Lauren shifted the baby from one hip to the other and stepped towards the window. Outside, the sun was beating down; it was the warmest October for years.

"If I had known this was how it would all turn out I would have set you up with Henry long ago," said Emily, who stroked her own pregnant belly.

Lauren laughed. "I'm glad you didn't, believe me that man put me through hell." She let the baby suck on her little finger, watching the way its lips puckered and sucked, its tiny fingers stretching and uncurling. She loved it like she had never loved anything, more than she even believed herself capable of loving.

"He's Henry Banville. It was inevitable. I warned you -"

"I don't think I quite understood," said Lauren. The diamond ring on her wedding finger caught the sun scattering tiny rainbows over the wall. She smiled and paced across the room to seat herself next to Emily, who rolled her eyes.

"There was no stopping you. I just knew you had your claws into him."

Lauren let out a false gasp of surprise. "What on earth do you mean?"

Emily tossed her head, one hand still resting on her swollen belly. "Oh you know. Just that you were going to end up together. I knew from the way he looked at you, way back when we went to dinner at The Dorchester."

"Nonsense," said Lauren, cradling the baby, whom they had named William on her knee. "He was obnoxious. You can't have known."

The tv was on in the background and Lydia Tybell's smiling face was up at the camera. Emily turned to see what Lauren was staring at. "Do you ever see her?"

"Lydia? No. Not anymore."

"It's a terrible show she's on. Really demeaning," said Emily, and they paused to watch as contestants wrapped in inflatable suits ran past Lydia and flung themselves into a filthy pool of water.

"Apparently she could never get a job as a serious journalist," said Lauren. She knew Henry had made the calls, warned people off her. There wasn't a single newspaper editor who would trust a word Lydia said now. She'd had to resort to presenting game shows on a channel almost no one watched. Lauren lifted the remote control and switched off the tv.

"Does Henry have a new PA?" asked Emily. "That last girl applied to George's firm for a job when Henry let her go, but no one would take her. Something to do with the references. And I'm pretty sure I saw her working in the womenswear department in Peter Jones the other day -"

Lauren rolled her eyes, making a mental note never to venture to Peter Jones. "Henry doesn't have a PA anymore," she said. "He has a support team, and Mrs Balfour runs his diary."

Emily nodded but said nothing; Lauren knew what she must be thinking. That it was a good thing that Henry no longer had a PA, because he could never keep his hands off them. But Lauren was glad Emily chosen to hold her tongue. And anyway, things were different now. Henry loved her and she couldn't imagine a more devoted husband. When William had been born, Henry had been beside himself with happiness, referring to his as the 'Little Lord', squeezing his tiny feet and laughing. Lauren smiled to herself at the thought.

"I'm so pleased to see you so happy," said Emily, changing the topic of conversation and reaching out and taking hold of Lauren's free hand. "And William is so handsome, he'll be just perfect. A real heartbreaker."

Lauren laughed, certain that Emily was right: the child couldn't fail to be gorgeous, even if he was only half as good looking as his father. "We'll be moving soon," she said, looking around the room. She'd made it clear to Henry that she didn't want to live here any longer than she had to. She wanted them to have a fresh start; a new home. "Henry's new development -"

"The one he's doing with Marcus Bonham?"

"Exactly. It used to be a club, of sorts. We'll live there when it's done."

"I've heard the flats are going to be spectacular," said Emily, flattening her dress against her thighs.

"They'll be the best the city has to offer."

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Author's Note:

Just because you guys asked for it! I hope you like it, and it let's you get some closure, seeing that Henry and Lauren are happy and the baby William is well! They're all set for their new life in their amazing new flat, built on the ruins of the club!