LITMIR.BIZ

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extreme. Since the cat appears to be well and truly out of the bag why don’t we just call Immi, tell her our news and promise we’ll throw a party when we get back?’

      ‘All our news?’

      ‘You’re nervous about telling her that we’re having a baby?’

      That we earned him a gazillion brownie points.

      ‘It’s a bit embarrassing to have to admit that at my age I wasn’t practising safe sex.’

      ‘That wasn’t sex,’ he said, ‘it was first aid. The kiss of life.’ For a moment he was deadly serious, then a crease appeared at the corner of his mouth. ‘What we did last night was sex.’

      Despite everything she laughed. ‘I can’t argue with that.’

      But as he hugged her she tried not to cling too tightly. She was old enough to know that sex didn’t mean the same thing to men as it did to women; their emotions did not have to be engaged.

      ‘So,’ he said, after a moment, ‘do we run or do we put on a brave face and tell the world?’

      ‘There’s no point in running. We’ll have to face them sooner or later and if I don’t phone Immi she’ll explode.’

      He handed her the phone, she dialled the number but didn’t get a chance to speak.

      ‘Andie! What the heck is going on? What bang on the head? What fire? Posy is frantic.’

      ‘She needn’t be. I bumped my head on a cupboard. The only damage was to the cupboard. The fire was nothing. The kettle was left on the stove and boiled dry. I threw a damp cloth over it and gave it a squirt with the fire extinguisher.’

      ‘Okay. That’s the easy stuff. Now tell me why Cleve Finch is there. No, I can guess why. How? When did that happen?’

      ‘Are you sitting down?’

      ‘Andie!’

      ‘I’m pregnant,’ she said, reaching for Cleve’s hand.

      ‘What? How long has this been going on? No, wait, it was the weekend you flew him up to pick up the Mayfly! You were a bit weird and teary at the dress fitting...’

      ‘I was not weird.’ She glanced at Cleve. ‘I was...tired.’

      Immi laughed. ‘So, apparently, was he. Jack told me that Cleve hadn’t left until late the following morning but I didn’t think anything of it. I assumed he’d stayed in the pub but it’s obvious now that he was dropping a heavy hint.’

      She didn’t bother to answer. Immi’s imagination would be working overtime and Cleve’s breakdown was between the two of them.

      ‘You’re really having a baby? When? Hold on, if I’m right it’s...’ Andie heard her counting on her fingers ‘... November?’

      ‘November,’ she confirmed.

      ‘I’m going to be an auntie! How brilliant is that? Do Mum and Dad know?’

      ‘Not yet.’

      ‘You can tell them when we chat tomorrow. Can you find somewhere?’

      The temptation to say no was almost overwhelming but she’d already messed up big time and her parents had the right to hear it from her.

      ‘I can get a signal in San Rocco.’

      ‘This is such fabulous news. Hang on... Posy wasn’t fantasising about a wedding, was she?’

      ‘No, but we’re getting married here, Immi. Quietly. Just a quick stand-up-in-front-of-the-mayor on Sunday. We don’t want to wait and I’m not going to get in the way of your big day. We’ll have a party later.’

      ‘Excuse me, twin, but if you think you’re getting married without me there you can think again. Is Cleve there? Let me talk to him.’

      She turned to Cleve. ‘I’m afraid she wants to talk to you.’

      ‘I imagine I’ll survive.’ He took the phone, listened, laughed at something Immi said and then, after several minutes, during which he didn’t say more than ‘yes’ and ‘I’ve got that’, he handed back the phone.

      ‘Immi?’

      ‘I’ve told Cleve that you can get married on the island but only if we’re all there. We’re a bit scattered so it’s going to take a few days to get organised but you are going to have a proper wedding. Not this Sunday—I need more time. Cleve is going to change it to the following weekend but it will be worth waiting for. In the meantime just lie back and enjoy the honeymoon.’

      ‘Aren’t you supposed to have those after the wedding?’

      ‘Andie, I hate to be the one to state the obvious but you’ve already jumped that hurdle. You’ve waited a long time for this, love. Don’t waste another moment.’

      ‘Is that an order?’

      ‘If you need an order...’ She didn’t bother to complete the sentence. ‘And don’t fret about the details. That’s my job as your chief bridesmaid. I’ll get on the ’net and start things rolling.’

      ‘Immi, we don’t want a fuss.’

      ‘Tough. It’s not every day a girl’s dream comes true and when it does it calls for a celebration.’

      Aware that Cleve was watching her she managed to hang onto the smile. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

      ‘Say nothing. No, wait, you can tell Mrs Stark that I love her. I’ll see you on our video chat tomorrow.’

      She hung up. Looked at Cleve. ‘What did she say?’

      ‘That I’m not to marry you until everyone is here.’

      ‘She said a lot more than that.’

      ‘That sums it up.’

      She doubted it but she handed him the phone. ‘You’d better phone your parents before they hear the news from someone else. I’ll go and give Gloria a hug and persuade her to come and have a glass of champagne with us.’

      * * *

      Breaking the news to her parents was an emotional experience but Cleve was at her back and if her father was quiet, her mother said all the right things and her sisters made enough noise to attract the amused attention of people sitting at other tables in the café.

      They all promised to be at the wedding, even Posy. She found it difficult to get away from the Royal Ballet during the season but having the ceremony on a Sunday meant she would only miss one performance.

      Cleve said he’d fly over to pick them up, but her father stepped in and said if he texted him the details of the flying club he’d get them all to L’Isola dei Fiori for the wedding.

      They passed on Gloria’s offer of a comfortable room for her parents and grandmother, which was gratefully accepted. Cleve had already booked his parents into a hotel in San Rocco and he was going to join them there for the night before the wedding.

      ‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ Cleve asked as they walked back to the car.

      ‘Dad was quiet.’

      ‘I’ll talk to him.’

      ‘Oh?’ She’d love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation. ‘What will you say?’

      ‘That’s probably better left between us.’ He tucked her arm beneath his and smiled at her. ‘Happier now?’

      ‘Yes. Thank you.’

      ‘Why are you thanking me?’

      ‘For putting up with my family. With the hormones. With the silly superstitions.’

      ‘How are you getting on with the something old, something new stuff?’

      ‘Well,

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