughter. Everyone in Edinburgh knows Edgar Montgomery. It’s sad, isn’t it? Such a cruel disease.’ The baby started wailing. Sophie winced at the sound. ‘Feeding time. Again. It’s always feeding time.’

She shut the door in Eliza’s face.

Eliza returned to the van where Rory was waiting. She thanked him for being so kind to Sullivan. Then she said something that she’d wanted to say to him since she arrived.

‘I’m sorry about your mother, Rory.’

‘I’m sorry about your mother too, Eliza.’

They drove for a few minutes in silence, then he turned to her again.

‘Do you remember much about her?’ he asked.

A lot, she told him. She had seventeen years’ worth of memories. She hesitated, then asked him the same question.

‘Hardly anything,’ he said. ‘I was only six when she died. Alex remembers her much more clearly. I think that’s why he was always angrier at Olivia than I was. He saw her as an imposter. I was happy to have a kind lady in the house who liked making me meals and reading to me.’

The mental picture of two little motherless boys, sad Rory and angry Alex, had her blinking away sudden tears. ‘It must have been so hard for you both.’

He gave her that sweet, sad smile. ‘It was hard for us all, Eliza,’ he said.

Chapter Twenty-one

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Eliza’s overnight train to London was leaving at 11.40 p.m. Olivia drove her to Waverley Station. They took a seat in the waiting area, under the ornate glass dome. On the walls were hanging flower baskets. The station had a feel of old-fashioned adventure. They could hear a mixture of accents and languages around them: Scottish, English, American, German.

‘Promise me you won’t spend all the time packing?’ Olivia said. ‘I know you’ve got a tight deadline to clear the flat, but please try to do some sightseeing, won’t you?’

Eliza nodded. ‘And Maxie will definitely be here when I get back?’

‘All going well with her recovery, yes. Her surgeon sounds happy.’ She reached for Eliza’s hand and squeezed it. ‘I know this waiting is hard. But we’ll give you all the answers we can soon, I promise.’