Still Me (Me Before You #3) - Jojo Moyes Page 0,73

the children, then back at me. Abhik briefly stopped crying, gazing at her with huge brown eyes.

‘Um. Hi, Ilaria!’

She said nothing.

‘I’m – I’m just helping Ashok out for a couple of hours. I know it’s not ideal but, um, please don’t say anything. They’ll only be here a tiny bit longer.’

She eyed the scene, then sniffed the air.

‘I’ll fumigate the room afterwards. Please don’t tell Mr Gopnik. I promise it won’t happen again. I know I should have asked first but there was nobody here and Ashok was desperate.’ As I spoke, Rachana ran wailing towards the older woman and hurled herself like a rugby ball at her stomach. I winced, as Ilaria staggered backwards. ‘They’ll be gone any minute. I can call Ashok right now. Really. Nobody has to know …’

But Ilaria simply adjusted her blouse, then scooped the little girl up in one arm. ‘You are thirsty, compañera?’ Without a backward glance she shuffled off, Rachana huddled against her huge chest, her little thumb plugged into her mouth.

As I sat there, Ilaria’s voice echoed down the corridor. ‘Bring them to the kitchen.’

Ilaria fried a batch of banana fritters, handing the children small pieces of banana to keep them occupied while she cooked, and I refilled cups of water and tried to stop the smaller children toppling off the kitchen chairs. She didn’t talk to me, but kept up a low croon, her face filled with unexpected sweetness, her voice low and musical as she chatted to them. The children, like dogs responding to an efficient trainer, were immediately quiet and biddable, holding out dimpled hands for another piece of banana, remembering their pleases and thank-yous, according to Ilaria’s instructions. They ate and ate, growing smiley and placid, the baby rubbing balled fists into her eyes as if she were ready for bed.

‘Hungry,’ Ilaria said, nodding towards the empty plates.

I tried to recall whether Ashok had told me about food in the baby’s rucksack but I had been too distracted to look. I was just grateful to have a grown-up in the room. ‘You’re brilliant with kids,’ I said, chewing a piece of fritter.

She shrugged. But she looked quietly gratified. ‘You should change the little one. We can make a bed for her in your bottom drawer.’

I stared at her.

‘Because she will fall out of your bed?’ She rolled her eyes, as if this should have been obvious.

‘Oh. Sure.’

I took Nadia back to my room and changed her, wincing. I drew the curtains. And then I pulled out my bottom drawer, arranged my jumpers so that they lined it, and laid Nadia down inside them, waiting for her to go to sleep. She fought it at first, her big eyes staring at me, her fat dimpled hands reaching up for mine, but I could tell it was a battle she would lose. I tried to copy Ilaria and softly sang a lullaby. Well, it wasn’t strictly speaking a lullaby: the only thing I could remember the words to was ‘The Molahonkey Song’, which just made her chuckle, and another about Hitler having only one testicle that Dad had sung when I was small. But the baby seemed to like it. Her eyes began to close.

I heard Ashok’s footsteps in the hall, and the door open behind me.

‘Don’t come in,’ I whispered. ‘She’s nearly there … Himmler had something similar …’

Ashok stayed where he was.

‘But poor old Goebbels had no balls at all.’

And just like that she was asleep. I waited a moment, placed my turquoise cashmere round-neck over her to keep her from getting chilly, and then I climbed to my feet.

‘You can leave her in here, if you like,’ I whispered. ‘Ilaria’s in the kitchen with the other two. I think she’s –’

I turned and let out a yelp. Sam stood in my doorway, his arms folded and a half-smile on his face. A holdall sat on the floor between his feet. I blinked at him, wondering if I was hallucinating. And then my hands rose slowly to my face.

‘Surprise!’ he mouthed silently, and I stumbled across the room and pushed him out into the hall where I could kiss him.

He had planned it the night I had told him about my unexpected free weekend, he told me. Jake had been no problem – there was no shortage of friends happy to take a free concert ticket – and he had reorganized his work, begging favours and swapping shifts. Then he had booked a last-minute cheap flight and