Page 91 of The Way We Are Now

Two minutes later she was back. ‘Ms Piasecki,’ she said formally, before pulling a wide-eyed scary face at me as a man stood in the doorway. ‘There’s a Mr Mandeville to see you. I’m afraid he doesn’t have an appointment. Are you free to see him?’ She now attempted a sort of swoon, mouthing, fuck me, he’s bloody gorgeous before turning back and addressing Theo.

‘Ms Piasecki is able to see you now. Can I get you a coffee?’

‘Thank you, that would be lovely. Black, please, if I may?’

‘Penguin?’

‘Sorry?’ Theo turned back to Gemma. ‘Oh, right. I see. No, just coffee, please.’

‘Thank you, Gemma,’ I said, indicating with a glare as well as a motion of my head that she should bugger off.

As soon as the door closed on her, I stood. ‘Theo, what are you doing here? You should be with Angus.’

‘He’s off the danger list, thank goodness. Anna, I had to see you. I need to be with you. I have to be able to tell Honor that I’m moving out.’

‘Listen, Theo, there’s something…’

‘What, what is it?’

‘I’m…’ I broke off as Gemma came back in with Theo’s coffee. She gave me a questioning, eyebrows-raised look and mouthed tell him before retreating once more.

‘I’m pregnant, Theo.’

‘Oh! Right. Right.’ He stared at me. ‘That’s come as a bit of a shock.’ He shook his head slightly as if to clear it and, although he looked tired, worn out with the days spent at his son’s bedside, he looked utterly beautiful in my eyes. He was in chinos and his usual navy sweater but had a navy woollen scarf tied at the neck, despite it being May. As he spoke, he untied the scarf. ‘Rather warm in here,’ he said.

‘And, Theo, look, I honestly don’t know if it’s Michael’s or if it’s yours.’

‘Goodness.’ He stared at me for a long while. ‘Anna, are you happy to be pregnant? Is it something you want?’

‘I didn’t think it was. But now I am, now that I find myself in this situation, I’m praying that it will go full term. I mean, at my age… you know… anything can happen.’

‘But you must know, Anna? Is it mine or is it his?’

‘I don’t know. In all honesty I don’t know.’

‘You were sleeping with both of us?’

‘Theo, I was in a perfectly normal and… and… healthy relationship with Michael until you came back into my life. Please don’t censure me for that.’

‘No, no, of course not. Well, that obviously speeds up our plans somewhat.’

‘But Theo, what if the baby’s not yours?’

‘But the baby will be yours, Anna. And, because it’s yours, I’ll love it just as much as if it were mine.’

‘Theo, it probably, more than likely, is yours. I mean we were at it hammer and tongs for a week.’

He winced slightly at that but said nothing further.

‘Oh, goodness, Theo, I just don’t know…’ I broke off as Gemma reappeared at the door, knocking at the same time as she opened it.

‘Ms Piasecki, your next appointment,’ she said over Theo’s head, her now all-too-familiar scary face to the fore while mouthing, It’s Michael! I’ve told him you’re with a client…

‘Thank you, Gemma, please tell them I won’t be long.’ I pretended to scan my diary. ‘They are a little early. Theo, I have an appointment, I’m sorry.’

‘Anna, this is important, for heaven’s sake.’

‘Look,’ I admitted. ‘It’s not a client. It’s Michael.’ I gazed around somewhat wildly before standing.