Another Man's Baby. Judith McWilliams

sure how she was supposed to respond. Finally, she gave an unsteady gurgle of laughter—as if laughing weren’t something she did very often. As it probably wasn’t, Ginny thought. Having been married to a man like Creon would have squelched even a confirmed optimist’s sense of humor.

      “Please don’t call the family, Lydia.”

      “But Philip must do his duty toward you,” Lydia protested.

      “I most emphatically don’t want a man to ‘do his duty toward me.’” Ginny wrinkled her nose in distaste at the idea.

      Lydia sighed. “Yes, duty is cold comfort. But if you do not want to marry Philip then why did you come to Greece?”

      Ginny felt like screaming in frustration. How could such a simple thing like going to see Damon’s grandfather have evolved into such a complicated tangle of lies?

      For once, Ginny was relieved when Damon started to cry, because Lydia seemed to forget her question.

      “Come. The nursery is this way. I will introduce you to Nanny who looks after Jasmine. Miss Welbourne is the older girls’ governess, but she and they are spending a few weeks in Paris with my mother.”

      Ginny felt anger bubble through her. Lydia had a nanny and a governess and, undoubtedly, a staff of servants to run this palatial villa, while poor Beth had had to move in with Ginny because she couldn’t afford to keep her own apartment while she wasn’t teaching. Ginny glanced over at Lydia’s sad face and her anger deepened, becoming all the stronger because she didn’t have anyone to vent it on. None of this mess was Lydia’s fault. In a way, she was as much Creon’s victim as Beth was.