‘It was all Joe’s idea,’ Davina Hunt’s lies continued. Her face then contorted. ‘OK, I’ll tell you why. Because from the minute I met you, it’s been Rosa this and Rosa that. I never, ever was good enough, was I, compared to wonderful her. Face it, Lucas, you’re still in love with the girl. And then I saw you take the present from her, and then rush around to her house when she had a break-in. It’s all about her, her, her.’ Her voice rose. ‘And then to top it off, I see you with Miss Prissy Pants Marketing and think, Oh, OK, if he’s not going to get it on with Rosa – which, sorry to piss on your firework, but you never will – then he’ll have a go with dear sweet little, butter-won’t-melt, fucking Carly. Who, by the way, looks just like a dark-haired version of your beloved Rosa, so in my eyes, case closed.’ She finished disgustedly, ‘You’re obsessed with the bloody woman!’
‘Just get out,’ Lucas told her, conscious of not raising his voice, as he could hear Tina checking a couple into HMS Victory in the reception area next door.
‘Don’t worry, I’m on my way. You’re pathetic,’ Davina Hunt uttered as she swung her way out of his life and out of Cockleberry Bay for ever.
Lucas went upstairs and slumped down on his bed. He had met Davina when he was going through the deepest grief and loss. Had clung onto her when he felt so alone, with no one to give him the affection he craved. She had made him smile, and he had enjoyed their physical connection – but in the cold light of day and faced with just how badly she had betrayed him, it made him realise what a big mistake their union had been. Their moral compasses couldn’t be further apart. Her empathy and kindness gene were missing. On a positive, at least now, with her doing him such wrong, he would not dither and hold on to her, even mentally, just for the sake of not being alone. Carly was right. It was better to be single and happy – or even single and unhappy – than in a relationship that was going nowhere.
CHAPTER 50
‘Damn,’ Rosa said aloud, checking that Little Ned’s hat was pulled tight over his ears to stop any of the cold December night air getting to him. He was snug as a bug in a rug inside his soft blankets. Hot was dutifully trotting along beside the pram. ‘Come on, Hotty, get those short legs of yours going; we need to go back to the church hall. I forgot to put the key in the key safe for Gladys tomorrow.’
There were still no streetlights in the main roads of Cockleberry so, holding her torch as well as directing the pram, Rosa reached the church hall and tied Hot to the handle so she could see to dealing with the key. Despite it only being nine-thirty, it seemed eerily quiet. She was just bending down to tap in the code, when she heard a familiar voice shouting for help. As fast as she was able, she unlocked the door, pushed the pram over the step and shooed Hot in before closing the big door behind them.
Titch was in the kitchen where Rosa had left her. She was kneeling on the cold floor, one hand on her back, her underclothing strewn around. Her waters had obviously broken. ‘Rose, oh my God, Rose, I am so happy to see you,’ she wept. ‘Call Ritchie, please.’
Immediately dialling 999, Rosa ripped off her coat, laid it on the floor and asked her friend to lie down.
‘Stay on the phone the whole time,’ the operator instructed, once Rosa had relayed what was happening and had given her the address.
‘I’m sorry, the signal is so bad in here,’ Rosa explained, trying to keep her panic at bay.
‘OK, Rosa, are you a mum yourself? Have you given birth naturally before?’
‘Yes, yes,’ Rosa replied.
‘Good. If you lose me, just try to keep your friend calm, talk her through the contractions, and if the baby does come, just place him or her on Mum and don’t do anything with the cord, all right? And make sure that both of them are warm – that is very important.’
‘Yes, I’ve got that.’ Rosa made a little scared noise.
‘We will be with you in twenty minutes. Stay on the line.’
‘I will.’ Rosa put the phone on loudspeaker, propped it up on the kitchen side and then got down on the floor with Titch, taking her hand and saying, ‘It’s all going to be fine. I’m here and the ambulance is on its way.’ Then, realising she couldn’t call Ritchie with the operator on the line, she silently mouthed, ‘Shit!’
As Titch tensed through another long contraction, crying out in pain, the operator was advising Rosa to comfort her friend and assure her that all was happening as it should. Meanwhile, Hot was getting agitated still being tied to the pram; he knew something was happening and his doggie senses were on full alert. And now Little Ned was stirring – great, that was all she needed, Rosa thought. Surely they weren’t going to have a repeat performance of when Theo was born in a big, soft dog bed in the Corner Shop! Lightning didn’t strike twice, did it? Oh God, she hoped not. Closing her eyes, Rosa clasped Titch’s hand and prayed.
‘I want Ritchie. I think the baby is coming,’ Titch panted. ‘I really do. I suddenly want to push down. The contractions came so quick. It isn’t the same as with Theo. Please call Ritchie, I want him with me,’ she cried again, her face bright red and tears pouring down her cheeks.
‘It’s OK, darling,’ Rosa soothed. Then light dawned. Of course – Titch had a phone! ‘Where’s your phone?’
‘I left it in the van earlier, remember? Ooooooh!’ Rosa tried to support her as Little Ned, now wide-awake, screamed and Hot barked. Rosa knew she needed help from the operator but she couldn’t hear anything over the din.
Rosa then gasped in fear as she saw a face looming at the window before realising it was Ritchie. So relieved, she lowered Titch gently and ran to the door to let him in.
Ritchie thanked her and went straight over to Titch, stripping off his coat and placing it over her. ‘Oh, my baby girl.’ He got down on his knees and gathered Titch into his arms. ‘I wondered why you were so late. I came down to find you.’
‘Thank God.’ His frightened wife gripped his hand, causing it to go white. ‘It’s going to be all right, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, of course it is, my love.’
‘Phone your mum, Theo is there.’
‘You just worry about you and this baby now,’ Ritchie said, planting a kiss on his wife’s sweaty forehead.
Rosa went to talk to the operator, but she had lost her. Now that Ritchie was here, she could take Little Ned out of the pram and comfort him. Wrapping his blanket around him, and kissing his face that was wet from tears, she went to the main door to turn on the outside light so that the ambulance could see where to pull in. That was when she saw the figure of a man walking down the hill. Hugging the baby, she called out, ‘Oh my God, Josh, is that really you?’
He started running towards her and immediately took her and Little Ned back into the warm after she had turned on the outside light.
‘I thought you’d be at your mum’s,’ he said all in a rush. ‘I tried to time it right, I got the taxi to drop me at Seaspray Cottage – and when Mary said you’d left I started walking back home and …and then I saw you and here you are, with our Little Ned.’ He wrapped his arms around both of them. ‘What’s going on?’