‘It’s also bribery of a kind—’
‘What is?’ Lachlan came round the corner of the house and up the stairs. ‘What the hell is this?’
Clare explained and saw an expression of controlled fury cross Lachlan’s face. It caused her to sigh inwardly and wonder if these kind of situations were going to become a part of her daily life.
But she gathered herself and said quietly, ‘I know it’s flamboyant and wickedly expensive but I think he’s seriously trying to get to understand Sean better, and that can’t be a bad thing.’ And she told him what she’d just told May about her conversation with Bruce.
There was utter silence for a long moment. Then Lachlan surprised her immensely. He said, ‘On this occasion, I’ll trust your judgement, Slim. But you’re going to have to do some fast talking if it happens too often.’
‘I really don’t think it will. I don’t think he’s—that foolish.’
Lachlan removed his gaze from the container and let it wander idly over her. ‘One of the things I like about you is that you’re so sane, Mrs Hewitt.’ And he held out his hand to her.
May melted into the background.
‘You know what’s going to happen now, don’t you?’ Lachlan said softly as he drew her into his arms.
‘I can hazard a guess.’ Her lips trembled. ‘We’re going to be—we’re all going to become enthusiastic astronomers if only to keep him happy?’
‘That too. But I was talking about this.’ And he kissed her deeply. Then he lifted his head and looked into her eyes, and said with a look of amusement that took her breath away, ‘I don’t know if it’s my imagination but we seem to be getting farther and farther apart, Slim.’
She rested her hands on his shoulders and looked down at the bulge between them. ‘I can’t believe it but I’m even growing out of my new maternity clothes!’
‘Twins will do that to you every time. When do you see the doctor again?’
Her face changed. ‘Why—is something wrong?’
‘Not at all, as far as I know, and if you’re feeling fine—’
‘I am!’
‘Well, then, I just asked, that’s all,’ he said wryly. ‘Because I’d like to come with you. Sit down with me for a moment.’
They sat down on the wicker two-seater with its floral cushions and he put an arm round her shoulders.
Clare relaxed. ‘I’m supposed to start antenatal classes, too, but you don’t have to come to those.’
‘Why not?’
‘Well, you’ve been there and done that but, to be honest, I can’t think of anything worse.’ She grimaced.
He cupped her face. ‘I don’t blame you. A whole lot of pregnant ladies and their embarrassed husbands is bound to be a bit of a trial. That’s why you’re better off with me there.’
‘Do I really have to do it? I could read up about it.’
He paused. ‘As a matter of fact, I haven’t been there and done it. Serena refused point-blank to have any truck with antenatal classes. But I often wondered whether it would have made things easier for her.’
‘How so?’ Clare asked slowly.
‘Well, you may not feel so alone, so imposed upon,’ he said with a faint grin, ‘with the evidence that it’s happening to a lot of other women, too. I don’t know, but there may be a kind of camaraderie to be found as well. And I’m sure they’re designed to take some of the mystery out of the whole process.’
‘What if they’re all—much younger?’ Clare said with obvious misgiving.
‘Then we’ll be two golden oldies together.’
‘You’re laughing at me,’ she accused.
‘I deny the charge completely.’
‘All the same I know you are!’ She stopped and sighed.
‘Why don’t you talk to Valerie about it?’ he suggested. ‘If it’s bothering you so much.’
‘All right. But I know exactly what she’ll say. It’s next week, my next appointment.’ She told him the date and time.
‘The other thing I’ve been thinking about is— would you like to ask your parents up for a few days?’
‘Lachlan—I’d love to!’ Clare sat up enthusiastically. ‘My mother’s so thrilled about these babies! So’s Dad. And you know, it’s a strange thing but this—’ she put her hands on her stomach ‘—has brought me closer to my mother than I’ve ever been before. Not that we weren’t close but I feel as if I understand her better now.’
‘Why not make it the weekend after next, then?’
