Even George, whose knowledge of women’s cycles was sketchy, could do the maths on this one.
‘You mean . . . ?’
Victoria nodded, her face crumpling as she dissolved into sobs again.
‘I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to tell you.’
‘What were you going to do?’
‘I don’t know!’ Victoria wiped her nose with her sleeve like a small child and took in a deep, juddering breath to calm herself down. ‘I . . . don’t know. I mean, I can’t even be totally sure. I haven’t done a test or anything. But I’m pretty sure. I feel . . . I
feel
pregnant.’
George suddenly felt the need for a very large drink.
‘I thought you were on the Pill. I’d never have touched you if I’d thought . . . You’ve been on the Pill for ever. You’re neurotic about not getting pregnant.’
‘I stopped taking it after Nick dumped me,’ said Victoria flatly. ‘I wasn’t ever going to sleep with another man again.’
George looked at Victoria. She looked about twelve, her face white, her eyes huge.
‘What am I going to do?’ she asked him, her voice very small and plaintive.
He was silent for a moment.
‘What are
we
going to do?’ he corrected her.
‘I can’t get rid of it. Even I couldn’t do that. Even I couldn’t be that selfish.’
‘Of course not!’ George was appalled at the suggestion. ‘That hadn’t even occurred to me.’
‘I’ve got no money, no job, nowhere to live . . .’
George looked up at the ceiling for a moment, as if the answer might be lurking there.
‘You’ve got me.’
‘But I haven’t, have I? Lisa’s got you.’ Victoria babbled on. ‘I can go away. Have it in secret. Bring it up somewhere – Lisa need never find out.’
‘Absolutely not.’ George was adamant. ‘That’s positively Victorian. We’re in this together. This is
our
baby . . .’
The relief on Victoria’s face was palpable.
‘George . . . ?’
‘What?’
‘I didn’t do this on purpose. I know that’s what everyone’s going to think. I know that’s what Lisa will think. But I honestly didn’t.’
‘No,’ said George. ‘I’m sure you didn’t. If I remember rightly, you didn’t exactly force me into it.’
He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. Suddenly it seemed incredibly hot in the hospital.
‘I suppose you’d better do a test first. Make sure you are pregnant. There’s no point in pushing the panic button if it’s a false alarm.’
Victoria pressed her lips together until they were nearly white in an effort not to cry again.
‘We can get one from the all-night supermarket in Bamford,’ she whispered. ‘Will you come with me?’
‘Of course I will . . .’
Half an hour later, George found himself pacing the fruit and vegetable aisle while Victoria did her test in the loo. There had been quite a few tests to choose from. True to form, Victoria had grabbed the most expensive.
‘I won’t be long,’ she said. ‘It says it only takes two minutes.’
Now here he was staring at a pile of gleaming aubergines, thinking how peculiar life was. This situation was completely surreal. All because of a moment of weakness on his part. Of course, Victoria might not be pregnant. Her period might be late for all sorts of reasons. It had been a stressful time for her. And maybe her body was adjusting to not being on the Pill after all these years. After all, people didn’t get pregnant that easily, did they? It had been very quick, all of thirty seconds, if he remembered rightly. Yes, George reassured himself, it was very unlikely . . .
He looked across the aisles into the entrance area just as Victoria came out of the loo. She looked around for him and their eyes met. Her expression told him nothing. She just stared as he rushed over to her.
‘Well?’
She gave a wobbly smile as her eyes filled with tears. What did that mean? She looked . . . happy. That must mean negative.
‘Positive.’
George’s heart gave a little flip.
His stomach filled with butterflies.
As he stood there under the harsh lights, customers barging past him with their trolleys, he realized that was the answer he had been hoping for.
Lisa was at the door before he’d even opened it, anxious for news of Mimi.
‘Is she all right? Why didn’t you phone me? You’ve been ages. I’ve been so worried.’
George walked into the hall with a heavy tread.
‘Mimi’s going to be fine. They’re keeping her in for observation, that’s all.’
‘Thank God.’
‘Lisa . . .’
Lisa looked at him. His face was grim, his mouth a hard line.
‘Lisa, I don’t quite know how to tell you this.’ He cleared his throat in an effort to get the words out more fluently. ‘Victoria’s pregnant.’
Lisa blinked in surprise. ‘How did she manage that? That’s all she needs at the moment. And I suppose that means we can’t just kick her . . .’
