had suggested when they talked about it. Nadia thought she’d be pleased.
She picked up her phone to call her, and the phone rang in her hand. She saw that it was from Venetia, and she laughed as she answered it.
“You’re psychic. I was just going to call you. Nicolas was just here and we were talking.” As she said it, she heard a terrible groan at the other end, and she suddenly realized that her sister didn’t sound well, she sounded like she was in pain. “Are you okay?”
“No…they think I might be in labor. I’m having terrible pains. Ben is getting dressed to take me to the hospital now. Don’t tell Mom. I just wanted you to know. I don’t want Mom to worry.” And then she started to cry with the next pain. “I’m so afraid I’ll lose her. I’m only five months pregnant. She wouldn’t survive.”
“Just take it easy. Go to the hospital and see what they say. Are you bleeding?”
“A little.” That didn’t sound good.
“I wish I were there.”
Ben helped her stand up then, and Venetia had to go. He half carried her out to the Uber he had called. Fortunately, they were in the city.
Nadia spent the next two hours waiting to hear from her, and talking to Olivia and Athena. She didn’t hear from Venetia until four in the morning in Paris. She sounded slightly drunk and said they had given her something to stop labor, and it had worked.
“They’re putting me on bed rest for a month or two and we’ll see what happens. How am I going to run my business?”
“You can do designs just as well in bed at home. You don’t have a choice,” Nadia said firmly.
“I know.” Her voice was very small and she sounded very scared. Nadia talked to Ben after that and he said the baby looked fine on the monitors and sonograms, they just had to keep it in now until it was cooked.
They kept Venetia in the hospital for a week to observe her and do tests. After that, Ben drove her home. She was lying down on the back seat of their SUV. As soon as they got there, he carried her straight to bed. They had a live-in nanny, so she was covered for childcare, but running her business from bed was going to be hard. Venetia wasn’t easy to keep down. She had her finger in every pie, came in and out of design meetings all day, and looked over everyone’s shoulder. They decided to put a video screen up in her office, with another screen in her bedroom, so she could see people and participate in meetings. Ben called and checked on her half a dozen times a day, and she was afraid to spend too much time out of bed. As soon as she did, she started having contractions. They had to keep her from having the baby for four more months. It sounded like an eternity to Venetia. With three young children and a booming business, it was going to be a huge challenge to stay in bed.
When Venetia felt better, Nadia told her that she and Nicolas were going to try to work things out.
“I don’t know if it will work, or if it’s too late for us. But you’re right. We love each other. I don’t want to throw that away yet.” Venetia was happy for her. It was what she had hoped would happen all along.
Chapter 14
Nadia flew to New York to see Venetia for a few days. Venetia had been in bed for a month, but she was busy too and had several new clients. She was doing one presentation after another. And things were going well with Nicolas so far. He was walking on eggshells, but they were both starting to relax. She told Venetia about it when she brought her Thai food on a tray.
“It’s not like it used to be, but it’s getting there,” Nadia told her. She hadn’t seen the baby yet, and Nicolas didn’t push her to. He still had his rented apartment, and had Isabelle and the baby stay there for their visits. The girls had gone to see him and thought he was very cute. Nadia said she hadn’t heard from Greg Holland again since she told him that she and Nicolas were giving it another try.
Nicolas was on his best behavior. They had spent several weekends at the château with the girls, and Nicolas and