She sat back and laid her cheek on his shoulder. ‘I will.’ And they sat for a while in a silence that was comfortable, warm and peaceful.
Until Paddy and Flynn, who’d been lying at their feet, suddenly leapt up as if of one mind, and started to race down the drive.
‘A visitor?’ Clare hazarded.
Lachlan shook his head. ‘The school bus.’
Clare listened. ‘But I can’t hear a thing.’
‘All the same that’s what it will be. They go down to meet Sean every afternoon.’
Clare knew that Sean rode his bicycle down the long drive to the gate every morning and left it there so he could ride it back in the afternoon. She’d never before witnessed Paddy and Flynn racing down the drive to meet him.
But a few minutes later all three appeared, Sean riding his bike like mad as he tried to keep up with the dogs.
‘What’s this?’ he said as he bounded up the veranda steps.
Lachlan explained about the telescope.
For once in his life, Sean Hewitt was struck dumb, although it only lasted a few moments. Then he said cautiously, ‘What have I got to do?’
‘Write to him and thank him,’ his father said calmly.
‘He won’t expect me to…go and live with them?’
‘I think he might have got that message loud and clear. Why don’t you see if there’s a note?’
There was, inside the box. It said:
Sorry I treated you like a little kid; the thing is, I don’t know much about kids like you or kids at all. But I do know now you’re the one kid who could understand and use one of these—have fun; there’s no strings attached.
‘He may not be such a bad bloke after all,’ Sean said after he’d read the note twice.
‘You could be right,’ Lachlan commented.
Then Sean’s sheer joy exploded. ‘Dad, have you any idea how I’ve longed to be able to look at the stars and the moon properly?’
‘Well, we’ve got to assemble it first. I’ll give you a hand.’
Clare watched them as they lugged the box inside, then she sat a little longer on the veranda, lapped by a feeling of contentment.
CHAPTER SEVEN
A MONTH sped by.
May departed although she was due back after the babies were born. Sean was so wrapped up in his new telescope he hardly seemed to notice.
With May gone, Clare employed, in addition to the cleaning lady who already came three days a week, another lady to do the laundry and ironing. That virtually left her with only the cooking and she’d always loved to cook. She worked three days a week but always got home around about the same time as Sean.
In fact Sean had so many activities—Cubs, sport and so on—he didn’t need entertaining, although he appreciated her help with his homework and the times they spent together at his computer.
He also seemed to appreciate the time they spent together as a family, going to the beach, spending a weekend at Clare’s unit, and a kind of camaraderie sprang up between him and Clare. He picked up his father’s habit of calling her Slim and didn’t mind when she responded by calling him ‘kid’.
He also took a keen interest in the whole process of producing babies with his usual mix of savoir-faire and tricky questions. And he’d printed out a list of possible names that he kept adding to.
One of the farm staff took over May’s beloved rose gardens. He was just as much of an enthusiast as May, and happy to induct Clare into the fragrant business of rose-growing.<
br />
All in all, she thought once, the new order of things was working well. Lachlan was deeply into the macadamia harvest and working hard but appeared content, Sean was perfectly happy by the look of it, and she was still in the grip of that curious contentment. She was even beginning to take an interest in the harvest and losing her wariness about the estate. May had been right—country life grew on you, she thought.
Her parents spent a whole week with them and she and her mother had a lovely time designing a nursery. Lachlan went to a lot of trouble to ensure that her father enjoyed his stay, but the person who appreciated Tom Montrose most was Sean. Her father had always been a passionate amateur astronomer.
And Serena and Bruce got married towards the end of the month.
Sean was collected by his maternal grandparents and taken down for the wedding and to spend a few days with them, and he came back obviously impressed. ‘You should have seen Serena,’ he said to Clare. ‘She looked simply smashing! And Bruce couldn’t stop smiling. I had a glass of champagne. Yuk! But the food was OK. How’s Dad?’