She trailed off as the realization dawned on her.
‘It’s yours.’
‘Yes,’ said George. ‘And I’m sorry.’
Lisa stared blankly into space for a few moments.
‘I don’t think I’m surprised,’ she said eventually. ‘And I don’t think I’m even angry.’
‘You should be. I can’t tell you how disgusted I am with myself.’
She gave a deep sigh. George looked agonized. He couldn’t think of anything to say that would make it any better.
‘I love you, Lisa. I think you’re amazing and fantastic and I’d never have got this place off the ground without you.’ George ground one fist into the palm of his other hand as he searched for the right words. ‘But—’
‘But you love her.’ Lisa’s voice was matter of fact. ‘You never got over her. I know you tried to convince me and her and yourself. But the truth is, the minute she walked back in through that door you were hooked.’
‘What do we do now?’
He was looking to her for answers. Because he knew she was stronger than he was. Because if anyone could find a solution to this mess, it would be Lisa.
Lisa looked around the reception area. In two days’ time the first guests were due to check in. She gave a despondent shrug.
‘Sell up, I guess. We should get our money back. We’ve got a healthy stream of bookings already.’
‘It’s a bloody shame. After all that hard work.’
‘You could buy me out.’
George couldn’t help wishing that Lisa would scream and cry, hit him even. She was so incredibly down to earth. So practical. It was unnerving. And it made him feel more guilty because he knew that no one was really that tough, that inside she was probably devastated. Not that he flattered himself that he was a heartbreaker.
‘I don’t think I can afford to.’ Not with a baby on the way, he added to himself as an afterthought. ‘And it doesn’t seem fair. You’ve put such a lot into this place.’
‘Not as much as you’ve put into Victoria.’ Her crudeness made him flinch. But at least she was showing some sort of reaction. ‘Where is she now?’
‘I’ve booked her into a hotel.’
Lisa scoffed.
‘That’s a bit pointless, isn’t it?’
‘I could hardly bring her back here.’
‘Why not? The damage has already been done.’
A trace of bitterness had crept into her voice.
‘I never meant to hurt you.’
‘No, I’m sure you didn’t.’ Her tone was brisk. ‘But perhaps it was meant to be. And, anyway, I wouldn’t want to be second best.’
‘Lisa, you are not second best. You’ve got to believe that. No way. You are beautiful and talented and sexy and . . .’ George shrugged helplessly, at a loss for the right words. ‘Amazing. You’re amazing.’
‘But I’m not Victoria.’
Lisa always had a knack for getting straight to the point.
George sighed.
‘No.’
She squared her shoulders.
‘I don’t know where Justin’s got to. I think he’s out with Joel. I’ll tell him when he gets back. You better go and find Victoria.’ She paused. ‘Let’s have a meeting tomorrow, when we’ve all had a chance to think about what we want to do. Say . . . ten o’clock?’
Christ, how could she be so businesslike when he’d just blown her whole world apart? He gazed at her, her chin lilted defiantly in that gesture he’d come to know so well. She was blinking rapidly and he realized she was trying not to cry. She wouldn’t want to do that in front of him; he knew her well enough for that. He drew away hastily.
‘Ten o’clock, then . . .’
As George turned and walked out of the door, Lisa squared her shoulders and managed a rueful smile. She’d been looking for the right moment all day to tell George she didn’t actually want to marry him. She’d been berating herself for agreeing in front of all those witnesses, wondering how on earth she’d managed to find herself engaged and how she was going to get out of it while not hurting his feelings.
Now, she didn’t have to worry. Telling him she’d never intended to marry him would only look like sour grapes. Besides, she didn’t think she wanted to do anything to ease his conscience.
Bloody men, she thought. Why didn’t she ever learn? Suddenly blinded by tears, she ran through the drawing room and out of the French windows. She’d go down to the beach. Things never seemed so bad on the beach, somehow.
I
t had been decided that Hannah would break the news about Molly and Alfie to the rest of the staff, as discreetly as possible. It was a dubious honour, as it was very hard to drop a bombshell like that without looking as if you were relishing everyone’s reaction. But she understood that Bruno would feel uncomfortable announcing it to all and sundry, and they obviously couldn’t keep it quiet for any length of time.
