The presence of Rowan made engagement ring shopping a challenge, and it was after four by the time Henry finally made it inside the door of Hardy Brothers jewellers with a relatively cheerful baby in tow. He had an appointment, and an all-black credit card in his wallet. Half an hour should do it, in and out. And then they ushered him into a private viewing room and a smiling assistant immediately asked if she could take charge of the baby and show her the glittering baubles and who was he to say no?
‘Traditional,’ he said when asked what kind of engagement and wedding rings he was after. ‘Diamonds. Platinum.’
‘And your price range, sir?’ the man asked.
Henry fished out the card and set it on the counter. ‘Let’s make her feel appreciated.’
The salesman smiled. ‘Very well. I can help you there.’
He’d narrowed it down to a final three—not bad for twenty minutes, when the second sales assistant returned with Rowan. Henry took her and she smiled her relief. ‘I have another customer in the main room. She’d quite like to buy your daughter but I’m going to try and shift her attention to the pearls.’
‘Thank you for minding her.’ Did he need a female opinion? ‘Okay, Rowan. There’s three to choose from. Which one?’
The saleswoman smirked at her colleague on the way out the door.
‘If I may, sir,’ said the beleaguered man, and seriously, if Henry had to do that much fawning over a client he’d have no clients left. ‘If you want the best diamond of the three, it’s the one on your left. The middle one, you’re paying more for the reputation of the designer. To the right, you’re paying for size. In my experience, while size definitely matters, there is such a thing as an engagement ring that’s too large. It catches on fabrics, it can be heavy to wear. Beyond that first moment of wow, it can become a liability. Similarly, a ring setting can go out of style. What’s on trend now, won’t be in thirty years’ time.’
‘You’re plugging for the one on the left.’
‘That I am, sir. It’s a flawless, colourless, radiant-cut stone of significant size in a truly classic setting. Never too much, never gets old.’
‘Wrap it up.’
‘My pleasure, sir.’
Henry’s phone rang shortly after the other man left the room, and he glanced at it with no intention of answering, until he saw the name of Amanda’s solicitors on the screen. Rowan in one arm, he took the call. ‘Church here.’
‘Please hold for Mr Bruce.’ Moments later Raymond Bruce came on the line.
‘Mr Church. Glad I caught you. It’s never easy dealing with clients halfway round the world.’
‘I’m sure you’ll charge accordingly.’
‘That’s true.’ The other man sounded smugly matter of fact, or maybe not smug at all and Henry was projecting his dislike of the circumstances surrounding Amanda’s death and the discovery that he had a daughter onto the man. ‘Mr Church, I had a drop-in yesterday. A male friend of Amanda’s, who’d only just heard of her passing. He left me his details and would very much like to speak with you.’
‘What about?’
‘The reason he gave was that he’d left some of his possessions in Ms Murphy’s apartment and would like to collect them. May I have my assistant send you Mr Bello’s contact details?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good man.’
Henry the good man hung up on him. Moments later the contact details of a stranger came through. Rupert Bello. No time like now.
Henry pressed dial and hoped the salesman wrapping that engagement ring took his time.
‘Hello?’ The accent was not wholly English. Henry had been in London long enough to recognise another place in the mix, even if he couldn’t tell where. The voice sounded young though, very young. Amanda’s solicitor hadn’t mentioned that.
‘My name’s Henry Church. Amanda’s solicitor said you wanted to speak with me about collecting your belongings from her apartment.’
‘Yeah, man. Thanks for getting in touch. I left some stuff at her place back in May. It’s not much, and I don’t want to intrude on your grief or anything, but if I could get it back, I could use it. Her neighbour Suzannah gave me the solicitor’s name and they said to talk to you.’
‘How did you know Amanda?’
‘She taught me advanced maths, in my final year of school. I mean, I killed it, man. Got a scholarship to Oxford and everything, theoretical physics, dedicated mentor, the lot. But ‘Manda helped.’
A kid. He was speaking with a kid barely out of school. ‘What did you leave at her house?’
