A Man of Iron

di Aesia Lrae (Autore)

WHITEHEAD AESIA LRAE, 2025

The office was very quiet, and a smell of sweat and dust wafted through the room. The young lawyer wished his father had assigned the interview to someone else, seeing the letter in the girl's trembling hand and the tears she was trying to hide as she read the sheet of paper. In the end, she folded the sheets neatly and placed them in an envelope. Paul Deeping waited silently while the girl took a handkerchief from her bag and wiped her tears. After a while, she looked at him and smiled bravely, apologetically. —I'm sorry, Paul. I'm not usually that whiny. It was a shock when I saw my mother's handwriting. She writes exactly the way she talks—I mean, the way she talked. "Personally, I think a few tears are good, Antonia," he replied. "My parents were very worried about how calm you were at the funeral yesterday." —I try to cry only in private. —Are you affected by what you just learned through your mother's letter? Antonia straightened in her chair. "Not exactly. I always knew I was adopted, or 'chosen,' as Mom preferred to call it, and I grew up with the impression that nothing was known about my origins. It was a shock to me to know that Mom was present when I was born, and in the same room I slept in my entire life." Antonia shook her head and frowned. "It's hard to accept that one of Mom's boarding students is my real mother, but that doesn't mean much right now." —It's only natural. Janet Grant was the only mother you ever knew, Antonia, and she was an extraordinary woman. The girl nodded vigorously, her brown eyes shining with tears again. She blinked them away and smiled. —That's true, Paul. Of course, we argued from time to time and sometimes she was a little rigid, but she always had a joke and a smile, even after arguing about the appearance of my bedroom or the noise of my record player. —I suppose Mrs. Grant never talked about finances. "No. Your letter shows more concern about the young student who returned pregnant from her vacation abroad, and whom her parents kicked out when they found out the truth." He grimaced in disgust. "Can you imagine people doing that?" He coughed uncomfortably. —Remember, the young woman's parents were already elderly and very strict. In any case, she returned to the only place she knew, your adoptive parents' house where she had stayed for two years. I think they were very fond of her. "Mother says that after I was born, the young woman left her language course and went to London. Here Janet stops. She feels... believed... that the rest of the story... is for my natural mother to tell." She looked at Paul Deeping for support. "Could you tell me her name? That would simplify things." —Very well… her maiden name was Moore, but I can't tell you more because the lady in question wants you to make the decision. If you'd like to meet her, I can reveal her identity. Otherwise, she wishes to remain anonymous. —Yeah. I wonder why she thinks I don't want to meet her. Paul Deeping leaned back in his chair, searching for the right words. —Remember, Antonia, she belongs to a different generation. Back then, it was a disgrace to be pregnant while unmarried, and from what I understand, she suffered greatly when she had to give you up. The Grants legally adopted you, and you had been born for five days before your natural mother was strong enough to leave; it must have been very hard for her to leave you. She probably felt like she was abandoning you.

• Autore: Aesia Lrae
• Anno edizione: 2025
• Editore: WHITEHEAD AESIA LRAE
• Formato: EPUB2 con DRMFREE
• Lingua: Inglese
• Compatibilità: Tutti i dispositivi (eccetto Kindle)
• Layout: Reflowable
• EAN: 9798232670313