Baby Out of the Blue. Annie West

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      ‘No!’ Jane was defensive. ‘I’d already told Leo I was leaving before it happened.’

      ‘Oh, well…’ Her mother sniffed and took a sip of her tea before continuing, ‘From what I heard, it wasn’t much of a fire. I suppose it made news because of the danger it could have posed to other vessels.’

      Jane nodded, not trusting herself to speak about it. It wasn’t the danger the tanker had posed to other vessels that had alarmed her. Simply knowing her husband was involved had been enough.

      There was silence for a few moments and then Mrs Lang said, ‘And how was Mr Souvakis?’

      ‘Oh—not too bad. Very thin, of course, and he doesn’t have a lot of strength. But his mind’s still as active as ever.’

      ‘Do you really think so?’ Her mother sounded sceptical.

      ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘Well, he knows you and Demetri are getting a divorce, doesn’t he? So he must have known it wasn’t the wisest thing, inviting you out there. Surely he didn’t think that bringing you two together might cause a change of heart?’

      ‘No.’ Jane’s hand trembled and she quickly replaced her cup and saucer on the tray. ‘No, of course not.’

      Her mother studied her thoughtfully. ‘Did you?’ she asked shrewdly and Jane felt the hot colour flood her cheeks.

      ‘Did I what?’

      ‘Hope that Demetri might change his mind?’

      ‘No!’ And it was true. When she’d left England, she hadn’t hoped for any such thing. ‘I—I left Demetri, Mum. Not the other way about.’

      ‘Hmm.’ Mrs Lang didn’t look convinced, and Jane thought how impossible it was going to be to tell her about the baby now. ‘So when are you going back to work?’

      Jane expelled a weary breath. ‘I don’t know. Tomorrow. The day after. I’ll speak to Olga.’

      Her mother huffed. ‘How nice to be so blasé about it.’

      Jane moistened her lips. ‘Well—I haven’t been feeling all that good, actually.’

      ‘Ah, I thought so.’ Mrs Lang looked triumphant. ‘I told you, you looked ill before you went away.’

      ‘So you did.’ Jane felt a sense of resignation.

      ‘What is it, then? Have you been to see a doctor?’

      ‘I went before I went away.’

      ‘And you never said a word.’ Her mother looked offended. ‘I suppose you told that Ivanovitch woman what you were doing. You tell her everything. But I’m just your mother. You don’t think I deserve to know what’s going on—’

      ‘I’m pregnant!’

      Jane hadn’t known what she was going to say until the words were spoken. She just knew she had to stop her mother making claims that simply weren’t true. But afterwards, she just sat and stared at her with horrified eyes.

      This time the silence was longer. Her mother put down her own cup almost unthinkingly, swallowing several times as if her throat was suddenly very dry.

      Then she said quietly, ‘It’s Demetri’s, I suppose.’

      Jane’s shoulders sagged. ‘Yes.’

      ‘Oh, Jane!’ She’d expected many things from her mother, but not sympathy. ‘How long have you known? Is this why you really went out to Greece?’

      ‘No!’ Jane shook her head. ‘Demetri doesn’t know. He mustn’t know. He’s going to marry someone else.’

      Her mother stared at her in disbelief. ‘You’re not serious!’

      ‘I am.’

      ‘But Jane, how can you let him marry someone else when you’re expecting his child? You’re not making any sense.’

      Jane sighed. ‘Mum, my being pregnant makes no difference to—to our feelings for one another.’

      ‘I can’t believe that.’

      Jane bit her lip. ‘What happened between Demetri and me was—a mistake. It should never have happened.’

      ‘So why did it?’

      ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Jane was glad now she hadn’t told her mother why Demetri wanted a divorce. ‘I was—upset, and he—he—’

      ‘Took advantage of you.’

      ‘No, it wasn’t like that.’

      ‘So what was it like?’

      Jane felt the colour enter her cheeks at the question. ‘Mum, please. It happened. Can’t you just accept that?’

      Her mother looked at her closely. ‘Don’t you usually take precautions on—on occasions like this?’

      ‘I don’t usually have occasions like this,’ replied Jane honestly. ‘It was reckless, I know. But my period was due and—’

      ‘And you thought you’d be OK?’

      ‘Yes.’

      ‘Dear lord!’

      ‘I know. It was stupid. I realise that now.’

      ‘I wonder how many young women have said that.’ Mrs Lang got up from the sofa to pace restlessly about the room. ‘And let’s face it, he’s just as much to blame.’

      ‘He probably thought the same as you: that I’d take care of it.’ She shrugged. ‘It wasn’t something we discussed at the time.’

      ‘Even so—’

      ‘Mum, this isn’t Demetri’s problem. It’s mine. And I want to keep it that way.’

      ‘Humph.’ Her mother snorted. ‘That man seems to make a habit of fathering children with women he shouldn’t.’ She hesitated. ‘I assume you saw—what was her name?—Ianthe, while you were there.’

      Jane bent her head. ‘I saw her, yes.’

      ‘And is that who he’s going to marry?’

      ‘No.’ Jane hesitated. Then she said, ‘Ianthe’s baby died.’

      Her mother’s brows ascended. ‘Really? How convenient!’

      ‘It wasn’t like that.’ Jane had to defend the other girl. ‘I believe she was very upset.’

      ‘And was Demetri upset, too?’

      ‘I СКАЧАТЬ