Authors: Linda Kavanagh
As she watched his car coming up her driveway, she felt her heart thumping uncomfortably in her chest. She seemed to be waiting for an eternity as he parked his car behind the house, gathered up the bouquet of flowers he often brought her, and stepped into her hall.
She’d planned to wait until they were in bed before telling him, but she was so nervous that she blurted it out the minute he arrived. ‘I’m pregnant!’ she announced, watching his face closely to gauge his reaction. She’d hoped to see delight, but instead she saw confusion, followed by a look of guilt as he struggled to say something appropriate.
‘B – but I thought …’ he said at last.
‘You thought I was taking precautions?’
‘Well, yes, I assumed …’
‘I never managed to conceive during the years that John and I were together, so I assumed I wasn’t able,’ she told him, disappointed by his initial reaction. But she wouldn’t give up this child, even if he begged her to. She looked at him from under her eyelashes. ‘You don’t mind, do you?’
‘No, of course not!’ he said quickly. ‘If that’s what you want –? If you do, then that’s wonderful!’
‘But is it what you want? To have a child with me?’
‘Yes, yes, it’s just that –’
He took her in his arms, but since she knew him so well, she was aware that something was definitely wrong.
‘What is it?’
‘You know I can’t leave Sylvia yet.’
Ellie nodded, relieved that this was all that was bothering him. ‘Of course I understand. But this pregnancy was totally unexpected,’ she assured him earnestly. ‘I don’t want you thinking I’m putting a gun to your head. I know our time hasn’t come yet. But this impatient little person –’ she patted her stomach tenderly ‘– has moved things up a notch.’
He still didn’t look convinced.
‘I know I must wait for you,’ she whispered, slipping into his arms. ‘But this may be my only chance to have a child … I’m not getting any younger, you know.’
He kissed her forehead tenderly. ‘You’ll always be young to me,’ he said.
‘So you’re happy for us?’
‘Of course.’
Ellie allowed him to hold her in silence, aware that it would be financial suicide for her to try to rear this child alone and without his support.
He seemed to read her thoughts. ‘Your child will want for nothing,’ he whispered. ‘I’ll make sure that you have everything you could possibly need.’
Deflated, she said nothing. He’d referred to ‘her’ child – already he seemed to be distancing himself from the baby she was carrying.
He smiled as though to placate her. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll love this child just as much as –’
She silenced him by resolutely placing a finger on his lips. ‘Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear you refer to this child as the illegitimate one.’
‘I wasn’t going to –!’
She bridled. ‘Well, then, how were you going to refer to it? By referring to your other child as legitimate, you’d be implying that this child isn’t!’
‘Oh, love, please don’t split hairs – I know this complicates things, but we’ll get through it.’
She sighed, her dream now slightly tinged with sadness. She’d hoped and dreamed of a more positive reaction from him. If only the three of them could be a family! But she’d decided long ago that it was preferable to have a small amount of time with someone she loved rather than a whole life with someone like Tony Coleman.
‘Well, I’m not prepared to live on the fringes of your life. I want this child –’ she touched her belly ‘–to have all the advantages
her
child will have.’
‘Of course – anything you want,’ he said, kissing her gently.
With that, Ellie had to be content. She knew he’d ensure that her child would have the best of everything. After all, she’d now forged a lifelong connection with him.
K
erry found it astonishing that Laura trusted Jeff so implicitly, and didn’t need to check up on the man with whom she’d rushed into marriage. Unlike her, Laura was a trusting and gullible soul, taking people at face value and just assuming they were who they said they were. Kerry accepted that Laura’s naïvety was largely due to losing her parents at such a young age, and not having the normal family support structures in place while she was growing up.
