“Lucky?” She spread her hands over her bump. “That’s rich. And as for the poor little thing growing in here—”

The doctor sat down on the edge of the bed, took one of Genevieve’s hands and gave it a squeeze. “We’ve been over this time and again. Who’s going to want to marry you with another man’s baby in tow?”

“I don’t care about that.” She pulled her hand away, unable to tolerate his limp, damp grip.

“They’re a very nice couple,” said Doctor Peters. “Perhaps it would help if you met them. I could bring them here next time I come to see you, and—”

“No!”

The doctor shrugged. “As you wish.”

“I dream about dying,” said Genevieve. “I think it’s the only way I’ll ever get out of here.”

“Don’t be silly.” He snapped his bag shut. “Get plenty of rest. Your blood pressure is a little high.”

“It’s mine, Doctor Peters.”

“Eh?” He got to his feet.

“The baby. I won’t give it away.”

He was putting his coat on now. “There’ll be other babies, Genevieve.”

Her mother came to sit with her for an hour or two each day, chatting inanely about people from the village whom Genevieve didn’t know. She tried, for a while, to remember the names so that the dull stories would at least make sense, and then gave up—just let Mummy’s voice wash over her like muddy, tepid water. She watched her mother—that hand forever clawing at the throat, the feet twitching and tapping, the eyes bulbous, restless and empty.

I will do whatever is necessary to ensure my life doesn’t turn out like hers, she told herself. And then realized that she already had.

Her father never came.

The bump grew enormous. She ached under her ribs and in the small of her back. Her throat burned with bile. The baby somersaulted, padded, prodded, thumped, and then started pressing on nerves, sending sharp pains shooting all through her like electricity, making her wince and catch her breath. The frenzied activity inside her body compensated in part for her total lack of activity in the outside world. She loved every soft patter from within, every kick, every twinge. She longed to hold her child, to feed it, watch it sleep, hear it cry. Keep it safe. She had never before experienced a love like this. Physical, passionate, all-consuming. She would give up everything for this tiny being if she had to. She would lay down her life for her baby without a moment’s hesitation.