Читать книгу An Orphan’s War: One of the best historical fiction books you will read in 2018 - Molly Green, Molly Green - Страница 17

She was only five days late. It was nothing, Maxine told herself. What with the war on and everyone’s energy about to snap at any moment through lack of sleep and too few staff, she shouldn’t expect to be on time, every time.

But you’re never late.

They’d managed several more dates, mostly ending in his bed, but Edwin had always been careful to use something.

Except that very first time.

Several more days passed. Maxine tried to put the worry to the back of her mind, but however busy she was, however demanding the patients, however rude Staff Nurse Johnson, it was always there. Was it possible …?

And then one morning before breakfast she was sick. The suspicion, now confirmed, struck her with such force she almost reeled as she pulled herself up from the toilet bowl. She was going to have a baby. She felt sure of it.

She rinsed her mouth and caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked more like a patient than a nurse – her skin pink and blotchy, her eyes anxious. Despite her fears she smiled at the image. Everything would work out just fine. She loved him and he loved her. Being fourteen years older, he’d be thrilled to become a father at last. She hugged the thought to her. A baby. A baby with Edwin. Would it be a boy or a girl? She didn’t care, so long as it was healthy. He’d probably want a boy. Most men seemed to. But perhaps he wouldn’t care either.

Now that it was real and she’d accepted the truth, she couldn’t wait to tell him the news.

But she had to wait two more days as Edwin had gone to see his parents. He rarely spoke of them, and when he did it was usually not very complimentary, so she was rather taken aback that he was going to spend a whole weekend with them. But they were elderly, which pleased her, really, that he was keeping an eye on them.

Edwin looked strained around the eyes and mouth when he came back to work on the Monday. Maxine wondered if he’d had a difficult time with his parents but she decided not to question him as the subject always seemed to put him in an irritable mood. Well, she was about to change his mood completely – change his life forever. And for the better.

She went to the kitchen to put the kettle on, hoping he would follow her. He did.

‘Would you like a cuppa, Mr Blake,’ she teased, loving that she had to pretend there was nothing between them in front of the others, although she couldn’t help the image of their last time in bed together. Was he thinking of it too? She felt a stab of excitement at the memory of their arms and legs entwined …