Innocent Wife, Baby of Shame

by MELANIE MILBURNE

  She leaned forward again. ‘Whose, then?’

  His eyes moved away from hers. ‘I’m not supposed to tell. I promised.’

  Keira grabbed his wrist and dug her fingers in. ‘You have to tell me, Jamie. Was it Patrizio?’

  He shook his head.

  She frowned. ‘Was it Mum?’

  He shook his head again.

  ‘Dad?’

  ‘No, and stop asking as I’m not going to tell.’

  She let his wrist go and drummed her fingers on the table. ‘I can’t think who else would set you up to do it,’ she said, still frowning. ‘It wasn’t as if anyone else had any reason to intervene. Patrizio and I were in the throes of a divorce. We were just weeks away from agreeing on a settlement date…’

  ‘Someone obviously didn’t want you to go through with it,’ Jamie said. ‘They thought that if you were forced to see each other to discuss what was going on between Bruno and me, you would both realise what you were throwing away.’

  ‘But who?’ she asked. ‘Why can’t you tell me? It’s so important, Jamie.’

  ‘Why is it important?’ he asked. ‘You’re back together now; that’s all that matters, surely?’

  Keira decided to come clean. The boys were through their exams. Besides, she was sick to death of pretending to be so happy when she was so very miserable. ‘Jamie,’ she said, reaching for his hand again. ‘Listen to me. Bruno was right. Patrizio and I are not genuinely reconciled. Your little prank didn’t work.’

  Jamie stared at her open-mouthed. ‘But…but you said you’re pregnant!’

  She could feel her face heating. ‘Yes but…but it might not be Patrizio’s…’

  His throat moved up and down. ‘You’re not thinking of…you know…getting rid of it, are you?’

  ‘I want this baby more than anything. The poor little thing is not to blame for any of this. I just want Patrizio to love me in spite of what’s happened, but he doesn’t.’

  Jamie’s brows met over his eyes. ‘But that’s not true, Keira. He does love you. I’m sure of it.’

  She shook her head sadly. ‘He doesn’t, Jamie. He told me. He has never forgiven me for that night. And now, with this complication, I don’t think he ever will.’

  ‘So what are you going to do?’

  She let out a long jagged sigh. ‘I don’t know…He’s offered to stay married to me for the sake of the baby but I don’t want to live with a man who doesn’t trust me. That would be soul-destroying.’

  ‘Like Mum has done?’

  Keira’s eyes went to her brother’s. ‘You know about what happened all those years ago?’

  He nodded. ‘I overheard them arguing about it a few weeks back. It was after you’d been over for a visit during the holidays. I was going to mention it to you but you were going through a pretty rough time with the divorce and all. I didn’t want to add to your stress.’

  She gave another weary sigh. ‘It all makes sense now, you know, the way Dad has always been so critical of me. I guess he’s been looking for signs that I wasn’t his. I dread the same thing happening with my baby.’

  ‘But it could be Patrizio’s, right?’ Jamie said.

  ‘Yes, but he’s hedging his bets until the ultrasound and we have a little more idea about the dates. I have an appointment with the obstetrician and he said he’d come with me.’

  Jamie tapped at his lips thoughtfully. ‘Have you told Garth about the pregnancy?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What was his reaction?’

  ‘He said he didn’t think it could be his.’

  Jamie looked at her for two or three beats of silence before saying, ‘So now you have to find a way to convince Patrizio that he’s the father.’

  ‘Yeah, like what?’ Keira answered in despair. ‘The only way to do that would be to rewrite the past and have me totally innocent of sleeping with another man, but that’s not likely to happen, is it?’

  Jamie didn’t answer but when Keira looked back at him he was frowning, his blue eyes staring into the distance as if he were mulling over something in his mind that didn’t quite make sense.

  ‘Jamie?’

  He gave himself a shake and looked back at her. ‘Sorry, Kiki. What were you saying?’

  She reached for the bill for their snack. ‘Nothing important,’ she said. ‘Come on. I have to get home. Patrizio is having his sister Gina and Bruno over for dinner and I don’t want to be late.’