‘Books. Clothes. Bed stuff. Towels and shampoo. Had to get out of my crib when I went home to Kenya to visit my family. I didn’t know when I was going to be back, so she said to leave it with her. It’s nothing much, but it is mine, I swear.’
‘I’ll get someone to let you into the apartment and you can get it.’
‘Appreciate it, man. Hey, you the big bald guy she used to hang around with?’
No, he was not.
‘Cause I’m real sorry for your loss, man. Amanda was good people. Suzannah said she had a little girl. Bet she was thrilled.’
What did a man in his position even say to that? ‘Yeah.’
Henry finished the call with his emotions in ribbons. Yesterday, he’d told himself he didn’t care if Rowan was his biological daughter or not, and had no desire to find out. It had taken two phone calls and the mention of another man in Amanda’s life to reverse that position completely.
What if he wasn’t the father and Rowan’s big bald biological father turned up one day, years into the future, and claimed Rowan as his own?
How could Henry possibly encourage Tilly to love him and Rowan and create a family, and maybe even have more kids, and then have to square up to them some day and say he’d wondered whether Rowan was biologically his, but he hadn’t followed through? Hadn’t even run down all the fixed variables, and him a master of probability calculations.
He had to tell his future wife what he knew and didn’t know.
But first he needed to know more.
The first call he made once he had Rowan safely in her playpen back at the apartment, and the ring box tucked deep in the bowels of his suitcase, was to Tilly. His first words should have been him coming clean about his suspicion that he wasn’t Rowan’s father.
He couldn’t do it.
He wanted to be face-to-face so he could gauge her reaction.
Wanted to not burden her with his suspicions until he knew.
‘I got your ring. I think you’ll like it,’ he said instead, and damned himself to perdition. His next were, ‘Do you trust me with your happiness?’
‘Yes,’ she said, laughing. ‘I do. I’m practising my ‘I dos,’ by the way. You should practise too.’
‘I have to go to London and I’m taking Rowan with me.’
‘When?’
‘We fly tonight.’
‘So soon?’
‘I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
‘But … do you have a time frame?’
How long did it take to track down a big bald guy friend of Amanda’s? ‘A week?’ How long did it take to get a paternity test done? ‘Maybe more.’
‘Can I help? How can I help? I can keep Rowan here with me, leave you free to—’
‘No.’
‘But who’s going to—’
‘I’ll sort it. I’ll call again as soon as I can. I just wanted you to know.’
‘I’m not going to wake up tomorrow and it’s the end of the world or something, am I? I know your job’s important and you help predict the future and whatnot, but what’s so important that you have to leave now? Super-secret mission style now? Is this a thing I need to get used to? Henry Church, global troubleshooter?’
He couldn’t stand to mislead her. ‘Personal business. To do with Amanda.’
‘Oh.’ He could hear the doubt in her voice. Her need for more information. But she didn’t ask for it and for that he was grateful.
‘It shouldn’t take long. Fact checking, but it’s best done in person. I need to be there.’
‘No—I—of course. I understand. Needs must. But you’d tell me if there was a problem, right? So I could do my bit. And if you need to call me, I’m here any time.’
‘I’ll call just to hear your voice,’ he said, and meant it.
‘Will you be staying at your apartment?’
‘Yes.’
‘Say hi to Len and the Clarks for me.’
Trust Matilda to know his doorman and neighbours better than he did.
‘Your grandparents are okay? You’re okay to leave them?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you’re sure I can’t help?’
‘Matilda, I love you for all that you offer.’ It was getting easier to say. Becoming easier to accept her generosity of spirit. ‘And we’ll talk properly soon. Face-to-face. Have I mentioned how much I miss waking up beside you?’
‘I could stand to hear it a little more. Consider me a sponge when it comes to those kind of compliments. Okay, any compliments. I’m not fussy, I’ll take them.’
‘I’ll see you soon.’
‘Let me know what date you’re flying back in. I’ll meet you at the airport.’
To give and to get. It was time he got used to it. ‘Thank you. I’d like that.’