Clare paused because Sean had already been reunited with his father so this question was of a deeper nature, she gathered. ‘He’s been fine, Sean,’ she said honestly.
‘Good.’ That was all he said but Clare had the feeling they understood each other, she and Sean. Because they had both obviously wondered how Serena’s remarriage would affect Lachlan. But there’d been absolutely nothing to show he’d felt a thing.
And between them Lachlan and Valerie had persuaded Clare to attend some antenatal classes.
Rather to her surprise, because she was expecting twins, Clare was treated like a minor celebrity. Not that it entirely took away her embarrassment, but her sense of humour came to her rescue. There were some first-time fathers present—for the first time—who were obviously ten times more embarrassed than she and unable to disguise their horrified expressions at the video shown of an actual birth.
Even Lachlan said on the way home, ‘One doesn’t need to be squeamish, does one?’
‘No,’ Clare agreed ruefully. ‘I mean, I’ve seen them on television before but never in such graphic detail. One suspects that was a very straightforward, easy delivery too.’
He took one hand off the steering wheel and put it over hers. ‘I’m quite sure that in this day and age they never let it get too difficult.’
‘I hope so. My mother had me in about ten hours and with no stitches and no drugs. I’m just hoping it’s genetic—like twins.’
Lachlan was silent for a moment, then he said humorously, ‘I need a drink!’
Clare laughed. ‘I’m glad!’
‘Glad!’ He eyed her ruefully.
‘Well, I always had the feeling you were such an expert on pregnancy, I—felt a little inadequate by comparison.’
‘As a matter of fact, you’ve coped brilliantly,’ he said quietly.
‘This may be where it gets tougher, though—the famous—or should it be the notorious?—last trimester.’
‘If I’d known what I know now, I’d never have said it,’ he murmured.
Clare raised an eyebrow at him.
‘Put it this way, it was said in the heat of the moment. And not intended to scare the life out of you.’
‘It didn’t. Just brought home to me what to expect. ’
‘You’re very forgiving, Clare,’ he said quietly.
‘Funnily enough, I did get something out of that class,’ she said, seemingly changing the subject. ‘Other than all the graphic details.’
Lachlan turned into the Rosemont gates. ‘You did?’
‘Well, there were a couple of lonely-looking single mothers there and there was one girl I had a chat with who was having her fourth in six years, she’d only ever wanted two, her husband is out of work and her parents live overseas. It struck me that I’m very lucky.’
‘Because—you have me?’
‘Because I have you, I have no financial problems, my parents are only a few hours away, I want these babies—oh, yes, I think so.’
He pulled up in front of the house. But what he’d been going to say was lost as Sean came out to greet them. Although later, in the privacy of their bedroom, he paid her his own tribute.
Winter was fast approaching so they had a fire going and he built it up and warmed some oil in a chafing dish, and massaged her body with slow, gentle fingers, paying attention to her nipples and stopping to laugh softly as his babies did a couple of somersaults.
Then he insisted she put on a fleecy nightgown and robe and they sat in front of the fire and toasted marshmallows.
Finally, he took her to bed and made love to her as if she were precious and breakable. The result was a lovely, warm climax, different from others they’d shared but nonetheless deeply satisfying.
And the next morning when she woke and snuggled up against him she also said, ‘That was just what I needed last night. Thanks.’
‘Did you think I didn’t know?’ he responded.
She lifted her head and looked into his eyes with hers a little wondering. ‘Know?’
‘That there’s a time to get technical about pregnancy and babies, and a time to be together like that.’
‘That’s it, exactly. And from now on antenatal classes will hold no terrors for me.’
He laughed and kissed her. ‘Or me. How’s work going these days, by the way?’
She told him. ‘I’ve offered Sue a partnership. She’s brought in a couple of new clients, quite big ones, and we’re thinking of hiring another solicitor. That’ll make four of us, though.’ She bit her lip. ‘I’m just not sure about it. Lennox Head is still only a village really.’
