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Ellie nodded, unsure of what to say next. Since she’d only just ordered, she couldn’t exactly get up and leave, yet she dreaded having to spend half an hour making small talk with Alan’s wife. She owed the woman a huge debt of gratitude, but she hadn’t banked on spending any further time with her. Now Ellie would have to make the best of a difficult situation.

‘Your daughter is lovely,’ Ellie said lamely. ‘And so big for – six months?’

Sylvia nodded, pleased that Ellie had remembered the child’s age. ‘Yes, doesn’t the time just fly? It seems only yesterday that you and I –’

This unintentional reference seemed to highlight the length of time since they’d last seen each other and increased their mutual embarrassment. ‘How is Kerry doing? She looks the picture of health!’ Sylvia said, smiling at the serious, dark-haired baby on Ellie’s knee.

Kerry gave her a disdainful look, and turned her attention to Laura, whose blonde curls seemed to fascinate her. She reached out her chubby little arm, but Ellie deftly moved her before she could lean across the table and grasp the younger child’s hair.

‘Yes, she’s doing great.’

‘And her father – is he helping out?’

‘Yes, of course.’

Sylvia flushed, wondering if she’d overstepped the mark by mentioning this unknown man in Ellie’s life. She still wasn’t certain if it was Tony Coleman, and she seemed to be always putting her foot in it where Ellie Beckworth was concerned.

By now, Ellie’s coffee and scone had arrived, and the busy waitress had taken Sylvia’s order for tea and a pastry.

‘Please go ahead,’ Sylvia urged Ellie. ‘Otherwise your coffee will be cold by the time my tea arrives.’

Nodding, Ellie took a sip of her coffee, suddenly realising that Sylvia was bound to notice her magnificent gold and diamond ring. It was so distinctive, and normally she loved showing it off. But she didn’t want to risk Sylvia commenting on it.

Luckily Sylvia was smoothing down Laura’s hair and didn’t notice as Ellie deftly twisted the ring around so that the diamond was no longer visible. From the back, it simply looked like a broad gold wedding band.

‘I presume your son’s at his crèche?’ she asked, hoping to find a neutral topic they could discuss with relative ease.

Sylvia nodded, smiling mischievously. ‘Yes – having him out of the way for a few hours gives me the chance to bond with Laura, because when Pete’s around, he’s terribly boisterous, and demands lots of attention.’

‘How does he get on with his new sister?’

‘Oh, he thinks she’s wonderful! It’s just that he doesn’t realize how fragile she is. I have to watch him in case he might whack her with one of his toys. He’s too young to understand the harm he could do.’

Ellie smiled. If only she could keep this topic going …

‘Have you noticed much difference in your children’s personalities?’ she asked, sussing that Sylvia was happy to chat about Pete and Laura.

‘Oh, yes. Even though Laura is only six months old, I can see already that she’s very impulsive. And in some ways, she’s more outgoing than Pete – he’s a more demanding child, but hopefully that will change as he gets older.’

Sylvia looked at Kerry. ‘And your daughter? What traits have you seen developing?’

‘Well, she loves concentrating on things, and is very determined,’ Ellie replied. ‘If she decides she wants to do something, she’ll see it through, no matter what. If her building blocks topple, she’ll keep going until they’re all stacked up again, even if it takes hours. She just won’t give in. It seems an odd trait in a child so young, but it does keep her occupied for ages!’

She and Sylvia shared a conspiratorial smile. They both knew how nice it was to get an occasional break from the unending task of minding of a small child.

Sylvia smiled eagerly. ‘I’ve been dying to ask you about the business you run. I admire any woman who can set up on her own – I’d be hopeless at anything like that.’

She seemed to be waiting expectantly, and Ellie racked her brains to think of something plausible to say.

‘Well, actually, I sold the business a while back,’ she said at last. ‘It was doing well, and I was offered a good price for it. And, of course, my late husband left me with a good pension.’ All of which was totally untrue, but she could hardly tell Sylvia that her own husband was keeping Ellie and her child in comfort!

