A New Dream - Maggie Ford (interesting novels to read TXT) 📗

as now. Somehow business had always seemed to get in the way before the feeling really took hold of her.

By the time autumn arrived Stephanie’s pregnancy was becoming noticeable. She was so happy and proud, clinging to her husband’s arm, and he in turn was so utterly besotted with her, that Julia’s feelings of envy and longing grew in strength.

But she and Simon were not married. Few people were aware of this – she wore rings on many of her fingers, and the ring finger of her left hand bore a slim gold band with a single diamond that could have been a wedding ring. But whether others thought them married or not, a baby was a different matter, needing a father’s name if it were not to be destined to carry the stigma of illegitimate birth for the rest of its life.

No. Babies were not on their list. Work and business were on their list. Simon was still full of ideas for expanding; she was still very much against expansion. These days Julia was unable to rid herself of strange premonitions of unexpected collapse and of pride often going before a fall. There was no longer any talk of marriage between them.

Twenty-One

It was Christmas Eve, Saturday. Julia and Simon had driven through almost blizzard conditions to Brownswood Park in North London to spend the next few days with Stephanie and her husband. Stephanie was now near her time.

After much persuasion she’d managed to get her mother to come with them, though Victoria’s fear of car travel caused her to draw in sharp gasps of breath whenever another vehicle materialized out of the whiteness from the opposite direction. Although told that a Rolls Phantom was the safest thing on the road, she refused to believe it until Julia felt her nerves in danger of being worn ragged.

It was important that her mother should be with them. Stephanie was unable to travel now that the birth was so close, James was spending Christmas with his fiancée and her family, and Ginny, not caring to spend a lonely, miserable Christmas keeping her mother company, had asked if she could come along with Julia to Stephanie’s.

‘I’ll be all right here alone,’ Victoria had said, her voice trembling. ‘But you can’t stay here on your own,’ Julia had insisted, but her mother had at first been adamant.

‘I’m getting used to being on my own,’ she had bleated plaintively. ‘If Virginia finds it a chore to stay and keep her mother company, let her go with you. I might just as well stay here by myself. After all, these days any Christmas to me is just another day without your father. It’ll soon be over.’

‘But we shall go down on the Saturday, stay Christmas and Boxing Day and travel home on the Tuesday. We can’t leave you here all that time alone. I need to be there in case Stephanie goes into labour. She could have the baby any minute.’

‘I can’t help that,’ was the comment, but Julia refused to give up. ‘She has a lovely home. You’ll be comfortable and there’ll be lots of company for you. Edward’s parents will be there on Christmas Day and his sister and her boyfriend.’

‘I won’t be able to sleep in a strange bed. I don’t know his people.’ Julia had been near to losing her temper. ‘Then shall we all stay here, Mummy, and leave Stephanie to her own devices if the baby suddenly decides to arrive? It’s your grandchild, Mummy, your first grandchild. How can you not want to be there?’

‘I’m frightened of travelling in a car.’

‘Then you’re going to have to get used to it, Mummy!’ Julia blurted and would hear no more. So Victoria consented, allowing herself to be helped into the car as though she were an invalid, cringing in the back, yelping at every obstacle that appeared to her to be in their way while Ginny held on to her, murmuring words of comfort.

It was no better once they arrived. Christmas greetings over, she stationed herself in a far corner of the room in a comfortable armchair, sinking into it until she all but disappeared. There she remained, speaking little to anyone, making them feel awkward until they finally ignored her. Later she allowed herself to be assisted to the meal table where she picked unenthusiastically at each sumptuous offering until Julia wanted to shake her, fully aware that she was playing up deliberately.

Even so it was a good holiday and Stephanie managed not to interrupt it by going into labour. Julia would have loved to go back there for the New Year but decided it would be best to spend it with her mother. Stephanie had her husband’s family around her and so was in good hands. There was still no sign of the baby though.

The following Wednesday, just four days into 1928, there came a telephone call ten minutes before nine in the morning as Julia was just about ready to go downstairs. It was from Stephanie.

‘Julia,’ a gasping voice sounded the moment Julia picked up the receiver. ‘Nothing is happening. I keep having awful, really awful pains but nothing is happening.’

‘Are you on your own?’ Julia asked. ‘Where’s Edward?’

‘He’s visiting a client. He’ll be home this evening.’

‘Have you telephoned the hospital?’ Edward’s house had a telephone that he used to contact his office as a public accountant.

‘I can’t move!’ come the cry. ‘It’s too painful when I move. Julia, I’m so frightened.’

‘I’m getting a train and coming straight over,’ Julia interrupted her.

Having raced downstairs to tell Simon where she was going, then back upstairs to alert her mother, she hurried off, finally arriving to find that though the front door was locked the back door wasn’t. She found Stephanie huddled on the settee in a state of panic and pain.

‘It’s so overdue!’ Stephanie wailed, doubled over with the pain. ‘My doctor said it was due just before Christmas! Could it be dangerous?’

‘It’s only a week overdue if that’s the