Chapter Fifteen #2
He gave her a patronizing glance. “That is kind of you, Lady Renwood. Ava and I will be sure to attend. I must say, I’m more than a little pleased that I had a hand in bringing this union about.”
God, he was full of himself. But as long as he kept his mouth shut, he was welcome to think of himself as a regular cupid.
“Yes, ...uh...thank you,” she stammered before dashing out of his office.
~ * ~
T he day had started in a rather inauspicious way. Blood, cramps, and general unease had marked another failure to get pregnant. Delia stepped into the shower and let the warm water flow down her body. She squirted a blob of shower gel into her hand.
How long had they been trying for a baby now? Four months, counting her efforts with the syringe. Four times she’d had her period and needed to swallow her disappointment along with some pain killers. Soapy suds circled the drain. She tugged the bath towel from its rail and dried herself.
Trying not to focus too much on the outcome was hard for a go-getter like her. A plan was there to be put into action, and being at the mercy of fickle biology didn’t suit her at all.
Infertility wasn’t an issue. She’d got herself checked out.
Her ovaries were in fine fettle, and with Gabriel, she’d selected a co-parent with excellent sperm count and mobility.
She’d had some of his sperm analyzed back in the day when he used to provide her with his contribution to the baby making project in a plastic jar.
She dressed, had a hurried breakfast, fired off a message to Gabriel, then tore out of the door.
Two lectures and the rest of the day taken up with admin.
She grimaced. Even a dream job had its downsides.
At least she’d been able to head off the immediate danger of John Winter the Elder spreading rumors about her supposed marriage to the seventh Earl of Renwood.
The Life Sciences building rose in front of her like a big concrete beast, and not for the first time, she wished her chosen field of study was housed in a nicer building.
Renwood University boasted a few fine ancient structures, and she preferred any one of them to the architectural monstrosity the biochemistry department was saddled with.
She smiled. Hanging around Gabriel had given her a taste for period architecture.
She reached her office and fumbled for her keys, only noticing the paper sign when she was almost inside. An A4 page was stuck to the wooden veneer of her door. ‘HER LADYSHIP’ was scribbled on it in large, bold felt-tip pen letters.
She huffed with annoyance and tore the sign off; John Winter had a childish streak. But as long as he kept his promise, she was willing to forgive the occasional stupid joke.
With a slap, her laptop landed on the desk. She fired it up. A quick check of her emails was due before she headed to the lecture theatre. The first message in her inbox made her regret that decision.
“I GOT THE JOB!” screamed the subject line of Sandra’s email. The body of it was empty.
She’d have to find it in her to congratulate Sandra properly—take her out for a meal, that kind of thing—but first she needed to reply to her friend’s message. “CONGRATS, well done! The Max-Planck-Institute is lucky to have you.”
By midday, Delia had made a sizeable dent in the pile of paperwork that was clogging up her hard drive. But still, she couldn’t shake this morning’s disappointment.
Facing the window, she allowed the gentle rays of sunlight to dispel her dark mood. Things would be all right; she was being too impatient. She relaxed, and the corners of her mouth turned up. With Gabriel by her side, trying to get pregnant was the opposite of hardship.
A knock on her office door dragged her out of her thoughts. Not another student eager to discuss the latest lecture just before lunchbreak.
She sighed and turned to the door. “Come in.”
Gabriel entered, and her eyes widened. “Gabriel. I didn’t...”
Hadn’t she told him to keep things quiet and not let anyone know about their plans? Showing up unannounced at her place of work surely counted among the things she’d asked him to avoid.
On reflection, maybe that was silly. Once they were parents, everyone would know him as her baby’s father anyway. She never intended to keep it a secret. And since John believed them to be husband and wife, it couldn’t hurt to be seen with Gabriel once in a while.
With that change of attitude, she got up, rounded her desk, and hugged him tightly. “Hey, you, what a nice surprise.”
“Ready for some lunch?” he asked, still holding onto her.
Their bodies were so comfortable with one another, they clung together for a minute or more. “Yes, sure, let me get my handbag.” She freed herself from his embrace and grabbed her bag and jacket. “To avoid confusion, I’m paying.”