Kerry was also still worried that Jeff might have known in advance about Laura’s fortune, and have targeted her specifically. Without telling Laura, she decided that she was going to follow Jeff one morning as he left their apartment, and see where he went. She doubted that he’d go anywhere near Whitehall, where she knew that most of the covert services were located. Of course, if Jeff
was
telling the truth, she’d never be able to prove it anyway, but she didn’t believe for one minute that Jeff had anything to do with the secret service. He was too volatile, for starters. Agents would need to be capable of staying calm in difficult situations and, in her opinion, Jeff would never have got past the first interview.
She also thought back to what Laura had told her about Jeff’s violent parents, and found herself wondering if there was any truth in that story either. Violent parents wouldn’t look very good on a CV for special ops and, even if he’d lied
in his application, M15 wouldn’t have been long in sussing out the truth. No, Jeff was definitely up to something, and she intended finding out the truth.
The following morning, Kerry was lurking outside Laura and Jeff’s Islington flat by eight o’clock. When the alarm had gone off at six, all she’d wanted to do was turn over and go to sleep again, but she reckoned it would be easier to follow Jeff while Laura was still safely in hospital. She’d wondered if he’d bother to leave the flat at all – since Laura wasn’t there, he didn’t need to pretend that he was going to work.
After forty-five minutes spent shivering in a doorway opposite their flat, Kerry watched as Jeff stepped outside and closed the door. Keeping a safe distance behind him, she followed, thinking yet again that if he truly was a secret agent, he wasn’t a particularly good one, since he didn’t seem to realise he was being followed.
As she tried to keep up, she hoped that he wouldn’t suddenly sprint for a bus, since she was already having trouble matching his long strides. She had some hope of following him if he took the Underground, although even there it would be easy to lose someone on a crowded platform.
Luckily, Jeff headed down to the tube and Kerry was able to hide herself among the people waiting for the next train. She’d taken the precaution of wearing a hooded jacket and had altered her hairstyle and make-up, so she felt confident that Jeff wouldn’t notice her. If he did, she’d have to make up some excuse for being there. In theory, her job as an engineer entitled her to be anywhere, so she could claim to be on her way to meet a client to discuss one of Sea Diagnostic’s projects.
As the train roared into the station, Kerry kept her eye on Jeff, managing to get into the same carriage, although she
made sure to stand behind other commuters while watching to see where he’d get off.
Jeff made one change of train. To Kerry, who was still close behind him, it seemed that he was heading into the centre of the city. But when the train got there, and the crowds began to thin out, Jeff didn’t get off. The carriage had become decidedly empty, so Kerry quickly sat down and tried to partially cover her face. She began to worry about her situation, since without the protection of other bodies, Jeff might notice her before long.
Fortunately, when he stood up to get off two stations later, Jeff moved to the forward doors of the carriage, so Kerry hung back until he’d left the train, leaping off just before the doors closed. By now, Jeff was making his way up the escalator, and Kerry followed, her hood pulled up, poised to look away in case he turned and looked back down the escalator.
They were now in the Docklands area of the East End, and Kerry held back as Jeff headed towards a large modern hotel and entered the foyer. As she lurked outside, peering in through the heavy glass doors, she saw him enter the dining room at the back. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her hood and followed him inside.
Luckily, staff at the reception desk were dealing with guests arriving and departing, and she was able to walk straight past them without being queried. Outside the dining room she paused, trying to spot Jeff inside. Finally, she saw him sitting at a corner table with another man. Luckily, Jeff had his back to the door, but Kerry frowned as she looked at his companion. He was a tall, well-dressed man, and Kerry knew she’d seen him somewhere before. Who on earth was he?
As the man caught her eye, Kerry quickly looked away, embarrassed. It was time to get out of there, before the man drew Jeff’s attention to her presence. Hopefully, she just looked like
a hotel guest in search of her breakfast companion. She hurried back to the foyer and left the hotel, still puzzled.
She’d definitely seen or read about this man quite recently. Could he be a politician?
Hurrying back to her apartment, she changed into more suitable work clothes and headed off to the Sea Diagnostics offices. She’d research the situation further just as soon as she got the chance.
