‘Bugger,’ she muttered, bending to retrieve it and bashing her head against his.
‘I’ll get it,’ he said, rubbing his forehead, but in the confusion Rachel kicked the mobile and it bounced down the stairs, end over end, still ringing, then hit what sounded like a plate at the bottom.
‘Shit!’ she cried, chasing down after it.
‘Rachel, don’t . . .’ called Adam, but she was already retrieving it from a pile of shattered pottery.
‘Bills’ read the caller ID. Rachel frowned and stabbed at the ‘speak’ button. What was Diana’s housekeeper doing calling her at this time? In fact, what was she doing calling her at all? Rachel only had her number in her phone because Diana had been paranoid about prowlers in the grounds at night and insisted that everyone should have everyone else’s numbers.
‘Mrs Bills? Is that you?’ said Rachel, raising the phone to her ear. She could hear Adam’s frustrated groan from directly above.
‘Yes, Miss Rachel, it is me. I had to call, I’m sorry, but it was an emergency . . .’
The woman began to sob, and Rachel immediately felt her stomach turn over. Had the prowlers finally come?
‘Calm down,’ she said, trying to keep her voice steady. ‘Tell me what’s happened. Where are you?’
‘I’m in the hospital; the ambulance brought me here with Miss Diana.’
‘Ambulance?’ she repeated dumbly, looking up towards Adam. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘It’s Diana, she had a fall. A bad fall, she hit her head. Oh Lord, there was blood everywhere!’ The housekeeper began to cry again.
‘Okay, Mrs Bills, I’ll get there as soon as I can. But is Diana all right? Is it bad?’
There was a pause, and Rachel held her breath, crossing her fingers as she did. Please, please, please, she thought, not another one, please.
‘I think she will be okay, just a few stitches,’ said Mrs Bills, then her voice went quieter, as if she was worried about being overheard. ‘But the baby, Miss Rachel,’ she said. ‘Diana only wants you to know, but they think she might lose the baby.’
56
Diana was aware of people in the room before she even opened her eyes.
‘Charlie?’ she said, turning towards the figure at the side of the bed. She winced as her eyes opened; the light was so bright, and even that small movement made everything ache.
‘Not Charlie, love. He’s still at his friend’s,’ said Mrs Bills, putting a concerned hand on her forearm. ‘Thought it was best we didn’t tell him until we know what’s happening. Your mum is on her way over here from London, though.’
‘Rach, is that you?’ It was all coming back to her now. Rachel and Adam in the lake, the car disappearing from view, the email, the rush down the stairs . . . ‘I fell?’
Rachel came to the side of the bed, crouching down and holding her sister’s thin hand.
‘Only landed on your head,’ she smiled, ‘so nothing vital anyway. Mrs Bills called the ambulance straight away and they brought you here. You’ve got concussion, some stitches . . .’
Diana reached up to touch the dressing on her head. It felt huge.
‘Don’t worry, only five stitches,’ whispered Rachel. ‘And just inside the hairline, so no one will see.’
Mrs Bills slipped discreetly out of the room and closed the door.
‘Di, Mrs Bills said you might have lost the baby.’ There was a concerned crease between Rachel’s eyebrows. It was the first time Diana had seen her sister look anything but vibrant and youthful. ‘I don’t understand,’ she said softly.
‘I’m pregnant, Rach. I was. We just have to wait for the scan . . .’
Rachel gasped and drew a hand to her chest. Her eyes pooled with tears and Diana knew she could tell her no more. Not yet.
She could remember the rest of the evening now: talking to the nurse, the guilty, whispered confession that she was pregnant. She knew that she had to break her silence, even though a part of her wanted to keep it hidden, wanted to brush it under the carpet. And then the added panic when Mrs Bills told her that she had called everyone to inform them about the fall, even Ralph and Barbara Denver, who were at their villa in Provence and were chartering a plane to get here as they spoke.
‘Where were you this evening?’ she began haltingly. ‘I saw you at the lake with Adam.’