The Yuletide Child Charlotte Lamb (classic literature books .TXT) 📖

began to prepare a salad to eat with cold chicken and rice flecked with peas, sweetcorn and red peppers.

Ross returned at half past twelve and found her mowing the lawn. ‘Why didn’t you wait for me to do that?’ He frowned.

‘I’ve finished now.’ She was flushed and perspiring; it was heavy work in hot sunlight.

‘I thought you weren’t feeling well?’

‘It wore off.’

‘As soon as I’d gone, I suppose?’

She looked at him with tears in her eyes. ‘Oh, stop it, Ross! Why do you keep sniping at me? Are we going to end up like Suzy and Alan?’

His face changed. ‘I’m sorry, Dylan.’ He put an arm round her and kissed her gently on the mouth. ‘I’m still jealous of that ex-partner of yours, I suppose. The last thing I want to do is quarrel with you. Look, I’ll make some lunch for us—what would you like?’

‘It’s ready—just a cold meal. I hope you don’t mind but I wanted something very plain.’

‘That’s fine. Here, let me put the mower away and dump the grass cuttings. You go and lie down. We’ll eat in fifteen minutes, okay?’

After that, Dylan was afraid of mentioning Michael at all. How long would it take for Ross to forget his jealousy? She had married him, not Michael, had given up her whole life for him—how could he be jealous?

When he went to work on Monday morning he kissed the top of her head and reminded her, ‘You won’t forget to go and see the doctor, will you? I’m worried about you. You don’t look well.’

She was worried about herself, so she rang the local health centre, which served several villages in the area, and was given an appointment for that evening at five o’clock.

The woman doctor was young, a little harassed, but friendly. She examined Dylan, asked her a few questions, then looked at her with amusement.

‘Pretty obvious, isn’t it? You’re going to have a baby. You must have guessed!’

Dylan blushed. ‘I was beginning to wonder, but I’ve been taking the pill. We didn’t want to have a baby yet; we wanted to wait a year or two, get used to being married first.’

‘The best laid plans of mice and men,’ murmured Dr Easter, laughing.

‘Yes,’ Dylan agreed, smiling back. ‘When I kept feeling sick in the mornings, and missed a second period, obviously I did think... Are you sure, though?’

‘I can’t be certain until you’ve had a pregnancy test. Quite simple.’ Dr Easter gave her instructions. ‘We’ll soon know for certain.’

Ross rang to say he would be working late this evening. By the time he got home Dylan was in bed asleep and he didn’t wake her, he slept in the spare bedroom and left next morning at first light. She found a note from him on the kitchen table saying he might be a little late again that evening; they were very busy marking trees to be felled and planning a new plantation for the following autumn.

‘Give Suzy a ring and meet her for lunch or coffee,’ the note ended, but Dylan didn’t feel like seeing Suzy. That morning, early, she took her pregnancy test to the doctor’s surgery and was given the results later that day.

Smiling, Dr Easter told her, ‘You’re definitely pregnant. I hope you’re happy about that, even though it’s such a surprise?’

‘I’m not sure,’ Dylan confessed frankly. ‘I want children, but...oh, I’m feeling so ill, and I’m worried about coping with a baby.’

‘You can go to classes here at the health centre to show you how to cope, and the first months are theworst. Once you’re over the morning sickness you’ll feel better than you’ve felt for years. Have you told your husband you may be pregnant?’

‘Not yet.’

‘Do you think he’ll be pleased?’ The doctor watched her closely, her face sympathetic.

Dylan was flushed and uncertain. ‘I don’t know. I’m not sure. He didn’t want to have children yet, but he wanted them some time...I’m not sure how he’ll react to the idea of starting a family so soon.’

‘You haven’t been married long, have you?’

Dylan shook her head. ‘Just a few months. We’re still getting used to each other.’

‘Well, I’m sure you’ll find he’ll be very excited. Babies bring their own love with them, you know. If he wanted to start a family some time then he’ll quickly get used to the idea that some time is now! You’ll get used to the idea too, don’t worry. I can see you’re a little shaken, and it does take some getting used to—being pregnant causes a lot of changes to the body and in the beginning it can be difficult. The morning sickness will pass off quite soon, and then you’ll feel much better.’

Before Dylan left the doctor gave her advice on how to cope with the next few weeks and told her that the baby would arrive the following year, in late January.

‘Not the best time of year to have a baby, I’m afraid! Next time I should plan to have the baby in the spring—much easier. Too hot in summer, and too cold in winter.’

‘I haven’t got used to the idea of one baby, let alone others!’ Dylan protested, and as she drove off in the flower wagon tried to absorb the idea that she was pregnant—but it seemed unreal, unbelievable.

She looked down at her body—was there really a baby inside her? She didn’t look any different. Stopping attraffic lights which showed red, she put a hand down over her waist and abdomen—she was still slim, but for how much longer? The idea of ballooning was horrible. She had never been fat in her life. She was going to hate it.

She told Ross that evening when he got back, just after nightfall. He came over to kiss her. ‘Are you feeling better? Did you go to the doctor?’

She nodded shyly, finding it hard to break the news.

‘What did he say?’

She moistened her lips, swallowing. ‘Ross...well, Ross...w-we’re going to have a baby.’

He wasn’t visibly startled or shaken. He merely watched her with