E
llie caressed the soft material lining the bassinet. It was a glorious wickerwork creation lined with oodles of soft, luxurious fabric and trimmed with lace. But a cot would undoubtedly be better value. On the other hand, Alan had told her to spend as much as she liked on whatever items she needed – he’d said that only the best was good enough for their baby. ‘And have it all delivered,’ he’d insisted. ‘I don’t want you carrying anything in your condition.’
Already she’d been wandering around the baby section of the big department store for most of the afternoon, and she still hadn’t managed to see all the items on offer. It was astonishing how many beautiful cots, prams, car seats and clothing were on display, and how much money you could spend on a tiny baby!
She suddenly thought of her late husband, John, and wondered what he’d make of her present situation. It was a very different life from the one she’d envisaged. Strange that she should think of death when she was in the process of creating new life.
Feeling that someone was watching her, Ellie suddenly turned and found a pair of gentle brown eyes looking into hers.
‘Oh, hello,’ said Sylvia Thornton. ‘I thought it was you. You’re Ellie Beckworth, aren’t you?’
Ellie nodded, perturbed at this unexpected encounter. ‘And you’re the factory owner’s wife.’ She couldn’t bring herself to mention Alan by name.
‘Yes, I’m Sylvia. I’ve seen you at staff parties before you left the factory, and I sometimes see you shopping in the village when I take Pete out in his buggy. But we’ve never had a chance to talk before now.’
Sylvia was delighted to make Ellie Beckworth’s acquaintance. It was comforting to think that here, at least, was a woman she didn’t have to view as Alan’s potential mistress. Ellie was clearly too independent to rely on any man, certainly not one married to somebody else. Besides, Alan had always made a point of never socialising with his employees, except for the annual Christmas party and staff retirement parties. He said it wasn’t good for business, and that the boss needed to maintain a certain distance if he was to keep his employees’ respect.
Ellie felt self-conscious about her growing belly, especially when Alan’s wife made a point of looking down at it.
‘How far on are you?’ Sylvia asked.
‘Six months,’ Ellie murmured.
‘You look the picture of health,’ Sylvia said approvingly.
Ellie tried to smile in acknowledgement, all the while wondering how quickly she could make her escape.
But Sylvia seemed determined to chat. ‘The stock here is wonderful, isn’t it?’ she said, fingering a tiny hat and matching mittens that hung on a display panel beside them. ‘I’m hoping for a girl this time – there are so many pretty dresses available!’
She smiled warmly at Ellie, who suddenly felt dizzy and feared she was going to faint.
‘Y – you’re pregnant?’ Ellie whispered.
‘Yes!’ Sylvia replied. ‘I’m only three months gone, so nothing’s showing yet. And we’ve no idea what sex it is.’
Ellie could feel her eyes welling up and she turned away, pretending to cough so that Sylvia wouldn’t see her tears.
‘I really shouldn’t be browsing,’ Sylvia added, unaware that Ellie’s world was collapsing all around her. ‘After all, most of the baby stuff we bought for Pete will be usable again. But I simply couldn’t resist buying something!’ She smiled, delving into a shopping bag bearing the shop’s logo. ‘If I have a girl, I’ll be guilty of stereotyping, because I couldn’t resist buying this gorgeous little pink outfit!’
She waved the little dress and matching socks in front of Ellie, who longed to reach out and throttle her.
Sylvia suddenly noticed Ellie’s white face. ‘Are you all right?’ she asked, alarmed. ‘Do you need to sit down? Look, they have a coffee shop on this floor. Let’s get you over there immediately.’
Leaning on Sylvia and feeling ridiculous, Ellie allowed herself to be led into the coffee shop, where Sylvia found her a chair and asked the woman behind the counter for two coffees.
‘Would you like something to eat?’ Sylvia asked anxiously. ‘I find that I’m always ravenous when I’m pregnant.’