Page 91 of Tears of Gold

“She knows.”

“What? Who knows about what?”

“Mum, she knows about the baby.”

I sigh and lean a hip against the side. “Tabs, she was always going to find out. You could never have kept the fact you were pregnant a secret.”

“No, Faith. Well, yes, I let it slip about Lewis and I, but I also told her about you. She knows you and Eli are having baby.”

Well that sucks. Eli’s phone starts to ring. He’s been watching and listening, and he knows what Tabitha has said. The look on his face as he stares at the number calling would have been funny in any other circumstance. He steps out of the back door and pulls it closed behind him.

“Faith, are you cross with me?”

I sigh. “No, we would have had to tell them in a few weeks, I guess. We’ve got our twelve-week scan on Wednesday.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Listen, come over if you aren’t working. Don’t sit there on your own letting Lewis break your heart.”

“He still hasn’t called.” Her voice breaks.

“He’s been through a lot. Give him time.” It’s about all I can optimistically offer. “Anyway, Sienna and Gerard are coming over for dinner, so if you need a laugh you can come and watch Gerard flirt with Sienna all night.”

“That became unfunny years ago.”

“I still find it amusing.”

Eli steps back into the kitchen, his face as dark as oncoming thunder.

“Tabs, I’ve got to go. See you later maybe.” I hang up before she has a chance to reply. “What?” I ask Eli.

“We’ve got to go to Bowsley.”

“You can’t make me.” I laugh.

“No, really, we have to go.”

And just like that my man with his tape measure and ripped jeans disappears and the heir to the Fairclough name is back in his place.

* * *

“This is unacceptable.” Connie’s face is livid with red. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her look so dishevelled before. “You will not bring gossip and rumour down on this family by having a child out of wedlock.”

I bite on my bottom lip. Is she actually for real? I do think she believes she is living in the eighteen-hundreds. There is no other reasoning behind her outdated views.

“You will get married at the earliest convenience and a date shall be set right now. This will be handled in the proper manner. I will not have the Fairclough name dragged through the mud as you, Elijah, not only choose a highly inappropriate wife, but also manage to get her pregnant, all without thinking it through.”

“Grandmother!” Eli is pale. He looks like he’s about to be sick or going to commit murder. “You won’t speak of Faith like that.”

She holds up her hand like she’s the queen of the goddamn world. “No, Elijah. We’ve humoured you these last few months. We’ve let you play things your way. We’ve had her god-awful father in our house. We’ve had rampages and embarrassing public displays of anger.”

I go to interrupt, but this time it’s Eli who raises his hand to stop me. He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t get punched.

“The way you speak about my future wife is unacceptable.”

“Future wife,” Connie scoffs. “You won’t last longer than a year. It’s clear to everyone how damaged she is, and now you want to have a child with her? Did we not teach you to make sensible choices at all?”

Without saying a word, I turn and walk out of the room.