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asked me to give you to the lady you got my information from. I was to leave the pink envelope with my details inside but give her no information regarding how you came into my care. He said to tell her that you arrived on my doorstep with nothing but the little blanket you were wrapped in. Oh, and I was to speak to no one about you, and plead ignorance if questioned . . . that all of your lives depended on it.’
    I remained quiet as I endeavoured to absorb this overwhelming information.
    ‘They left something for you,’ Ruby continued after a moment, dragging me from my thoughts as she gestured to the jewellery box in the centre of the table. I reached for it and pulled it close, then inserted the key she took from her cardigan pocket. The lid opened with a gentle click. A small envelope caught my attention. It was of the same pale pink paper as Lena’s, the letter within written in sweeping handwriting. I read it aloud so everyone could hear.
    Our dearest daughter,
    It is with sorrow we leave you today in the care of others. It is our most heartfelt wish that we could be with you, to love and nurture you and watch you grow, but alas, this is an impossible fantasy. This place will not be easy for you and for this we are sorry. Our hearts break but, for your safety, there is no other way. We must leave you now but will find some way to return for you before you reach eighteen. Until then, be strong and brave, our darling girl, the road ahead is fraught with danger. We love you forever.
    Your devoted parents,
    Tobias and Finelle
    As I put the letter down, my heart tore. I never thought my past would matter, but the sense of loss was overwhelming. Suddenly I wanted to know my parents more than I’d ever wanted anything. My eyes filled with tears that quickly started to leak onto my cheeks. Jack reached across the table and covered my hand with his. I managed to pull myself together enough to retrieve the other item from the box—a gold bangle from which dangled a locket with three words engraved into the front: ‘Our Beloved Daughter’. I opened it. On one side was a photo of a sleeping newborn, on the other a man and woman not much older than me. I looked inside the flat edge of the bangle and my breath caught in my throat. Engraved there was my birth date—the twentieth of February—and my name—Marla.
    After sliding the bangle onto my wrist, I put Ruby’s details back into the box with my parents’ letter and closed the lid.
    We sat in silence for a long time before Jack finally broke it. ‘We should probably get going. It’s getting late.’
    ‘Call me, won’t you, Marla, if I can be of any use,’ Ruby said as she rose to see us to the door. ‘It’s been so nice to meet you. Give my love to your parents when you finally meet with them.’
    ‘I will, and thank you,’ I said, clutching the box to me. The idea of meeting my birth parents was wonderful, but I didn’t know how it would be possible. I had no greater clue how I might find them than I did before I came. I pushed the thought away. It was too depressing and I just couldn’t think about it today, there didn’t seem enough room in my head.
    ‘That was enlightening,’ Jack said as I climbed into the car beside him.
    ‘Not really,’ Hilary said, from the back seat. ‘There are so many questions.’
    ‘I’m very confused,’ I admitted. ‘But at least I know my parents didn’t want to give me away. I’ve always wondered about that—and thought the worst.’ Fresh tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill, but I sucked them up. According to Tobias and Finelle, there was danger ahead and the clock was ticking.

CHAPTER THREE
    ‘You missed dinner, love,’ Dad said when I arrived home. For once Mum made no comment about my lateness, just stayed quiet as Dad took my dinner from the fridge and put it on the stove before joining me at the table and asking about my day.
    I told my parents everything while my food was heating. When I