For Claudine

Mrs Mulberry was the neighbour that nobody liked. She was overbearing and obtrusive but nobody could do anything about it. She had lived in the building longer than everybody else and made sure that everybody knew about it. On her first weekend in her new apartment, Charlotte Brigham was enjoying her morning read on her balcony. It was a warm Sunday morning in May when she felt sprinkles of water dropping down on her. Looking up, she found Mrs Mulberry watering her trailing begonias, utterly oblivious to her newest neighbour inches beneath her. Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh.

On the day of Mrs Mulberry’s death, the building let out a quiet sigh and the residents went about their usual business. Nobody had noticed she had passed. It was a cold Wednesday morning and Charlotte was getting ready for her 10 AM meeting with her editor. While brushing her teeth she heard a few thuds from the apartment above her. ‘She must be tap dancing again’ thought Charlotte before spitting the remaining toothpaste into the sink.

Charlotte returned home that evening utterly exhausted at 7.15 PM. Ms Bernadette Meisner was standing in the hallway with her Scottish terrier at her heels looking frail and distraught.

‘Quite the actress’ Charlotte thought.

That is when she found out. Mrs Mulberry had a heart attack.

Ms Bernadette Meisner insisted she had a funny feeling in her stomach all afternoon and just had to go up there and see if Edith, Mrs Mulberry, was alive and well. Charlotte knew this to be a lie. It was no secret that both Ms Bernadette Meisner and Mrs Mulberry disliked each other. Mrs Mulberry loathed Bernadette and described her as ‘all fur coat and no knickers’. A few days later, Charlotte found out that it wasn’t Bernadette who discovered the body first but it was Barry, the building’s janitor. Ms Bernadette Meisner has a way of embellishing the truth, she’s famous for it — every resident in the building knows this. At exactly 4:15 PM, Barry had heard an excessive amount of meowing from inside Mrs Mulberry’s apartment. Edeline, a white Turkish Angora with the silkiest coat, was found beside the body in mourning. When the paramedics arrived, Bernadette who lived just across the hall, rushed out to witness the events and for a brief moment, she thought to herself ‘what if that had happened to me?’ before closing the door behind her.

In the five years that Charlotte had lived in the building, she never once knew Mrs Mulberry to have any visitors. To her knowledge, Mrs Mulberry had no children or surviving relatives and she had never been married. Over the years, Charlotte had become quite acquainted with Edeline as Mrs Mulberry entrusted her with the responsibility of cat sitting when needed. It was Edeline who was on Charlotte’s mind that evening. When she heard the news that the feline was to be taken to a shelter the next day, she decided to adopt Edeline as her own. She decided that that would be what Mrs Mulberry would have wanted and headed straight up to Mrs Mulberry’s apartment. Upon entering, Charlotte immediately felt cold. The window in Mrs Mulberry’s bedroom was left slightly open and the January air shrouded the apartment with a layer of mist. From underneath the bed, Charlotte could hear a whimper that she recognised instantly. It was Edeline.

‘The poor thing’ she thought.

Charlotte crawled under the bed to rescue Edeline but ended up startling the cat who ran quickly into the adjacent ensuite bathroom. Underneath the bed was a large bronze box resting against the back wall. Charlotte decided to take it out from underneath the bed and look inside.

Inside, there were several photographs of the same woman at different stages in her life. She had quite a distinct face, blonde hair and pointy features. On the back of one of these photos a name was written: Claudine.

‘Who on earth is this woman?’ Charlotte wondered.

In the box, Charlotte also found a locket with two baby scan photos inside it, an adoption certificate, a $20,000 cheque, two letters: one addressed to Claudine, the other addressed to 'the finder’ and a small black notebook. The latter was remarkable. Inside this book was like looking into Mrs Mulberry’s mind. It was half a diary, half an investigation. There were two chapters: Twin one and Twin two.

Charlotte felt overwhelmed but was quickly comforted by Edeline who now sat adoringly next to her on the bed. She opened the second letter.

Dearest finder,

You are likely reading this because of my death. Do not feel sorry for me, there simply is no time for that. It is also likely that you’re a stranger or a lawyer or perhaps someone that knows me quite well. If this letter happens to land in the hands of Bernadette Meisner please stop reading this instance and deliver it to the executor of my will. Thank you.

If my dearest Edeline is still alive upon my death, I would like to give her to Charlotte Brigham in the apartment below me.

Like everyone, I have a past. One that I deeply regret. I do not seek forgiveness, only understanding. I hope you can grant me that. I was 17 and foolish. And in those days, foolish was never any good. I disgraced my family and they sent me away. I spent the majority of my young womanhood in St Agatha’s - a convent for the fallen women of Ireland. It was here I had my two baby girls: Claudine and Mary. I loved them with all my heart but they were taken away from me and put up for adoption. I never saw them again. There hasn’t been a day where I haven’t thought about them.

