Chapter 42

“Reckon I knew my daughter Lara was pregnant even before she did,” Evelyn went on, leaving no doubt about the subject she was bent on tackling.

Kelly realized it was useless to deny it. “Have you told anyone?” she asked anxiously, alarmed at the thought that maybe her father was aware of her condition and holding to a conspiracy of silence until she was ready to admit it.

“No. But I’ll tell Mr Darcy if you don’t,” came the challenging reply.

“You mustn’t do that, Evelyn,” Kelly instantly cried, panic welling up at the thought of any premature disclosure. She couldn’t even imagine how pissed her father would be. He would feel so… Betrayed.

“No good comes from keeping secrets that shouldn’t be kept,” Evelyn bored in with absolute conviction. “Especially from your father…. I know he can be tough but he really loves you very much and he would hate it if you kept this from him for too long. Let’s not even talk about the fact that you are also hiding it from the ma