CLONER : a Sci-Fi Novel about Human Cloning (A Captivating Story about Reproduction Outside the Womb and Identical Humans) (15 page)

‘Yer’ll be wantin’ to hear us news, then.’ Meg turned to Lisa and saw her placing the teapot on the open hatch. She got up to take it through for her. ‘It’ll give yer more of a chance later on, when the triplets be underfoot.’ She was evidently very pleased with herself and paused dramatically, placing the teapot on the table in front of the sofa. She began to set out the cups and pour the tea. ‘Anne Marsden be thinking on starting a playschool in the village. Only five hundred yards down the road. Her’s taken over Lodsham House.’

‘Really? A playschool?’

‘Thought as yer might like to put they kids names down in a hurry. Her can take on twenty. Yer young ’uns would amount to a fair slice o’ that.’

‘That is thoughtful of you, Meg. What ages is she going to start them at?’

‘Whatever’s wanted, her did say. Her’ll be hiring staff according.’

‘So Seb could go right away; and she might take the triplets when they’re up to it?’

‘Daresay her’d find that a feather in she cap,’ Meg said slowly. ‘Folk like to mix with triplets and such. That and ourn twins’d get she off to a flying start.’

Perhaps, after all, it wasn’t just the goat’s milk which had caused the slight rift between her and Meg, Lisa thought. Perhaps her friend’s nose was out of joint now that she’d produced triplets to rival the Graftley twins.

Meg drained her cup and stood. ‘Us’ll scrabble on, Lisa. Yer’ll be wanting to finish yer business afore they triplets wake.’ She patted Seb on the head. ‘Frank’ll be leary for hisn tea.’

‘I’ll pack up the painting I promised you,’ Lisa said quickly, springing up.

‘Next time us comes round,’ Meg dismissed that immediately. ‘Don’t worry about that none.’ She hugged Seb and waved goodbye.

‘She always as dour as that?’ Trevor wanted to know. ‘I expected the jolly farmer’s wife.’

‘You noticed, did you? I thought I might have been imagining it. No, it’s only since the triplets appeared.’

‘The triplets? What would they have to do with Meg? You mean she felt obliged to help?’

‘I don’t think it’s that, though we did have to impose on her too much before Alec found Geraldine. I think she might feel threatened.’

‘Threatened? By what?’

‘She’s been the big earth mother up to now. She’s lost the title, I suppose.’

‘I thought she’d dozens of children herself, even more than you,’ he teased her.

‘Single children, fraternal twins. Not identical triplets.’

Trevor laughed out loud. ‘I’d no idea there was a hierarchy of motherhood.’

‘Seb, go and take your teddy to show Gerry, will you? Mummy’s got to talk business to Uncle Trevor.’ She led the little boy out to the hall and saw him up the stairs.

‘You’re worried about more than that,’ Trevor said, his face now grave.

‘It’s not just the triplets being born,’ Lisa blurted out. ‘It’s how it happened. Meg’s got this crazy theory that it’s all due to that new fertiliser stuff. You know, Flaxton’s Multiplier. She thinks the scan only showed one infant because the embryo split much later than normal, and that that happened because I ate the dairy produce from their farm.’

‘I thought you said that the stuff hasn’t been released yet?’

‘The Graftleys have used it for over two years now, Trev. Their farm’s the testing site.’

‘So? What’s it got to do with you?’

‘I drank their milk and ate their cheese and yoghourt, all through my pregnancy.’

Trevor stared at her, trying to understand. ‘But I thought it was all organic?’

‘It is, and the Jerseys are pastured on the home meadow, which isn’t fertilised. But Meg says there’s seepage, and that the farm animals have more twins and triplets than usual as well. It’s getting me down, rather.’

‘Yes,’ he said, looking at Lisa. ‘I noticed you looked strained as soon as she turned up. Hasn’t been implying more than one man, or anything, has she?’

Even Lisa laughed at the absurdity of that. ‘She’s talking about identicals - splits from the same fertilised egg.’

‘That’s rather technical for me.’

‘A fertilised egg can split into two or more to produce several individuals. That happens very soon after conception. Meg believes that it happened in my pregnancy at a much later stage than usual. She thinks I brought it on myself by sucking at clover petals - some sort of local old wives’ tale about that.’

‘Witchlore, I suppose. The area has that reputation.’ He looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Tales of black masses invoking the devil on the Tor. You don’t, I take it, think there’s anything to that sort of claptrap?’

‘Of course not.’ Lisa laughed. A hollow strained sound she hardly recognised. ‘But anything’s possible,’ she added hurriedly, trying to cover herself. Should she - could she - really confide in Trevor what she’d suppressed for so long? Would he stand by her? She couldn’t bring herself to do it. It was too much to ask. ‘I - I don’t care one way or the other, Trev. I just want to enjoy my children.’

‘You’ve mentioned Meg’s blatherings to Alec?’

‘Not really. I wouldn’t want him to think that Meg’s imaginings are getting to me, you know. He’d think I’d gone completely off my rocker.’

‘If all the local hocus pocus is worrying you, you really should tell Alec. They’ve got no right to hassle you.’ Trevor was walking round the room examining pictures, pedantically straightening the frames.