‘I think you’re amazing,’ Sylvia said, looking admiringly at Ellie, who blushed, feeling a total fraud. ‘It must have taken great courage to leave the factory, where you had a secure and permanent job. I’m so glad it all went well for you.’ She laughed deprecatingly. ‘Luckily, I had a rich father, and I found a rich husband as well!’

In the silence that followed, Ellie felt that she should really ask Sylvia about the details of Laura’s birth. It would be the caring, womanly thing to do, since it was a topic that united women everywhere. But she was afraid that by asking about the details of her Caesarean, it would re-establish that earlier bond they’d shared when Sylvia helped her give birth to Kerry. And she couldn’t allow that to happen.

By the time Sylvia’s tea and pastry arrived, Ellie had almost finished her coffee and scone. She was dying for another coffee, but that would mean staying in Sylvia’s company even longer. Maybe the time was now right to extricate herself and leave the café on some pretext.

Sylvia almost seemed to read her mind. ‘Shall I order you another coffee? You’re not in any rush, are you?’

‘Actually, I am,’ Ellie said apologetically, as she stood up from the table. ‘I have to meet a friend. I’d better get going, or I’ll be late.’

As Ellie strapped Kerry into her buggy, Sylvia began reaching for the bills that the waitress had left on the table.

‘No, I’ll get these – it’s my treat.’ Ellie snatched the bills off the table, and Sylvia conceded defeat.

‘Thank you,’ Sylvia said, smiling. ‘My treat the next time, okay?’

As soon as the words were out, Sylvia knew she’d said the wrong thing. Ellie had frozen, as though the idea of another coffee in Sylvia’s presence would be intolerable.

‘Yes, of course,’ Ellie said eventually, but the gap had been too long for Sylvia to believe her reply.

When Ellie had paid and left the café, Sylvia gestured to the waitress for another pot of tea. As she bounced little Laura on her knee, she gazed sadly out of the café window, watching as Ellie wheeled Kerry’s buggy towards her car. She was always on edge when she met Ellie Beckworth, sensing that there was some undercurrent she didn’t quite understand. She liked Ellie, but there seemed no way of breaking down the shell that seemed to surround the other woman.

Sylvia wondered if Ellie’s distant manner could be because she was embarrassed about having a child outside marriage. But did anyone care these days? Well, Sylvia didn’t care a damn – as far as she was concerned, it was no one’s business but Ellie’s. And, presumably, Tony Coleman’s. But it would be difficult to make that point to her without embarrassing them both.

C
HAPTER
34

L
aura had an appointment at her local dental surgery the following morning. She’d asked Darren for a few hours off, explaining that she’d broken a tooth, but not telling him how it had happened. As always, her boss was understanding, and he’d agreed that Maria could give her morning lecture instead.

She was anxious to get her tooth fixed, because its jagged edge was cutting the inside of her lip, and proving extremely painful when she ate or drank. In the waiting room, Laura flicked through a series of out-of-date magazines before abandoning them. There were two other people in the room – an elderly woman and a man who was hidden behind the folds of his newspaper.

Laura instantly felt a flicker of fear – could it possibly be Jeff? She felt that he was capable of turning up anywhere she went. When the man put down his newspaper, she was relieved to find herself facing an extremely attractive, dark-haired man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties. They smiled at each other as the elderly woman was called into the dentist’s surgery.

As they sat together, the man ventured a remark: ‘Nice day, isn’t it? What a pity we’re stuck in here while the sun’s shining!’

Laura nodded. ‘Nevertheless, I was very grateful to get an
appointment today – I’ve broken a tooth, and it’s really irritating. What are you having done?’

‘Just a filling – the old one fell out and I’ve been meaning to get it sorted for ages.’ He grinned. ‘It took a really bad toothache to get me here!’

The receptionist popped her head around the waiting room door.

‘Mr Rudden? Dr Brady is ready for you now.’

The man seemed disappointed to be called so soon. ‘Best of luck with the tooth!’ he said, smiling at Laura as he left the waiting room.

‘And to you, too,’ she said, smiling back. She also felt a pang of disappointment as he left the waiting room. She’d been surprised and pleased to find herself enjoying another man’s company, and it was a relief not having to censor everything she was going to say. After all she’d been through with her husband, it seemed a positive sign.

