BREAKING POINT

Penny could not bear to hear him use that tone of voice any longer. She knew he was being unreasonable. Probably he knew it too, but he was being stubborn, so she must be the one to give in.

“Darling, if you really want me to, I will call Audrey and tell her. I will say I’m ill or something” she said.

“Oh, don’t bother” Jeremy said ungraciously. “It doesn’t really matter, anyway.”

“It does, of course it does” Penny cried, a little of her control leaving her as she realized that this stupid discussion was developing into a quarrel. She could stand most things, but not a quarrel with Jeremy.

“Darling, I will call her now. Audrey will understand” she said quietly.

Jeremy stood watching her as she went across the room to get her phone. As she reached for it, he said :

“No. Don’t. I have some work to do anyways, so maybe I will just do it then, and maybe lodge at an hotel if I get too tired or something”

Penny turned to face him and saw his face break into a smile. But now that he had given in, she felt near to tears.

“Come on darling. Cheer up” he said, almost cheerfully. “There is no need to look so gloomy. You’ve got your own way, so you should be the happy one”

“Well I’m not” Penny said knowing this time that she was the one and not Jeremy who was being childish, perverse. She wanted more than anything in the world now to have him here on Monday night.

Tears sprang to her eyes. Seeing them, Jeremy went to her quickly and took her in his arms.

“Darling, there is nothing to cry about” he said, ruffling her hair.

“There is” Penny said, giving way to her tears and sobbing with relief on his shoulder. “F-for one thing, you won’t be here on Monday, and for another, we have just had a quarrel. Oh, Jeremy”

“Well, I expect it’s only the first of many” he said airily with masculine lack of tact. “We are both pretty worn out after all the emotion we have packed into these last three days and nights. It will do us good to sleep away from each other occasionally”

Penny blew hard in the handkerchief he offered her.

“I don’t want to be apart from you… Ever” she said. “I want to have you home every night and make your breakfast every morning… Just the same as any other married couple”

“We are not just ‘any other married couple’ Jeremy said, rubbing his hand down the back of her neck. “We are on permanent honeymoon”

He smiled down at her, and Penny was comforted. She allowed him to lift her up and carry her to the sofa where she settled herself comfortably in his lap.

“Oh. I do love you so much, Jeremy” she said. She touched his hair his eyes, his lips, his chin. “I love that and that and that” she whispered. “And most of all I love that” and she kissed the tiny scar he had on his forehead.

He laughed, and held her a little away from him.

“Speaking for myself” he said, studying her carefully, “I think I love your funny little nose best. It’s red and shiny now.. But it still turns up. Oh, not too much, but just enough to be thoroughly tantalizing. The other morning you looked about twenty, now you look about eight” he teased.

“Jeremy” Penny said thoughtfully. “We will have lots of children, won’t we? I mean, I do so want a little boy with fair hair and blue eyes and a stubborn chin like yours, and at least one little girl with long plaits”

“Not for a long time, i hope” was Jeremy’s reply. “I want to have you all to myself before I have to settle down and become a proud father. Which reminds me, where is our adopted son and heir?”

Penny jumped to her feet and ran to the bedroom. But it was too late. Benny, unattended for the last half hour, had chewed one of her feather mules until it bore no resemblance to a bedroom slipper, and there was a large wet puddle on the floor.

” Oh Benny” Penny said, half laughing, half cross. “How could you!”

‘How could I help it!’ the puppy’s long, reproachful gaze seemed to say In reply.

“Oh, poor little scrap” Penny cried, relenting, “It’s all my fault for not letting you out and for not feeding you”.

She attended to his needs, and tucked him up in his box where he promptly fell asleep. Suddenly she too felt tired although it was not more than half an hour since she checked the time and it was nine o’clock. She wondered if Jeremy was ready for bed

“Definitely yes” he said when Penny asked him. “I’ve got a heavy day tomorrow”

“You won’t be working late, will you? I told Audrey she would meet you tomorrow night before dinner”

“Oh I don’t suppose I’ll be late” Jeremy said lightly. “But I will call you tomorrow afternoon and let you know”

Tired, happy, satisfied by Jeremy’s change of attitude towards Audrey’s proposed visit, Penny fell asleep almost as soon as she was in bed. As a rule she slept soundly, but that night she had a very vivid unpleasant dream. She dreamt that she was going to have a baby, and that Jeremy was standing in front of her saying over and over again :

“I don’t want it, Penny. I won’t have it. I just won’t put up with it”

She was pleading with him, knowing in that strange exaggerated way of dreams, that it was as important a matter as life and death to make Jeremy want that child. She woke, drenched in sweat, and crying bitterly.

Jeremy switched on the lamp and stared down at her… Only half awake.

“What on earth is the matter? Are you ill? He asked.

” I had a dream.. A nightmare “Penny gasped, struggling for composure.” It was awful”

But she could not tell him about it. She allowed him to help her out of her nightie, and lay shivering while he disappeared into the bathroom to find her a towel. When he returned, she was calmer, and the utter misery of the dream no longer had any claim to reality.