Page 150 of The Sun Sister

‘Cecily, darling! Your godmother said you were down here by the lake. What on earth is wrong?’

Katherine stood above her, concern written on her kind face.

‘Oh nothing, nothing.’ Cecily wiped away her tears harshly. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Bill heard from Dr Boyle that you hadn’t been well when he dropped in to Muthaiga Club yesterday. He told me this morning, and I was so worried that he insisted he drive me over here to see you.’

‘Bill’s here too?’ Cecily was horrified how fast word of her indisposition had already spread through the community. ‘Why, it’s awfully sweet of both of you, but really, I’m fine.’

‘Cecily.’ Katherine crouched down next to her and took Cecily’s hands. ‘I have never seen anyone who looks less “fine”. What on earth has happened? And please don’t lie to me; after our two-and-a-half-hour journey to get here, I deserve the truth at least.’

A hundred different answers came to mind, but Cecily was just too exhausted and frightened to lie any longer.

‘I’m pregnant! That’s what’s wrong with me, Katherine. Dr Boyle says I’ll be giving birth to a baby in just over seven months. There!’

Cecily stood up and began to march along the lake, desperate to get as far away from the house and Katherine as she could. Perhaps someone could run a headline in the local newspaper, she thought bitterly. It would probably sell more copies than Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia.

‘Oh Cecily, wait! Please!’ Katherine ran to catch up with her but she continued to scramble along the bank.

‘No! And I won’t be at all offended if you never want to see me or speak to me again. I’m a disgrace! And it seems everyone round here knows it already!’

‘Please, will you calm down? Nobody knows anything about it. And of course I still want to speak to you...Cecily, will you please stand still for a while so we can talk?’

‘There’s nothing to talk about, nothing...’ She was sobbing again now. ‘Kiki’s organising for me to go to a clinic in Switzerland where I can stay until I’ve had the baby, then I have to give it up for adoption the moment I have it, and then carry on with my life as though nothing’s ever happened. You see? Everything’s decided.’

‘Cecily, I know you’re upset but—’

Cecily had reached the end of the walkable ground as the lake curved round and the foliage became impenetrable. She turned to Katherine and shook her head.

‘Please, I just need to be alone, okay?’

‘From the look of you, that’s the very last thing you need. Could we just sit down and talk this over calmly?’

‘As I said, there is nothing to discuss, nothing!’

‘Cecily, you are behaving like a hysterical and petulant child, not the mother-to-be that you are. If you don’t calm down, I’ll be forced to slap you to bring you to your senses.’

Cecily was breathing heavily now and felt light-headed and faint. She staggered a little and Katherine steadied her.

‘Goodness, what a state you’re in. Come on, hold on to me and we’ll get you back to the house and into bed.’

‘I don’t want to go back to the house I don’t want to go anywhere, Katherine. I simply want to die!’

‘I do understand that you’re in rather a bind, my dear, but there are always solutions,’ Katherine replied calmly as she wrapped an arm around Cecily’s waist and virtually carried her along the lake back towards the house.

‘But there aren’t! I mean, I can’t keep the baby even if I wanted to, can I? Maybe Idowant to, but, oh...I think I’m going to...’

Katherine felt the full weight of Cecily’s body slump against her. She was just about to shout for help when she saw Bill in front of her, a few yards away from them.

‘Bill, thank God! Cecily’s fainted!’ she said as Bill ran towards her, took Cecily’s weight and lifted her up in his strong arms. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘I followed you down to the lake – I simply couldn’t tolerate another moment in that woman’s company,’ he panted as they emerged back in the gardens of the house. ‘You run ahead and get some water. She’s out for the count.’

‘Will do,’ Katherine replied as Bill laid Cecily gently down on the bench in the shade of an acacia tree.

‘Before you go, I gather that Cecily is...pregnant? I overheard the end of your conversation as I was coming to find you both.’

‘Then you must swear never to tell another living soul,’ Katherine said fiercely. ‘Cecily’s reputation relies on your discretion.’