“That’s fine.” She lifts her head and smiles, her teeth all perfect and shiny white. “I’m sure your husband’s very excited about having a baby.”
“Oh, he is!” I’m just about to tell her all about having our first scan, when the door opens.
“Mr. Brandon is here,” says the receptionist, and Luke strides in, saying, “Sorry, sorry, I know I’m late—”
“There you are, Luke!” I say. “Come and meet Dr. Carter.”
“Please!” She laughs again. “Call me Venetia — everyone does.”
“Venetia?” Luke has stopped dead and is staring at Venetia Carter as though he can’t believe his eyes. “Venetia? Is that you?”
Venetia Carter’s mouth drops open.
“Luke?” she says. “Luke Brandon?”
“Do you two know each other?” I say in astonishment.
For an instant, neither speaks.
“We were at Cambridge,” Luke says at last. “Years ago. But…” He rubs his forehead. “Venetia Carter. Did you get married or something?”
“I changed my surname by deed poll,” Venetia says with a rueful smile. “Wouldn’t you?”
“What was your name before you changed it?” I ask politely, but neither of them seems to hear me.
“How many years is it?” Luke still looks thunderstruck.
“Too long. Far too long.” She runs a hand through her hair and it falls back into place in a perfect red waterfall. “Do you still see any of the old Browns gang? Like Jonathan? Or Matthew?”
“Lost touch.” Luke shrugs. “You?”
“I kept up with very few of them while I was in the States. But now that I’m back in London, some of us meet up whenever we can.” She’s interrupted by a bleeping sound from her pocket. She reaches for a pager and switches it off. “Excuse me, I just need to make a call. I’ll pop next door.”
As she disappears I look at Luke. His face is all lit up as though it’s Christmas Day.
“You know Venetia?” I say. “That’s amazing!”
“Isn’t it?” He shakes his head incredulously. “She was part of a crowd I used to know at Cambridge. Of course, she was Venetia Grime back then.”
“Grime?” I can’t help a giggle.
“Hardly the best name for a doctor.” He grins back. “I’m not surprised she changed it.”
“And did you know her well?”
“We were at the same college.” Luke nods. “She was always incredibly bright, Venetia. Incredibly talented. I always knew she’d do well in life.” He breaks off as the door opens and Venetia returns.
“I’m so sorry about that!” She comes round and sits on the front of her desk, one long Armani-clad leg crossed casually over the other. “Where were we?”
“I was just saying to Luke what a coincidence it was!” I say. “You and he already knowing each other.”
“Isn’t it extraordinary?” She gives her silvery laugh. “Out of all the hundreds of patients I’ve had, I’ve never before had one married to an ex-boyfriend!”
My smile freezes slightly on my face.
Ex-boyfriend?
“I was just trying to remember how long we dated for, Luke,” she adds. “Was it a year?”
They dated for a year?
“I don’t remember,” says Luke easily. “Long time ago.”
Hang on. Just hang on a minute. Rewind. I seem to have missed a step here.
Venetia Carter used to be Luke’s girlfriend at Cambridge? But…he’s never referred to her. I’ve never even heard of a Venetia before.
I mean…not that it matters or anything. Why would it matter? I’m not the kind of person who gets hung up on old girlfriends from the past. I’m naturally a very nonjealous person. In fact, I probably won’t even mention it.
Or maybe I will, just casually.
“So, darling, I don’t remember you ever talking about Venetia,” I say to Luke with a relaxed little laugh. “Isn’t that funny?”
“Don’t worry, Becky.” Venetia leans forward with a confidential air. “I know quite well, I was never the love of Luke’s life.”
I feel a warm glow of delight inside me. “Oh, right,” I say, trying to look modest. “Well—”
“That was Sacha de Bonneville,” she adds.
What? What?
Luke’s love of his life wasn’t bloody Sacha de Bonneville! It was me! His wife!
“Apart from you, of course, Becky!” she exclaims, with an apologetic peal of laughter. “I was just talking about back then. In the Browns crowd. Anyway.” Venetia throws back her radiant hair and picks up her file and pen again. “Back to the birth!”
“Yes,” I say, regaining my composure. “Well, I was thinking about maybe having one of the water births with lotus flowers—”
“You should come along one evening, by the way, Luke,” Venetia says, cutting me off. “See some of the old gang.”
“I’d love to!” says Luke. “We’d love to, wouldn’t we, Becky?”
“Yes,” I say after a pause. “Fab idea.”
“Sorry to interrupt, Becky.” Venetia smiles at me. “Do carry on. A water birth, you were saying?”
We’re in there for another twenty-five minutes, talking about vitamins and blood tests and a load of other stuff. But to be truthful, my mind’s not really on the job.