“Yes, sweet boy. I’m both of your nanas.” She pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her eyes.
Eve knelt beside her. “Can you ever forgive me for lying to you?” she asked.
Mrs. Barrett stroked Robbie’s head. “This has come as quite a shock, of course. But in a way . . . You know, I suspected you weren’t Audrey the first time I saw you and this redheaded boy of yours. You didn’t resemble the photograph of Audrey that Robert had shown us. But then I took Robbie into my arms, and from that moment, I didn’t care who you were. My husband and I were grieving, and you brought new life into our home. And hope. You and Robbie filled the hole in my heart and helped me heal.” She kissed Robbie’s hair again. “I’m . . . I’m shocked and . . . and disappointed in you. And I feel like such a fool for allowing myself to be deceived.”
“I’m so sorry,” Eve murmured.
“I’m . . . I’m going to need some time . . .” She wiped her eyes again. “And yet, when all is said and done, you and Robbie are part of my life now, whether you’re my real daughter-in-law or not.”
Eve closed her eyes, and Audrey saw her relief. Then she opened them again. “What about Dad—Mr. Barrett? Will he—?”
“He’ll be shocked, of course. I don’t know how he’ll react. But deep down, he loves you, too, dear. And Robbie is the best thing that ever happened to him.”
Eve went into Mrs. Barrett’s arms, murmuring, “Thank you . . . thank you.”
When they’d parted again, Audrey knew what she needed to do. “Mrs. Barrett, I need to ask you to forgive me, too. It was selfish of me not to come four years ago. You’d lost your only child, and Bobby and I were all you had. But I—I was afraid you would blame me for his death. If he had married Linda instead of me . . .”
“I never felt that way. Every mother wants her child to be happy, and I could tell from the way Robert talked about you that he loved you very much. His relationship with Linda had always been tumultuous. I didn’t want Robert to go with her that night. I—I wish . . .” She couldn’t finish.
“I know why he went with her, Mrs. Barrett. Before he left London, Robert told me he needed to see Linda face-to-face and apologize for hurting her. He wanted to ask her to forgive him.”
“That sounds like Robert,” she replied.
“Yes. We can be very proud of him. He taught me not to question God’s ways. But to trust Him.”
Mrs. Barrett closed her eyes, nodding as if deep in thought. “And now look,” she said when she opened them again. “It seems I’ve been doubly blessed, with two grandsons.”
“Why is everybody crying?” Robbie asked.
“These are tears of joy, honey, not sadness. Come, let’s sit out on the patio and get to know each other better.”
“With Popsicles?” Robbie asked, hopping up and down.
“Yes, sweet boy. With Popsicles for everyone!”
31
“Mrs. Barrett is a lovely woman,” Audrey said when they were in the car again. Eve could only nod, still too emotional to speak. “That took a lot of courage, Eve. You’re still the bravest woman I know.”
“Thanks.” She exhaled, then said, “You won’t need courage for this last visit, but I will.” Her heart lay heavily in her chest just thinking about it.
“Where are we going?”
“Out to the farm. I want you to meet Robert’s friend Tom Vandenberg. Remember the Famous Four?”
“Yes, of course.”
“He’s one of them. He’s been like a father to Robbie and a good friend to me. Probably my best friend. I told Tom this morning who I really am—although he said he’d already guessed. Now I need to tell his mother.”
“Are you close to her, too?”
“Yes. She reminds me of Granny Maud. And she’s become a second granny to Robbie.” Eve could only hope that she would be as gracious and accepting as Mrs. Barrett had been.
“Shall I wait in the car while you go inside?” Audrey asked when they parked behind the farmhouse.
“Absolutely not. The Vandenbergs are part of your new family, too. You’ll love them, Audrey. And they’re going to love you and Bobby. . . . That’s Tom, coming out of the barn.” Robbie leaped from the car and dashed across the driveway to him, shouting for Bobby to come with him and see the lamb.
“Another tall, good-looking American,” Audrey said with a smile. “Is there something between you two?”
“Maybe . . . It would have been impossible when I was pretending to be you.”
“But now?”
“I don’t know.” Eve felt her face growing warm. “We’ll see.” She asked Tom to show the boys around the farm while she and Audrey went inside to talk with his mother. He nodded. He would know why she had come.
Mrs. Vandenberg was boiling jars for strawberry jam when she welcomed them into the well-worn farmhouse kitchen. “This is my friend who recently arrived from England,” Eve told her.
“Welcome, my dear,” Mrs. Vandenberg said. If she thought it was odd that Eve didn’t give Audrey’s name, she was polite enough not to say anything about it. “How did you like my fresh strawberries?” she asked. “They taste so good when they’re right off the vine, don’t they?”
“They were wonderful. We gobbled them down,” Eve replied.
Mrs. Vandenberg offered them iced tea and biscuits—what she called cookies—but Eve wanted to get this over with.
“I have something I need to confess, and I wanted you to hear the truth from me before . . . well, before all the gossip starts because I . . . I admire you so much, and . . .” Eve’s throat closed and she couldn’t finish.
Mrs. Vandenberg sat down at the table beside Eve and took her hand. “What is it, Audrey, dear? I hope you know you can tell me anything.”
Eve swallowed, pulling herself together. “Yes . . . well . . . for starters—my name isn’t really Audrey. It’s Eve. Eve Dawson.” It felt surprisingly good to say it after all this time. “This is the real Audrey Barrett. I’ve been pretending to be her because I had no home and no family and no way to support my son. Audrey is my best friend and she had decided to stay in England after Robert died—until now. She had no idea I was here, pretending to be her.”
Mrs. Vandenberg squeezed Eve’s hand, and when Eve dared to look up at her, she saw kindness in Mrs. Vandenberg’s eyes. “How tragic that there was no one you could turn to for help when you needed it.”
“I’m so sorry for lying to you and Tom and everyone else—and not just because my lies are going to be exposed, but because I know that what I’ve done is very wrong. Can you ever forgive me for lying to you?”
“Of course, dear one. You and Robbie have been a blessing in our lives, no matter what your names are.”
Eve felt a measure of relief, but the photograph of Louis’s two daughters still scorched her soul. There was more she needed to confess. “I—I’ve done other terrible things . . . I was never married to Robbie’s father. He had a wife and daughter.” She lowered her head to the table, resting it on her arms, unable to face anyone. “I’ve asked Jesus to forgive me, but . . . but I don’t blame Him for punishing me now. I deserve it.”