Pleasure, Pregnancy and a Proposition. Heidi Rice

this heart-to-heart is all very touching. But it doesn’t change the fact that we’ve got nothing left to discuss.’

      ‘We’ll decide that once you’ve had the pregnancy test.’

      The he-who-shall-be-obeyed tone was back.

      She could have argued with him. She probably should have. But she felt unbearably weary all of a sudden, and over-emotional. She just wanted to get this over with now. So she never, ever had to see this man again.

      Submitting to a quick pregnancy test seemed like a relatively small price to pay. And she was already relishing exactly what she was going to say to him when it turned up negative.

      CHAPTER FOUR

      ‘CONGRATULATIONS, Miss DiMarco, you’re pregnant.’

      Louisa’s heartbeat kicked so hard in her chest she thought she might be having a heart attack. She gaped at Dr Lester’s encouraging smile, her hands fisting on the arms of her chair.

      Forget The Twilight Zone—she’d just entered an alternative reality. She couldn’t possibly have heard that right. ‘Excuse me, what did you say?’ Her voice sounded small and far away. Appropriate, really, seeing as it was coming from another dimension.

      ‘You’re expecting a baby, my dear.’ The doctor glanced down at the test results, which had taken about ten minutes to come through from the on-site lab. ‘In fact it’s a very strong positive. From the hormone levels I’d say you’re at least three months pregnant. Either that, or you’re expecting twins.’

      Louisa’s hands started to shake. She gripped the chair even harder, worried she might collapse in a heap on the floor.

      ‘Can you tell us the due date?’ Devereaux asked from beside her.

      Louisa looked at him in a daze. She’d forgotten he was even there.

      She hadn’t objected to him coming in with her to get the results. This was supposed to be her big I-told-you-so moment. She would have put up much more of a fight if she’d known what he would actually be witnessing was her life going in to freefall. He didn’t look smug, though, or particularly overjoyed with his victory. He looked calm and in complete control. His reaction, if he’d even had one, had been carefully masked. It almost made her wish for smug.

      ‘How about we do a quick ultrasound scan?’ the doctor replied. ‘We’ve got the equipment in the next room. We can check how the baby’s doing and give you a more exact date.’

      ‘Don’t be silly—there is no baby.’ Louisa cleared her throat, tried to halt the panic making her tongue go numb. ‘You must have made a mistake. I’m not pregnant. I took a pregnancy test myself. And I had a period…’ She paused. He would know how inexperienced she really was if she continued. Looking at the doctor’s encouraging smile, it occurred to her that what he did or didn’t know about her lack of a sex life since that night was probably academic now. And why should she care anyway? She forced herself to continue. ‘I haven’t been with anyone else since.’

      The doctor sat down at her desk and steepled her fingers. ‘What brand of home pregnancy test did you use and when did you take it?’

      ‘I don’t…’ She hesitated, tried to remember, but all she could think about was how relieved she’d been when the stick had stayed clear. ‘I’m not sure about the brand. But I took the test about a week, or maybe a bit less, after we…’ She swallowed. This was hideous. ‘After our night together.’ She’d been frantic, after all.

      ‘Okay,’ Dr Lester said gently. ‘Some home test kits are very sensitive. Others aren’t. And they can give you what’s called a false negative if you take them too soon. Now.’ She propped her elbows on her desk, gave Louisa an enquiring look. ‘How heavy was the period you had, and when did it occur after intercourse?’

      Louisa realised her face was probably vermilion by now. ‘Maybe a week or two afterwards, and it was fairly light.’

      ‘What you had was spotting. Not uncommon around the time of implantation.’

      ‘I thought you could only get pregnant in the middle, during ovulation.’ It was another of the reasons she had been sure she wasn’t pregnant.

      The doctor simply smiled. ‘Fertilisation can occur at any time, my dear. Especially if the couple are young or exceptionally fertile.’

      The blood pumped into her cheeks and spread out across her neck.

      ‘Does the spotting mean there could be harm to the baby?’ Devereaux said.

      Louisa kept her eyes on the doctor, determined not to even look at him. The whole situation suddenly felt surreal. As if she were having an out-of-body experience. How could she be pregnant by this man? She who hadn’t intended to even think about the possibility of having children for at least another ten years. She was only twenty-six. She’d worked so hard to get where she was. Killed herself at school to take her A-levels a year early. Had slaved in odd jobs to pay her way through university, done night shifts and overtime at London Nights to establish herself in the mostly male world of local reporting, and then finally fled from the ‘anything for a story’ ethos to establish herself as a features writer on Blush. She was proud of what she’d achieved. Blush was a brilliantly written magazine that didn’t just concern itself with the things that made women look and feel good, but also with the whole realm of the female experience. Now all that was in jeopardy because she’d made a foolish, reckless mistake. She’d fallen for a man who not only didn’t care a hoot about her, but had the sperm of a prize-winning bull.

      Fantastic, Louisa, you’ve really topped yourself this time.

      ‘Don’t worry about the spotting, Lord Berwick,’ the doctor said indulgently. ‘I’m sure your baby is fine. As I said, the test results show the pregnancy is firmly established. But I think an ultrasound scan will put everyone’s mind at rest.’ She smiled at Louisa, who was still processing the ‘your baby’ comment. ‘Why don’t you go through to the ultrasound suite, Miss DiMarco? It’s right next door.’

      After that little speech Louisa was surprised the woman had even put a question mark at the end of her sentence. It was clear the good doctor knew who was paying the bill. Louisa debated refusing to submit to the procedure. She slanted a look at Devereaux, who was watching her, his mouth set in a thin line of determination.

      Not just the sperm of a bull, but the stubbornness to match.

      She gave a heavy sigh. ‘All right,’ she said, standing up.

      She walked to the door the doctor had indicated on watery legs.

      Maybe there was still a small chance that this was all a hideous mistake, and when the doctor got her ultrasound equipment out she wouldn’t find a baby after all.

      ‘There’s the head and the spine,’ the doctor said enthusiastically, pointing at the sepia-toned three-dimensional image.

      ‘That’s incredible,’ Devereaux said in hushed tones. ‘It’s so clear.’

      ‘We have the newest, most state-of-the-art equipment here. We’re very proud of…’

      Louisa tuned out their conversation, transfixed by the bright, incandescent image.

      The coolness of the gel on her skin, the press of the ultrasound wand, even the rapid ticks of the baby’s heartbeat being monitored by the machinery faded into oblivion as Louisa stared at the tiny arms and legs, the large head, the perfectly formed little body.

      I’m looking at my baby.

      The words flickered in her consciousness, and then a dizzying sense of awe surged through the dense fog of self-pity.

      The doctor adjusted the wand and then tapped a few buttons. A close-up of the baby’s face appeared as if by magic. Its eyes were closed, one tiny little fist covering its nose and mouth.

      ‘What’s it doing?’ Louisa heard her voice coming