‘Every mother-to-be feels exactly the same, don’t worry. Now let’s see what we have here.’ She squirted some cold jelly on to Libby’s belly and turned on the monitor. ‘Any history of twins in either of your families?’ asked the sonographer.
‘No neither of us have any twins,’ replied Libby.
Luca cleared his throat. ‘Actually, my father is a twin,’ he said. ‘You haven’t met him…’
Libby was mortified that she didn’t know about this. What would the sonographer think? She flushed with embarrassment.
The ultrasound was projected on to a small screen on the wall in front of them. The sonographer pressed quite firmly on Libby’s stomach and a grainy black-and-white image emerged on the screen. Libby found it impossible to make head or tail of what she saw, until the sonographer talked them through it. She confirmed – to Libby’s relief – that there was only one baby, and that it looked perfectly healthy. The relief Libby felt was immense. She held Luca’s hand and squeezed it, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at the little baby on the screen. It was hard to believe that it was really inside her. It was like a miracle. She knew in that moment that she had been right to keep it. It was meant to be, this baby, and she vowed to the baby that she would do everything in her power to love and protect it for as long as she lived.
Having got the all-clear, they were given a small photograph of the scan and allowed to go home. Luca immediately phoned his family, passing on the good news, and Libby phoned her mum and Helen, and Jules and Angus, to tell them all was well. She was seeing Jules and Angus the following evening to introduce them to Luca, and the same with her mother on Sunday. Miriam was delighted to hear that Luca was intending to stay. That normalised the situation just enough for it to be socially acceptable among her friends, just in time for her to be able to spread the happy news that she was to become a grandmother. Jules seemed equally excited, declaring it even more important that they should meet, seeing as they were going to be part of each other’s lives from now on.
Libby decided not to go back to work, knowing full well that the rest of the team were working late that evening but refusing to care. As soon as they found out she was pregnant, she would be compromised anyway. She wouldn’t be able to hide it for much longer, and there was no point trying to impress everyone with her commitment when she was going to be off work for nine months in six months’ time. Instead she took Luca into central London, deciding to have a glass of champagne (she would allow herself one) at the Ritz. He had always wanted to go to the iconic hotel, and what better way to celebrate?
They stayed for a couple of drinks and then found a nearby French restaurant for dinner. For the first time Libby allowed herself to accept the fact that she was becoming a mother. They talked about arrangements for the baby, Luca’s own experience as an uncle to Antonia’s little girl, and what they would need to do to the house to prepare for a baby’s arrival. They also decided that they wouldn’t find out the sex at the next scan, preferring the idea of a surprise. It was both surreal and exciting.
Libby marvelled at how life could turn on its head in mere moments, uprooting every plan you had made and throwing you completely off course with no notice. It was amazing to her how well everything seemed to be working out. An unexpected bonus of the pregnancy was the refreshing sense of perspective that it gave her about work. She realised undoubtedly that there were more important things in life than a career in law. If her training contract didn’t work out, she would cross that bridge when she came to it. From her limited experience thus far, she had a sneaking suspicion that she was not a natural lawyer in the making. She had chosen law because it had seemed like a sensible, grown-up job to have, something respectable and with good earning potential that would set her on a steady career path once and for all. But she found the work rather repetitive and dull, and the levels of stress within the firm were extremely off-putting. It was hard to avoid being sucked into negativity and complaining, although Tammy and Sam were both remarkably upbeat. They genuinely seemed to enjoy it. Maybe that was why Libby was so drawn to them.
The next day was spent mostly in bed. Libby cooked them some lunch and they went for a walk in the afternoon. By the time they got to Jules and Angus’s house for dinner, they were as close as they had ever been, the last month and a half of separation forgotten. Libby felt extremely nervous at the thought of Angus and Luca’s imminent first encounter.
‘Welcome,’ said Angus, throwing open the door and shaking Luca by the hand. ‘It’s good to meet you!’ Angus had a grubby apron on over his shirt and jeans and, judging from the smells that were emanating from the kitchen, he had clearly been hard at work. His underlying good manners stopped him from showing it, but Libby could tell that he was masking his true feelings about their situation as best he could, for her sake, and for that she was really grateful.
‘It’s great to meet you too,’ said Luca. It was endearing listening to his Italian accent when he spoke English. Every consonant was exaggerated and every vowel elongated. Moments later, Jules came pounding down the stairs, her hair wet from the shower.
‘Sorry, sorry!’ she cried. ‘I was running so late I only just jumped in the shower.’
‘Luca, this is Jules,’ Libby introduced them.
‘Meeting in person is much better than on FaceTime,’ laughed Jules as she kissed him on both cheeks. ‘It’s so amazing to have you here.’
When everyone had a drink they raised their glasses and made a toast. ‘To Libby and Luca,’ said Jules, ‘and their little baby!’
Jules pored over the photo from the scan, trying to figure out which way around the head was. Even Angus couldn’t resist the temptation, quietly studying the image, that vein pulsing in his jaw once again. Libby explained what the sonographer had showed them. She felt so sorry for Angus as she watched him, knowing how much he would like Jules to be in the same boat. She hoped fervently that seeing Libby go through all of this might inspire Jules to follow suit, though she wasn’t convinced that was ever going to be an option.
Jules asked Luca hundreds of questions over the course of dinner, determined to get to know him as quickly as possible. Angus was much more detached, uncharacteristically quiet as he topped Jules and Luca up with fine wine and produced three courses of delicious food. They finished with perfectly risen raspberry soufflés dusted with icing sugar and decorated with fresh raspberries.
‘How on earth did you make those?’ gasped Libby. ‘They look so professional. Mastering the art of soufflés is next on my list.’
‘You certainly are a great cook,’ said Luca. ‘This food has been amazing.’
After pudding and coffee, decaf for Libby, they left Angus and Jules to tackle the washing up and walked home. ‘They seem like a lovely couple,’ Luca said.
‘They are the best,’ agreed Libby.
‘I can see myself becoming friends with them both.’
‘I certainly hope so! You’ll be spending a lot of time with them.’ Libby crossed her fingers that Angus would come around and accept them as a genuine couple. Surely now that Luca had committed to make a go of things with her in London, he could be happy for her? It felt so wrong having this slight distance between them. She was so used to him being there for her, it was very disconcerting.
‘Jules is wonderful, so chatty! So full of life and inquisitive.’
‘Yup. She just needs to figure out a way to harness all that energy. She hates her job so much – she is definitely not cut out to be an accountant.’
‘No, I can see that.’
‘I wonder when she’ll finally pluck up the courage to quit,’ Libby mused, letting them into the flat. She suddenly felt exhausted. Two evenings out in a row had definitely taken their toll. She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
Miriam also seemed charmed by Luca over lunch the next day. He certainly knew how to work his magic on the ladies, and his girlfriend’s mother was no exception. He was the perfect mixture of self-deprecating humour and courteous good manners, throwing a little flattery into the mix too. He complimented Miriam on her brooch, an antique favourite that she had inherited from her mother, and his obvious affection for Libby was enough to persuade her that he genuinely adored her daughter. Miriam began to feel rather pleased with the whole situation. If only he would propose, then she could relax even more. Watching Luca and her daughter together, she allowed herself to imagine that this might not be too absurd a possibility. Libby was clearly on cloud nine. She was delighted that things seemed to be working out, for one of her daughters at least.