‘It’s just that...’ She trailed off, not sure how far she dared go. Trevor must know she was worrying about more than Meg and her innuendoes. He wasn’t a fool.

‘What’s really bugging you, Lis?’

She took a deep breath in. ‘Their stockman, Don Chivers, maintains some of the farm animals split once they’re born unless he tags them.’ There. She’d actually said it.

‘Split? You mean split open?’

‘Split into two separate animals - clone,’ Lisa rushed at him. She’d used the actual word, come out with it.

‘Clone?’ He stared at Lisa. ‘What exactly do you mean by “clone”?’

‘One animal divides into two identical ones; like an amoeba.’

‘What?’ He laughed out loud at that. A deep long belly laugh. ‘That really is preposterous; you’ll be telling me about the witches’ curse, next.’

It startled her. ‘What makes you say that? Did I tell you about the elders?’

‘Village elders, d’you mean? They’ve been saying having triplets isn’t right, I suppose.’ He stood, planting his feet apart. ‘Baint natural’, he intoned in what he took to be a Somerset accent. ‘That right?’ He grinned. ‘Told you to expose them on the Mendips, I dare say?’

Lisa wasn’t amused. ‘Elder bushes - we grubbed out a dreadful old elder hedge. They’re said to be a safeguard against witches’ spells.’

‘Honestly, Lis. You’re not going to let that sort of bunkum get to you, surely?’

‘Not really.’ She managed a watery smile. ‘It does sound crazy, when you talk about it to someone who doesn’t live here.’

Trevor was sipping at the malt, walking around the room again. ‘Anything in the studio you want to show me?’

‘A couple of landscapes completed, a few sketches for new ideas.’ She shrugged. ‘Not very much, I’m afraid.’

He put his arm around her shoulders. ‘Entirely understandable. Amazing what you’ve managed to do.’

‘I’d like to switch back to acrylics as soon as possible.’

‘Give it a little more time, Lis. You’ll exhaust yourself.’ He steered her towards the stairs. ‘So let’s go and visit the little darlings first. I’m longing to see if I can spot the difference.’

She walked ahead of him and tried to sound carefree, gay. ‘Bet you can’t. I’ve put silver identification bracelets on them, just in case, so no cheating. I’ll be watching you.’

He’d completely pooh-poohed her reference to cloning. Of course she’d imagined that James was Janus’s clone. Trevor had just proved it. When she’d spelt it out for Trevor he’d rejected the idea. Even in theory, even for farm animals.

‘I’ll have a go.’

He might, of course, change his mind when he saw just how alike they were. ‘They really are difficult to tell apart, you know,’ she warned him.

Trevor looked intently at the triplets, lying like little angels in their cots. ‘I didn’t believe it,’ he said at last. ‘That’s pretty awesome. I can see why you need the bracelets.’ He pointed to Jeffrey. ‘That one has a slightly wider forehead. I can’t come up with anything else at all.’ He straightened up. ‘Perhaps it’s easier to see differences when they’re awake. They must have different personalities.’

‘Full marks. The only one who never hesitates between them is Seb.’

‘Bright lad, your little Seb. Inherited his mother’s eye for detail.’

She looked towards him. Trevor did not, apparently, find it strange that she’d found it necessary to label her own children, and certainly made no connections with that and what she’d told him about Don and his newborn farm animals.

She took a deep breath. She might as well try to draw him out. ‘I think Don’s beginning to wonder whether I’ve done it to stop them splitting into more.’

‘The stockman, you mean?’ He paused. ‘Why would that make any difference?’

He’d heard, then. Taken it in, but not understood.

‘He hasn’t actually said.’

‘Just implied it,’ Trevor chuckled. ‘Somerset fashion. And what, precisely, is supposed to cause this unbelievable phenomenon?’

‘I told you, Trev. Meg blames it on the new fertiliser, says it affects any foetus exposed to it.’

‘Really way out. That’s quite absurd.’ He sounded almost cross. ‘I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous, have you?’

CHAPTER 14

It was as though Trevor had released her from invisible bonds. After his visit Lisa felt herself to be a person in her own right again. A vibrant good-looking woman who wasn’t merely a mother, but also a sought-after artist.

‘Nigel and Diana are having a celebratory do this Thursday,’ Alec purred down the phone. ‘They’re relying on us to be there.’ He seemed quite animated; just why, Lisa wasn’t clear. Simply another office party, she assumed.

‘What sort of do?’ she asked, sounding cautious and not too eager. She wanted to enjoy something personal, just the two of them, then realised with a start that she hadn’t actually been out socially since the appearance of the triplets. Why not go to a party? The babies were gaining weight steadily and slept well between feeds. The silver bracelets were in place; there shouldn’t be any problems.

‘Flaxton are launching the new fertiliser at last,’ Alec said excitedly. ‘At the Carruthers’ house. The whole crowd’ll be there.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Everyone involved with developing Multiplier, Lis!’ Alec sounded impatient. ‘Pulling out all the stops,’ he said, the sort of vibrancy in his voice which Lisa hadn’t heard for months. ‘You’ll have a wonderful time, darling. Everyone’s really keen to see you again. I said we’d be able to rustle up a baby-sitter by then.’

