Page 90 of The Importance of Being Emma
‘Do you normally have to fight him off like that?’ he said, with a frown.
I forced a laugh. ‘Of course not, it’s just because it’s Christmas.’
‘Thank God. And at least you weren’t encouraging him, unlike some people I could mention. The man’s insufferable enough as it is.’
‘Oh, don’t I know it — he treats me as though I’m still in nappies.’
He gave me an appraising look and raised one eyebrow. ‘In that dress it’s fairly obvious you’re not wearing a nappy. In fact, Miss Woodhouse, it’s debatable whether you’re wearing anyunderwear at all — and Highbury is well and truly shocked!’ He grinned. ‘Anyway, there’s me just wanting to wish you Merry Christmas and getting almost crippled for it. Shall we try again?’
He pulled me to him and kissed me on both cheeks. ‘That’s better.’ He paused, then winked at me. ‘And how are things with the lovely Harriet?’
‘Look,’ I said, with an exasperated sigh, ‘there’s absolutely nothing between me and Harriet.’
He winked again. ‘That’s exactly how I like to imagine the two of you. Quite a turn-on, believe me, on my lonely nights up in the Lake District for the past couple of weeks.’
‘The lovely Harriet’, ‘quite a turn-on’? Was this empty talk, or an indication of something more serious? I stored these thoughts away in my mind until later, but decided I wasn’t going to let him off the hook for now.
I placed my hands on my hips and scowled at him. ‘You can stop your imagining, period, because it’s simply not true. And why you had to call me a lemo in front of Harriet and those Goths, I’ll never know. You told me you wouldn’t say a word to anyone!’
He put on an injured expression. ‘I was only trying to create a diversion. You’d better let me off, or else you won’t get the really nice present I’ve got you.’
‘I don’t want a really nice present.’ My lips tightened. ‘And I need to see to the lunch, otherwise it’ll be ruined. You can make yourself useful and take that tray of drinks into the drawing room. Presumably Kate and Tom are with you?’
‘Yes. We meant to come earlier, but Kate wanted to call on the Bateses first.’
‘I see. And how were they?’
‘Oh God, same as usual. Except that Batty was still full of the Donwell Organics Christmas party, although she wasn’t even there. “Dear Mark, so generous,soattentive to dear Jane,everything a girl could wish for . . . The mostwonderfulsyllabub for dessert, with delicious little biscuits, almost like a . . . Then carriages at one, so not too much beauty sleep lost” — and so on, ad nauseam.’
I couldn’t help smiling; he had Batty off to a T. ‘You’re a very wicked man, mocking her like that. Ask Kate and Tom what they’d like to drink — oh, and “dear Mark” too.’ I bit my lip. ‘If he doesn’t want anything alcoholic, he can have either orange juice or lemonade, like the kids.’
Flynn did as he was told and returned a few minutes later. ‘Champagne for Tom — he says he’s got lots to celebrate — and orange juice for Kate and God’s Gift. Shall I see to it?’
‘Please.’ The less contact I had with Mark at the moment, the better.
I left Flynn in the kitchen and went into the drawing room to wish Kate and Tom a Merry Christmas. As I watched them give the children their presents, I noticed that they were unusually restless. Tom was shifting from one foot to the other and Kate kept glancing up at him; whenever their eyes met, they would both break into a smile.
I nudged Kate and said, with mock severity, ‘You two should be behaving like an old married couple by now, but you seem even more excited than the children, if that’s possible. What’s your secret?’
She exchanged another look with Tom and he went dashing out of the room. Then she turned to me. ‘Tom’s gone to find Flynn because he’s going to make an announcement. But I want to tell you our news myself.’ She added, with a blush, ‘I’m pregnant.’
My hand went instinctively to my stomach; then I hugged her and said brightly, ‘That’s wonderful. When did you find out?’
‘A while ago, but I’ve just passed the three-month stage so we thought it safe to go public. We’re going to tell the others once Tom’s back.’
I did some rapid calculations in my head. Her baby would be born in early summer; whereas, if I was pregnant, mine would be due very late August. Or even September, the time for an Indian summer. How appropriate, given who the father was . . . I corrected myself. There was, in effect, no such person. I would have to be both father and mother to my baby.
I squared my shoulders. ‘I’m so happy for you. You’ll be the perfect mother and Tom will have the chance to be a real father this time. Not like with Flynn.’
She sobered instantly. ‘Yes, imagine fathering a child and not being able to see it grow up. Oh, I know it happens far too frequently these days, but that doesn’t make it any easier for the man concerned. And the child, naturally.’
I felt my eyes fill with tears but, fortunately, Tom and Flynn came into the room with the remaining drinks and provided a distraction. Kate gave me a kiss and moved to Tom’s side, while I found myself staring at Flynn. He hadn’t turned out that badly, I supposed, but how did he feel about seeing so little of his father during his childhood? Of course, Tom had been in the Merchant Navy, unable to interfere even if Stella had allowed him to.
Mark would be entirely different. He was a more forceful character than Tom and, worse still, he was on my doorstep. But he was due to go back to India when George Knightley returned in February. With any luck he’d leave promptly, giving me the time and space to work out how to run my life — and Dad’s — with a baby.
All of a sudden, it dawned on me. As my pregnancy started to show, I’d have to endure all the gossip. ‘Fancy Emma Woodhouse making that sort of mistake! But then she alwaysthought she was better than everyone else in Highbury. Now who could the father be?’
I wondered gloomily how Dad would react. I decided he’d either get permanently bloated, in the spirit of a sympathetic pregnancy, or become obsessed with the potential risks to my health.