  Keira was upstairs dressing for dinner when she felt the first cramp in her abdomen. She stood very still, hoping she was imagining it. She looked at her reflection in the mirror above the basin, shocked at how pale and drawn her features looked.

  After a few minutes her stomach settled and she put the finishing touches to her make-up before joining Patrizio downstairs.

  He looked up from the drinks tray Marietta had laid out in preparation for the evening. ‘Are you all right, Keira?’ he asked with a concerned frown.

  She pasted a bright smile on her face. ‘Yes, of course,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry I was so long getting ready. I didn’t realise the time when I took Jamie out for a milkshake.’

  ‘How is he?’ he asked, handing her a tall glass of bubbling mineral water.

  ‘Very relieved the exams are over.’

  ‘Yes, I imagine he is,’ he said. ‘Bruno said the same when I spoke to him earlier today.’

  Keira licked her lips nervously. ‘Patrizio…there’s something you should know about the boys’ feud.’

  He looked at her with interest. ‘Oh, really? What?’

  ‘They had cooled off their friendship after we separated but not to the point of jeopardising their education. Someone suggested they work at bringing us back together by pretending to be enemies.’

  ‘Did he tell you who the someone was?’

  ‘No, he said he’d promised not to.’

  His frown brought his brows together. ‘Have you any idea who it might have been?’

  ‘No idea at all,’ she answered. ‘Do you?’

  He rubbed at his jaw for a moment or two. ‘The only person I can think of is Marietta,’ he said. ‘She’s always been very fond of you. She never agreed with me going ahead with the divorce and she refused to remove your things from the house.’

  ‘You think she would go to such lengths to set up something like this? You could have fired her for interfering in your personal life.’

  ‘We can ask her if you like.’

  Marietta came in with a platter of nibbles as if on cue. ‘Did you want to ask me something?’

  ‘Yes, Marietta,’ Patrizio said. ‘Did have anything to do with Bruno and Jamie’s supposed feud?’

  ‘No, of course not.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  Marietta put her hands on her generous hips. ‘Listen, Signor Trelini, I might think you were a fool for not giving Signora Trelini a second chance but meddling in other people’s marriages is not my preferred choice of hobby.’

  ‘Thank you, Marietta,’ Patrizio said. ‘That will be all for now.’

  Marietta smiled at Keira as she left the room.

  Patrizio waited until the housekeeper had gone before he asked, ‘Do you believe her?’

  ‘I have no reason not to,’ she answered. ‘If she said she didn’t do it, she didn’t.’

  ‘Maybe she has forgotten.’

  Keira turned away at his words, her mouth pulled tight. ‘Yes, maybe she has.’

  Patrizio came over to her and touched her on the shoulder. ‘That was crass of me. I am sorry.’

  She turned around and faced him. ‘This is never going to work, is it? You and me and our history. It’s going to ruin the baby’s life, growing up with you throwing asides at me all the time. You have to let it go or let me go. Make your choice.’

  He ran his hands down the length of her arms to encircle both of her wrists. ‘Keira, there’s something I want to say to you before my sister and nephew arrive. I have wanted to say it for days.’

&nb
sp; Keira held her breath, her heart beginning to thump inside her chest wall. The earnestness in his dark gaze made her wonder if he had changed his mind about her. ‘What is it?’ she asked, her voice so soft it came out more like a breathless whisper.

  The doorbell sounded and Patrizio rolled his eyes in frustration. ‘Why is it that my wife is always late and my sister is always early?’ He put her from him with a rueful smile. ‘We will have to have this talk later, after they have left.’

  Marietta came bustling in with Gina and Bruno. ‘Signor Trelini, your sister and nephew are here,’ she said with a smile.

  ‘Thank you, Marietta.’

  ‘Hello, Keira,’ Gina said, rushing over to kiss Keira on both cheeks. ‘It is truly wonderful to see you. I am so pleased you and Patrizio have withdrawn the petition for a divorce.’

  ‘Thank you, Gina. It’s lovely to see you too.’

  ‘It’s great news about your pregnancy,’ Gina said. ‘How are you feeling?’

  Keira did her best to ignore the slight twinge of pain deep and low in her abdomen. ‘I’m a bit tired but that’s to be expected.’

