With Love From Cape Town. Joss Wood

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СКАЧАТЬ loving, supportive marriages. And that made all the difference.

      ‘So you are saying that women are encouraged to donate a proportion of their eggs in order to fund their treatment?’ she said, signalling to John to keep filming.

      Niall sat down in his chair and stretched his long legs in front of him before regarding her steadily over steepled fingers.

      ‘You’d prefer women not to have the opportunity?’ he said quietly. ‘Do you have any idea how short the supply of donor eggs is? There are so many women, like Patricia, whose only hope of having a child is through the generosity of those women who are prepared to donate their eggs.’

      ‘I can see the point when it comes to altruistic donors…’ Robina replied. ‘Those women who have nothing to gain except the satisfaction of helping someone else, but these other women, the egg sharers—aren’t they under impossible pressure to donate in order to fund their own treatment? Is that morally correct?’

      Niall brought his brows together. ‘Don’t you think we’ve considered all that?’ Underlying his calm tone was a thread of steel. ‘Do you think for one moment that any of us here would force women, or even steer them, towards a decision that wasn’t right for them? And as I explained to Patricia, it’s not only the recipients who have to undergo counselling. The donors aren’t permitted to donate unless we are absolutely convinced that they know exactly what they are letting themselves in for.’

      ‘But,’ Robina persisted, ‘I can see how desperate these women are to have children. Surely you are taking advantage of that?’

      Niall stood. He towered over her, his eyes glinting. He signalled to the cameraman to stop filming. ‘Could you leave us for a moment, John?’ He waited until John, after a nod from Robina, left the room.

      ‘Don’t make this about us, Robina,’ he said. When she opened her mouth to protest he held up his hand. ‘I told you that I thought this was too close to home for you, but you wouldn’t listen.’

      ‘It isn’t about us,’ Robina retorted. ‘There is no us. Oh, we may be married but we both know it’s in name only. We haven’t been married, not truly, since…’ She broke off, unable to bring herself to say the words. ‘Actually, I can’t even remember if I ever felt married.’ Furious with herself, she tried to blink away the tears before Niall could see, but it was too late.

      He crouched down by her side and touched her arm. She looked into his diamond eyes. ‘Are you sure?’ he said quietly. ‘We were happy once. We can be happy again. If we are both prepared to try.’

      Robina’s skin burnt at his touch and she desperately wanted to say, Yes, let’s start again, go back to where we were, before it all went so badly wrong. But she couldn’t. She was no longer the woman he’d married.

      She shook her head. ‘I don’t know, Niall. So much has happened. You know you want more children, but I don’t. I won’t risk it.’

      ‘We could adopt.’

      ‘We could. But do you think having children would sort what’s wrong with our marriage? Because I don’t.’

      He dropped his arm and turned away, but not before she saw the flash of disappointment in his eyes. Despite herself she felt a flicker of hope. Was there a chance? Did he still care? Even after everything?

      ‘But maybe,’ she said tentatively, ‘maybe we can be friends. Not just pretend like we do around Ella but really try. Maybe make a start this weekend. Like we promised Ella. Do you know how long it’s been since we did something all together?’

      Niall’s expression was hooded. ‘You know I’d do anything to make my child happy. And if having you and me spend time with her together makes her happy then naturally I’ll do whatever she wants. You know that.’

      And just like that the flicker of hope was snuffed out. Whatever Niall said, the reason he wanted her in his life was to be a mother to his child. And she’d do well not to forget that, even for a moment.

      ‘Come on, Daddy,’ Ella demanded. ‘Robina’s programme is about to start.’

      Niall switched on the TV and sank into the leather sofa. Richard Christchurch had phoned Robina the Monday after the charity dinner, explaining that a scheduled guest had been unable to appear on the show later that week due to a family crisis. The presenter had wheedled and begged a resisting Robina to step in at the last minute. When her agent had added her entreaties, Robina had eventually agreed.

      Ella cuddled in beside Niall, popping her thumb into her mouth. He resisted the temptation to pull it out again. She’d get over the habit in her own good time.

      They were just in time to watch Robina’s entrance into the studio. She paused and smiled as the camera focussed in on her. She looks every bit the TV star, Niall thought proudly. She looked elegant in a floor-length gown that clung to her curves, a simple gold necklace highlighting the length of her neck, her height putting her at least a couple of inches above her host. For the programme she had chosen to dress in traditional African style and Niall thought she looked stunning.

      As she settled into the chair the host Richard Christchurch held out for her, she appeared cool and at ease. They shared a couple of words off camera as they waited until the applause died down.

      ‘Robina. May I call you Robina?’ Richard asked. When she nodded he continued. ‘For those few viewers who don’t know you, could you tell us a little bit about your work?’

      ‘I present a weekly show called Life In Focus,’ Robina answered. ‘It’s a programme that covers a different medical topic every week.’

      ‘Could you tell us how you came to present the show?’

      ‘I am a qualified GP,’ Robina answered. ‘About a year ago, I had a book published—an-easy-to-read guide on infertility. When it came out, it was very well received and I was asked onto the show to talk about it. Shortly afterwards, the producer offered me the opportunity to present Life In Focus.’

      ‘Aren’t you a bit young to be offering medical advice on a range of topics?’

      Robina smiled, her perfect teeth a flash of white against her deep copper skin. Niall felt something shift low in his belly. God, he loved her smile. It was one of the first things he had noticed about her. It lit up the room.

      ‘I have a team of experts who work with me. They provide most of the answers because you’re quite right—there is no way I could be an expert on all the different conditions we cover. All I do is translate the medical jargon into simple language the patients and viewers can understand. All of us have been in situations where we didn’t grasp everything the doctor was telling us, partly because we didn’t know the right questions to ask.’

      ‘I have a clip from one of your programmes to show the audience.’

      The snide smile on Richard’s face made Niall uneasy, and he wondered if his wife knew what she could be letting herself in for. A couple of minutes of a show Robina had presented on autism came up on the screen. She was sharing a sofa with parents who had children with the illness. Opposite them on a separate sofa were the experts who were there to answer questions. It was evident as the couples spoke that Robina’s empathy was genuine. As the screen faded Richard turned to her again.

      ‘Before we talk about your future projects and your СКАЧАТЬ