She was aware of silence forming around her, except for the thrumming of wings.
Bella’s eyes widened. ‘Oh my God! You are! You’re pregnant!’
23
Bella
Lexi is pregnant. That’s all Bella could think, over and over, like a marching beat in her head. Lexi is pregnant.
There was silence around the table. Candles flickered in glass jars, illuminating surprised expressions.
When Lexi spoke, her voice was flat and even. ‘I’m eleven weeks.’
Bella blinked. Eleven weeks? Already? ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I’ve only just found out. Ed doesn’t even know yet.’
‘Oh,’ Eleanor said from the other end of the table.
Lexi’s gaze lowered briefly. ‘He was working in Ireland when I took the test. I want to tell him in person.’
Bella placed her fingertips on the table edge to stop herself swaying. She looked at Lexi, trying to make sense of the news.
Lexi had said that she never wanted children. They’d pass other mothers looking harassed and exhausted and think, Not us. Soft play was for suckers, that’s what they’d always maintained. Snotty playdates and Saturday mornings at the park and lie-in-less weekends – no, thank you very much. They both loved kids – they weren’t monsters – but they wanted a different type of life. Plus, Lexi had known that you couldn’t be a professional dancer and pregnant.
But now Lexi wasn’t a dancer. She was a yoga instructor （Bella’s brain had only just stopped scrambling over that one）。 She was getting married. She was … having a baby?
Fuck.
Fen broke the silence, smiling warmly as she said, ‘Congratulations. This is wonderful news.’
Lexi looked at her gratefully. ‘Thank you.’
Around the table, the rest of the hens were beginning to chime in.
Bella knew she should say something. That she should hug her friend. Use the word congratulations. But her mouth didn’t seem to want to move. The quiz questions were hanging limply from her hand. She needed to speak. Everyone’s attention was turning to her.
Silence stretched.
Lexi looked at her. Waited.
Bella stared back. Said nothing.
‘You know what?’ Lexi said. ‘I’m tired.’ She left the table, her footsteps barely making a sound as she crossed the terrace and disappeared inside the villa.
Bella carried the bottle of ouzo to a corner of the terrace and slumped down on the edge of the wall. Her dress had ridden up around the tops of her thighs and she didn’t bother to adjust it. She drank straight from the bottle, her lipstick marking the glass neck.
She was aware of the lethal drop at her back. Didn’t care.
She wriggled her right toes and felt the hot throb of the scorpion sting. She knew she should ice it again but couldn’t face going into the kitchen where the others were washing up – and probably bitching about her.
A speaker still played a low pulse of reggae. She took another swig of ouzo, then stood, swaying in time to the beat. She wasn’t going to end the party. Fuck them all and their stony judgements. She moved her hips, hair swinging.
Robyn strode from the villa with an empty tray, refusing to look in her direction. Bella danced on. Robyn began stacking the tray with used glasses and empty bottles, her movements neat, precise.
See? Surgeon.
When the table was cleared, she moved off. As she passed, Bella found herself calling out, ‘We didn’t even finish the quiz.’
Robyn stopped. ‘It was a shitty quiz. You humiliated Lexi.’
She’d forgotten how punchy Robyn could get with a few drinks under her belt. It was either that, or she’d start swaying against your shoulder, telling you she loved the whole world. ‘It was supposed to be fun.’
‘Guess I’m too boring to know what fun means.’
Oh. So Robyn had heard. ‘Sorry,’ Bella said sheepishly. ‘I was venting. I didn’t mean it.’
‘Well, it hurt,’ she said.
Bella moved towards Robyn. ‘Really, I’m sorry,’ she said, feeling terrible. ‘Forgive me for being an arsehole?’
Robyn looked at her, then rolled her eyes. ‘Fine. Forgiven.’
‘Thank God for that. I can’t handle everyone being pissed off with me. You know I’d never have done the drinking games if Lexi had told me she was pregnant?’
‘I know.’ She set down the tray on the low stone wall, then pressed a hand into her lower back, as if it were causing her pain.
‘Why didn’t Lexi tell us?’