first read her letter when he had wanted to reject what she had written, when his own shock and panic had made him want to simply pretend that nothing had happened, when he had forgotten that he was now an adult and a man and that Annalise and their baby were his responsibilities, when he had desperately wanted to be able to lay the burden of what had happened on someone else.
She was turning her head looking for him, and squaring his shoulders Jack called her name.
As he reached her he put down his hold-all to embrace her. Tears filled Annalise's eyes as she felt the fierce reassurance of Jack's hug. Only now could she admit to herself how afraid she had been that he might not come.
'Not here,' she whispered chokily. 'Someone might see us.' But still she clung desperately to him and Jack could feel her body trembling.
'Nothing's happened?' he guessed. 'You haven't...?'
As she shook her head he tried not to acknowledge how much he had been clinging to the hope that by some miracle she was all right.
'No,' Annalise told him. 'Oh, Jack, what are we going to do?'
Wordlessly they clung together whilst Jack stroked the smooth thickness of her hair. She was so vulnerable, so dependent on him. Fear filled him.
'I don't know,' he admitted honestly.
Fresh tears filled Annalise's eyes.
'Oh, Lise, please don't,' Jack groaned in despair.
'Look, let's go for a walk down by the river, we can talk down there....'
'I don't want anyone to see us,' Annalise told him anxiously. 'Do your aunt and uncle know you're here?'
'Not yet. I didn't...' Jack stopped. 'I wanted to talk to you first,' he told her gently. 'Have you done anything yet? Been to see a doctor...or...'
Annalise's face paled as they set off towards the river.
'No. No, I couldn't. I wanted to telephone you but I daren't,' she told him. 'I wanted to ask you to get one of those test things and bring it with you. I daren't go into a chemist and ask for one here....'
Inwardly Jack berated himself for not thinking of that for himself.
'We could go to Chester to get one,' Jack offered.
Annalise shook her head.
'I can't, not until next weekend.'
They had reached the river now and Annalise turned towards him, her face sharply grave and mature as she told him unsteadily, 'I've been thinking about one of those places...you know, they advertise them in the back of magazines...where you can...'
'No!' Jack denied forcefully, the colour draining out of his face.
'But what else can we do?' Annalise asked him pitifully. 'We can't have a baby, Jack...and my father will kill me if he finds out....'
I'm the one who's to blame—not you,' Jack told her fiercely. 'I should never...' He stopped. 'I'll make everything all right, Lise, I promise. We'll get married.
I'll leave university. We'll find somewhere to live. I'll get a job....'
The look in her eyes of someone already world-weary with the burden of her knowledge and yet at the same time full of the anguish and fear of a child, tore at his guts.
'Don't look at me like that,' he begged her.
'We can't do those things,' Annalise told him sadly.
'We're too young. They won't let us.... Your family will hate me if you leave university. You'll end up hating me, too, and our baby....'
'No,' Jack denied immediately. 'Never, ever...
Please don't say that, Lise....'
There was no one else on the river path and impulsively Jack pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against his body, his voice muffled against her hair as he told her how much he loved her and how much he would always love her.
Annalise wept quietly in his arms. Already she knew that his love on its own wasn't going to be enough to protect them from what lay ahead of them.
With an immense effort she managed to control her tears. She wasn't a girl any more now...a child...she was a woman.
'Did you tell anyone that you were coming home?'
she asked Jack.
Jack shook his head.
'No. I wanted to see you first,' he repeated. 'We need to make plans, Lise,' he
She was turning her head looking for him, and squaring his shoulders Jack called her name.
As he reached her he put down his hold-all to embrace her. Tears filled Annalise's eyes as she felt the fierce reassurance of Jack's hug. Only now could she admit to herself how afraid she had been that he might not come.
'Not here,' she whispered chokily. 'Someone might see us.' But still she clung desperately to him and Jack could feel her body trembling.
'Nothing's happened?' he guessed. 'You haven't...?'
As she shook her head he tried not to acknowledge how much he had been clinging to the hope that by some miracle she was all right.
'No,' Annalise told him. 'Oh, Jack, what are we going to do?'
Wordlessly they clung together whilst Jack stroked the smooth thickness of her hair. She was so vulnerable, so dependent on him. Fear filled him.
'I don't know,' he admitted honestly.
Fresh tears filled Annalise's eyes.
'Oh, Lise, please don't,' Jack groaned in despair.
'Look, let's go for a walk down by the river, we can talk down there....'
'I don't want anyone to see us,' Annalise told him anxiously. 'Do your aunt and uncle know you're here?'
'Not yet. I didn't...' Jack stopped. 'I wanted to talk to you first,' he told her gently. 'Have you done anything yet? Been to see a doctor...or...'
Annalise's face paled as they set off towards the river.
'No. No, I couldn't. I wanted to telephone you but I daren't,' she told him. 'I wanted to ask you to get one of those test things and bring it with you. I daren't go into a chemist and ask for one here....'
Inwardly Jack berated himself for not thinking of that for himself.
'We could go to Chester to get one,' Jack offered.
Annalise shook her head.
'I can't, not until next weekend.'
They had reached the river now and Annalise turned towards him, her face sharply grave and mature as she told him unsteadily, 'I've been thinking about one of those places...you know, they advertise them in the back of magazines...where you can...'
'No!' Jack denied forcefully, the colour draining out of his face.
'But what else can we do?' Annalise asked him pitifully. 'We can't have a baby, Jack...and my father will kill me if he finds out....'
I'm the one who's to blame—not you,' Jack told her fiercely. 'I should never...' He stopped. 'I'll make everything all right, Lise, I promise. We'll get married.
I'll leave university. We'll find somewhere to live. I'll get a job....'
The look in her eyes of someone already world-weary with the burden of her knowledge and yet at the same time full of the anguish and fear of a child, tore at his guts.
'Don't look at me like that,' he begged her.
'We can't do those things,' Annalise told him sadly.
'We're too young. They won't let us.... Your family will hate me if you leave university. You'll end up hating me, too, and our baby....'
'No,' Jack denied immediately. 'Never, ever...
Please don't say that, Lise....'
There was no one else on the river path and impulsively Jack pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against his body, his voice muffled against her hair as he told her how much he loved her and how much he would always love her.
Annalise wept quietly in his arms. Already she knew that his love on its own wasn't going to be enough to protect them from what lay ahead of them.
With an immense effort she managed to control her tears. She wasn't a girl any more now...a child...she was a woman.
'Did you tell anyone that you were coming home?'
she asked Jack.
Jack shook his head.
'No. I wanted to see you first,' he repeated. 'We need to make plans, Lise,' he
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