Er…hello?
They’ve completely abandoned me on my back, like an upturned beetle. I clear my throat loudly and Luke turns round.
“Sorry, sweetheart! Are you all right?” He hurries over and offers me a hand.
“Sorry, Becky!” says Venetia. “Just getting you some water. You seem a little dehydrated. It’s vital to keep your fluids up. You should really be drinking at least eight glasses of water a day. Here you are.”
“Thanks!” I smile at her as I take the glass, but as I sit down, suspicions are circulating darkly round my mind. Venetia’s very chatty with Luke. Too chatty. And trying to make out I had a stretch mark. And the way she keeps flicking her hair about like a hair model in a TV ad. It’s not exactly doctorly, is it?
“So!” Venetia is behind her desk again, writing on my notes. “Did you have any questions? Issues you’d like to raise?”
I glance at Luke, but he’s pulled his phone out of his pocket. I can just hear the faint bzzz as it vibrates.
“Excuse me,” he says. “I’ll pop outside. Carry on without me.” He gets up and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.
So it’s just the two of us. Woman-to-woman. I can feel the room prickling with tension.
At least…it’s prickling on my side.
“Becky?” Venetia shows her perfect white teeth in a smile. “Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”
“Not really,” I reply pleasantly. “As I said, everything’s fine. I’m fine…. Luke’s fine…. Our relationship couldn’t be better…. You know this is a honeymoon baby?” I can’t resist adding.
“Yes, I heard all about your wonderful honeymoon!” Venetia exclaims. “Luke said you went to Ferrara while you were in Italy?”
“That’s right.” I give a reminiscent smile. “It was so romantic. We’ll always share it as a wonderful memory.”
“When Luke and I visited Ferrara, we couldn’t tear ourselves away from those fabulous frescoes. I’m sure he told you?” Her eyes are all wide and innocent.
Luke and I never went to any frescoes in Ferrara. We sat at the same outdoor restaurant all afternoon, drinking Prosecco and eating the yummiest food I’ve ever had. And he never mentioned he’d been there before with Venetia. But no way am I admitting that to her.
“Actually, we didn’t go to the frescoes,” I say at last, examining my nails. “Luke told me all about them, of course. But he said he thought they were overrated.”
“Overrated?” Venetia seems taken aback.
“Uh-huh.” I fix my gaze dead on hers. “Overrated.”
“But…he took masses of pictures of them.” She gives an incredulous laugh. “We talked about them for hours!”
“Yes, well, we talked about them all night!” I shoot back. “About how overrated they are.”
I casually fiddle with my wedding ring, making sure my engagement diamond glints under the lights.
I’m his wife. I know what he thinks about frescoes.
Venetia opens her mouth, then closes it again, looking flummoxed.
“Sorry about that!” Luke enters the room, putting his phone away, and Venetia immediately turns to him.
“Luke, d’you remember those frescoes in—”
“Ow!” I clutch my stomach. “Ouch.”
“Becky! Darling!” Luke hurries to my side in alarm. “Are you all right?”
“Just a little twinge.” I give him a brave smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.” I glance in triumph at Venetia, who is frowning as though she can’t quite work me out.
“Have you had these pains before?” she says. “Can you describe them?”
“They’ve gone now,” I say blithely. “I think it was just a stitch.”
“Let me know if you have any other pains,” she says. “And remember to take things easy. That blood pressure shouldn’t be a problem, but we don’t want it to edge any higher. Did your previous doctor explain to you about preeclampsia?”
“Absolutely,” Luke says, glancing at me, and I nod.
“Good. Well, you take care. You can call me anytime. And before you go…” Venetia opens her desk diary. “We must arrange an evening for us all to meet up. The twenty-fourth…or the twenty-sixth? Assuming I’m not delivering a baby, of course!”
“The twenty-sixth?” Luke nods, consulting his BlackBerry. “OK with you, Becky?”
“Fine!” I say sweetly. “We’ll be there.”
“Marvelous. I’ll call some of the others. It’s so great to have made contact again, after so many years.” Venetia sighs and puts her pen down. “To be honest, it’s been pretty hard, starting again in London. My old friends have their lives; they’ve moved on. Besides which, I don’t always keep sociable hours, and Justin travels abroad a lot, of course.” Her bright smile slips a little.
“Justin is Venetia’s boyfriend,” Luke explains to me.
The boyfriend. I’d almost forgotten he existed.
“Oh, right,” I say politely. “What does he do?”
“He’s a financier.” Venetia reaches for a framed picture of a dull-looking man in a suit, and as she surveys it her whole face lights up. “He’s incredibly driven and motivated, a bit like Luke. I sometimes feel left behind when he’s pursuing a deal. But what can I do? I love him.”