‘Good idea. I’ll drop Bryony off to see you tomorrow afternoon.’ And she sauntered out of the door, humming.
He seethed out at the sky and the treetops for a long time. It wasn’t fair of her to stroll out on him when he couldn’t chase her!
And … it was worrying that she didn’t seem to give a bugger for his opinion any more. He had never actually wanted his marriage to end or he would’ve ended it. It was just that his feelings for Diane had been coloured for such a long time by resentment.
He sighed, wondering how long it was since he’d had sex with his wife.
See, that was a bit of carelessness, to get out of that habit. Just because he was being nicely looked after by Stella he’d sort of let things slide with Diane during the cold war and, once intimacy had lapsed, it could be bloody awkward to make it routine and natural again.
Sex was a great destroyer of barriers. Which was probably why he hadn’t wanted sex with her, because he wanted the barriers up, to punish her. But he’d expected her still to be waiting at the barrier when he chose to haul it aside.
The crash had mucked everything up. He’d had everything under control until then but now he had the feeling that nothing was under control. Particularly Diane.
He picked up his mobile and pressed the speed dialler. ‘Guess what?’ he said. ‘I’m going to be a grandfather.’
His sister’s precise tones were amused. ‘Good God! I didn’t know your daughter was in a relationship.’
He laughed shortly. ‘It was over before she realised she was pregnant, unfortunately.’
‘What does Diane think about it? Is she pleased?’
He realised, belatedly, that he hadn’t enquired. ‘I think she’s concerned for Bryony, and that Bryony makes the decision that’s right for her.’ He was on pretty solid ground with that, Diane would be putting Bryony first; she had for all of Bryony’s life.
They performed the routine comparison of recovery rates, then Gareth said, ‘Can I ask you something, between you, me and the bedpost? Haven’t you got a close buddy who’s a lawyer? Would she come over and see me for an hour one morning? I need some information on something.’
A pause. Then, instead of agreeing instantly, Valerie said, ‘I don’t like being brought into your nefarious schemes.’
‘Who said it’s a nefarious scheme?’
She laughed. ‘Why don’t you ask your wife to arrange it, then?’ A longer pause. ‘No, I don’t think I’m going to do it, Gareth. You’ve been perfectly bloody to your wife and I don’t want to be any part of it. You’ll have to pull this one off on your own.’
Dumbfounded, he hung up. She’d said no! Hissister. Hadn’t she read the unwritten rule that siblings said yes? She’d been brought up as an only child, and it showed. Melvyn or Ivan wouldn’t have said no. Ever.
Chapter Twenty-One
‘This issoweird.’
‘You don’t have to do it today if you don’t want to. You’ve had an emotional few days; be kind to yourself.’
‘I want to do it. It’s just weird. I can’t believe that I’ve had all these relatives all my life, and I’m twenty, and you have to introduce me to them.’
A dozen paces out of the lift stood a leather chair pushed up against the wall of the corridor. Bryony sank down in it. ‘My legs are wobbly.’
Diane fetched a waxed paper cone of cold water from the dispenser for her. ‘Why not leave it for today, sweetie? It’s been a trying day, seeing Dr Cooke and then the midwife.’
Immediately, Bryony climbed back to her feet. ‘No, I want to do it; I’m dead curious. We can see Dad later.’
There was no ‘we’ about it. Diane intended Bryony to see her father alone today. Bryony and Gareth needed time together – and Diane and Gareth needed time apart.
At Valerie’s door, Diane knocked and stuck her head into the room. Tamzin and James were seated at the far side of Valerie’s bed. Tamzin beamed delightedly to see her; James smiled with his eyes. Diane smiled back, but addressed Valerie. ‘Is it a good time to bring Bryony in?’
Valerie brightened. ‘Oh yes, let me meet my niece!’
Bryony was already squeezing past but paused as her eyes fell on her aunt. ‘Oh. My.God. You and Dad are a real pair – you look as if you’ve been run over by a truck. Oh, hello.’
‘Hello,’ replied Tamzin, briefly, as she scooted around the bed to hug Diane.
Diane gave her a big hug back. ‘You’re looking good.’ Even though Tamzin wore a white top – it looked new – she had some colour in her face. Her hair had been brushed, too, the top pulled back into a red scrunchie and the rest rippling down her back.
