LITMIR.BIZ

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still quite reserved with her. It was very obvious that Ella wasn’t going to fit into Oliver’s world, even though his brother and sister-in-law were nice.

      And why did all the men have to wear what smelled like half a bottle of super-strong aftershave? It made her feel queasy again, so she went to splash her face with water.

      When she came out of the bathroom, the Countess was waiting outside.

      ‘Feeling a little under the weather?’ the Countess enquired, her expression unreadable.

      Perhaps Oliver’s mother thought she’d been downing too much champagne. Which couldn’t have been further from the truth—but the truth was something Ella knew Oliver didn’t want the Countess to know yet. ‘It’s been a busy day,’ Ella prevaricated.

      ‘Perhaps I should offer you some coffee.’

      Even the thought of it made Ella gag, and she wasn’t quite quick enough to hide the reflex.

      ‘I thought as much,’ the Countess said. ‘I knew there was a reason why Oliver would want to bring someone, especially as it’s been a few years since he’s turned up to our pre-Christmas drinks party. How far gone are you?’

      Faced with a direct question, Ella couldn’t lie. ‘It’s still early days.’

      ‘Hmm. Obviously Oliver will insist on a paternity test, to make quite sure. Both he and Ned have known their fair share of women who, let’s say, would like to take advantage of their positions.’

      What? Oliver’s mother actually thought that Ella was lying about Oliver being the baby’s father, and that she was some sort of gold-digger—because her parents were ordinary rather than titled? That was outrageous! But Ella couldn’t let rip and give the Countess a piece of her mind. She could hardly make a scene in front of everyone at the party, because it would embarrass Oliver hugely.

      So she was just going to have to put up with this. And she really hoped that Oliver would think that she’d been gone a little too long and come in search of her, then rescue her from his mother.

      ‘Of course, if it is his,’ the Countess continued, ‘then as a Darrington the baby will have a position to maintain. If it’s a boy, he’ll go to the same prep school and public school as Edward and Oliver.’

      Over my dead body, Ella thought. No way was she dumping her baby in a boarding school. She wanted her child to go to the local school, where he or she would fit in to a normal world. And her child would most definitely grow up feeling loved and wanted, rather than being palmed off on a nanny.

      ‘And,’ the Countess said, ‘in that case Oliver will have custody of the child.’

      What? The baby was so tiny right now that you couldn’t make out more than a bean-shape on an ultrasound scan, and the Countess was already planning to take the baby away from her?

      Ella opened her mouth, about to say, ‘Absolutely not,’ when the Countess cut in.

      ‘I’m glad we had this little chat, Miss O’Brien. I think we understand each other now.’

      The Countess didn’t understand her at all, Ella thought, and clearly didn’t want to.

      ‘I’ll leave you to think about it,’ the Countess finished, and swept off.

      That told Ella everything she needed to know.

      Even though Prue and Ned had been so nice, there was no way she’d ever fit in here. The last thing she wanted was to deepen the divide between Oliver and his parents. So, even though she was angry on his behalf, she wouldn’t tell him what his mother had said and risk things getting even worse. Right now the best thing she could do would be to cool things between them instead of letting herself dream that she and Oliver could possibly have a future. It wasn’t going to happen.

      But this baby was hers and no way was she going to let Oliver’s mother take the baby away from her, whatever the Countess might think. If the Countess tried, then she’d have a real fight on her hands. One which Ella had no intention of losing.

      Ella had been gone a little too long for Oliver’s liking. Had she got lost in the house? Or had something happened? Worried, he excused himself from the people he was talking to and went in search of her.

      He found her in a corridor on the way back from the bathroom.

      ‘Are you all right?’ he asked.

      ‘Fine,’ she said.

      She didn’t look fine to him. She looked upset. ‘Has something happened?’

      ‘No—I’m just a bit tired,’ she said.

      The baby. Of course. He should’ve realised. And she’d already excused herself a couple of times to splash water on her face. Clearly something was triggering her morning sickness again. The lilies, maybe? She’d mentioned them earlier.

      ‘Do you want to go?’ he asked.

      ‘It’s fine,’ she said. ‘I’m happy to wait until you’re ready.’

      ‘I’m ready,’ he said. Although it had been good to see Ned again, Oliver was seriously upset by the way his parents had been so cool to Ella, dismissing her. Maybe they were worried he was going to get hurt again, the way he had with Justine—but, as they’d been the ones to introduce him to Justine in the first place and had put so much pressure on them to get together, they were hardly in a position to judge Ella. And he was still furious about the way his mother had grilled Ella about her background. As if it mattered in the slightest what her parents did.

      ‘I really ought to find your parents and thank them for inviting me,’ she said.

      Oliver would rather leave right now, but he knew Ella was right. Manners were important. It was a pity that his parents seemed to have forgotten that tonight. Though he’d make that point to them later, when Ella wasn’t around to be embarrassed by his bluntness.

      Thankfully they managed to keep their leave-taking really brief. But Ella was quiet all the way back to Cheltenham. And, when he parked outside her flat, she didn’t invite him in for coffee.

      Maybe she was tired. It was common for women to be really, really tired in early pregnancy, he reminded himself.

      Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Before the party, he’d kissed her—and she’d definitely responded. Kissed him back. They’d been very close to him picking her up and carrying her to her bed. And the way she’d been so firmly on his side about his career, making him feel that they were in an equal partnership and she’d fight his corner just as hard as he’d fight hers… He’d felt that they’d moved closer, were nearer to understanding each other better and getting to the point where they could agree to make a go of things. And now he realised he knew what he wanted: to be part of her life as well as the baby’s. To make a proper family with her.

      Right now she’d become remote again. This felt like one step forward and two steps back. Was it because his parents had been so awful? Did she really hate the world he came from? He knew if he asked her what was wrong, she’d say everything was fine. If he tried to kiss her, he had a feeling that this time she wouldn’t respond—that he’d be deepening the chasm between them.

      How could he get her to talk to him without making things worse?

      ‘Thank you for this evening,’ she said politely. ‘I’ll see you on the ward.’

      Maybe the best thing to do now would be to give her some space. ‘Sure,’ he said, and waited until she was safely indoors before he drove back to his own place.

      Was he overreacting, or was Ella going cool on him?

      No. He was being ridiculous and paranoid. She’d told him she was tired. And Ella was straightforward. He was just seeing things completely out of context, because seeing his

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