Married In A Moment

She arrived at the address she was seeking, a very smart house in its own grounds, with hope in her heart that her own neighbours would bear with her when she brought a baby home to her flat. There was a very sleek and expensive car on the drive of the Langfords’ home which hinted that, for all they were accepting payment for looking after Russell’s niece, they weren’t too badly off.

Ellena rang the doorbell, with her thoughts on the early possibility of maybe renting somewhere where children were allowed; only on a short lease while she got somewhere more permanent arranged.

The door was opened almost at once. ‘Good...’ she began as part of her greeting, but the rest didn’t get said. The sleek and expensive car didn’t belong to Russell Langford, she swiftly realised. It belonged to his brother, Gideon! Gideon Langford, having changed the chauffeur-driven vehicle for his own car, had got there before her!

‘Traffic’s a nightmare at this time of day, isn’t it?’ he murmured blandly.

It wasn’t funny! The fact that he had beaten her to it wasn’t funny at all so why did she find his remark amusing? Not that she’d let him see, of course.

‘What are you doing here?’ she demanded.

He looked ready to put her in her place for trying to demand anything. But, to her surprise, instead he clipped out the words, ‘Just leaving!’

He was still there, though, when a man, not so tall as Gideon by a couple of inches, and fair haired, with the same features as Kit, came along the hall with a sharp-looking auburn-haired woman in tow. The woman looked hostile before they even started. ‘Yes?’ she challenged irritably.

Ellena opened her mouth but, to her surprise, heard Gideon Langford say pleasantly; ‘Ellena, I don’t think you know my brother, Russell, and his wife, do you?’ Smoothly, he introduced them, and, while Ellena was seriously wishing that he would just clear off, he stayed to hear her business.

Russell Langford invited her into the sitting room—of the baby and her temporary nanny there was no sign. Gideon returned to the sitting room with them. Ellena tossed him an Afraid-of-missing-something? kind of look. He smiled back, though it was an insincere smile.

‘G-Gideon will have told you the news concerning Austria,’ she began.

‘Bad do,’ Russell replied, the way he had when she had telephoned him. Was it only last night? It seemed weeks ago!

‘The thing is that while I c-can’t believe...’ she took a shaky breath ‘...that we’ll never see Justine and Kit again,’ she gained control to continue, ‘I feel, with your permission, of course, that they would want me to look after Violette until they get back.’

‘Now isn’t that strange? That’s more or less exactly what Gideon said!’ Pamela Langford answered for her husband waspishly.

Ellena guessed she should have expected, from what he’d said on the plane, that Gideon would not drag his heels in taking some action. What was unexpected, though, was that Pamela Langford would look at her with such blatant hostility. Then it was that Ellena recalled Gideon saying something about Pamela being a money-grubbing bitch, and, although she was wishing that Gideon would just get to his car and go, there seemed nothing for it but to conduct her business in front of him.

‘I’m sorry,’ she apologised as pleasantly as she was able. ‘I know there are some—er—money matters outstanding.’ She knew nothing of the sort, but realised that if Justine hadn’t paid Pamela in advance, then outstanding the matter of money must be. ‘Naturally I’ll settle what Justine owes y—’

‘That child was left in our charge!’ Pamela Langford cut in loudly, coldly. ‘And in our charge is where she’ll stay!’

Oh, heavens! Ellena felt tremendously taken aback. She hadn’t expected this sort of reception! ‘I appreciate that you want to do what’s right,’ she began, forcing herself to be placatory—she had not the smallest intention of leaving her niece with this cold, unfeeling woman. ‘But...’

‘But nothing. The child stays here,’ Pamela Langford cut in sourly. Ellena looked from her to Russell—he was looking anywhere but at her or his brother—no use appealing to him! Not that she wanted to set husband and wife against each other. And, given he wanted the same as she wanted, she couldn’t expect any help from Gideon. Which was just as well, because, while silently absorbing everything that was taking place, Gideon Langford was not offering her any help. ‘I’ll show you out,’ Pamela stated frostily.

‘I’d like to see Violette if I may.’ Ellena refused to budge.

‘She’s upstairs asleep. I’m not going to have her disturbed again; it will take hours for her nanny to shut her up.’

Ellena was aware that Violette’s needs were nothing in this alien household, and felt a desperate need to check that the little mite was being properly cared for. ‘I won’t disturb her,’ she stated, still refusing to budge.

‘That’s right, you won’t,’ Pamela Langford answered nastily.

