Chapter Twenty-Two

Jack turned over in bed. Daylight had only just broken and he pulled the quilt up and over both Jess and himself as he snuggled in with his hand on her stomach. He’d lain awake for the past hour, just watching her sleep.

He loved the way she curled into him like one part of their very own jigsaw, the way her hand went under her cheek like she had a home-made pillow and the way the corners of her mouth were turned up in a half smile, making him wonder what she might be dreaming of.

‘I love you so much,’ he whispered as his chest filled with pride. ‘I’m going to look after you.’ He moved his hand over her stomach. ‘I’m going to look after you both,’ he promised as he caught sight of the jeans that he’d abandoned the evening before. Emily’s letter was still on his mind, the words repeating themselves over and over. Had it been a dream? Had he dreamed that Emily had just given them a house? It all seemed too surreal. Not only had she given them the answer to his prayers, she’d given them a home, a place to be where they could live independently, away from the Hall, but close enough for Jess to be happy. She’d also given him the answers to many of his questions. For years he’d ached for information about his father, he’d wanted to know who he was, where he lived. He’d been shocked to find out that the answers really hadn’t been that far away, and that in the end his whole history was here, at the Hall.

‘I don’t want you working there,’ his mother had said when he’d first been offered the job. ‘Can’t you refuse, find a job somewhere else, in fact anywhere else?’ His mum had challenged his decision for days and had made it very clear that she hadn’t wanted him working at the Hall. The problem was he’d had no idea why and, like any young man, he’d gone his own way and had taken the job against her wishes.

‘Are you awake?’ Jack kissed Jess’s cheek as his hand caressed her stomach.

‘Mmmm, I am now.’ She smiled and turned to him, her eyes sparkling in the early morning light as her lips gently brushed against his.

‘I love this baby already,’ Jack said as his hand moved from her stomach and went up to touch her face. He returned the kiss. ‘I love you both so very much.’ And he did. While watching her, he’d realised how much he was looking forward to the birth, to nurturing his baby, caring for it and protecting it. He tried to imagine what it would be like to decorate a nursery, a place where a rocking chair would stand, with Jess sitting in it, rocking his own son or daughter to sleep.

Jess jumped up and out of bed. ‘Oh dear, this is the trouble with pregnancy, you need the loo far too many times a day.’ She opened the door to the en suite. ‘What are your plans today?’ she asked from behind the door.

Jack thought about his answer. He didn’t want to lie, but he wasn’t ready to tell her about the house, not yet. He needed to keep it to himself, for just a day. He needed the time to digest what had happened, what Emily had given them and he wanted to go to the house alone, to see where his father had lived, to see if there was anything at all that had been left behind, something, anything, that would give him a clue as to who William had been.

He pursed his lips. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Jess to see the house; he knew she already had. The night before she’d told him about how the girls had used it as a hiding place, how they’d been locked in a cellar and how after they’d been found she’d walked from room to room admiring it. She’d also told him how dirty it was, that it looked close to derelict and he felt the need to clean it a little and make it homelier before she went back.

‘Jack … you okay?’ Jess was standing by the bed, undressing. ‘I’m going to take a quick shower. I’m on reception this morning, need to be down there in an hour.’

‘Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry.’ He looked her up and down, took in her shape and gave her a cheeky smile. ‘You are so beautiful, Jess. I’m so lucky to have you.’

She swiped at him with the satin nightgown. ‘Get away with you,’ she said with a laugh.

‘Hey, behave.’ He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him, making Jess land on the bed beside him, naked. She immediately curled her body into his and he threw the duvet back over her.

‘It is going to be all right, Jack, isn’t it?’ She looked up and into his eyes. ‘I so want everything to be perfect and I think … I think we kind of deserve something good to happen, just for a change, don’t we?’

He sighed. ‘Oh, Jess. You deserve it to be more than perfect and it will be, I promise.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes, really. You tell me what you want and I will do everything within my power to provide it for you.’ He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her gently. ‘You’re going to have everything you want and more.’

She smiled. ‘I just want you. You’ll be the best father, Jack. I just know it.’ She moved onto her side. ‘I’ve got my first scan at four o’clock. You will come, won’t you?’ She put her hands together as though in prayer. ‘We can meet our baby together.’

Once again, Jack’s hand went to her stomach. ‘Of course, I will. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’