‘I don’t take money from Matt.’
‘Well, I’m sure your father left you comfortably off, then,’ exclaimed her mother impatiently. ‘I remember you telling me that Matt’s company paid him millions of dollars for Carlyle Construction.’
Joanna didn’t want to think about that, particularly after what Matt had said.
She couldn’t deny she’d been surprised when her father’s solicitor had told her Angus had been virtually bankrupt when he died. Even the house he’d lived in, and where Joanna had spent her childhood, was mortgaged to the hilt. There’d been a little cash, which had eventually cleared probate. But she couldn’t think where all the money might have gone.
‘I like my job,’ she said, avoiding her mother’s comment. ‘I like my independence.’
‘Nevertheless, Lionel and I worry about you living in London on your own.’
Joanna sighed, and then decided she couldn’t put it off any longer. ‘I won’t be on my own much longer,’ she said, and saw the way her mother’s eyes widened in surprise.
With a wry smile, she continued, ‘I think I’m pregnant, Mum. I need to go back to London to see my doctor. To prove that the two pregnancy tests I took were not—’
‘You’re pregnant!’ Her mother didn’t let her finish. ‘Oh, Joanna, am I going to be a grandmother at last?’ And then, with rather less enthusiasm, ‘I suppose David Bellamy is the father.’
‘No!’ Joanna was appalled that her mother should think such a thing. ‘David’s a friend, that’s all. Look, I didn’t want to tell you this, but he’s already got a partner. A male partner. But, please, keep that to yourself.’
‘Of course.’ But her mother looked only partially relieved. ‘Then who?’
‘It’s Matt’s, of course,’ said Joanna flatly. ‘We spent the night together when I was in Miami. Go figure!’
Glenys stared at her daughter. ‘But—I thought you said you went to ask him for a divorce.’
‘I did.’
‘I can’t believe it.’ Glenys struggled for words. ‘All those years you were trying for a baby...’ Her voice trailed away and she shook her head.
‘It just happened, that’s all. As you say, we’d tried so long to have a baby, I had no idea I’d get pregnant so easily.’
‘Still, there must be something between you two if you spent a night together,’ Glenys protested. ‘Have you told him yet?’
‘No. How could I?’ Joanna wished her mother weren’t so delighted by the news. ‘It—it was a mistake, Mum,’ she said flatly. ‘Now I’ve got to figure out what I’m going to do.’
‘But it’s good news, surely,’ exclaimed her mother. ‘You and Matt have always wanted a family.’
‘Yes, but it’s not me and Matt any more.’ Joanna expelled a shaky breath. ‘Is it?’
‘So, what does that mean?’ Glenys frowned. ‘You are going to tell him, aren’t you? You’ve got to, Joanna. It’s his baby, too, remember?’
As if she could forget.
* * *
By the time she got back to London, Joanna was still in two minds. She knew she ought to tell Matt, but the last thing she wanted was for him to think she was only getting in touch with him again because she needed his support.
Of course, unless she dipped into the money her father had left her, she probably wouldn’t be able to manage on her own. Childminders cost a small fortune these days. Her plans to use that money to accept David’s invitation and become a partner in the gallery might have to be shelved.
Her mother believed Joanna had no choice but to tell Matt. She also reminded her that in a few months she wouldn’t be able to work at all. Glenys suggested that when she left the gallery, she should move to Cornwall. She could stay with them until the baby was born.
‘It will give you a breathing space,’ she’d argued, when Joanna had demurred. ‘I’m not asking you to move in with us permanently. But I don’t like the idea of you having to cope with this alone.’
Joanna had left, assuring her that she’d do nothing without consulting her mother first, and realised how close she and Glenys had become since her father’s death. The bitterness Angus had always felt towards his ex-wife had certainly influenced Joanna’s teenage years.
David was glad to see her when she got back.
‘This place hasn’t been the same without you around,’ he said, putting an arm around her shoulders and giving her a kiss on the cheek. ‘I was half afraid you were having second thoughts about investing in the gallery. Are you sure Novak isn’t still in the picture?’
‘Hardly,’ Joanna corrected him drily. ‘As far as Matt is concerned, our marriage is over.’
‘Well, you know how jealous I am,’ said David good-humouredly. ‘Anyway, I haven’t forgotten he didn’t exactly follow you back to England, did he? It’s possible he’s seeing someone else.’
But, remembering what Matt had said, Joanna found his comments rather irritating. ‘You know it was nothing like that,’ she said shortly. ‘I told you his father had had another stroke. Matt’s been dealing with the company in his absence.’ She paused, and then added unwillingly, ‘In any case, he’s probably left the company by now. He’s moving to the Bahamas—to write a book.’
‘You’re kidding.’ David was incredulous, not realising he was treading on dangerous ground. ‘Perhaps he thinks if he tells you he’s leaving NovCo, you won’t fleece him for as much alimony, eh?’
Joanna resented his suggestion that Matt might cheat her. Yet wasn’t that exactly what her father had said? She sighed, bending her head. ‘I don’t want any alimony,’ she declared stiffly. ‘Matt knows I can support myself.’
A sudden awareness of the baby and the problems it might create came into her mind. It was stupid, she knew, but she was dreading telling David. He apparently already thought she was gullible. He had yet to discover how gullible she’d been.
‘You’re crazy!’ he said now, and for a moment Joanna was afraid she’d spoken her thoughts aloud. But when he continued, she soon realised she’d been mistaken. ‘If I was in your shoes. I’d take him for every penny I could get.’
* * *
Needing confirmation of her condition, Joanna made an appointment with her doctor. And came out of the surgery with a handful of leaflets in her hands.
Okay, it was definite. She was expecting a baby. In the spring, Dr Foulds had told her. He would make an appointment in a few weeks for her to have her first scan at the local hospital, and they would be able to give her a date for when the baby was actually due.
Despite all her misgivings, Joanna found the prospect exciting. How ironic it was that she’d become pregnant now after only one night of lovemaking, when in the past she’d begun to believe she couldn’t conceive.
She was having a baby. What was less certain was how Matt would feel about it. She’d finally decided that she had to tell him. Matt was the baby’s father. It wouldn’t be fair to keep it from him.
To that end, she waited until a time she could be reasonably sure he would be at the New York apartment. It was a little over a month since he’d visited London, but with Oliver still so ill, perhaps he might not have moved to the Bahamas quite yet.
She phoned in the early morning, New York time. Which meant she’d had to sneak out of the gallery so David didn’t hear the call. She chose the little café where she often shopped for cappuccinos in the middle of the morning. Finding an empty booth, she ordered a diet soda, and