‘No way!’
‘Yes!’
‘What is … was it?’
‘You’re going to think it’s silly.’
‘Honestly, I won’t say a word.’ She crossed herself.
‘Okay, it’s Albert.’
‘Albert?’
‘That’s …’
‘Old, I know.’
‘I wonder where he got that from?’
‘I asked him the same thing. He said it was a guy he remembered from when he was little who introduced him to cine film.’
‘Who was he, exactly?’
‘Toby couldn’t remember.’
‘Do you think he was Toby’s biological father? Daphne’s lover?’
‘You mean here at the cottage before they moved away?’
Lili nodded.
‘It’s possible.’
Lili had just finished her tea and was trying to lean forward and put her cup on the coffee table without disturbing Abigail’s cute dog, when she suddenly had the most tremendous idea. ‘She turned to Abigail. ‘Did you bring your laptop?’
‘Sure, it’s over there.’
Lili carefully slid across the sofa. She placed a cushion under the sleeping dog’s little chin. She brought the laptop over and placed it on the coffee table. ‘Log in to AncestryDNA, would you?’
‘Why?’
‘Just humour me.’
Abigail sighed and did as her friend asked. ‘There, look, I still need the password.’
‘Put in Albert.’
‘What?’
‘The name Toby chose for his son.’
Abigail stared at her.
‘Oh, give it here.’ Lili typed it in and paused. Holding her breath, she hit ‘Enter.’
She sat down next to Abigail in front of the laptop while the computer thought about it. Then Abigail saw a page she’d never seen before – one with her husband’s details.
Lili was staring at the screen too. ‘Oh, my god, Abigail. Do you know what this means? You can find out who—’ She stopped abruptly mid-sentence when she saw her friend crying. Were they tears of joy – or something else?