Alec’s voice throbbed low enough to make the words hard to distinguish. Lisa wondered, vaguely, why Nigel Carruthers was so important to her husband. Of course she knew that Carruthers was in charge of the Flaxton group based in Wells, and that they were Alec’s firm’s most important client. Grew, Donsett and Tylor would expect him to represent them. Carruthers was also a keen follower of the Lodsham Hunt, but Alec didn’t ride, and nor did Lisa. Frank did, but he was hardly Carruthers’ type.

‘But Thursday’s the day after tomorrow.’

‘What about Gerry staying on?’

‘Geraldine?’ The note of anger came through before Lisa could control it. The girl had clearly been making a play for Alec from the very first day. And he’d reciprocated. She’d seen his eyes devour Geraldine’s legs, travel up to her bosom, on to her hair. And he was always trying to spend more time in her company.

Now wasn’t the right occasion to deal with that. Lisa altered her tone to one of calm detachment. ‘Geraldine can only just look after herself. You really can’t be serious, Alec. Leave a young girl of sixteen in charge of four children under two?’

‘They’ll be asleep, pet. We needn’t get there till eight. No need to fuss.’

‘Fuss? For God’s sake, Alec, even you must have noticed that occasionally one of them wakes.’

‘Gerry seems quite competent to me.’

He was always taking the girl’s side. And Lisa had noticed he was only too ready to take her home, even when he’d just driven back from work and was tired out.

‘
Competent
? At what, precisely? Snaring men?’ The anger slipped out before she could stop herself. Geraldine, for her part, always made sure she needed a lift home. She owned a magnificent racer bicycle she could use but didn’t bother to.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ The voice lowered again, as though asking her to imitate the tone.

‘It seems to take you a long time to see her home.’

‘A long time? Is that what’s bugging you?’ He finally appeared to get her drift. ‘I’ve told you, Lisa, her people usually ask me in for a drink.’

‘I’ve seen the way she looks at you.’

She knew she was being absurd to react like this. There was probably nothing between them at all; at any rate, nothing significant. She was feeling guilty about her reluctance to allow her husband to sleep with her, and had transferred that guilt to jealousy. Even more than Alec, she was determined to avoid a further pregnancy. The threat of such a possibility had made her frigid. She was afraid she’d have another multiple birth, as she called it to herself. Terrified she’d conceive another cloner was the truth of it. Abstinence, as far as Lisa’s present state of mind was concerned, was the only foolproof contraceptive.

‘Lisa, I’m in the office. This nonsense will have to wait. Now, yes or no for Thursday?’

‘Is it important?’

‘Yes.’

‘Then take Geraldine! I’m sure she’ll do you proud.’

‘Stop being idiotic.’ There was a pause, and Alec’s voice changed to a more caressing tone. ‘You know I want to show you off.’

‘I’ll see if I can think of someone.’ Not Meg, she told herself. She couldn’t risk Meg.

‘I thought of Meg, of course,’ Alec was saying, as though reading her mind. ‘Naturally she and Frank are guests of honour.’

‘Are they?’ Of course they were. Lisa had quite forgotten that their farm had been the testing site. They’d worked with Multiplier for over two years now. Lisa suddenly felt enormously relieved. The brittle in her voice turned soft and friendly. So
that’s
what had been holding her back. She hadn’t wanted to risk Meg alone with the triplets.

‘Nellie Kirby will be sitting for them, I expect,’ Alec reminded her.

‘Right,’ she agreed, a gay tone replacing her previous anxiety. ‘I’ll see if Meg knows someone else that we could trust.’

Lisa replaced the receiver without waiting for Alec’s reply and tapped in the Graftleys’ number. She wondered whether she’d get a cool reception. It had been about three weeks since she’d been in touch. ‘Meg?’

‘Hello, stranger.’

‘I hear you’re going to the Carruthers’ party on Thursday.’

‘Right enough.’

‘I suppose you’re having Nellie round for the children?’

‘Quite right, my duck. Is something wrong?’

‘No, no. It’s just that Alec wants us to go as well. Met any good baby-sitters lately?’

‘Well, now. Got ter put on me thinking cap.’ A fruity laugh. ‘Reckon Betsy would do right well,’ Meg said. ‘Betsy Beste. Her lives in the village, next to the Post Office.’

‘Like Nellie, you mean?’ Nellie Kirby had sat with Sebastian a number of times. Lisa felt safe with her. ‘D’you think she could cope with the triplets if they woke up?’

‘Us do reckon her could cope well enough,’ Meg said slowly. ‘Her come from a big family. Twelve of they, and her be the eldest.’ Meg chuckled down the phone. ‘Great pal of Nellie Kirby’s.’

Lisa flustered around the triplets, tucking them up in such a way that they’d be quite unsmotherable, checking the windows, seeing to the lights - examining the bracelets over and over. She even woke Janus by checking on the fastener of his. He stared at her solemnly. He looked as sweet, and as innocent, as her two other babies. He turned his head away, as though dismissing her. All too soon she heard the hum of the Audi returning, parking in the drive.