Chapter 29

"Nope. Not for now. You have to see the doctor, first. I'd hate to do something wrong, through ignorance. You agree, Peggy?"

"Yes, I see what you mean. You do things right, don't you, Trevor?"

"I do my best, Peggy. At least, I try to, when I know what I am doing."

The remainder of that day went smoothly. Peggy produced a satisfactory evening meal, and all the babies behaved themselves – almost! There were the usual "feed me!" or " change my nappy" cries, but their mothers coped well, with Peggy's assistance.

At work next morning, Eric reported a positive response from their friends in orbit. "They said they had noticed the insurance industry, but were unsure about intervening. They were concerned that they might build up resentment among humans on Earth.

Knowing the attitude of Rehome, I told them that as far as we were concerned, a few people on Earth might get their noses out of joint, but a lot more may get a better insurance deal out of The Personalia. I suggested that they set up their own insurance company, registered on Rehome, with a branch or two on Earth, with specially selected staff, to show them as being an Earth company."

Trevor demanded, "Did you ask them to quote for Rehome Deliveries business, at two levels?"

Eric seemed offended. "Of course I did, sir! They refused to go with exact numbers at this time, but told me they would guarantee it would be a minimum of ten per cent less than what we currently paid for our insurance premiums. I suspect it may be more, Mr Defreitas, as they don't have the sort of overheads that most human insurance companies are saddled with. They seemed to like being encouraged to go into the business."

"Right. Good work, Eric. Now Edward, how are things on the onward deliveries from Earth?"

"Sir, the Colony Admin department are desperately trying to empty their parcel store, as they need the space, so they happily agreed to our delivering the outstanding items, at our standard prices. It is cheaper for them than all the staff time they are using, chasing up the recipients. They have also said that anything that arrives in the next three days, they will also pay for onward delivery, so I have put in motion a process of notifying all the suppliers that we can identify, that from that date on, they are liable for all onward costs from the Colony arrivals point, and notifying them of the prices relating to their parcel size/mass. We should do something to inform all other suppliers of these charges for their future sales to Rehome customers."

Trevor heartily agreed. "Edward, draft out an advert to that effect. Consult with the Colony Newspaper editor about advert designers he uses, to give it some impact. We should place the ad as one-offs in all the major media outlets on Earth. It will perform two tasks. One, it will notify companies of these charges, and Two, it will advertise our services, so make sure there is a teaser about special prices for blanket deliveries to every household, for catalogues, free samples, etc. Put all our advertising costs down as company expenses for our balance sheet; everything pertaining to the adverts."

Getting back home in time for lunch, Trevor was in high spirits. He joked with his wives all through lunch, then spent ten minutes playing with each baby, trying to bond with his children. By half-past two, Peggy was getting anxious. "Trevor, we have to get ready for my appointment at the Maternity Hospital."

He calmed her down. "Don't fret, Peggy. You will be there in time. Let me get my shoes back on, and collect my coat, and so on, and we will be ready to go, if you have everything you need. Anyway, nine times out of ten, the doctor will be running late!"

They were in the hospital car park for 3 pm, and in the waiting room five minutes later. Peggy reported her presence to the duty nurse, and this was recorded. She was called at 3.15.

"On you go, Peggy. Go along with the nurse."

"Are you not coming, to hold my hand, Trevor?"

"Certainly not, Peggy. You are a teenager, able to speak for yourself; and the doctor will have a female nurse present, should you need reassurance." He looked at the summoning nurse: "Right?" She nodded, "Yes, there will be a nurse present. Not me, I have to manage the desk." She took Peggy away for her tests and interview. Trevor settled down with his phone, to read updates on his business activity.

Half an hour later, Peggy reappeared with a nurse. She looked like she had been crying. "Are you all right, Peggy?" Trevor enquired sympathetically. She looked at him tearfully, and the nurse explained, "She is just a bit upset. She can explain the details later. Please just take her home first."

Peggy sat quietly during the short car ride, sniffling occasionally, and handling a medicine carton, looking at it occasionally. Trevor made no comment, and when he drew up at the house, said, "Right, Peggy. Come in and you can tell us all about it."

All four wives were in the sitting room, cuddling their babies in a family group, chatting away. When Trevor and Peggy entered the room, the chatter stopped at once. Trevor announced, "Peggy is a bit upset at something she was told at the hospital. I have not been told anything by her, so we can all hear it first hand, girls. Be nice to her."

Peggy sat down on an available chair, and began. "I was given a scan, to see that my womb was all clear. It was. I thought I would just be told everything was fine, but Dr Spencer shocked me.

