Straightening, he headed to the kitchen where Ms. Bailey was preparing lunch.
"I made some soup for the missus." The woman told him.
"That should go down well."
"I also baked soda bread." She added with a smile. "Your mother's recipe. I'll cut her a slice to go with the soup. It's mostly vegetables."
"Thanks Ms. Bailey. Just take it upstairs when you're finished."
He found her pacing the floor, one hand on her belly.
"I had to pee." She snapped, rounding on him as soon as he entered the room. "And since I have no intention of further humiliating myself by wetting the bed, I had to get up."
He held up his hands as if warding off an attack.
"Mrs. Bailey made soup and soda bread."
"I'm not hungry."
"You just had toast and some tea for breakfast." He was going to be patient, even if it killed him. "You need nourishment."
She turned to look at the full-length mirror that had become her enemy. She was fat, everything about her looked swollen. Even her face. And she could not see her toes.
She had tried polishing them just yesterday and gave up in despair.
"I look like a blimp."
"You're beautiful."
She glanced at him in the mirror. "Keep trying to convince yourself that it's true. I'm sure you're chafing to go out, be with someone who's thin and sociable."
"I prefer to be with someone who's fat and ungracious. I'm weird like that." Taking her arm, he turned her around. "You need tostop this. You're stressing yourself out and that's not good for the babies."
"The babies." She slapped a hand on her rounded belly. "That's all you care about. I'm just the vessel carrying your precious cargo and nothing more."
His control snapped. His fingers bit into her shoulders as he shook her roughly. "Damn you! I've been bending over backwards to accommodate you, to make sure you want for nothing. I've shown you over and over that you are my world.
What the hell more do you want from me?"
"Some consideration and some space. Just go away and leave me alone."
For a minute the awful silence stretched out as they glared at each other.
"All right." He bit out. Stepping back, he struggled to calm himself. "All right. I'm going out for a while. Ms. Bailey will call if anything's amiss. I'll give you your space and take some for myself.
You've been a bitch since we returned. I know you're going through a lot, but I don't deserve to be treated this way."
He left her standing in the middle of the room, tears burning the back of her eyes.
Chapter 13
Mary-Ann stood just inside the doorway of the opulent office and stared at him. She had been alerted as soon as his car entered the driveway. Despite her husband's warning to leave him alone, she was here.
The sunlight streaming through the wide pane of glass, picked up the diamonds etched in the gold of his wedding ring. His head was bent and he was leafing through a complicated looking contract as he chewed someone out on the phone.
"I don't give a flying damn what they're saying at customs. The order for those particular bathtubs were placed more than a month ago and still nothing to show for it." He listened for a moment, using his free hand to make rapid jottings. "Get it done or by God, I'm going to put someone else on the job. Am I clear? Good!"
Slamming down the receiver, he lifted his head and connected with her gaze.
