Free The Sweetness of Liberty James by Janey Lewis Page B

meant to be relaxing!’
    Percy looked up at his exquisite wife, in the unique setting, and wished he could be anywhere else in the world. He knew the subject of her pregnancy would pop out the moment they got to their room. Trapped. Trapped by baby, trapped by job. Why was life turning into such a chore? Didn’t he deserve some fun? This weekend was meant to be oh-so different. But he managed to put his phone down, and with some effort raised his glass and said ‘To life!’, before downing the amber liquid in one.

7
    They chatted idly as they finished their drinks, and before they felt in any way impatient a member of staff was at their side saying their bags were in their room, and would they like to go up now?
    He took them up the narrow mahogany staircase, along an arched hallway and stopped at Room Eight. He opened the double doors and they walked into a beautiful vaulted room that took up the entire width of the hotel. An enormous bed with a half-tester stood proudly in the centre against one ancient stone wall, draped heavily in red velvet; comfortable chairs sat cosily around a table; whilst all mod cons had been hidden in wooden chests and cabinets. To see the view from the shuttered windows they had to step up slightly to a ledge wide enough for both of them to stand on together. One of these windows afforded them a full vista of the bowl that held the city of Florence, like a teacup containing an exquisite hibiscus flower.
    Liberty immediately moved up to the ledge, pushed open the shutters just enough to glimpse the golden dome of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in the valley below and gasped at the wonder of the sight before her. She knew Florence was a noisy, bustling city, but from their vantage point they only saw the glamour, the beauty, the well-known skyline, without the noise or polluted air. All was serene, bar the sound of knives and forks and happy chatter wafting up from the terrace, as late diners were still enjoying their luncheon, although by now it was nearly five o’clock.
    There was the sound of a bottle popping behind her. ‘Lookwhat I ordered – Krug ’99,’ said Percy. ‘Come on, here is a glass for you. Funny they didn’t offer you alcohol downstairs.’
    Liberty opened her handbag and said that she wanted to get unpacked first. She couldn’t help but think only of the pregnancy test she wanted to do. Percy wanted to get drunk.
    â€˜Come on, just one glass to celebrate, and then I need to check my emails and make some calls before we go down to dinner.’
    Liberty accepted the glass from Percy and took a sip, again not experiencing anything but bubbles. But she was convinced she had been right about her taste coming back before, so surely it would again? They sat with the sun peeping through the shutters, until Liberty glanced at him and blurted out, ‘So, aren’t you desperate to know?’
    Percy looked startled for a moment. ‘Know what, my darling? Oh yes,’ he corrected himself sharply. ‘Well, go on then, but you are so sure already that little Charles is on his way, aren’t you? I’m already celebrating, as you can see, but I hope that at least you won’t eat for two and get all podgy like Conrad’s wife did. The poor man couldn’t look at her for two years until she went to that fat farm, and now everything still sags, he says.’
    Oh great, thought Liberty. Well, I suppose that is what men want. A wife, a baby, the immaculately presentable family that seems perfect but without any change in bodily substance. Must remember to do my best to remain svelte for as long as possible, but if I AM pregnant, nothing else matters .
    She wandered through a huge arched doorway that led to the stunning bathroom, wide bath set below a window, vast shower for at least two, and an enormous vanity table inset with two basins, all enrobed in Carrara marble. In fact, it was hard to find anything that