Divided Loyalties by Patricia Scanlan Read Free Book Online Page A

discharged from hospital with a clean bill of health, much to his disgust, she’d added wryly.
    I could have told you that
, she was tempted to say, but she refrained, knowing that it wouldn’t be appreciated.
    So that was one problem sorted. She’d spent a good three hours on the wedding jacket and the end was in sight for her last commission at home. She planned to drum up business abroad by
networking with all the women’s groups that were part and parcel of expat life. Shauna was glad she’d had the experience of living in the Gulf before. She knew what to expect. It
wouldn’t be such a culture shock this time.
    She might as well enjoy the next few weeks at home and look forward to their going-away party and then, perhaps, when they were settled in the Emirates, she’d bring up the subject of
getting pregnant again. Her timing hadn’t been great, she conceded. They had enough on their plates emigrating, without her being in the throes of early pregnancy. No wonder Greg hadn’t
been too enthusiastic. In another six months’ time they would be well settled and it would be a much better time to consider another baby.
    Feeling a lot happier, Shauna took a sip of her wine and listened to Greg as he began planning their party.

6
    ‘Surprise surprise! We’re on the way home after doing some Christmas shopping in the big smoke and we thought we’d call by and say hello.’ Della stood
grinning on Shauna’s doorstep a few weeks later. Her three-year-old daughter, Kathryn, kicked one of the big terracotta pots of polyanthus and pansies that stood beside the porch door.
    ‘Don’t want to go in there.’ She scowled.
    ‘Howaya, Shauna,’ Eddie muttered, standing behind his wife.
    Oh, bloody hell
, cursed Shauna silently as she gave a frozen smile and stood aside to let her in-laws into the hall.
    ‘Hate this house,’ Kathryn announced loudly as she followed her parents.
    ‘Oh, darling, don’t be naughty,’ Della reproached. ‘Come in and say hello to your baby cousin.’
    ‘Don’t want to.’ Kathryn stuck out her tongue. She raced into the lounge and made a beeline for Chloe’s toys.
    ‘So how’s life? Any chance of a cup of tea? I’m gasping.’ Della plonked herself into an armchair and patted her bump. ‘Pregnancy and Christmas shopping are
definitely not compatible,’ she moaned. Eddie sprawled on the sofa and began flicking through the TV stations, ignoring the fact that Chloe had been watching a Disney video.
The cheek of
him
, Shauna thought indignantly as Chloe looked at Shauna, unsure about these strangers invading her little world, and hurried across the room to hide behind her.
    ‘Hasn’t she got so big! Come here, darling, and give Auntie Della a big kiss,’ Della invited. Chloe clung stubbornly to Shauna’s leg.
    ‘She’ll come out of herself if you just ignore her,’ Shauna advised, giving her daughter a sympathetic cuddle.
    ‘So! What’s new? All sorted for Christmas?’ Della settled back comfortably in her chair. ‘Are you going to Carrie’s?’
    ‘Not this year, no—’
    ‘Really! I thought you would be; you usually do. That’s interesting.’ Della sat upright. ‘Well maybe we should sort something, seeing as it’s your last Christmas
for God knows how long. We could come down to you, you know the way we muck in anyway, and it wouldn’t be any hassle. Even better, we could let the two men do Christmas dinner and we could
totally flop. We deserve it,’ she added a tad caustically, glancing in her husband’s direction.
    ‘No problem,’ Eddie drawled, not even looking in their direction, pretending to be engrossed in a darts match on the sports channel.
    Holy divinity!
Shauna thought in horror. What a nightmare scenario. It was time to nip that idea smartly in the bud. Thank God she had an excuse.
    ‘Well actually,
I’m
doing Christmas this year.’ She could barely hide her relief. ‘Carrie, Dan and the kids are coming and Dad and Bobby