Page 58 of Finding Jacob
“Yeah, not going down well at HQ as far as I hear. He’s off any royal duties until he cleans himself up. I’m sure they’ll have him married off to anice girlsoon, and then he’ll learn to be cautious with his indiscretions.”
Her world was poles apart from mine. I hadn’t even known she was the granddaughter of the Queen at one point. She never used her baptised name but a shortened version of it. Princess Dorothea might have given me a hint that she wasn’t your average middle-class uni student.Indiscretionsas she called them, seemed to be commonplace and since it was something that had happened for as long as the monarchy had existed, it was accepted... To a degree.
Thankfully, I guessed, shithead wasn’t in line to the throne, being the youngest of three, so he could be pushed to the side. But he had hurt one of my girls, a friend, and it didn’t sit well with me that he could just get away with it.
“Is there nothing we can do?” I asked.
She shook her head slowly. “Not publicly, if you don’t want a heap of shit thrown your way. They are a very closed shop. Don’t worry, though, I’ve made it known what he did and it’s not acceptable. I’m pretty sure it will be dealt with in-house.”
She picked up another outfit. “Are you having her christened?”
“Hadn’t thought about it, to be honest. Although I do think Jacob is religious. Being Spanish, I’m also assuming he’s Catholic. I don’t think I’d like her brought up as a strict Catholic.”
“Haven’t you had those conversations?” she asked.
“I got pregnant on our first date, remember? I only just learned how he takes his coffee.”
We chuckled. “You have always liked to do things arse about face, Anna.”
I smiled at my friend and reached out to take her hand. She squeezed as she took it.
We heard Jacob call up the stairs that dinner was nearly ready, and I stood. I winced as my knees clicked and she started her gymnastics again.
“Quick,” I said, and Dory darted across the room. I placed her hand on my stomach.
“Urgh, that’s... weird! I can’t imagine what that must feel like inside. Reminds me of theAlienfilm,” she laughed as she spoke, and I slapped her hand away.
“What are you going to do if you have to change her nappy?” I asked.
“Darling, I shall be handing her back to you the minute she poops, screams, wants a tit, or has snot. I’ll do the fun and nice things, thecleanthings.”
We walked down the stairs as she spoke. I laughed and shook my head. Dory had never been maternal, but I also knew it was all talk. The minute she held a baby in her arms, she was a pain in the arse in getting it back!
By the time we sat, I was ravenous and finished my meal before Jacob and Dory. We chatted, mostly about Jules, and I was pleased to see them get along so well. It was important to me they did. It seemed and I may have beenover-interpreting,but since getting with Jacob, my single girlfriends were dropping off. I’d found out about a lunch date that I hadn’t been invited to, and I had meant to bring up the matter with Dory. If anyone knew everything, it was her.
After dinner, Dory headed home and Jacob and I sat in the cool lounge watching the sun lower on the horizon. I was sideways on the sofa, leaning into his side, his arm was around me and his hand on my stomach. We had periods of silence and it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. We had times of talking about everything and nothing.
“Shall we take a holiday together? Before the baby is born?” I asked, sitting up. The idea had just sprung to mind.
“Where do you want to go?” he answered.
“Anywhere, local to the UK, though. I don’t want to be too far away in case anything happens.”
He nodded. “Would you like a surprise?”
I smiled. “I love surprises, but I didn’t ask you just for you to feel you have to do that.”
“I don’t feel I have to. In fact, I don’t generally do anything I don’t want to.”
He sat forwards and grabbed his phone. He sent a text message and then rested back.
“That’s all settled then,” he said, grinning at me.
“Huh?”
“You wanted a holiday, locally, so to speak. So, that’s what we’re doing. Fancy leaving next week?”
“I don’t think I can do that...”
