She cringed. ‘Don’t use the wordabuse, it sounds so sordid.’
‘If it wasn’t abuse, what would you call it, then?’
She pursed her lips. ‘I call it making allowances for the father of my children.’
‘I’m sorry, Naomi, but that’s not making allowances, that’s making excuses for the man who struck you when he couldn’t control his temper. You wouldn’t countenance that behaviour from either Tom or Rick with your daughters, would you?’
She shook her head sadly. ‘You’re right, but please, let’s not drag all that up from the past, not now. It’s the future that matters and your moving in with me.If you still want to. If I haven’t spoilt everything between us.’
‘Are you absolutely sure that’s what you want?’ he said. ‘Won’t you still feel you have to justify the situation to your daughters? Won’t you still feel just as harried?’
‘No, I don’t believe I will because things will be less complicated between us.’
‘And dare I say, less permanent?’
‘Please don’t think that. I genuinely want us to be together for ever.’
‘But only on your own terms?’
He didn’t mean to sound as sharp as he did, and he could see she was hurt by what she clearly felt was an accusation.
‘I’ve upset you, haven’t I?’ she said.
‘Yes,’ he finally admitted. ‘I’m disappointed. I like the idea of marriage with you. I don’t even really know why. It just felt right when I asked you. Now I’m not sure what to feel. Perhaps I’m more committed to our relationship than you are.’
She sighed and slid her hands across the table to hold his. ‘That’s not true. I love you, Ellis, and I can’t think of anything I’d like more than to wake up lying next to you every morning for the rest of my life.’
‘Will you still allow me to buy you a ring? Or is that a complication too far?’
Before she could answer, their waiter approached with their lunch. With painful slowness, the lad set down the plates and various dishes of vegetables on the table, managing in his awkwardness to knock over the small vase containing a single pink carnation.
‘It’s fine,’ said Ellis, picking the vase up, ‘don’t worry about it.’
Stammering an apology and looking as though his day couldn’t get any worse, the lad escaped as fast as he could, only nearly to collide with a waitress carrying a tray of drinks for another table.
Poor devil, thought Ellis.I know just how you feel.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jason’s pen had been silent the whole time Martha had been speaking, which was actually more unnerving than when he was clicking it. As he was now doing while Steve, the creative director, took his turn to contribute to that morning’s meeting.
Ever since Martha’s pitch had secured them the account, Jason’s manner towards her had changed. It wasn’t the first time she had won over a client, yet for some reason in this instance she hadn’t felt she had done enough to impress Topolino. But here they were, several months on it was now nearly the end of August and according to Charlotte Milner, Topolino’s MD, they couldn’t be happier.
To Martha’s surprise, while coming in to work on the train this morning she had received an email from Charlotte saying that they had been so impressed with Martha’s advice and level-headed input, they had decided they would like to have her services on a permanent basis at Topolino. There had been no time to reply to the email; besides, Martha needed time to think about it. There was also the small matter of her being eighteen weeks pregnant.
A conversation wouldn’t hurt, would it?she imagined her father saying. Dad had always encouraged her to consider any opportunity that came her way,and while she was happy enough where she was, she was sufficiently intrigued, and flattered, to want to know more. She was jumping the gun, but she couldn’t help but wonder what kind of generous staff discount would be available on all those gorgeous baby clothes.
When the meeting came to an end and everyone left to go back to their offices, and with more speed than usual – it was Friday and the Bank Holiday weekend beckoned – Jason approached Martha. She hoped he wasn’t going to keep her long as she had a lot to do before leaving early that afternoon. At four o’clock she and Tom would be seeing their baby for the first time. She should have had this first scan last month, but she’d had to cancel on two different occasions because of work commitments, and then the hospital had had a problem and cancelled on her.
She had dreamt last night that the ultrasound scan she was booked to have today had identified a bundle of smiling and waving babies nestled inside her. So vivid had the dream been, she had woken with the strongest feeling that she might be expecting more than one baby, even though to her and Tom’s certain knowledge there was no record of twins, let alone triplets, in either of their families.
‘Doing anything interesting for the weekend?’ asked Jason.
‘We’re going down to Sussex to see my mother,’ she said. ‘What about you? Off to your place in Southwold with …’ She hesitated as her baby brain grappled to recall the name of Jason’s latest girlfriend. ‘Georgia,’ she settled on.
‘No,’ he said, ‘I’m going alone. Georgia and I are no longer seeing each other.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry.’