  ‘Bruno, say hello to your aunt,’ Gina prompted.

  Bruno stepped forward, his expression more than a little sheepish. ‘Hello, Keira,’ he said, shuffling from foot to foot.

  ‘It’s all right,’ she said in an undertone as Gina moved across the room to take a drink off her brother. ‘Jamie told me what was going on.’

  ‘I’m sorry if I overplayed it a bit,’ Bruno said. ‘I wanted to make sure my uncle believed it was real.’

  ‘You were very convincing,’ she said. ‘But I meant what I said that night we went out for a meal. We all make mistakes in life and the one I made is one I will always regret.’

  ‘Uncle Patrizio has forgiven you so that is all that matters,’ he said. ‘I am prepared to do the same.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I really appreciate it, Bruno.’

  Patrizio raised his glass in a toast as he came to join them. ‘To the end of the academic year,’ he said.

  Keira reached for her glass where she had placed it on the coffee table but she crumpled to the floor when a lightning bolt of pain ripped through her belly.

  ‘Keira!’ Patrizio was on his knees beside her within seconds, his face contorted with worry. ‘What’s the matter?’

  She clutched at her stomach, panic widening her eyes. ‘I think I’m losing it…’

  ‘The baby?’

  She nodded and bit down hard on her lip to stop herself from crying out in agony.

  ‘I’ll call an ambulance,’ Gina said, rushing to the phone, calling out to Marietta on the way, ‘Marietta! Get some towels quickly.’

  Patrizio carried Keira to a small bedroom off the study, his face paling when he saw the blood on his hands from where he had been supporting her. ‘Oh, dear God…’

  Keira closed her eyes, trying to breathe through the clawing contractions that signalled the end of her baby’s life before it had even had a chance to begin. ‘Oh, no…’ she gasped. ‘This is all my fault. I’ve caused this to happen. I know I have…’

  ‘Shh, cara,’ he soothed her gently, wiping her clammy brow. ‘Do not talk. We will get you to hospital as soon as we can. Be strong, tesoro mio. Be strong, my darling. Be strong.’

  Keira vaguely registered the wail of a siren in the distance before she felt her grip on consciousness begin to slip out of her reach. Patrizio’s features blurred in front of her; his dark eyes looked like bullet holes in the snow, so white was his face. She reached up with a trembling hand and touched his face to see if he was really there beside her, looking and sounding as if he cared for her more than life itself.

  Patrizio covered her hand with his and brought it to his mouth, his voice breaking over the words. ‘Forgive me, cara. Forgive me for being such a stubborn fool. I don’t want to lose you. I could not bear to lose you permanently.’ But he wasn’t sure if she had heard him. Her eyelids had fluttered and closed, her breathing became increasingly shallow and her face was the colour of marble just as the ambulance officers arrived.

  The doctor came out to where Patrizio was pacing the waiting room with his sister and nephew watching from the sidelines. ‘Mr Trelini?’

  ‘How is she?’ Patrizio asked, his face ashen with dread.

  ‘She is fine and so is the baby,’ Dr Channing said. ‘Your wife is sixteen weeks pregnant so she should be out of the danger zone in another week or two. I thought she was going to lose it but the bleeding stopped and as long as she has plenty of bed rest for the next week or two things should progress normally.’

  Patrizio stood dumbly in front of the doctor, his face draining of colour.

  The doctor peered at him. ‘Are you all right?’

  Patrizio swallowed the painful lump in his throat, his chest feeling as if an industrial-sized clamp were on it. ‘Yes…yes, I’m fine. I just didn’t realise she was that…’ he gulped again ‘…that far along.’

  ‘Yes, well, first pregnancies are often like that, especially when the mother has continued taking oral contraceptives during the first few weeks. It’s a bit hard to establish dates until an ultrasound is performed.’

  ‘Can I see her?’

  ‘She is still slightly sedated,’ Dr Channing said. ‘But yes, you can see her. She hasn’t been well for some time, apparently. Her bloods showed she had been exposed to one or two nasty viruses. Has she had flu-like symptoms recently?’

