In the Shadow of Lakecrest(74)

“Then why don’t you trust me with the truth?”

Matthew reached for my hand. “There you go again, shouting. Hush. I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to get worked up.”

I nodded.

“It’s not the ideal time, financially, for us to set up our own household. Lemont Industries has been on shaky ground for some time. We thought we’d make up some of it in the stock market, but with all the speculation it’s all a bit unpredictable. We’re not penniless, not even close. But we have to tighten our belts for the time being, until Lemont Medical is on a more secure footing.”

Tighten our belts. All a bit unpredictable . . . I felt queasy and sank back against my pillow, defeated. Matthew leaned over and kissed my forehead. “You can manage at Lakecrest for a year or two, can’t you?”

“Is everything all right?” a voice asked from the doorway.

Hannah. I felt a lurch of panic. Had she heard me, begging to leave?

“We’re fine,” said Matthew, squeezing my hand.

Hannah walked to the bedside, subtly but firmly pushing Matthew aside. “The waiting’s hard, I know,” she said. “Don’t worry. It will all be over soon.”

She reached out to pat my stomach, and it was all I could do not to flinch. I didn’t want her touching me. Didn’t want her near me.

“I’ll feel better once I get some sleep,” I said. “Thank you.”

“Why don’t I send Alice up first, with your milk?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?” Hannah asked. Wary.

“Yes. I don’t like the way it makes me feel.”

The silence lasted no more than a minute, but it felt like a lifetime.

“Whatever you want,” she said at last. “Good night, my dear.”

Despite my aching back and swollen legs, standing up for myself made me feel better than I had in weeks. I asked Matthew to sleep with me that night rather than down the hall. It wasn’t easy to get comfortable in the still, sticky air, with the bulk of my stomach between us. But we laughed and found a way to fit together, and I fell asleep with my husband’s arm lying protectively over my chest.

What was it that made me want Matthew beside me on that particular night? Call it mother’s intuition, because it was only a few hours later that I woke up to a strange, damp sensation on my upper thighs.

My water had broken. The baby was on its way at last.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN


“Matthew!”

I showed him the wet sheet, and he understood instantly. After bringing me a towel to dry off, he said, “I’ll go get Mum.”

I lay in bed, jittery with nerves, anticipating the ordeal to come. I took a deep breath, released it slowly, and felt my muscles ease. You can do this.

Hannah walked in, not nearly as disheveled as I would have expected at three o’clock in the morning. Her hair was brushed back into its usual neat bun, and her nightdress looked as if it had been freshly ironed. Had she known this would be the night?

“How are you, dear?” she asked.

“All right,” I said. “Is Matthew bringing the car round?”

“The car?”

“To go to the hospital.”

“Oh no. Dr. Westbrook doesn’t want you moved. Matthew’s calling him now.”

“Calling him?”

“He’ll attend to you here, at home.”

“No!”

I’d been counting on the hospital, a safe haven where the nurses and doctors would protect me. But the sickening dread that washed over me was more visceral than that. I couldn’t let my child come into the world at Lakecrest. He’d be tainted forever.

“Where’s Matthew?” I demanded. “I want to talk to Matthew!”

I tried to push myself upright, but only succeeded in slumping sideways. I’d never felt so awkward in my own body. So helpless. Hannah shook her head in condescending pity, thinking she’d won. Infuriated, I pulled myself to the side of the bed and slid my legs toward the floor. They shook with the effort.

“Kate,” Hannah murmured in the smooth, persuasive voice I knew so well. “Calm yourself. It’s all for the best.”

“It’s my baby! I’ll decide what’s best.”

“Will you?” The shift from kindly concern to iron-willed threat was so fast it frightened me. “This baby is a Lemont. Ours. Not yours.”

Barefoot and sweaty, I willed myself to move. To walk away from the bed. All I had to do was get to the door and call out to Matthew. Then everything would be all right. He’d help me downstairs and Hank would drive us to the hospital, and I’d be rid of Lakecrest forever. Hannah watched my pathetically slow progress, making no attempt to stop me. With each step, I felt my resolve harden. Finally, I leaned my body against the doorjamb and grabbed the knob. It didn’t budge. I glanced at the keyhole underneath. Empty. Hannah had locked it from the inside.

“Help!” I shouted, pounding on the door. Before I could cry out again, Hannah was behind me, her hands under my arms, pulling me firmly back to bed.

“Don’t be frightened,” she murmured. “When the doctor gets here, he’ll give you something for the pain.”

“I don’t want his drugs! Who knows what he’ll try on me this time?”