Eventually, I wiped my face and asked the question that had been burning inside me.
“Did my mother know?”
Mr. Reed shook his head.
“Margaret knew you had been adopted. But she and Joseph agreed that you should be told only when they felt you were ready. As you grew older, the opportunity never came. Then Joseph became ill.”
“And Eleanor?”
“She wanted to speak with Margaret before telling you. But she never found the courage.”
I stared at the necklace in my hand.
“So everyone knew a piece of the truth, and nobody told me the whole thing.”
“Yes.”
I stood up.
“I need to go home.”
Mr. Reed handed me the remaining papers.
“There is one more thing you should know.”
I looked at him.
“Eleanor left you something. The key in the envelope opens a small box at her home. She asked me to make sure you received it.”