“Suits me fine.” He spread his arms, palms facing upward. “Because I’m going to take you to a concert Sunday night, baroque music. Would you like that?”
“Sounds wonderful. You have to tell me all about it over lunch.” She glanced at his forearm and halted. Several scratches ran from wrist to elbow. “What are these?” She traced the red lines on his skin and placed a soft kiss on the angriest gash before releasing his arm.
He looked at her with an unreadable expression. “I was pruning the roses around the pavilion yesterday. It was a bigger job than anticipated. I wasn’t able to finish it back in spring.”
“Oh, the Victorian tea pavilion.” She briefly closed her eyes at the memory of the romantic building in its idyllic setting. “Such a beautiful place.”
He cupped his neck. “Yes, well, getting there.”
“But don’t you use gloves when clipping the roses?”
“Sure, but not on my arms.” He chuckled.
“Gabriel, you need to get special gloves that go up to your elbows.” She drew her brows together. “Those thorns can cause sepsis if you’re unlucky.”
“Oh, I never realized. But I’m finished with the roses for now, you’ll be glad to hear. Thankfully the masonry of the pavilion is intact. All it needs now is a coat of paint.” A grin spread across his features. “Before you start worrying—the paint is lead free.”
She cuffed his shoulder. “If you weren’t so careless, I wouldn’t have to be concerned for your safety.”
“Right now, I’m concerned about our nutrition.” He took her hand. “Let’s go, I’m starving.”
She entwined her fingers with his. “Come to think of it, so am I.”
~ * ~
T he roofing contractor’s lorry left the driveway, and Gabriel waved them off. Today was a good day. The new slate roof was on, keeping Renwood Hall safe from the elements for decades to come.
“Thank goodness that’s done.” Liam came up behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Yeah.” Gabriel turned to the older man. “Now all we have to do is prepare twenty-six rooms for rewiring, and the less said about the plumbing, the better.”
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. First, we’ll concentrate on covering the furniture before hammering the channels into the walls for the new wires. Keep the chin up, Gabe, the Hall will be in ship shape for future generations before you know it.”
“Which reminds me...” Gabriel had been meaning to broach the subject of his and Delia’s unconventional plan for a while but hadn’t been able to find the right moment, probably because there was none. Blurting it out in one go seemed to be the only way.
“Yes?” Liam looked at him quizzically.
“There’s one thing I’ve been meaning to tell you and Mary. You know, I’ve wanted to be a father, even before Vanessa and I split, and Delia wants to be a mother. So, we decided to have a child together and co-parent as friends.”
“As friends ?” Liam’s eyebrows shot up.
“Yes.”
“Aren’t the two of you together?” Liam scratched his temple. “You sure had me fooled with her constantly over here and you always at her place.”
Gabriel chuckled. “We’re trying for a baby. It kind of helps that we...”
“Don’t be cheeky with me now, Gabriel.” Liam gave him a playful cuff on the shoulder.
“I’ve to wonder sometimes what you young ones are at.
A man and a woman get on so well, they even want to raise a child together and yet romance is out of the question?
And Brady-Greene thinks you’re married to her when you’re not even going out? ”
“Delia doesn’t believe in marriage, and she initially wanted to use a sperm bank.
” Gabriel’s teeth scraped over his lower lip.
“I offered to become the sperm donor because I’m sick of waiting until all my ducks are in a row.
I want to become a father while I’m young enough to run through the park after my child, to kick a football around, to teach the little one to ride a bike. It’s the perfect solution.”
“Yeah, right, until you fall for her,” the caretaker put in.
“I won’t.” Jem and Liam were as bad as each other. Gabriel had enough self-control to handle the situation, even if both of them presumed that he didn’t.
“Famous last words.” Liam’s expression sobered. “I’m worried for you, Gabe. There’s playing with matches, and there’s playing with a flamethrower. That’s what you are doing, young man.”
Gabriel suppressed an irritated reply. Liam was only being kind. But no amount of concerned advice would persuade Gabriel to change the path he was on. If there was a risk, so be it. He’d taken more risks in the last couple of months than in all the years before.