Page 91 of The Importance of Being Emma
Then there was Izzy; she’d probably accuse me of being immoral and irresponsible and forbid me to have anything more to do with her children. And what about John? What if, for once, he agreed with her?
I was sure Kate and Tom would be supportive; but naturally, when their own baby arrived, they’d have far less time for me and my problems.
As for Batty, she would be positively unbearable. She’d smother me with kindness and those endless pairs of pale yellow bootees she used to knit for Izzy. I could just hear her rabbiting on at me: ‘You can’t have too many of them, Baby’s little feet can get quite chilly and . . .Sucha lovely colour, it does for a boy or a . . . Still keeping us in the dark about its father, dear? Never mind, I’m sure we’ll be able to tell who Baby looks like when it’s born, so exciting, perhaps I’ll organise a Guess the Daddy stall at the Autumn Fayre.’
Funny, until Kate told me her news, I hadn’t thought any of this through. It was as though her pregnancy — so straightforward, so welcome, soright —made me realise what a mess mine would be.
But this much was clear: whatever the truth of the situation, I had to tell Mark I wasn’t pregnant. I needed him safely back in India and out of my life.
* * *
~~MARK~~
I wondered what Emma and Kate were talking about. Whatever it was, it made Kate happy but left Emma quite upset. Once she was on her own, her face drained of its colour and, for a moment, I thought she was going to faint.
I frowned. Normally, I’d have gone over and probed a bit, or jollied her out of it. But there was no such thing as normality any more, only the appearance of it. And anyway, she didn’t need me, she had Churchill. She certainly couldn’t take her eyes off him, which filled me with a sense of foreboding. What if my playing it cool for the past few weeks had been completely the wrong tactic?
As a result, when Tom asked for silence so that he could make ‘an important announcement’, I broke out in a cold sweat — because I knew what was coming. Strange, though; I’d have expected Henry to do the honours, not Tom. Unless Henry didn’t approve?
My mouth went dry as I glanced across at Emma. She looked strained rather than pleased, and there was no ring on her engagement finger. But, of course, she’d be concerned about her father’s reaction; or perhaps Churchill wanted to put the ring on in front of everyone, like the flamboyant bastard he was.
Emily started to wail and Emma picked her up to comfort her; odd, when I’d have thought she’d need her hands free . . .
Just then, Tom cleared his throat. ‘Thank you, everybody. I’m delighted to announce’ — I closed my eyes to blot out the inevitable — ‘that in June, all being well,’ — oh, get on with it, for God’s sake! — ‘a new member of the Weston family will put in his or her appearance.’
I let out a long slow breath. In other words, Kate and Tom were expecting a baby. Why hadn’t I guessed? It was the most natural thing in the world, even if they were both getting on a bit. I opened my eyes and grinned inanely at no one in particular.
Tom drew Kate’s arm through his. ‘Please join me in a toast to my lovely wife and the safe arrival of Baby Weston!’
As we raised our glasses and echoed his words, I took the opportunity to study the faces around me. Everyone seemed delighted, with two notable exceptions. Henry looked apprehensive, presumably speculating on what could go wrong with Kate’s pregnancy. And, although I couldn’t see Emma’s expression properly for Emily’s head, her eyes were suspiciously bright. They met mine, then flicked away.
I understood perfectly. Kate and Tom’s news had been a timely reminder that she might be carrying my child.
And the contrast with Kate’s happiness couldn’t be more marked.
* * *
~~EMMA~~
After the toast, Flynn sauntered over to me, lifted a rather surprised Emily out of my arms and pressed a small, square, gift-wrapped box into my hand.
‘Here’s the really nice present I got you.’ He gave Emily a wary look. ‘Hope she doesn’t throw up, this is my best shirt. Still, it looks as though I’ll have to get used to having a baby around.’
I felt my face flush with embarrassment. ‘But I haven’t got you anything!’
‘Just open it, woman.’
Inside the box was a pair of ornate sapphire and diamond earrings. Not to my taste at all and, judging by the name on the lid, horribly expensive. Grant’s of Kingston was renowned for its showy jewellery and high prices; Tom had bought Kate’s engagement ring there, against my recommendation.
With a pretence at regret, I said, ‘A very generous gift, but I can’t possibly accept it.’
‘That’s a real shame.’ But he didn’t sound at all disappointed; and he snatched the box back rather too quickly for my liking.
My eyes narrowed. ‘Did you buy these for somebody else?’
He gave a nervous laugh. ‘How did you guess?’
‘Oh, it’s my feminine intuition, it can be a real curse at times,’ I said in a friendlier tone, thinking that these monstrosities were just the sort of thing Harriet would adore — provided she thought they were fake.