She was standing now, in the staffroom, her fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms, as Caragh marvelled at the revelation.
‘What a brilliant scam.’ She exclaimed. ‘I wish I’d thought of it.’
‘Scam?’ frowned Hannah. ‘What do you mean, scam?’
‘Well, how do they prove it is Joe’s baby? I wouldn’t take that little scrubber’s word for it.’
Hannah stepped forward.
‘What did you call her?’
‘Molly Mahoney’s a little scrubber.’ Caragh stood her ground. ‘A scheming little scrubber, coming out of the woodwork two years later. It’s perfect. They’re hardly going to dig up his body for DNA, are they?’ She cackled. ‘It’s like a Catherine Cookson story. Bastard son born on the wrong side of the blanket. Though if you ask me it could be any Tom, Dick or Harry’s baby from here to Tawcombe.’
Hannah was trembling with rage.
‘Take that back.’
‘What?’
‘Take back what you just said. About Molly.’
Caragh’s mocking eyes danced.
‘Oh yes, of course. What it is to inspire such loyalty. But then she stuck up for you, didn’t she? All the losers and the misfits stick together in this place.’
Frank stepped forward.
‘Shut it, Caragh.’
Her eyebrows shot skywards.
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Apologize to Hannah.’
‘Why is it everybody wants me to apologize to her? The only one who should apologize to her is God, for giving her that conk. That’s unforgivable.’
Caragh sat back in her chair, looking very pleased with herself.
Frank looked uncomfortable.
Hannah stared at her evenly.
‘It was you,’ she said.
‘What was me?’ Caragh gazed back innocently.
‘When I called the hospital, to apologize for not turning up for my operation. They said I’d already cancelled. Two weeks ago.’
‘Did they?’ Caragh shrugged nonchalantly. ‘Nothing to do with me.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Hannah sweetly. ‘Because actually you did me a favour. If I’d cancelled on the day, I’d have lost all my money. But because you gave them two weeks’ notice, they’d found someone else to take my place. I got a full refund. And they’ve booked me in again for a fortnight’s time.’
‘What operation?’ asked Frank, bewildered.
‘Do you have to ask?’ Caragh looked scornful.
‘I’m not ashamed,’ said Hannah. ‘I was booked in for a nose job.’
‘Why?’ Frank really thought he’d missed something. Two minutes ago they’d been on abandoned babies.
Caragh snorted.
‘Why?’ She collapsed, helpless with laughter. ‘Why stop there, do you mean?’
Frank looked down at her.
‘You bitch.’
‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ said Caragh. ‘Get over it. I saved her nearly four grand.’
She held out her hand to look at her nails. Frank stared at her in disgust, then turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
Hannah bent down until her face was on a level with Caragh.
‘You can say what you like about me,’ she said evenly, ‘but if you don’t take back what you said about Molly, you’ll be the one needing surgery.’
Bruno was in the back office. He felt quite light-headed, from too much coffee and not enough sleep. It had been an extraordinary couple of days. His heart soared every time he thought of his mother’s face when she’d first seen Alfie. Of course, there had been tears. Lots of tears. It had been painful in some respects. Incredibly emotional. Even his father had cried, and Bruno didn’t remember him crying once, not even when Joe had died. Molly had been cautious, wary, protective, but that was to be expected. And there were bound to be difficult times ahead. There were too many emotions involved to expect a totally smooth path.
But otherwise, it had been quite wonderful.
There was a knock at the door. Bruno sighed. He’d hoped to sneak off, grab some lunch at home and get some sleep.
‘Come in.’
The door opened and Frank stepped inside. He looked anxious.
‘Frank. Come and sit down. What can I do for you?’
Frank took the seat in front of his desk. Bruno saw his hands were trembling.
‘What’s the matter?’
Frank folded his chef’s hat in his lap.
‘You’re not going to like any of this. You’re going to be down a manageress and a head chef by the end of it. And to be honest, I don’t care if you end up suing me. Or if I end up in prison. But I can’t keep quiet any longer.’
Later that afternoon, Hannah had come off duty and had gone to flop on to her bed. She was shattered after the emotional rollercoaster that had been the past couple of days. Her confrontation with Caragh had drained her – she’d made a dignified exit in the end, as the girl had refused to apologize. Hannah felt rather hurt that Frank had slunk off and left them to it. She couldn’t believe what a coward he was.