Ellena felt frustrated beyond bearing by the woman’s attitude. She couldn’t leave without seeing the baby, she couldn’t. Then, just as she was about to insist that she must see her, Gideon Langford chipped in, to tell her quietly, ‘I’ve seen the baby, Ellena; she seems well looked after and healthy.’

Ellena turned to him swiftly, not knowing why she trusted him when she didn’t feel she-could trust his sister-in-law. ‘She’s all right?’ she asked urgently. ‘She looks happy?’

He gave her a slightly sardonic smile as though to say, What do I know about four-month-old babies? ‘She wasn’t crying,’ he said.

Ellena turned back to Pamela Langford. ‘Perhaps you’d tell me when it would be convenient for me to spend some time with my niece.’

‘We’ll arrange visiting rights through the courts,’ was the vinegary reply—and as the import of those words took root, Ellena didn’t trust herself to answer.

She went to the door. Pamela Langford, as though she didn’t trust her not to dart up the stairs, went with her. Ellena was forced to accept then that she was not going to see Violette that day, and took what solace she could from the fact that Gideon had seen the baby and, albeit that his knowledge of infants was limited, he thought she seemed well looked after and healthy.

She half expected him to follow her out. After all he had been about to leave when she’d arrived. But he was obviously staying behind to have a word more with his brother.

Ellena drove home in a very upset frame of mind. Over the last few hours she had received one shock after another. Last night she had learned that Justine and Kit were missing; earlier today she had learned that Gideon was prepared to go to court over the guardianship of their child. And now, here was Pamela Langford—a woman she had found it impossible to warm to—talking of court action! What chance, Ellena wondered, did she have of loving and nurturing Violette until Justine and Kit came home?

After another fretful night, Ellena awoke on Friday morning with the same thoughts going around in her head. She was in two minds about going to her office. But realising that, if she didn’t change her job—and her plans of yesterday seemed to be getting further and further away from her—she was going to need time off work for court appearances; no way was she going to give up Violette without a fight. Ellena decided she had better go to work.

‘We didn’t expect to see you!’ Andrea Keyte exclaimed when she walked in.

‘I may need time off later,’ Ellena replied without thinking.

‘Want to talk about it?’

Andrea had been a wonderful friend and very forbearing with regard to previous crises Ellena had had over Justine. And normally Ellena might have confided in her this time. Only now, depending how things went, there was a possibility that in the interest of Violette’s daycare, she might have to resign. Andrea had enough to worry about running her business, without Ellena giving out hints at this early stage that she might, or might not, be leaving.

‘Thanks, but not just now.’

Ellena went to her own office, suddenly realising that if she hired a nanny herself, that would solve the problem of Violette’s daycare. She wouldn’t have to leave. She took out some work, though her thoughts became desperate that she might not need a nanny if Pamela Langford or her brother-in-law, Gideon, were granted guardianship, and her concentration wasn’t all it should be. What she needed, Ellena realised, was some legal advice.

She was just contemplating ringing the solicitor who had always handled her parents’ affairs, and who had handled the legalities of selling their house for her and Justine, when the protector of the firm’s switchboard rang.

‘I’ve a man named Langford on the phone for you, are you available?’ Lucy asked.

Langford? Which one? With hope in her heart that it was Russell, calling to tell her that he and his wife were prepared to let the baby go, she requested, ‘Put him through, Lucy,’ hearing the click as she did so. ‘Russell?’ Ellena asked.

‘Gideon,’ came the reply—and her thoughts went racing in another direction.

‘You’ve heard something—from Austria?’ she questioned urgently, half in fear of bad news, half in hope of good news.

‘Afraid not,’ he answered instantly.

‘Oh,’ she said dully. But he hadn’t taken time out of his day merely to chat. ‘What can I do for you?’ she asked, knowing in advance that she wasn’t going to lift a finger to help if he was still insistent on claiming guardianship of Violette.

‘I’d like to see you,’ he stated.

Why her heart should give a little flip just then, she had no idea. He wasn’t asking her for a date, for goodness’ sake! Not that she’d go out with him if he was. ‘I’ve a full appointments book today.’ She countered that peculiar little heartbeat—why should she want to see him? Grief!

‘I meant outside of business hours. I’d like to call round at your flat this evening. Unless, of course, you’d prefer we shared dinner while we...’

‘My flat will be fine,’ she said hurriedly, too late realising that in her haste to show him she had no wish to have dinner with him, she had taken another option she didn’t want either. ‘Presumably this is in connection with the baby?’ she queried, just to let him know that she wasn’t interested in entertaining him socially.

‘Of course,’ he replied, just as if the notion of seeing her socially had never for a minuscule moment so much as occurred to him. ‘Seven-thirty?’