âSHEâS up to something, you knowâhave I told you the latest?â
Joâs lips twitched at her friendâs outraged tone. âWhich particular latest?â
Maggie Wells straightened from the incubator and grinned wryly.
âLucindaâs not going on the cruise. Says she thinks her health isnât up to itâsomething about lassitude and being very run down.â
âMaybe she is?â
Maggie snorted. âLucinda? That old rascalâs as strong as an ox. She doesnât know the meaning of the word lassitude! Sheâs on more committees than Iâve had hot dinners, and if she isnât arranging the flowers in the cathedral sheâs at some RMBF lunch party or else hatching my nuptials with her cronies. No, if I know my grandmother, thereâs something sinister behind it, and Iâll give you three guesses what!â
âYou could always give in and marry one of these eligible young menâââ
âAre you kidding? I neither want nor need Lucindaâs help to find a husband. Iâm quite capable of doing it on my own.â
âAre you? When did you last go out for a serious date with a man you wanted to be with?â
Maggie met Joâs eyes with habitual honesty. âIâm not sure I ever have, but one thing I am sure ofâ my grandmother isnât any better at finding my Mr Right than I am!â
She jotted a reading down on the babyâs chart, and smiled at Jo. âAmyâs improving.â
They both looked at the baby, still unbelievably tiny but stronger with every day that passed. Her young, tragically drug-addicted mother had committed suicide the day after her birth, leaving a note putting the baby in Joâs care. All that remained was to convince the Social Services that Jo and her new husband Alex were suitable adoptive parentsâand that was by no means a foregone conclusion.
âHow are the adoption proceedings going?â Maggie asked now, and Jo shrugged and gave a strained smile.
âSlow, intrusive, very thorough. They have to be, donât they? After all, Amyâs the important one.â
Maggie nodded. âI hopeâyou know â¦â
âYesâthanks, Maggie.â She glanced at her watch. âHave you got time for a quick coffee? I promised Annie Iâd meet her at eleven.â
âItâll have to be a quick one.â
They left the quiet bustle of the special care baby unit and made their way down in the lift.
As the doors opened they met Alex Carter, Joâs husband, and he dropped a kiss on Joâs lips and smiled. âShips in the nightâhowâs Amy?â
âBetter.â
âGreatâIâll try and pop up later. Must goâIâve got an emergency section. I donât suppose youâve got time to assist, Jo?â
âWellâas itâs you â¦!â She grinned at Maggie. âDuty calls, Iâm afraid.â
Maggie watched as the lift doors slid shut on them, Jo tall and slender with enviable curves and a wild mane of dark red hair, Alex taller still, and good-looking in a soberly distinguished sort of way. Sober, that was, until you caught the way he looked at his wife.
Maggie felt an unexpected pang of envy. For all she complained about her grandmotherâs conniving and matchmaking, she would love nothing more than to settle down with the right man.
She sighed. Perhaps she was just too darned fussy?
She found Anne Gabriel in the canteen, and explained that Jo had had to assist Alex with an emergency.
Anne nodded. âI just admitted her. Antepartum haemorrhage. If all goes well, youâll have another baby upstairs to deal with.â
Maggie dropped into the low chair and sipped her coffee. Theyâll be a few minutes yet. Iâd better make the most of it.â
They look happy, donât they?â Anne said after a moment, and Maggie noticed that she looked wistful.
She gave a tiny, humourless laugh. âYes, they do. I was just envying them a minute ago.â
Anne smiled. âMe too. Never mind, perhaps youâll meet someone on this cruiseâwhere are you going?â
âSingapore and the Indonesian Islandsâexcept I donât think I am. My grandmotherâs pulled outâsays sheâs ill.â
âOh, dear! Anything serious?â
Maggie snorted. âYou jest. No, sheâs up to something. I expect the captain is the emotionally crippled son of one of her bridge partners!â
Anne laughed. âAnyway, why does that stop you going?â
âWell, I canât go without herâsheâs paid for my ticket so that I can accompany her. It wouldnât be moralâââ
Anne stared at her in amazement. âAre you nuts? Sheâs loaded! She could pay for that cruise out of her small change! I think you should goâshe obviously intends you to.â
âThat,â Maggie said wryly, âis what bothers me.â She sipped her coffee again, and then met Anneâs eyes over the top of the cup. âOf course, itâs always possible that she really is sick ⦠Perhaps Iâll go and see her.â
âYou do thatâon the way to the airport! And if you decide not to go, give me a shout. Iâll take your ticket any day. I could cope with a week of luxury in the Far East!â