by Judy Astley
‘Well, there were quite a lot of things to consider,’ Mel said.
Howard chuckled. ‘Hmm – I wish I’d taken a photo of Vanessa’s face when she realized Rosa was pregnant and not just plump.’
‘That was funny,’ Mel agreed, recalling Vanessa prodding Rosa’s middle and saying, ‘Been overdoing the stodge at university?’ then flicking her hand back as if Rosa had given her an electric shock.
‘Mum was great,’ she added, still astounded at her mother’s reaction to the news of the baby. She’d been unhesitatingly delighted: ‘You’re at a perfect age for having a baby!’ she’d said, hugging Rosa (and the very confused Desi too, assuming it was his). ‘All these older mothers, people leave it far too late these days!’
‘Vanessa liked your present, though,’ Howard said. ‘She was thrilled, she said it was just what she’d always wanted.’
Mel sighed; it wasn’t very noble of her, she’d admit, but accidentally giving her sister the exact thing she’d wanted was not terribly satisfying. ‘I don’t know how the packages got switched. I didn’t at all mean to get her a Tiffany cruet set.’
Max laughed. ‘And someone else must have unexpectedly unwrapped a silver yo-yo. I wonder how that got explained away.’
They’d reached the course, paid their entrance fee and picked up their race cards. Mel looked quickly through the list of runners: several serendipitous names caught her eye – Keen Detective, Big Max, Sweet Baby Blue, The Phoenix. They all had to be worth a good each-way bet.
‘I’m feeling lucky today, Max, how about you?’ she asked.
He pulled her close against him and said, ‘I’m feeling very, very lucky.’
THE END
About the Author
Judy Astley was frequently told off for daydreaming at her drearily traditional school but has found it to be the ideal training for becoming a writer. There were several false-starts to her career: secretary at an all-male Oxford college (sacked for undisclosable reasons), at an airline (decided, after a crash and a hijacking, that she was safer elsewhere) and as a dress designer (quit before anyone noticed she was adapting Vogue patterns). She spent some years as a parent and as a painter before sensing that the day was approaching when she’d have to go out and get a Proper Job. With a nagging certainty that she was temperamentally unemployable, and desperate to avoid office coffee, having to wear tights every day and missing out on sunny days on Cornish beaches with her daughters, she wrote her first novel, Just for the Summer. She has now had nine novels published by Black Swan.
Also by Judy Astley
JUST FOR THE SUMMER
PLEASANT VICES
SEVEN FOR A SECRET
MUDDY WATERS
EVERY GOOD GIRL
THE RIGHT THING
EXCESS BAGGAGE
NO PLACE FOR A MAN
and published by Black Swan
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UNCHAINED MELANIE
A BLACK SWAN BOOK: 9780552999502
Version 1.0 Epub ISBN 9781446437889
First publication in Great Britain
PRINTING HISTORY
Black Swan edition published 2002
5 7 9 10 8 6
Copyright © Judy Astley 2002
The right of Judy Astley to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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