Toni and Rob had no words as they walked back from their audience with Maia, but unlike other times this silence was serene, not seething. They agreed to leave in an hour. When he sees Toni then, Rob will tell her, "You look lovely," because, dressed for the evening, faintly perfumed, a gilding of make up, and, with her hair pulled up from her neck, for him, she undoubtedly will be. He'll be overcome by her beauty, her woman-ness, in thrall of simply being-with her, and will need a few drinks to balance something in his blood, to calm the emotional arrhythmia. But he'd never learnt when to stop.
46
The ringing of the phone shook Andy from his reverie. He fumbled as he picked up the receiver. "Um, hello."
"Andrew?"
"Yes?"
"It's Sir Gerald here. We'd like to have a little chat with you ahead of the board meeting."
"We?" Andy said.
"Me and Michael." Andy heard hushed muttering, a hand no doubt pressed against the mouthpiece. Sir Gerald added, "Oh, and we'll also bring along a chap whose firm might be interested in buying into the shareholder consortium."
"Really? What's the firm's name?"
"We'll talk about it later. Today at five all right with you?"
Andy desperately wanted to leave early. "Yes. Of course," he said.
"We'll see you then."
Andy slammed down the receiver and ran from his office. He had ninety minutes. He used his override card to get to the basement, sprinted to his car and wheel span as he accelerated through the chicanes of the car park. He knew his life depended on sorting things out with Samantha and calculated he could make it home, deliver his wise, stern, forgiving, incontrovertible paterfamilias speech and be back in the office by five.
When Andy let himself into their apartment, he was disappointed Samantha didn't react to the noise of his arrival, as he'd anticipated. He checked the lounge. Seeing her curled foetal on the settee and lovely to him, his resolve dissipated. Away from Samantha, cold reason could keep its form but now in her presence it melted, and tears, so poorly remembered he'd forgotten how to staunch them secretly, seeped from his eyes. His pride counted for nothing. If that's what it would take, he would beg Samantha to stay with him.
The marble tiles hurt Andy's knees as he knelt next to her. His trembling hand hovered above her face before he moved a lock of hair from her cheek to behind her ear. There was a magazine caught in the crook of her arm; it must be uncomfortable for her. Andy eased it out. He'd not seen her read this one before. He flitted through the pages, puzzled to see picture after picture of models in maternity wear. A card fell to the floor. Oh my god. His heart started to race. Samantha had an appointment in two months time for an obstetric ultrasound scan.
"You're pregnant."
Samantha opened her eyes. "How did you know?" Her smile was full of love for him.
Andy shrugged, hoping to disguise the shaking of his shoulders.
Still a little sleepy, Samantha said, "I know you'll object, but if it's a girl, I want to call her 'Victoria' after my grandma, well, second or third name, then. And definitely 'Robin' if it's a boy."
Andy laid his head on Samantha's belly to listen for the embryonic life. His tears anointed his beloved.
"Oh, my darling, you've been so silly." She ran her fingers through his hair. "How could you have ever doubted me?"