‘Why are you being so nice to me?’
‘Would you rather I was as unpleasant to you as Arthur is?’
‘I’d trust it more. The one thing I always know with my cousin is where I stand. But with you, I … I don’t know.’
‘That’s hardly surprising. Until a few days ago, we hadn’t met. It takes time to get to know a person, and longer still to trust them.’
‘I’ve trusted very few people in my life,’ murmured Allegra. ‘Those I have have usually let me down.’ She was thinking of Luigi in particular.
‘I guessed as much,’ said Romily. ‘But I’d hazard a guess that you trusted Elijah when you were a child. Yes?’
Allegra risked another sip of the hot sweet tea before saying, ‘You’re fishing, aren’t you?’
Romily smiled. ‘He’s an extraordinarily handsome young man. Quite the dish.’
In spite of feeling so awful, Allegra smiled as well. ‘I didn’t recognise him when I first saw him working in the garden the other day. He’s changed so much since I last saw him. But you’re right: he and I were good friends back when we were children.’
‘Did you spend the night with him on Saturday?’
Allegra nearly dropped her teacup. ‘Why on earth would you ask me that?’
‘Because I saw you returning home early yesterday morning, and you were still wearing the dress you’d worn for the dance the night before.’
Allegra blinked. ‘It’s not what you think.’
‘But you don’t know what I’m thinking. And really it’s nothing to do with me what you get up to with an old friend.’
‘We just talked. We talked and talked and then the next thing I knew it was morning and I was still in the armchair where I’d been all night. And that’s the truth. Though to be honest, I don’t give a damn whether you believe me or not.’
Romily looked at her steadily. ‘Actually I do believe you. The same thing happened to me with Jack when we met for the second time. We’d been out for dinner, and afterwards he invited me back to his place for a nightcap and we talked all night until we heard the birds singing. One thing you need to know about me, Allegra, I care not a jot for convention. Your uncle and I lived perfectly happily in a state of what certain folk here in the village considered to be sin, and we neither of us batted an eyelid. So you see, you can’t say or do anything that will shock me, and I’m certainly not going to sit in judgement on you. Not ever.’
Allegra decided to put that statement to the test. ‘What if I told you I was pregnant?’
Without missing a beat, Romily said, ‘I’d say that explains the sickness, and the tiredness. When is the baby due?’
‘In about seven months. Dr Garland advised me to tell you – he seems to think that it was too big a burden for me to carry alone. I didn’t tell him I’d already told Elijah. That was one of the things we were talking about into the early hours of Sunday morning.’
‘So that’s why Elijah reacted the way he did when I told him the doctor was here to see you. His concern for you was genuine, you know.’
Allegra nodded, touched that despite the way they’d parted yesterday morning, Elijah cared enough to ask after her. ‘According to Dr Garland,’ she said, ‘I’m suffering from mental and physical exhaustion, brought on by the shock of what happened yesterday with Annelise.’
‘That would make sense. What does he advise?’
‘Complete bed rest for the next few days, for the sake of the baby.’ She sighed heavily. ‘Which will ensure I die of boredom.’
‘Then we shall have to do our best to amuse and entertain you. Take another bite of that biscuit if you can bear it, Allegra. Now then, what about the father of the baby? Presumably he’s in Italy. Does he know? Can he be relied upon?’
Allegra snorted. ‘If by that you mean can he be relied upon to lie, cheat and swindle, then yes.’ She gave Romily an abridged version of the events that had brought her to this low point, and as she spoke, she felt a growing sense of trust and esteem towards this woman she had known for such a short time, a woman who seemed to possess a singularly clear-sighted and uncomplicated way of looking at life. She was beginning now to see why Roddy had said that he had the greatest respect and admiration for her. There was no superiority or judgement to her. Just a willingness to help. What was more, not a word of blame or criticism had she levelled at Allegra for falling asleep while minding Annelise yesterday.
The sickening guilt Allegra felt for her irresponsible behaviour had kept her awake for most of the night. Every time she had almost nodded off, the haunting image of a dead child floating in the pond came to her, and she had to bury her face in the pillow to block it out.
How could she ever consider herself responsible enough to be a fit mother after that? Would anyone in their right mind think she was capable of looking after a child?
Chapter Thirty
Back from their walk, and at Kit’s suggestion, they wandered through the garden to the old outhouse they used to play in as children. He’d had a sudden whim to remind himself of where he and Hope had often retreated when they wanted to steer clear of Arthur.
While Hope lifted Annelise out of the pram, Kit peered in through one of the grimy windows, but it was too dark inside to see clearly. Next he tried the handle of the door, half expecting it to be locked. It wasn’t, and it opened stiffly with an arthritic creak. He stepped inside into the airless gloom, his nostrils instantly assailed with the dust of years gone by.
