I thought…’
‘That I couldn’t get pregnant? So did I. But it seems I was wrong,’ Meagan finished for her. ‘It seems my Fallopian tube wasn’t as badly damaged as I’d thought.’
‘But that’s wonderful! Isn’t it?’ Jessie said.
‘It’s too early to say. There is a small chance it could be another ectopic, in which case, no, it wouldn’t be good news.’
‘When will you know? Who is the father? Is it Cameron’s? Have you told him? What does he say about it? Is he pleased?’ Meagan had to laugh at her friend’s excitement.
‘Hey, hey, slow down. I am not thinking about this until I know for certain that the pregnancy is viable. And then—and only then—will I decide if I should tell him.’
‘It is Cameron’s, then, isn’t it?’ Suddenly the excitement went out of Jessie’s face. ‘Oh, Meagan. And he’s going to marry Rachel. You need to tell him before they announce their engagement. Surely this puts a whole different complexion on everything?’
‘Why?’ Meagan asked. She bit her lip. ‘Don’t you see? I can’t tell him. What is he going to do? Choose between his son and a child who hasn’t been born yet? It would be impossible.’ She held up a hand to stop the words of protest. ‘And say he did choose me. How would I ever know it was for the right reasons? If someone decides they want to be with me, it has to be because they love me. I made do with second best before and I’ll never do that again.’ To her chagrin she felt her voice shake. But she had to make Jessie understand. ‘And say the pregnancy didn’t continue? How could I bear knowing that he had given up his son for nothing?’ She shook her head sadly. ‘No, Jessie. Please, understand. I have to do this my way. By myself.’
‘I still think he has the right to know,’ Jessie said stubbornly.
‘But it’s not up to you,’ Meagan said, smiling ruefully. ‘Is it? Now, don’t you think we’d better go?’
By the time they arrived at the house, the ball was in full swing. Meagan recognised several faces that she had seen at the surgery as well as those of the staff. Most of the men were dressed in kilts while the women wore evening dress, some like Jessie, with a tartan shawl matching that of their partner’s kilts around their shoulders.
The house was filled with the sound of accordions and fiddles and many couples had already taken to the floor and were dancing of Scottish country dances. Meagan felt her feet tapping in rhythm. It had been so long since she had danced and she couldn’t wait to take to the floor. Through the throng of guests she could make out the top of Cameron’s head above those of the guests. Rachel, dressed in a rich blue gown with diamanté, clung to his arm possessively. They certainly made a striking couple, Meagan thought. Both so tall and handsome.
Cameron’s head was bent as he listened attentively to what someone was saying. As the crowd parted, Meagan could see that it was Colin and Peggy. Back from their trip and looking rested and relaxed. She would have preferred to avoid Cameron for as long as possible, but she also knew she had to welcome Colin and his wife home.
As she approached the group she caught Cameron’s eye. His gaze locked on hers and for a moment the world disappeared. She felt her heart pound and her knees grow weak. Here in front of her was everything she had ever wanted, but he belonged to someone else. Cameron bent down and kissed her cheek. ‘You look stunning, Dr Galbraith,’ he whispered in her ear.
Meagan felt herself grow warm. She felt her blush deepen as she caught Rachel’s appraising look. She too bent and kissed her cheek before saying, ‘Welcome, Meagan. The dress suits you. Your colour, I think.’
‘Meagan!’ Colin’s voice drowned out her confusion. ‘How are you? You look lovely, my dear.’ He enveloped her in a hug.
‘Yes, Meagan,’ Peggy added. ‘Quite beautiful. Although—’ she peered short sightedly at Meagan ‘—you do look a little peaky. I hope you haven’t been letting this man—’ she nodded in Cameron’s direction ‘—work you too hard.’
‘I gather it’s been pretty exciting here since I left,’ Colin boomed. ‘Rescues at sea and suchlike. Cameron has been telling me you coped like a pro.’
‘Peggy, Colin.’ Meagan kissed them both. ‘It’s wonderful to have you back. Did you have a good time?’
‘Terrific.’ Colin said. ‘But we’ll have you over for dinner so we can tell you all about it. How about tomorrow evening? You too, Cameron. You can both bring me up to speed with what has been happening at the same time.’
Just then an excited Ian and Effie came running over. Ian barrelled into his father’s arms.
‘Hey, slow down.’ Cameron laughed, hugging his child. ‘You almost knocked Dr Galbraith off her feet.’
Meagan caught her breath as she took in the scene they made. Cameron with his wife-to-be and son by his side. They were a family. Then Ian caught sight of Meagan and hurled himself at her.
‘Where have you been? Why haven’t you come to see me? When can we go sailing again?’
‘It looks as if Ian is making remarkable progress,’ Meagan said, laughing. ‘Looking at him, you’d never guess he’s just recovered from surgery.’
‘I never did thank you for operating on our son. Cameron tells me it could have become serious if you hadn’t been there,’ Rachel said. She pulled her son towards her. ‘I couldn’t have borne it if anything had happened to him,’ she continued softly. Meagan was surprised at the depth of emotion in Rachel’s voice. And from the way she looked at her son, it seemed as if she meant every word she was saying. Of course she loved her child. What mother wouldn’t? Perhaps she was only fighting for Cameron for her son’s sake. Maybe she hadn’t given her enough credit.
Nevertheless, Meagan didn’t want to be around when they announced their engagement. It was bad enough having to stand here making polite conversation, without having to add her congratulations. She glanced down at Rachel’s left hand. She wasn’t wearing an engagement ring yet. So the announcement was still to come.
Meagan crouched in front of Ian. ‘Hello, young man. Your daddy is right. You need to take it easy for a week or two until the wound in your tummy is completely healed. OK?’
‘I will.’ Ian promised. ‘But I had to stay in bed for so many days and it was so boring. Daddy said I could come tonight for a little while. He said something good was going to happen and I should be there. But he wouldn’t tell me what it was. Do you know, Dr Galbraith?’
Meagan closed her eyes briefly lest the child see the anguish she felt. When she opened them he was looking at her curiously. ‘Are you all right? You looked a bit funny for a minute.’ He pulled on his mother’s hand. ‘I think Dr Galbraith is sad about something, Mummy. Do you know what it is?’
As Meagan straightened she could feel Rachel’s eyes on her. When she looked up, she found violet eyes staring into hers. Rachel was frowning. She looked from Meagan to Cameron and then back again.
‘I suppose there are things that Dr Galbraith likes to keep to herself Ian,’ she said.
‘If you’ll excuse me,’ Meagan murmured through numb lips, ‘I’ll just go and find Jessie. Colin, Peggy, it’s lovely to see you back. I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening and hearing all about it.’ Conscious being the focus of four pairs of puzzled eyes, Meagan turned and let the crowd swallow her.
She found Jessie surveying the buffet tables critically. The tables were loaded with every kind of food Meagan could imagine. From bowls of shellfish and platters of cold meats and salads to tiny cakes intricately decorated with swirls of chocolate and cream.
‘Do you think there will be enough?’ Jessie asked anxiously.
Meagan laughed. ‘You have got to be kidding. There’s enough there to feed the whole population of the island