‘Have you thought of opening another office? In Ballina or Alstonville?’
She felt a pulse of excitement. ‘Would you mind?’
‘Well, I don’t think you should do it before the babies are born and you’ve had a chance to settle down, but then—why not?’
‘You’re right. It’s something to think about.’
Things did get tougher from then on as the weeks passed and everything Lachlan had detailed ‘in the heat of the moment’ came to plague her.
Heartburn, having to get up several times during the night, finding it difficult to get comfortable in bed as she grew bigger and bigger—as well as a few things he hadn’t mentioned. How her back ached, for one, although her hair and nails grew and flourished; how difficult it was to get in and out of her sporty little car.
She’d had another scan and although the babies appeared to be fine she was conscious of a niggle of concern that both Valerie and the obstetrician weren’t expressing to her.
‘Everything’s OK, isn’t it?’ she said one day to Valerie when she had about six weeks to go. Valerie had popped in to see her at work.
Valerie Martin took in the patches of brown pigment on Clare’s face, how tired she looked and curiously fragile despite the large burden she carried. ‘You should be at home with your feet up,’ she said severely.
‘I would be but I can’t get comfortable even with my feet up,’ Clare said ruefully.
Unbeknownst to Clare, it was at Lachlan’s instigation that Valerie had popped in to see her. And Valerie decided not to enlighten her but she did ring Lachlan as soon as she got back to her consulting rooms.
The result of this secret negotiating was that Clare’s mother arrived at Rosemont the next morning with the news that she’d come to stay.
‘What about Dad? I mean, I’m thrilled to have you, but how will he cope?’
‘Well, he’s just had a check-up and the doctor told him he was fine, the bypass was a great success,’ Jane said. ‘So I’ve arranged with a few friends to cook him meals, and the freezer was pretty well stocked anyway, but he’ll come up on weekends. He’ll probably enjoy having free access to the bowls club anyway! In the meantime we can put the finishing touches to the nursery and the layette!’
But Jane Montrose did more. She insisted on helping with the cook
ing and with someone there to talk to and knit, sew and crochet with Clare was happier to stay at home.
Towards the end of her eighth month, on a visit to the obstetrician, that niggle of unspoken concern was at last brought out into the open.
‘Clare,’ he said to her, ‘there’s a possibility this pregnancy won’t go full term.’
She looked at him wide-eyed.
‘Firstly,’ he said, ‘around sixty per cent of twins are born a few weeks early so from now on you should have all your arrangements made. Secondly, pre-eclampsia is more common when you’re carrying twins so if there’s any sign of fluid retention, dizziness, blurred vision or headaches you must let us know immediately, and we’ll need to be vigilant with your blood pressure.’
‘I haven’t noticed anything like that.’
‘Good,’ he said. ‘But the other thing is, in light of your mother’s history of one twin not surviving, we need to monitor their condition closely. If either foetus seems at all distressed, we’ll need to do a Caesarean.’
‘I’d much rather do this naturally,’ she said.
‘Believe me, so would I. I’m not in favour of routine Caesareans but they can be life-and health-saving. The other thing is the burden on you, now and at delivery. There’s just a touch of concern about your pelvic measurements. Now, I’ve known little slips of girls who’ve produced seven-and eight-pound babies with ease but you were very slim and I don’t propose to endanger you or your babies if things look difficult.’
‘I…see.’
‘As for monitoring you—three,’ he said with a glint of humour, ‘Valerie has offered to pop in every day on her way to work. Apparently she drives past Rosemont So she can check their heartbeats, your blood pressure and so on. The alternative is to put you into hospital—’
‘Oh, no, I—’
‘I thought not,’ he said wryly. ‘But, Clare, believe me, if that does have to happen, it’s a small price to pay for two healthy babies and a healthy mum!’
She told Lachlan of this development as soon as she got home.
Having His Babies (Harlequin Presents) Page 12