‘No, it’s a hospital for all women,’ Diana said through gritted teeth.
‘You could have gone private,’ said Edward. ‘She should have gone private,’ he added to his wife.
‘I didn’t want to. My doctor can deliver the baby there,’ she said as another contraction came, this time closer than the last.
‘When did you make these arrangements?’ he demanded to know.
‘When I found out I was pregnant,’ she said as another contraction arrived, stronger than the last.
Relief came as she saw the lights of the hospital, and when her father came around and opened the door, a porter arrived with a wheelchair.
‘Straight in,’ the porter said and he started to wheel Diana away.
She turned to her mother. ‘Can I have the bag of things you brought?’
Her mother looked confused. ‘What bag?’
‘You said you had a bag of things when you were leaving the house.’
Her mother shook her head at Diana. ‘No, dear, that was for your father. He can’t be expected to wear his nightclothes while in public. He can change in the bathrooms inside.’
The porter wheeled Diana away as she felt another contraction hit and she cried out in both pain and anger at her parents.
27
Amanda
Amanda drove up the driveway and saw Diana standing by the gatehouse. She waved but Diana turned and walked inside, as though she hadn’t seen her, but Amanda knew she had. She was avoiding her.
Amanda drove up to the house and parked the car.
She wasn’t ready to speak to Diana yet. She didn’t want to ruin the good news about her job; instead she went searching for Simon in the garden.
He wasn’t around, so she walked down to his place, but his motorbike wasn’t there.
Amanda sighed and turned to walk back, her mood lowered with Diana’s snub and Simon’s absence.
She wandered back to the house, went inside and looked around. She was tired of the old interiors and the fading wallpaper and paint. She thought about how lovely the gift shop at the garden centre was and how she would like the inside of the house to be as lovely as the garden was supposed to be but that would cost even more than she could imagine.
She lay on the sofa in the living room and looked at the portrait of Diana. She was wearing the peach georgette dress with the bow on the shoulder in the portrait, she realised – the one Amanda had found in the attic. She had been so taken by the pearls she hadn’t seen the dress, or the glint in Diana’s eyes.
Amanda closed her own eyes and wished she could speak to her mother.
She would tell her all the right things to soothe her racing mind, help her understand her feelings for Simon that seemed to be growing and how to handle Diana while gently teasing out her secrets.
There was so much to do, Amanda thought, as she felt her eyes become heavier. She was supposed to cook dinner tonight for her and Simon. She was supposed to be researching her mom’s adoption, while trying to salvage the garden and work. And then there were the clothes to go through with Diana and see if she could sell some things, because that money could help the garden. It was an endless list of tasks and each one created the next.
It was nearly too much, she thought, as she drifted off to sleep. Just a short nap, that’s all she needed, and then she would get on with the list.
28
Amanda
A week later, the sun was up and so was Amanda, as she waited outside the house for David – her new boss – to come and see the garden.
Simon came walking towards her, his tin mug in hand, his hair still slightly sleep-worn.
‘Morning.’ She smiled at him.
