When Jeremy left the following morning, Penny went back to the sofa, resting her head against the cushion where his head had been the evening before. She could still smell the faint aroma of cloves, and her mouth curved into a smile.
The dog placed his two fringed front paws on the edge of the sofa and gazed up at her reproachfully. Penny looked at him and laughed.
"I know, you want your morning walk" she said, gathering him into her arms and burying her face against his silky hair
"You are a big baby, Benjamin. And you won't be able to have that walk because we are going on a trip. Your daddy lent us his car"
Benny produced a pink tongue and licked her face. Young as he was, he had that unerring canine instinct that warned him all was not well. There was a faint tinge of sadness in her voice, and if he could not understand he could still sympathize.
Penny hugged him closer and s
Penny allowed herself to be led into the sitting room where a large log fire burned in the open grate. Coal was rationed but there was plenty of wood here. She spread her hands to the welcome warmth."Show Benny to aunt Ann, uncle Charles. How do you like my new baby?"She smiled as aunt Ann took the puppy and cuddled it in her arms."Now this really is a sweet dog" Mrs Gellar said. "Not at all like that poor mongrel you brought back from the lost dog's home"Penny laughed."You were cross, weren't you, aunt Ann. You were so sure he was alive with fleas and that I would catch them""Aha. Went after my bulbs too" announced uncle Charles gruffly but with good humor. "Now, a dog like this —better idea —very good retriever"He shook his shaggy grey head, looking not unlike any kindly sheep dog himself, Penny thought. She loved these two people better than anyone in the
"A girl doesn't get engaged every day" her aunt said, relenting "I must admit it would be a little difficult for me to come up how. The new maid we have doesn't do things well. I keep trying to make her understand how I want things done, but she just doesn't seem to get it. Besides. I wouldn't like to leave your uncle just at the moment. His health isn't too good at this time of the year as you know "Penny knew very well that Althouse he was Seventy, her uncle still enjoyed perfect health, and that if anything the cold weather suited him. She smiled, knowing that aunt Ann's last explanation was just an excuse to remain with him. They had not spent twenty four hours away from each other since the day they got married."I shouldn't give it another thought, aunt Ann" said Penny. "By the time i go back home. I will be a different woman... And look it""Oh well, Penny. I dare say there's nothing wrong with you that a little
Ignorance was certainly not bliss in her case, Penny thought with a wry smile. If she had not been so appallingly ignorant in the first place this might never have happened. She pulled herself up sharply. Nothing had happened yet, but no doubt that could be accounted for quite easily... Nerves, over fatigue, the sudden change in her way of living. She was imagining all these things. It was all her guilty conscience, she told herself severely. This was fates way of paying her for doing wrong.Penny could not bring herself to say 'living in sin'. Living with Jeremy could not and must not be tarnished by such a description of their beautiful love. She wanted her love for him to remain perfect and beautiful and nothing should be allowed to spoil it. She would not have this child.She managed fairly successfully to put her worries out of her mind for the remainder of her visit. She talked to Jeremy twice during that time and he told her how much he misse
Perfume! She had forgotten her perfume. She opened a drawer, huming a little song as she did so, and pulled out a bottle of perfume which she had hoarded carefully for just such an occasion.This was Jeremy's favorite scent. Whenever she used it he would sniff her hair with loud exaggerated sniffs and say : "Mmmm, you smell nice""Oh Jeremy. Hurry up and come soon. I can't wait to see you"She broke off her singing to look at her watch. He would be here soon. She went to the top of the stairs and listened for his footsteps. Then she rushed to the window in the sitting room to see if he were coming round the corner of the mews...But it was too dark to see anything much. She turned restlessly back and wondered what she could do. The joint... That could go in now....She was bent over the oven, when Jeremy arrived. She had not heard him come in. As she stood up he put his
Jeremy looked at her thoughtfully, but he did not tell her what was passing through his mind. Penny was too contented to want to probe. But she could not help wondering why he had given her that strange look or what it signified.Much later, holding her tightly in his arms in the darkness he said : "Everything all right, Penny"And she answered sleepily. "Everything's perfect Jeremy"It was not until the moment before she fell asleep that she wondered if there were any deeper meaning behind that question. But she was too tired, too near sleep, to think it out. She snuggled a little closer to him and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, it was to see his handsome boyish face bending above her and to feel the passion of his lips against hers and the feverish, urgency of his caressing hands."Penny... Penny... My love" he whispered.She caught fire from him and reached up for his kiss... On fir
Two days later Penny took a taxi to Harley Street and walked into the waiting room of the woman gynecologist who had attended her aunt Ann when it was thought that she might have cancer.Penny had found Dr Rachel Greene's phone number and decided to take her courage in both hands and make an appointment.Penny felt horribly nervous and was unable to read any of the magazines lying around the waiting room. Instead, she watched the other patients sitting with her, wondering what was wrong with them, who they were, whether any of them had come like herself to find out if they were going to have a baby."Mrs Hampson"She jumped to her feet, hurriedly dropping the magazine she was holding, and followed the nurse into the passage outside. She was led down a corridor and into a large comfortable consulting room."Good morning, Mrs Hampson" said Doctor Greene, coming forward to meet her.
"I can go and stay with my friend, Audrey" Penny said eagerly as her plan took shape. "She's always asking me to come. Then you can come over to see me whenever you have time off. You'd get weekends, wouldn't you? We don't have to be so far away from each other that way"She saw my his face that her idea appealed to him."It could be done" he said. "Might be quite nice down there too. I just hope they won't take the weekends away from me too. Will Audrey be okay with you staying with her for a while?""Will she be okay with it!" Penny cried, relief, bursting inside her while she flung herself into Jeremy's arm. "Oh I know she will. I will call her now and ask her. Oh it will be wonderful... Just like a holiday. Oh I'm so happy that I don't have to be here alone for three weeks""Jeremy planted a kiss on the side of her neck." Well, at least I get to see if I can during the weekends, it's better than
She could suggest to him they get married quietly and that she went back to Cornwall when she began to grow bigger... Have the baby there. Then he didn't have to bothered with the difficult part of pregnancy. Funny that she had not felt sick or faint."What are you thinking about?" Jeremy asked suddenly. "It isn't so often you stay silent for any length of time""Oh just day dreaming about Cornwell" Penny told him, letting the opportunity pass. "there, I have finished now. Let's make a cup of tea and go back to the sitting room""I'm gonna miss you tomorrow night, honey. Wish we'd thought of that sooner. You could have easily have gone down the next day""I have already told Audrey to expect me tomorrow" Penny told him. "Never mind, darling. I'll be there when you get there""Mmmm" murmured Jeremy. "Still wish you weren't leaving me alone tomorrow night"Penn