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
"You are not engaged, are you?" Penny asked."No! I haven't met what Audrey would call the right girl. And I don't go out a lot or have a lot of friends... Especially female ones"So she had been right, Penny thought. He wasn't used to women."So what kind of girl do you like? Penny asked with a smile."I'm not sure "he said, smiling back at her." But I will know when I meet her""Dark or fair?" Penny persisted mischievously."I don't mind" Joey answered. "It doesn't matter a great deal what she looks like. I'm more interested in character. I want a wife with a certain amount of intelligence, a sense of humor and above all, no affectations. I can't stand airs and graces"Then he laughed suddenly and Penny saw that it altered his face completely. He looked younger, more boyish. She remembered that Audrey had said that he was three years older than her. That must mean
"I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby" she broke out huskily and added before Audrey could speak "I saw a doctor. She confirmed it""My dear poor Penny" Audrey said, her voice a mixture of sympathy and disbelief. "My poor darling. But surely, Jeremy....""I haven't told him yet" Penny broke in. "I'm afraid Audrey. I'm afraid he will... Well, he will be awfully upset and then he will feel like he has to marry me""I should hope so" was Audrey's brisk comment. "Good heavens, Penny, you keep that man wrapped in cotton wool. Let him do some of the worrying. He should be upset, and he will most certainly have to marry you""I wouldn't let him" Penny said immediately. "I couldn't bear him to marry me under protest. It isn't enough. I only want him to want marriage if he wants it. Too... Unconditionally... I don't want him to marry me now because he feels obligated to"Audrey looked at Penny's bent head,
Penny wasn't unaware of the intensity of his gaze. She lay with her head resting against the arm of the chair, a lock of dark brown hair falling across her forehead, her eyelashes dark and dusty against the pale creaminess of her cheeks. One long slim hand tucked under her chin and the other lay along her side, relaxed and beautiful in its unconscious pose.In those minutes of observation, Joey knew that he loved this girl. That he wanted this woman to be his. It was so sudden and unexpected as the sound of the first shell burst at the start of an attack. All his life he had waited for this moment, and now the realization that it had come at last gave him the same sense of shock as one receives when one expects a loud report, and because of the anticipation is more startled at the explosion.It took him several moments fully to understand that what he was experiencing were the birth pains of the first real love in his life. He allowed the revelation
After he had gone, the two girls talked."This house of yours has a very homey atmosphere" Penny said. She rose and stretched and smoothed back her hair. "Dreamy and peaceful and comfortable. And your Joey is so nice"Audrey gave her a quick look, turned as quickly to her typing again."He is a dear" she said casually. "Not much of a glamor boy perhaps, but I like him"Penny smiled at Audrey. How reticent these two were and yet most probably their emotions were more deep rooted than most of those people. With Jeremy, it was so easy to judge his feelings. If he felt irritable she would know instantly. When he was pleased or happy, she could read it in his face. But looking at Audrey now it was impossible to guess correctly what was passing through her mind.'Is she shocked at me?' Penny asked herself. 'Will she judge me and wish she'd never met me if I had this baby? "&nbs
Penny listened to Jeremy with a deepening perplexity. Why was he being so condescending, so superior? Was he trying to bring Joey down in front of her? Was he just so jealous?The thoughts raced through her mind as she listened, with scant attention to their voices."What are you planning to do when you leave your present job? Penny tells me you say you want to do something else."That was Joey's voice, carefully polite."Oh i haven't made up my mind yet" Jeremy replied. "I have had several fairly good offers to join various friends in business, but I want something really worth while. I don't fancy living on a thousand a month""A thousand a month!" Joey raised his brows. "I should think that pretty good for a start. I wouldn't sniff at it. It's just something you start with""It's not much good to anyone with ambition" Jeremy said carelessly.&nb