Page 8 of The English Queen

“He’s good to her. He loves her. He will take care of her. She takes care of him. They will be happy. You forget the role Louis’s mother played in running his first fiancée off. Beth hasn’t given a fuck about what that woman does. She doesn’t bat an eye. But if you keep pushing them, he will worry about it. Do you want to cause them distress right now? They made it through their interview by the skin of their teeth yesterday. Beth is a good actress, and she can carry him. Be grateful. She deserves a fucking honour for just getting through it without lashing out at you publicly. Hell, I would have!”

Maggie didn’t debate Robbie.

“So, are you back now?” Robbie asked. “Are you well?”

“No. I am going to let you manage the ship for the new few months.”

“Is this punishment, mother? Because it’s not a problem.”

“No. It’s what is best for the family. I need to repair things with your father. More than anything right now, I need some space to do that.” Her voice was small, almost pathetic.

Robbie had to show some compassion, not expecting this. “I’m sorry for that, Mum.”

“It’s my own fault. This was the worst thing I could have done for us when we seemed to be finding ourselves very happy again. Don’t ever pick fights with your children in this way,” Maggie warned Robbie.

Robbie assured, “I won’t. I will do everything to avoid it.”

?????

Rita awoke on Sunday after a successful hunt. Her back ached. Her breasts ached. At first, she wondered if she overdid it, but then wondered if her malady could be something else. She packed the boys up as Bruno loaded the car. They said goodbye to everyone. Rita knew she would be running to Boots when she returned to London. She did not bother Bruno with her incomplete information. As he was about to nap, Rita dipped out, saying she was picking up a few odds and ends. She picked up a box of tampons, some chocolate, lip balm, and a set of replacement razors. She filled her basket and prayed the cashier would ring them up before anyone figured out who she was.

Rita returned home, raced to her loo, wee’d in a cup, and dipped in a pregnancy test. She was almost in disbelief, expecting tomorrow she’d need those tampons. Her period was regular despite her hitting the big 4-0 a bit ago. She was late, but she worried this was just a bad period about to rear its head. It had been a few months since they had started trying and nothing yet. Rita expected it would never happen. Bruno may have been young, but she was not. Then, about thirty seconds in, the test line began to materialise. It was there–not as strong as the control, but she saw the pink line. Rita may not have seen this in over a decade, but she knew what it meant.

She left the test on the bed and raced downstairs to find Bruno. He was up and working with the boys on a massive Lego Death Star installation on the Death Star. This had a been a weeks-long project taking far too much space in the family room. Rita didn’t have the heart to tell the boys no. They were not home often. It was a project that only got eyes when the boys were in-residence. Bruno resisted the urge to add to it knowing Winston would notice and call him out.

“Darling, can I bother you a minute?” Rita asked, about to burst. She knew he was going to be over-the-moon.

“Sure. I’ll be back, guys.”

Rita pulled him back up to their room and shut the door.

“What? Is this to do with your crazy aunt? Or Richard?”

“No,” Rita shook her head and displayed the test. “Look!”

“What? Is this what I think it is?” Bruno asked.

“Bruno, we’re having a baby. It’s early days and things could happen but—”

Bruno gave her a great big kiss and swung her around, “I am so excited! This is… this is amazing!”

Rita said, “Looks like we’re about to have a shotgun wedding, huh?”

“I am here for it. A baby. We’re going to have a baby?”

“Yeah. A real life baby.”

“I’m so psyched. I told you I was right, mi amor,” Bruno said.

“Please let it be a girl. Selfish I know and you probably want a boy but… I want a girl.”

“I want whatever happens. I want a healthy baby. And if it’s a girl… that’s great. If it’s a boy… also great.”

“I love you so much. I’m aware my family is mad. We’re… a lot. But this baby is a good thing.”

“Everything with this is a good thing,” Bruno said. “My parents will lose their minds.”

“Let’s wait until we know more. I want to call the consultant’s office tomorrow. Gotta talk to Ravi’s people,” Rita said. “He’s the best. Anyway, I will get us a preliminary scan.”

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