Refreshments were served. Tea, for her, coffee for him and tiny delectable sandwiches followed by a selection of pastries. Tabby ate with appetite. Her anti-nausea medication was keeping her sickness at bay while encouraging her to eat a little more. She phoned her twin and brought her up to speed while she paced in Aristide’s airy hall.
‘Greece?’Violet squealed in astonishment. ‘Gosh, this is so exciting—’
‘No, it’s not,’ Tabby contradicted. ‘It’s a pretend engagement,nota real one, which is why I decided not to tell Mum about it.’
‘I’m not sure I see the point,’ her sister disappointed her by admitting. ‘I mean, it’s not like an engagement ties either of you down legally in any way—’
‘It will make me feel better…as if I have some actual status in his life when I meet his family,’ Tabby whispered, but only after checking that the door back into Aristide’s presence was fully closed. ‘But it’s all smoke and mirrors this way, isn’t it? He knew exactly how to get me fully onboard.’
‘I thought you hated him—’
‘Well, I do…sometimes,’ she adjusted in growing embarrassment.
‘Just notallthe time?’ her twin prompted with audible amusement.
‘He’s right on one score. Neither of us need any added stress or drama right now.’
‘Twins!’ Violet squealed in sheer anticipation.
‘One of whom is definitely a boy,’ Tabby reminded her sister, ‘but I still have to tell Aristide that I got the call about the blood test today.’
A boy and a girl, one of each, she rather hoped, thinking that that mix would be company for each other as she and Violet had been while each pursuing their own interests.
‘A boy,’ Aristide repeated minutes later, when she told him the results of the blood test. ‘So, I will have possibly two sons or a son and a daughter. When will we know for certain?’
‘In another few weeks. I’ll need another ultrasound,’ she explained, her attention locked to his lean, strong features and the interest unhidden there in the vibrant gleam of his expressive eyes. ‘Be warned that youcanget an erroneous result. The process isn’t foolproof.’
Nobody knew that better than Aristide but DNA was unarguable fact. Andthistime, he knew, he knew for certain that he could not entertain for even a second the suspicion that those two babies would not be of his blood. He didn’t care what sex the twins were, only that they were Romanos children. ‘My relatives will be shaken by this development and I will warn them in advance of our arrival.’
‘Shaken?’ Tabby queried that choice of word, smothering a yawn at the exhaustion already creeping up on her again. These nights she always ended up in bed much earlier than had once been her habit.
‘A long time ago, I swore that I would stay single and have no children,’ Aristide admitted after a pause for thought, finally deeming it acceptable to tell her that much, even if he had no plans to tell her the rest of that sordid little story.
Her smooth brow furrowed. ‘Why on earth would you make such a far-reaching statement at what must’ve been such a young age?’
Aristide shrugged a broad shoulder. ‘Maybe I’ll tell you some day. I’m not someone who looks back with regret. I prefer to look forward and Iwasstill a student when I first reached that decision. Now let me see you safely home.’
And he did and she crawled into bed. She thought about his admission that he had once decided to remain unmarried and childless. She frowned, wondering at the past unhappy relationship that must surely have dredged such a declaration from a young man. He had got hurt once, badly hurt, she suspected with a pang of belated sympathy.
For the first time Tabby was feeling a little less alone. Her mother was excited and simultaneously worried about her elder daughter’s pregnancy. Naturally the older woman was more preoccupied with her treatment plan. In addition, phone conversations were no replacement for talking face to face, Tabby conceded. Violet’s main focus in life was Tore and Belle, her own little family.
But Aristide was different. He was focused solely on her. He was trying, she could see that, and he deserved that she made an equal effort. So, she resolved, no more sniping, no more eying him up like a steak dinner, either. But she still slid into sleep fondly remembering Aristide’s smile at the prospect of a son and daughter or any combination of children and marvelled at his enthusiasm. She was lucky, she told herself. Unlike her own father, Aristide trulywantedchildren. In comparison, Sam Blessington had felt trapped and diminished by fatherhood and domesticity.
The following few days were exceptionally busy. Interviews, which Violet joined, took place and a female replacement was chosen and deemed suitable to start working immediately by Tabby’s side.
At the start of the next week, Aristide sent his car to waft her to his apartment again to look at the engagement ring. Tabby couldn’t understand why she should even see it in advance as a ring would only be an accessory that she would naturally return to him when the fake engagement concluded. Aristide pointedout that she was the party who would have to wear it and her text protests died down.
You argue about every little thing
Thinking that he was getting his own way enough that she could expect him to understand her reservations, Tabby arrived at his apartment, flushed and annoyed. Straight away she was ushered into the lounge where a jeweller and a security guard were hovering in readiness. A small box was set and clicked open for her perusal. It contained a dazzling blue ring in an unusual setting, an oval in a stunning diamond surround. It was breathtaking.
‘Try it on for size,’ the jeweller remarked with enthusiasm as he removed it from the box, gave it an unnecessary polish and extended it to her. ‘A sapphire from Kashmir, rare and much appreciated by all who know their gems.’
Aristide watched the ring he had selected for her glide onto her slender finger in a perfect fit. ‘It’s the same cornflower blue as your eyes,’ he told her.
‘It’s different and very elegant,’ Tabby said, a little breathless as the sunlight accentuated the colourful depth of the precious gem and it shone, holding out her hand, daring to smile for the first time at him.
A slashing smile of appreciation illuminated his lean dark face, emphasising his stunningly handsome features. The level brows, high cheekbones, cut jaw line and brilliant charismatic dark golden eyes. And for a split second, time froze for Tabby while she stared back at him, involuntarily fascinated by all that set Aristide apart from other men.
