Chapter 1

There came a knock at the door.

Martin took a few steps forward. Behind the frosted glass was a silhouette – a female silhouette – a silhouette of average height and weight – a silhouette with dark hair! Martin froze. Louisa! It couldn't be Louisa! He had not seen or heard from her in six months. From snippets of gossip he had heard around the village, Louisa was teaching in London. There had been no contact. Why would there be any contact? She had made her decision and he had made his. It was over! Finished! As he stared at the door, a wave of déjà vu crashed over him like a tsunami. He felt an involuntary tingle engulf his entire body. His palms began to sweat, his pulse skyrocketed, his blood pressure intensified and he could feel his hands trembling. He knew it wasn't Louisa on the other side of that door, but for some reason, the visitor was causing him a heightened emotional reaction of an intensity to rival his haemophobic episodes. He cautiously walked towards the door and opened it.

"Louisa!"

""Hello Martin," said Louisa, with uncertainty, taking a small, hesitant step backwards.

"How are you?" Martin's gaze dropped to Louisa's waist line. "You're pregnant!"

"Yes. I am," replied Louisa simply, with a quick look down at her pregnant stomach.

Martin's thoughts and emotions went into utter chaos. The pandemonium in his head was trying to grasp the incredible fact that after six lonely, miserable months, the woman of his dreams was standing in his doorway, looking as radiant as he had remembered her. This emotion was warring tumultuously with the knowledge that this same woman was heavily pregnant! His initial reaction was immediately to resort to "doctor mode." The last time he had seen Louisa was as she walked down the hill and out of his life, on their wedding day. She was single, slim and certainly had no thoughts of motherhood at that stage. As a doctor he was forced to acknowledge that the scientific evidence in front of him proved that this woman was, indeed, pregnant, but in his initial shock, he was incapable of processing what implications that held for him. His second reaction was that of "lover mode." A fury, such as he had never experienced before, boiled up inside him. How could she have found another lover so quickly after their proposed nuptials and consented to have a child with him? Or had she gone back to Danny after realising that a future with Martin was not possible? He certainly had not looked at, or even thought of, another woman in the past six months and he truly believed he never would. The last six months of suffering had taught him that Louisa was the only love of his life and if they could not be together, then he would rather remain alone. Trying to replace her was simply unthinkable. As his raging thoughts began to converge into some sort of rational order, he lapsed in "father mode." What was he thinking? Of course, Louisa hadn't had another lover. The child was his!

Martin remained rooted to the spot, staring at Louisa, unable to speak or move. At this point, Louisa noticed a red haired woman sitting in a rigid, upright manner at Martin's kitchen table. She was smartly dressed and seemed keenly interested in the interchange that had just occurred between Martin and Louisa. Even from a distance, Louisa felt that she could sense a detached, unemotional facade and from the alert, intelligent expression in her eyes, Louisa believed that this intruder had summed up the situation completely, a conclusion that even Martin still appeared to be struggling with.

"Hello?" greeted Louisa with confusion, raising her hand in acknowledgement.

"Hello," the stranger replied, with an attempt at a smile. There was little warmth in her face and Louisa thought that she even detected a cruel note of derision at Martin's perplexed state and Louisa's discomfort.

Martin remained speechless while his head zoomed back and forth between the two women, trying to comprehend the preposterous fact that he was an expectant father in conjunction with the fact that he had two lovers in the same room at the same time. He had not had many lovers in the past so the odds of this occurring, and under such circumstances, would be infinitesimal. A small, rational part of his brain was aware of the vast chasm between the two women – in looks, personalities and attitudes. How bizarre it was that he had loved two women who were so divergent.

Louisa realised that Martin was incapable of an introduction.

"I – I - I'm a friend of Martin's" with an uncertain movement of her hand.

"Me too," replied the woman, but made no further attempt so extend the conversation. She seemed to suffer no embarrassment at being present at a situation of which she had no business.

"I'm staying at the pub. I thought I'd get the taxi to drop me here first, though ... so I could ... tell you in person ... and um..."

Martin looked down at Louisa's stomach for the second time. There it was then! Verbal confirmation that the child was his. His face was still a picture of total bewilderment and the power of speech had not returned to him.

The red haired woman looked upon the scene with amusement. Considering that many years previously she had actually been engaged to Martin, she seemed incapable of empathising with him, of recognising that he had just been presented with a life changing situation or of showing compassion for the turmoil he was so obviously experiencing.

"Shall I go?" she asked in an attempt at diplomacy.

"No. No. I just dropped by on my way. You carry on."

"Are you expecting Ellingham to rescue you? Is that why you are here? You are a grown woman. You have chosen to have a baby."

The harshness and heartlessness of this comment seemed to awaken Martin from his stupor.

"Er ... Louisa ... This is Edith."

Louisa stepped into the room in a determined fashion, glaring at Edith.

""Oh no!" thought Martin, in horror. "This is not going to end well."

"Martin," commanded Louisa. "Take my bag upstairs. I was going to stay at the pub but my plans have just now changed."

Martin picked up Louisa's suitcase and took several steps towards the stairs.

"Hold it right there, Ellingham!" ordered Edith. "Sorry to rain on your parade, Louisa, but I also had plans for tonight and they didn't include a threesome."

Martin immediately dropped the suitcase with a look of total shock.

"Martin ... the bedroom," retaliated Louisa, icily.

Martin once again picked up the case and took a few more steps towards the stairs.

"Ellingham! Carry Louisa's case to the pub."

Martin changed direction and began walking towards the front door.

"Martin! The bedroom!"'

"Ellingham! The pub!"

""SHUT UP! ... SHUT UP ... THE PAIR OF YOU!" bellowed Martin slamming the suitcase down. "I'm not worth fighting over!"

Both women glared at Martin with confused expressions as if considering whether he actually was worth fighting over. But this was bigger than that now – the melee had begun – Louisa and Edith both sharpened their claws.

To be continued.