The old woman looked up and shook her head sadly. “Caused quite a stir that baby. Took him from his mama before she ever got to lay eyes on him, bless her heart.”

Adam had to force himself to keep listening after he heard the word, him.

It was a boy. I have a son?

     “Some folks from Richmond were all set to adopt him, but they never showed up at the hospital. The baby stayed in there for two weeks, and we were all set to send him to the county orphanage when we heard a new adoption had been arranged.” The woman paused, and though she had her eyes on Adam, he could tell her sight was somewhere back in the past. “I’ll never forget that next morning. I came in and could tell right away that something was off. The nurses were jumpy and the doctors were whispering among themselves.”

Adam’s mouth had gone dry, and he mentally tried to prepare himself for the worst.

“Mr. Cartwright, I’ve got no explanation to give you, but I’ll just come right out and say things plain. That baby disappeared. No one knows when it happened. Oh, everybody there blamed everybody else, but when it came right down to it, no one had any answers. The police were called in, but when they found out the baby was an orphan, they didn’t even try and search. I did a little investigating on my own, but that baby had just vanished. I’m sorry.” She reached a hand out and patted his knee. “I wish I had more to tell you.”

 

Adam’s mind was reeling as he steered the carriage back toward the boarding house. He’d tried asking the woman more questions, but it was obvious she had no answers to give him. He’d gone back to the hospital and spent hours poring through old records and questioning doctors, but the old midwife had been accurate in her description. His son had simply vanished. Anger, worry, and confusion each came in turn, eventually giving way to sadness, and it was with a heavy heart that he made his way back to the boarding house late that evening.

Upon arriving, he put the carriage up himself. The simple yet familiar tasks of disassembling tack and grooming the horse helped to calm him some. A part of him wished he’d never gone to the hospital, that he had left well enough alone, but he chastised himself for those thoughts. Didn’t his son deserve more from him than a casual knowledge of his existence?

Adam was weary by the time he entered the boarding house. He started for Sissy’s door, but seeing no light coming from underneath, he moved on to the kitchen. Jenny was just finishing cleaning up, but she offered to make him a plate of food. Adam insisted on just a sandwich and then took it up to his room—it sat on the nightstand uneaten. During the long, sleepless night, Adam’s mind tortured him with every possible scenario, but by the time the morning light seeped through his window, he’d decided to push all of his own turmoil aside. For the time being, he would put his full concentration on Sissy and helping her find her beloved Meg.

He groaned as he rolled out of bed. It was going to be a long day.