The Guest Who Stayed

Chapter 16 - Winter 1921-Autumn 1922

 Mrs. Burns took over with well practised military efficiency. Both men were banned from the bedroom and banished to the parlour. If Mrs. Burns wondered about the presence of the lodger in the ‘mother-to-be’s’ bedroom she said nothing. She had been witness to many strange carryings on at birth and had reconciled herself to the idiosyncrasies of family life.

 Jed and Jack stood in the parlour drinking strong coffee and saying little. Jack smoked a cigarette and wheezed after each drag.

 “I’m feeling nervous,” volunteered Jed. “Like I’m the real father.”

 “You are the real father. Remember that. As far as anyone’s concerned, you’re the father and I’m the lodger. That’s what Alice wants.”

 “Is that what you want, Jack?” asked Jed.

 “If that’s what Alice wants then that’s what I want.”

 There was a pause. Upstairs, the strident but indistinct voice of Mrs. Burns could be heard dispensing orders.

 “Don’t you think it’s wrong - both of us loving the same woman?” said Jed after a while.

 “I can’t say that it’s wrong. In some ways it seems perfectly obvious. If a woman attracts one man then she’s just as likely to attract another. In some cultures it’s the other way round. A man can have more than one wife. So I don’t see why a woman can’t have more than one husband. It’s just convention.”

 This line of reasoning was rudely interrupted by a piercing shriek followed by a fusillade of commands from Mrs. Burns. Jed and Jack were stunned into silence. There followed another shriek, longer than the first and then sobbing. More commands from Mrs. Burns and then a scream that gave way to the sound of a baby crying. Jed and Jack awkwardly shook each other’s hands and then raced up the stairs to Alice’s room.

 They both burst into the bedroom to be confronted by Mrs. Burns holding a baby wrapped in blankets.

 “Only the father, please. Other visitors later,” commanded Mrs. Burns.

 There was an embarrassed pause as no one knew how to react to the instruction.

 “Mr. Malikov is a very close friend,” replied Jed quietly. “It’ll be alright.”

 A look of understanding mixed with disapproval spread across Mrs. Burns face.

 “It’s a girl,” she said as she handed the baby to Jed.

 Jack pushed past Mrs. Burns and clasped Alice’s hands, speaking softly to her out of ear shot. Jed cradled the baby in his arms, a broad smile spread across his face. She looked beautiful. She had small, neat features and striking blue eyes. Short wisps of blond hair covered her head with the faintest hint of auburn. For a moment Jed felt ecstatic - holding his daughter and gazing into her eyes.

 “Let me see her, Jed. Bring her to me,” he heard Alice say.

 He carried the baby over to the bed and placed her in Alice’s arms. Jack was sitting by her side on the bed. Together they embraced the baby and wrapped their arms around each other.

 Jed plunged from ecstasy to despair. A moment ago he was staring into the eyes of his daughter. Within seconds he had handed her over to her real father, yet he would continue to act out the pretence of being her father. What devil’s pact had he signed up to?

 “I’ll be going now,” announced Mrs. Burns. “The doctor will be calling by tomorrow morning. Congratulations, Mrs.Carter. And er to the father too.”

 Jed followed her out of the room and tried to sound like a grateful and overjoyed new father. But his voice betrayed him. As she was about to leave by the front door, Mrs. Burns looked Jed squarely in the eyes.