‘Are you sure you feel able to take on the second years for statistics?’

Laura nodded as she sat in front of Darren’s desk in his office. She was glad of the opportunity to help him out, since he’d been more than good to her over the previous few months. In fact, he’d been looking out for her for years.

Darren looked at her unflinchingly. ‘And how are
you
feeling? You coping okay?’

Laura nodded, knowing that this was Darren’s oblique way of referring to her miscarriage. He’d been kind and supportive all through her ordeal, and she was glad of the chance to return the favour by taking Timmy’s classes.

‘Are you sure you’ll be okay standing for so long?’ he added. ‘I can always bring in another lecturer – I don’t want you to tire yourself unnecessarily.’

Laura nodded, her heart filled with affection for this generous and caring man.

‘It’s no problem, Darren. In fact, I’ll enjoy doing it.’

Darren smiled, nodding his approval. ‘It’ll only be for two weeks. Thanks, Laura. I really appreciate your help.’

‘No problem.’

‘How’s the tooth?’

‘It’s fine, thanks. Luckily, it just needed to be filed down a bit, and a filling put in.’

As yet, she hadn’t told any of her colleagues that she and Jeff had parted. The break-up was so new to her that she still woke up in the mornings with a feeling of dread in her stomach, until she realised she was safe in Kerry’s apartment.

She was also embarrassed about how short her turbulent marriage had been, although she guessed that most of her colleagues had been well aware of Jeff’s unsuitability long before she had. Right then, she couldn’t quite face the thought of proving them right. She knew they’d all be relieved for her, but that didn’t make her feel any better.

Darren took off his glasses and wiped his eyes. He looked tired, and Laura’s heart went out to him. She was deeply fond of him, and wished he could meet someone special. He was such a wonderful man, and it would be a lucky woman who finally snared him. But he seemed to devote all his energies to running the department.

‘If there are any other courses you need me to cover, just let me know,’ she said. ‘I have plenty of time on my hands.’ She could see a question forming in Darren’s eyes, but she quickly deflected it. She didn’t want to entertain any queries about Jeff right now. ‘I’m giving first and second-year sociology lectures every morning next week,’ she added, ‘but I can fit in extra lectures in the afternoons, if you need me to. Or if anyone needs a break.’

‘Thanks, Laura – I might just take you up on that offer.’ He looked at her shrewdly. ‘And you’re definitely okay?’

Laura gave him a convincing smile. ‘Of course. But
you
look tired,’ she added, deflecting attention away from her own situation.

Darren wiped his eyes again. ‘Yeah, I’m a bit tired right now. Running this show can be a headache sometimes.’ He put on his glasses again. ‘Are you
sure
everything’s okay with you?’

For a moment, Laura almost decided to tell him that she’d left Jeff, but then she changed her mind. ‘Darren, I’m fine, honestly,’ she said airily. ‘Just let me know if you need any more help.’

Leaving his office, Laura headed down the corridor towards her own room. As she opened the door to enter, she glanced with distaste at the plaque adorning it. At her own insistence, it read ‘
Dr Laura Jones
’. How she longed to rip it off the door and throw it in the bin! But it would have to stay there until she decided to inform her colleagues that her marriage was over.

C
HAPTER
35

D
uring her lunch break, Laura decided to stock up on some food at the supermarket. As she wandered through the aisles, she filled her trolley with the various items on her list, then she heard a voice behind her.

‘Well, hello again!’

Laura turned to see the good-looking, dark-haired man to whom she’d spoken in the dentist’s waiting room.

Her heart gave a little jolt and, smiling, she returned his greeting. ‘How’s the filling?’ she asked.

‘Oh, fine – I don’t know why I left it so long,’ he replied, patting his cheek. Then he grinned cheerfully. ‘But I wouldn’t have met you otherwise!’

Laura’s cheeks turned pink with pleasure.

‘I presume you got your broken tooth fixed okay?’ he asked.

Laura nodded, pleased that he’d remembered. ‘Yes, thanks – it’s a relief to be able to eat without feeling that my mouth is full of pins.’