Page 148 of The Sun Sister

‘Oh no, nothing! If it had been for real, of course, she’d have been over the moon. Julius is set to inherit the title and Woodhead Hall from his uncle.’

‘And wouldn’t she just have loved that!’ Kiki cackled as she drained the bourbon. ‘You could of course write to him and tell him what has happened to you. Or even better, I could write to Audrey and tell her.’

‘No! Please, I’d rather die than go grovelling back to him. Besides, there’s no way of proving who the father of a child is anyway, is there?’

‘No, otherwise half the marriages in the world would have ended in divorce.’ Kiki gave a husky chuckle as she refilled her glass and sat down. ‘You’re right, of course; he’d only deny it and you’d end up feeling like a fool. Which you are most definitely not, I might add. Cecily, honey, I’m going to let you in on a secret, which may make you feel just a little better. Once upon a time, there was a young girl of around your age who met a prince – a real-life prince; a prince of England too, who was fourth in line to the throne. She fell head over heels in love with him, but then, sadly, found herself in the same position as you do now. She believed that he’d be there for her – look after her and help her; maybe they’d marry and she would become his princess. So she called him up and told him she needed to speak to him because she was carrying his child. He told her he’d help her, but that telephone call was the last time they ever spoke. Next thing she knew, an equerry – that’s a royal servant, by the way – appeared at her home. The young lady was told she must go to a clinic in Switzerland and wait out her pregnancy so she could give birth there. And she did. Right afterwards, when she hadn’t even held the baby in her arms, the child was whisked away from her. And she never saw it again.’

Cecily watched Kiki’s eyes brimming with tears as she took a deep drink of her bourbon.

‘I think we both know who that young girl was, don’t we, honey?’

Cecily nodded.

‘So, when I say I’ve been where you are now, I truly have. The good news is that no one on the planet knows about your condition, apart from Dr Boyle, you and me. And if we’re clever, we can keep it that way. No one need ever know about this.’

‘But how, Kiki? Where will I go?’

‘To Switzerland, just like I did. Whatever happens with the hostilities in Europe, Switzerland is neutral, so you’ll be perfectly safe there. We’ll just write your mother and say you want to stay on in Kenya for a while longer, while everyone here will think you’ve gone back to America. Don’t you see? It’s perfect!’ Kiki clapped her hands, obviously pleased with her own cleverness.

‘But what about after I’ve given birth to it?’

‘Why, you have it adopted. The clinic will find a nice family – probably American – who will give your baby a wonderful home and a new life. And then you can be free to carry on with yours. That is what you want, isn’t it?’

‘I...I think so, Kiki. I don’t know. I’m still in shock.’

‘I know you are, my darling, but it’s very important to make plans as soon as you can. We don’t want any gossip coming out this end and spreading itself across to Manhattan, do we?’

‘No, of course not.’

‘I mean, I can’t see another alternative, can you?’

‘No.’ Cecily shook her head, despair filling her once more. ‘I can’t.’

‘And of course, I’ll come with you to the clinic, settle you in – some fresh mountain air will do me good. But we’ll have to leave soon. Borders are changing regularly across Europe just now, and we don’t want Mister Hitler ruining our plan, do we?’

‘Are you sure Switzerland will be safe? I mean, it’s awful near Germany.’

‘Oh yes, honey, it’ll be safe, because it holds most of the fortunes of its close neighbour in its banks and the Nazis won’t ever put those at risk,’ muttered Kiki. ‘Now, should I telephone your mother and tell her you’ll be staying on here for a while longer? She called me earlier while you were resting. She and your father have heard the news and are obviously concerned about the situation in Europe. They were talking about booking you a passage back home straight away, so we need to stop them.’

‘But what excuse will I use?’ Cecily bit her lip, desperate at the thought of being separated from them for months on end.

Just when I need my family the most...

‘Oh, I’ll think of something, honey, don’t worry,’ said Kiki. ‘I’m good at that.’

Cecily studied her godmother, thinking that even though Kiki could not have been kinder to her, it felt a little as though all of this was a game to her.

‘Maybe leave it a couple days? I just need to, well, take time to think,’ said Cecily.

‘Okay, honey, but time is not something you have on your side just now. I mean, what other option is there? Unless you can find a man to marry you tomorrow,’ Kiki chuckled dismissively.

‘Well, thank you so much for being prepared to help me. It’s real kind of you, but as I said, I just want a little time to think it all through.’ Cecily stood up. ‘I’m going to take a walk now, if that’s okay?’

‘Of course. I know it’s a lot to take on board, but you will cope. Trust me, you are stronger than you think you are.’

‘I hope so. See you later.’

Cecily walked out of the room and headed for the front door.