I left the convent by a miracle. To survive there, I blocked everything out. Eventually, there was a change in management and the newest addition took pity on me and decided I was fit to leave the convent. I was 28 years old. That was 34 years ago. When I left the convent, I had to get away from Ireland. I moved first to Liverpool and eventually made a home for myself in New York. I was 45 when I began my search for my daughters. The records were almost impossible to find. It was 12 years before I found Claudine’s adoption papers. The convent held almost all records from me until I eventually won my case. She was sent to the Isle of Skye to a John and Rose Patterson. I would like you to find her for me. I have left a sum of $20,000 for your expenses. I realise this is an inconvenience however I hope that this sum makes up for that. I visited the island last year in the hopes to meet Claudine. I had no details for her other than an address. I felt like an intruder; a fraud. I convinced myself she wouldn’t want anything to do with me. So, I followed her to work one day. She works at Cafe Lephin in Waternish. But like a coward, I couldn’t face going in. I couldn’t bring myself to introduce myself.

I wholeheartedly regret this.

In the little black book, you will find all of my work up until this point on my search. I hope it helps. Unfortunately, I have not been able to trace Mary. I had a potential lead in Galway but the details didn’t quite add up. I had hoped that Claudine might have more answers…

From the bottom of my heart,

Thank you.

Edith.

Charlotte sat for a few moments in disarray. She felt as though the world was now on her shoulders and she couldn’t quite comprehend all of this. She decided the best thing to do was to take both the box and the cat downstairs to her apartment and pour herself a large glass of chardonnay.

That night Charlotte’s sleep was terrible. Edeline too was restless and nervous about her new home. By 4 AM the pair eventually found solace in their sleep. The next day she called her editor.

“DO IT, you’ve been looking for a lead for your column. THIS is it” spewed the editor down the phone.

“Ok. I’ll keep you posted” Charlotte affirmed. She ended the phone call with a desire to do good for both Mrs Mullberry and her readers.

*

‘The ferry to the Isle of Skye was beautiful’ Charlotte thought. After a long flight from New York to London and from there to Inverness, she decided to rent a car to make it to the island. The journey on the island was magical. At every moment possible, she took the chance to stop the car, stretch her legs and take in its beauty. She couldn’t quite believe where she was. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. She felt as though she was in her very own Tolkien novel.

It was exactly what she needed.

Eventually, she pulled up to the cottage she had rented for her stay. It was just what she imagined: cosy and warm. And very Scottish. There were woolly throws on the sofa and a huge fireplace in the centre of the room. It was completely different from her New York apartment. Feeling jet-lagged, she collapsed into bed. The suitcase would unpack itself in the morning.

The morning began with her usual two espressos and a chapter in her book. In her shower, she was surprised at how different the water was here. It was softer than New York’s. The whole essence of the island was softer than New York. The people were nicer, the houses were more inviting and for the first time in a long while, she felt excited about life.

This was something Charlotte knew she had to do but she was riddled with nerves about the whole situation. She didn’t know how Claudine was going to respond to her or the letter. But she owed it to Edith to at least try.

And so, try, she will.

Cafe Lephin was your typical family-run Scottish cafe. Full of charm and sweet treats. There was also a wide selection of local ales to try. Wanting to make a good first impression, Charlotte ordered her usual flat white. She arrived just before 1 PM when Claudine said she would be taking her break. She’d initially reached out to Claudine on Facebook and had planned the whole thing in just under a month. As Claudine sat down beside her in the wooden chair, the familiar feeling of pressure suddenly crashed down upon her.

“This is for you,” Charlotte said tentatively. She could see the worry on Claudine’s face. “I didn’t want to give too much away too soon in fear that I’d replace some of Edith’s words for my own.”

“I understand. This whole situation has been extremely confusing for me” Claudine said taking a sip from her coffee.

“She said this letter explains everything,” Charlotte said reassuringly. With this, Claudine decided to open the letter and begin reading. For Charlotte, time froze as she sipped more from her coffee which acted as a warm hug in a time of need. Claudine put down the letter.

After a long pause, Claudine broke the silence.

“I have a sister?”

“Yes. Edith had tried to find her but was hoping that you could help?” Charlotte replied. “I know it’s a lot to take in right now but I just want you to know, I’m here to help in any way I can. I’ve brought a few things of your mother’s that I thought you would like also.”

“Thank you for this. I just wish I could have met her. What was she like?”

“She was an incredible woman full of character” Charlotte responded and as soon as she uttered the words, she wholeheartedly believed it.

They both smiled.

“So, what happens now?” Claudine asked.