Justine had fallen in love with Kit, though, no one else seemed to exist for her but him. Gradually Ellena had learned a little more about Kit’s family. They were well to do, by all accounts, though Justine had never met either of his brothers. Kit saw his eldest brother occasionally, and there were frequent phone calls between the two, but Gideon Langford had a busy life on all fronts. Kit, who seemed as besotted with Justine as she was with him, wanted to spend all his time with her.
They had been going out with each other for quite some while when, as happy as you please, Justine had come home, holding a bottle of champagne aloft.
Ellena had broken off from her studies. ‘We’re celebrating?’ she teased, joy in her heart that, by the look of it, her little sister had just become engaged.
She should, she’d later realised, have known not to prejudge anything where Justine was concerned. For, grinning madly, and obviously delighted, ‘We’re pregnant!’ she announced.
Ellena was studying hard for her finals just then, though, had she thought that being pregnant might calm Justine down to lead a quieter life, she discovered she was much mistaken—Justine’s relationship with Kit entered a stormy phase. And while Ellena had been mentally adjusting to the fact that her sister might soon be leaving to set up home with Kit—of that there had been no sign.
Justine still met Kit occasionally, but, more often than not, would come home needing to be soothed. When Ellena wasn’t calming Justine’s agitation, she was coping with her being unwell—and wondering what to do for the best. Her tenancy agreement stated definitely, no children. By the look of it, they would have to find somewhere else to live.
Then everything seemed to be happening at once. Ellena took her final accountancy exam—and with joy and not a little astonishment learned she had passed with an exceptionally good mark. But, even while she was relaying this news, Justine went into labour.
‘I want Kit!’ she’d cried.
Ellena contacted him and was warmed by his caring. He must have broken all records—he was at the hospital only minutes after Justine and Ellena—she didn’t know which of the three of them was the more panic-stricken.
Kit stayed with Justine when the time arrived, and Ellena paced the waiting area fearing she was going to break down in tears and disgrace herself at any moment now if she didn’t hear something soon.
Then Kit, his grey look gone, grinning from ear to ear, was coming to find her. ‘What do you think of Violette Ellena?’ he asked—and, uncaring that she might disgrace herself, Ellena waited only for him to add that mother and daughter were doing fine before she burst into tears.
She had thought Kit seemed to grow up a little then. In any event he wouldn’t hear of anything, other than Justine and their daughter moving in with him. In the short time Justine was in hospital he turned his spare bedroom into a baby’s room, complete with crib and fluffy toys.
Justine was the happiest Ellena had ever seen her. She was but a few weeks away from her twentieth birthday. ‘You feel all right about moving in with Kit?’ Ellena felt she had to ask. ‘You needn’t. If you’re worried about our tenancy agreement, we can look for...’
‘I’m very all right about it,’ Justine answered, and it was clear that such a small thing as having a landlord come down on them like a ton of coals for breaching their tenancy agreement had never for one moment bothered her. ‘I want to live with Kit.’
‘In that case, since you’ll have enough to do looking after the baby, I’ll pack your clothes and—’
‘No need to bother with that, Ellena-Ellen,’ Justine interrupted sweetly, using a pet name for her sister she always used whenever everything in her world was rosy. ‘It’ll take a little while for me to get my shape back, I expect, so I’ll have to manage with a couple of these tents you bought me! But, as soon as my inheritance comes through, I intend to dump my old wardrobe and buy new clothes.’
In Ellena’s view, Justine had some lovely garments in her wardrobe and it would be a sin to throw them out. But Justine had just been a very brave girl, and had presented her with a most beautiful little niece. Justine could do no wrong. Even when, as the weeks went by, she spent money like it was going out of style.
Kit had a single bed fitted into the minute box-room in his flat. It came in useful when, more and more frequently of late, they asked Ellena to come and baby-sit her niece.
Ellena had babysat the adorable scrap a week ago last Saturday evening. But it was on Sunday morning, as she was preparing to return to her own home, that she learned that Justine was as irresponsible now as she ever had been.
Ellena said goodbye to Kit, cooed a ‘bye-bye’ to the wonderful little girl who had so soon won her heart, and was about to make her farewells to her sister when Justine said she’d come out to her car with her.
Oh, dear, knowing her of old, Ellena suspected Justine had something to say which she feared she might not like to hear. She’d had an hour in which to say something—yet she was leaving it until Ellena was on her way out!
‘We’re going away tomorrow,’ Justine announced as they walked to the parking area. ‘We’ll—er—probably be away for a month or so.’
Given that it was January, and had seemed a long winter, a month somewhere warm might do them all the world of good. ‘Where are you going?’ she asked, her thoughts on Violette and how they would have to guard her. ‘You don’t think you should wait until the baby’s a little older?’ she queried. She didn’t want to put a damper on their plans but, apart from the time factor, and what would be involved in getting any vaccinations done—wasn’t Violette a little young for such treatment?
‘Oh, we’re not taking her with us!’ Justine answered blithely. While Ellena was starting to be concerned that there was no way she could look after baby Violette for ‘probably a month or so’ and at the same time do her job, Justine was going on: ‘Kit’s heard of this wonderful place in the Austrian Alps. We’re going ski-ing. And don’t worry, Kit’s brother’s going to mind the baby while...’
‘His brother! Gideon? The one who, according to reports, works all day and parties all night?’ Ellena exclaimed aghast.
‘No, not him! Kit’s other brother.’
Ellena was only marginally relieved. ‘Russell, the married one?’
‘Mmm, Russell,’ Justine confirmed. ‘Kit hasn’t seen him in ages, and he’s a bit of a dream—while his wife, Pamela, she’s a bit of a shrew, with a nose for money like no one you’ve ever met! When I mentioned I’d be prepared to pay handsomely—and for the cost of a temporary nanny—she couldn’t offer her services fast enough.’
Apparently Kit had used up all the money left to him by his father. But Ellena didn’t think she liked the sound of this arrangement at all. Perhaps she could employ a temporary nanny herself to take care of the baby during the day and look after her herself at night. But complications stirred before she could so much as voice her thoughts. Apart from the fact that children were not allowed where she lived—crying babies with massive lung power in particular—since qualifying as an accountant she was starting to take responsibility for her own clients; hers was no longer a nine-to-five job.
‘But—but—what about clothes?’ She was putting obstacles in the way on purpose, she knew she was, but somehow she couldn’t bear the thought of them going away and leaving the baby with strangers.