He said my vagina would be tender for a bit, so he advised no sex for the next fortnight; AND he put me on medication to regulate my periods for a while. He said they might be irregular due to the pregnancy and the abortion.

I had my suspicions about the medication, and asked if it also acted like a contraceptive. He admitted that this was one of the side effects, but as he also advised me not to get pregnant until I was sixteen, it should not be a problem for me." Peggy burst into tears again. Trevor patted her shoulder, saying nothing, simply waiting for her to go on.

When she had calmed down, she continued, "This means I cannot have your baby, Trevor, for nearly a year! I want that baby, Trevor darling. It is all right with you girls, isn't it?" She looked around the wives. Most of them nodded. Dinah said to her school friend, "It is a good idea not to get pregnant before sixteen, Peggy. It gets in the way of your education, and is pretty restricting for your social life with your friends as well."

Peggy looked at Dinah, surprised. "But you did, Dinah!"

Dinah admitted, "Not deliberately, Peggy. It happened almost by accident; it was certainly not planned that I should be pregnant at fifteen. I was lucky in that Trevor loved me enough to marry me. The rotter also insisted that I continue my education, against my wishes. He wouldn't marry me unless I promised to complete my education. That's what happens when you marry a teacher!"

Peggy turned from Dinah, to gaze adoringly at Trevor. "Trevor, darling, if I wait until I am sixteen before you get me pregnant, will you marry me?" There was a sharp intake of breath from the four wives, so she turned her gaze to each in turn. She pointed out, "I need to know first, if Trevor is willing; but if he is, I want to ask you girls for permission to join you in matrimony."

They all looked over at Trevor, who was almost squirming at the pressure on him from all sides. He took the plunge. "I have to explain a few things, first. Peggy is officially under my, under OUR charge, as a family. For me to marry her, I would first of all have to get the permission of the Governor, representing the Colony, as this would be a breach of normal custody provisions. Secondly, I am under no illusions about the costs. If she marries me, we become fully responsible for her maintenance. At present, I can ask for a refund of reasonable costs as her guardian for the Colony.

That being said, I admit to becoming more and more attracted to this little minx. She is a lot cleverer than she let on at first, and she has proved quite adaptable socially. I am willing to give her the baby she craves, which is a different question from marriage. If she has a baby without marriage, I would want the child brought up within this family, with its siblings. That probably means she has to be here, as well.

So my final comment is that I would not be averse to having her as a fifth wife, provided you girls are willing to accept her."

Peggy's heart leaped as she stared at the faces of Amelia, Annabel, Tracy and Dinah, trying to see their answers in their faces. She met with smiles. Amelia spoke for them all. "Peggy, we discussed this possibility while you were out, and we think you might fit in well; so we agree."

An overwhelmed Peggy jumped to her feet and rushed to each woman to hug and kiss them, gushing with her thanks. Trevor looked relieved, and commented, "Wedding when you are sixteen, Peggy, provided we get the go-ahead from the Governor. I am sure he will insist on sixteen, as well." He sighed as he looked back to his four wives. "What have I let myself in for, ladies?"

Dinah smiled cheekily, and said, "A fucking great time, Trevor!"

Tracy put in, "And what has Peggy let herself in for? We are an unusual family, in many ways."

Peggy responded, "Well, if I was to look on the bright side, after a fortnight I get to fuck Trevor again, don't I?" She considered what she had just said, and amended it. "Actually, I get to fuck him for nearly a year, if I am not allowed to get pregnant until then. Of course, once you girls recover from the births, I shall have to share; but I don't mind that. You WILL share him, won't you?" She had a sudden thought of being deprived, but was swiftly reassured by the other girls.

"Thanks, girls: you are true friends," Peggy declared.

Governor Kempe was feeling bogged down in administrative details. He complained to his head of Admin, Tony Wilson. "I thought we had this Colony organised so that things ran without my input, except at policy level, so why am I being asked to approve so many items of application, instead of policy?"

"Sir, if I may correct you: it is not many. It is a tiny proportion of what we deal with every day. What is happening is that the Colony is growing, and becoming more complicated all the time. As a result, certain decisions are liable to have an effect on an other aspect of the Colony. What comes to you is these "difficulties"; where a decision by one department will cause friction with another which is adversely impacted by the same decision. If the decision involves finance, the finance department may object to this expenditure. Another example is where we decide where a new community should be established. The Transport people may point out that the intended site is not suitable from the viewpoint of providing a rail link. The decision in that case gets referred to you, in case you think access by rail is more important than being near a resource such as a quarry or a water supply.