  Patrizio felt ashamed that he hadn’t realised how unwell she had been and how he had probably contributed to it with his bullish demands. ‘Yes, she has,’ he answered.

  ‘Her iron stores are low,’ the doctor told him. ‘I considered giving her a transfusion but with proper nutrition and adequate rest she should bounce back quite quickly. The first trimester of pregnancy is often fraught with these sorts of difficulties.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Patrizio said. ‘I will take good care of her.’

  The doctor smiled. ‘She’s a very lucky girl,’ he said. ‘I see far too many women in here without loving partners to support them through times such as this. I wish you both well.’

  Patrizio felt the doctor’s words tear through his chest like a viciously sharp blade. He had not supported Keira when she had needed it most. She had been at least two weeks pregnant the night of their horrendous argument, no doubt the fluctuating hormones of early pregnancy adding to her emotionally charged state.

  ‘We’re going home,’ Gina said, touching him on the arm. ‘If there’s anything we can do, just let us know.’

  He looked down at his sister and nephew and somehow managed to stretch his mouth into the semblance of a smile. ‘Thank you for being with me tonight. I really appreciate it.’

  ‘It was no trouble,’ Gina said. ‘But it’s you she needs right now.’

  He let out an uneven sigh as he turned towards the intensive care unit. ‘I know.’

  Patrizio was shocked all over again at Keira’s pallor. She looked as if every drop of blood had been drained out of her. He took one of her limp hands in his and brought it up to his mouth, fighting back tears as he contemplated a future without her. What did it matter if she had betrayed him? She had only done it the once and it had probably been a knee-jerk reaction to what she had suspected he was getting up to in her absence.

  Rita Favore was still up to her tricks; only that day he had heard of another man she was targeting with her aggressive seduction techniques. He should have seen it coming and done something to stop it; instead he had ignored it at his peril.

  ‘Keira? Can you hear me?’ he asked.

  She murmured something unintelligible but didn’t open her eyes.

  ‘I love you, tesoro mio,’ he said, stroking her face with his fingers. ‘I have been such a fool. I have never stopped loving you.’

  ‘Garth?’

  Patrizio froze.

  ‘Is that you?’ she said, moving her head back and forth on the pillow, her eyes still closed. ‘
I’ve been waiting for you…’

  Patrizio released her hand and got to his feet, his chest feeling so constricted he couldn’t draw in a breath. She was deeply unconscious and yet the first person she had called out for was Garth Merrick. Didn’t that tell him all he needed to know? He was never going to be the person she turned to when things got her down.

  ‘Is everything all right?’ the nurse on duty asked as she picked up the chart off the end of the bed.

  He gave himself a mental shake and brushed past her to leave. ‘Yes,’ he said brusquely. ‘Everything is just fine.’

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  KEIRA woke to the sound of a cheery nurse at the end of her bed. ‘Mrs Trelini, your parents are here. Do you feel up to seeing them or would you like me to send them away?’

  She dragged herself upright, wincing as her body protested at the movement. ‘It’s OK,’ she said. ‘Send them in.’

  ‘Oh, my poor little darling,’ Robyn said as she rushed to Keira’s bedside and enveloped her in a gentle hug. ‘Patrizio called us and told us you were in hospital. He was so distraught. Are you all right? How is the baby?’

  ‘We’re both OK, Mum,’ Keira said, holding her mother’s hand tightly.

  Her father stepped forward, his throat rising and falling as he put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Keira…’He swallowed again. ‘I have been such a fool. Your mother and I have had a long talk. I don’t know what to say…other than I love you and hope you get better soon.’

  Keira reached for him and was comforted by the warmth of his embrace, deeply moved too by the moisture she saw in his eyes as he eventually straightened.

  ‘When are they letting you come home?’ her mother asked.

  ‘I’m not sure; tomorrow, I think.’

  ‘We’ll leave you to rest,’ her father said. ‘Patrizio is waiting outside. Call us if you need anything. And, when you feel well enough, we’ll have you both over for a barbecue or something.’

  Keira smiled at her father. ‘That would be nice, Dad.’

  He bent down and kissed the top of her head. ‘Take care of yourself, princess.’

  ‘I will…’