To Mend A Marriage. Carole Mortimer

a rift. Typical of Jemima!

      ‘About looking after Jessica for a few days until she returns,’ Janey explained with a frown. ‘You see—’

      ‘What!’ Gemini got up abruptly, totally aghast as what the other woman had just said. She stood as tall as any model, with the sort of slender figure that showed clothes well. Except she didn’t model clothes; she designed them. GemStone was becoming one of the leading designer labels in the world, and Gemini herself was one of the best showpieces for her own clothes: tall, elegant, with a cool beauty the press found as photogenic as each of her new collections.

      But that cool beauty was definitely ruffled at the moment—when was it ever anything else when her sister was involved?

      ‘I’m sure you must have misunderstood Jemima,’ she told the other woman, pleasantly enough, determined not to become panicked. If she could manage to design and organise a new collection of clothes every season, she could definitely handle this—whatever this might be!

      ‘I don’t think so.’ Janey shook her head, still frowning. ‘As I said, Jemima has been delayed in America—’

      ‘I understood that bit,’ Gemini assured her coolly. ‘I simply don’t see what that delay has to do with me. You informed me that you are Jessica’s nanny—’

      ‘Oh, I am.’ Janey Reynolds had started to look upset now. ‘But it’s my wedding day tomorrow.’ She gave a self-conscious smile, ‘So I obviously can’t take care of Jessica until Jemima does return. Your sister assured me that it would be no problem for you to look after Jessica for a few days.’ She chewed worriedly on her bottom lip at this last disclosure.

      Of course it would be no problem for Jemima if her baby were left with Gemini—it was Gemini who had the problem with it. For one thing, she knew absolutely nothing about taking care of babies, and secondly, this latest escapade was just typical of Jemima—too busy with her own life to take care of her own responsibilities!

      ‘Do you have a telephone number in America where Jemima might be reached?’ she prompted impatiently. ‘I’m sure if we speak to her this can all be sorted out in a matter of minutes.’ Because Gemini would insist that her sister get herself back here, delay or no delay, and take care of her own daughter!

      Janey looked pained. ‘She’s following through some story or other, and she’s usually the one to call me…’

      Gemini wondered just how often ‘usually’ was where her journalist sister was concerned; Jemima was dogged when it came to her work, and stopped at nothing to acquire an exclusive. Or anything else she wanted, for that matter. As Gemini knew to her cost…!

      ‘Just how long has my sister been in America?’ she questioned shrewdly.

      ‘Almost a week,’ Janey revealed reluctantly.

      Unbelievable, when her baby was obviously so young. Although anything was possible with Jemima. ‘So you have no way of contacting her.’ Gemini spoke almost to herself. ‘And it’s your wedding day tomorrow, so naturally you aren’t going to be around to take care of the baby for some time…’ She looked questioningly at the nanny.

      ‘I’m going on a two-week honeymoon to Barbados,’ Janey replied, obviously aware by now that her presence here, with Jemima’s baby, was a complete surprise to Gemini.

      Gemini should have known; only Jemima would take on for her baby a nanny who was going on holiday mere weeks after being employed!

      But none of this mental berating of her sister changed the fact that there was a six-week-old baby that needed looking after—or the fact that Gemini, as her aunt, was the one expected to do it!

      At twenty-nine, Gemini had never even considered having any children of her own. She was a career woman, through and through, her designs the only ‘babies’ she was interested in.

      Although now it looked as if, for a few days at least, she might have to take an interest in a six-week-old baby called Jessica!

      Jemima really did have the most colossal damn cheek; the rift between the two sisters had been abrupt and final, over a year ago. How on earth did Jemima have the nerve to dump her baby on Gemini now after the way she had behaved then…?

      Of course, it didn’t help that she knew Nick was going to be absolutely furious about the situation.

      Oh, damn Nick, and what he thought of the situation. If he were around as much this weekend as he had been the last few months he wouldn’t even know she’d ever had a baby in the house, let alone that it was Jemima’s!

      She wasn’t seriously contemplating looked after Jessica herself, was she. She knew nothing about babies, not how to feed them or look after them, and at only six weeks old she was sure Jessica was going to need a lot of both. Besides, she was Jemima’s baby…!

      No, the idea was utterly ridiculous. She couldn’t do it. ‘I suppose it’s too late to engage a temporary nanny for the baby until Jemima comes back…?’ she asked, frowning.

      Janey grimaced. ‘At six o’clock on a Friday evening? Not much chance, I would have thought.’ She shrugged.

      Then why hadn’t she brought the baby here earlier. Damn it—

      Jemima…. Her sister was the one who’d instructed Janey on what she was to do, so no doubt the timing of it had been planned by Jemima too. She didn’t doubt for a moment that her irresponsible sister, in spite of the rift between the two of them, would think of it all as a big joke, would find the image of Gemini trying to cope with her very young daughter absolutely hilarious.

      ‘I’m really sorry about this, Miss Stone.’ Janey Reynolds had obviously realised by now that, in spite of what Jemima might or might not have told her, there was something very wrong here.

      Gemini shook her head. ‘You can be assured that I am well aware that none of this—situation is of your doing.’ She sighed. ‘I think you’d better go and get the rest of Jessica’s things in from the car.’ And there was probably going to be a lot of them for a baby as young as Jessica. ‘I’m sure you must be anxious to be on your way,’ she added flatly, wondering how she was going to cope. But at the same time she knew that Jemima had left her little choice.

      Considering Jemima’s dedication to her own career, Gemini couldn’t even begin to imagine what had made her sister go ahead and have this baby. Admittedly Jemima had always been the one who, when they were children, had stayed indoors and played with her dolls, while Gemini had been climbing trees with the neighbours’ sons, but it seemed as though Jessica’s birth was just a mere hiccup in Jemima’s life, a small inconvenience before she resumed following her own pursuits.

      Janey hesitated on her way out to the car. ‘Jessica is due for a feed in a few minutes; would you like me to stay and show you how to make the formula up, and give her the bottle…?’

      Considering this young woman must have many other things on her mind at this time, Gemini appreciated the offer. And took unashamed advantage of it. It wasn’t going to help anyone if, in her complete ignorance concerning the care of babies, she did it all wrong and made the baby ill!

      It looked simple enough as she watched Janey do it—even the nappy changing didn’t seem that horrendous. And immediately after her feed and change Jessica went back to sleep. Nothing to it!

      ‘Er—I’ll leave you my telephone number, if you like?’ Janey seemed reluctant to go once the time came—obviously realising Gemini was a complete novice when it came to babies, and probably fearing for Jessica’s safety.

      Which was more than could be said for Jemima, Gemini inwardly berated. She would take great pleasure in thinking of suitable retribution for her sister over the weekend; this had to be the worst thing Jemima had ever done to her!

      Well…almost, she remembered hardily.

      And as for taking care of the baby..! If Jemima thought she had landed Gemini with something she couldn’t handle, then she was going to be in for