‘Ah,’ said David. ‘And it hasn’t come, so you could be pregnant?’
‘Suppose so.’ Lizzie knew in theory it was possible to get pregnant the first time you had sex but it had always seemed so unlikely. She appeared to be a rare example of when it had happened.
‘Do the others know?’
‘That I could be pregnant? No. I don’t want anyone to know. I feel so ashamed.’ She suddenly felt like crying but not in front of anyone, not even David.
‘Oh, lovey! Why ashamed?’ David asked.
Lizzie shrugged. ‘You know, sex before marriage, getting caught out – it’s shameful! I’m so pleased you’re not shocked. Although I suppose being an actor …’ She didn’t finish her sentence, not being sure where it was leading.
David’s expression was a picture of kindness and understanding. ‘Do you really believe, in your heart, that what you did was wrong?’
‘No.’ Even knowing she was probably pregnant didn’t change that.
‘Not shameful then.’ He sounded very certain. ‘I’m going to make you a hot drink. What do you fancy?’
Lizzie chose Bovril. She wanted something salty. ‘I may not even be pregnant, but I no longer want to drink coffee.’
A minute or two later he put the mug in front of her and came and sat opposite her. ‘Do you want to tell your Uncle David all about it?’
Lizzie managed a smile. ‘Probably not, if I had an Uncle David. But I would quite like to tell you.’
‘I’ll find you some crackers. You need to keep your strength up.’
‘You seem to know a lot about being pregnant, considering you’ve never experienced it,’ Lizzie said, eating a cracker a few moments later and feeling a bit better.
David laughed. ‘In the theatre you get close to people, women in particular, and they tell you their problems. Cheating boyfriends, periods, pregnancy, morning sickness. I’ve heard it all.’ He seemed to assume there was no doubt about her condition.
This sent Lizzie into despair. ‘Oh God, David! I can’t be pregnant! I just can’t! My parents will die!’
‘No one actually dies because someone else gets pregnant, even if it’s their beloved daughter.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yup. Never ever happened, not unless they top themselves and I don’t suppose your parents would do that.’
Lizzie considered this. ‘No. They’re more likely to move somewhere far away where they don’t know anyone.’
‘But what about you?’ said David. ‘The man didn’t force himself on you, did he?’ This obviouslybothered David a lot more than how her parents would react.
It was Lizzie’s turn to be shocked. ‘No! Absolutely not. It was me. I wanted to so much. I hardly dared speak in case he guessed I was a virgin. I was so grateful that he obviously couldn’t tell.’
‘It was Hugo, wasn’t it? After he rescued you?’
She nodded.
‘Well, he’s an honourable man. He’ll do the right thing. But you will have to tell him.’
‘No!’ It was almost a shriek. ‘I can’t tell him! I can’t do that to him.’ Lizzie felt unable to adequately express how unthinkable this was. ‘He’s all set for a brilliant career at the Bar, with exactly the right sort of wife! My being pregnant could ruin his life.’
‘It’s very much more likely to ruin yours, love,’ David said gently.
‘I know!’ She took a couple of breaths. ‘It’s not that his life is more important than mine, but my life is more fluid. I haven’t had it all mapped out for me since I was a baby.’ She paused. ‘Actually I have, by my mother. But as I’ve never agreed with her plans I don’t feel obliged to follow them. It’s not the same.’ She paused and looked David firmly in the eye. ‘I can’t tell Hugo. He mustn’t find out.’
David pursed his lips and sighed deeply. He was obviously not at all happy with how she saw things. ‘Well, the first thing you need to do is find out for certain if you are pregnant. You had a huge shockwhen you nearly drowned. That could have knocked your cycle off balance.’
Lizzie took another cream cracker. ‘You are very easy to talk to. You don’t judge. And you offer snacks.’
