Chapter 2

Next day, Reg asked that they leave early and do a detour to the bank where he had his account, so that he could formally acknowledge receipt of the money that had arrived, and at the same time discover how much the sum was.

That happened, with the bank staff pleased to see him. He was happy to find the total was a little higher than expected, due to interest added to the sum by the insurance company. He checked that the type of account was the highest-earning interest one they offered. He was assured of that, and told that the account required him to give at least a month’s notice to remove or transfer any of the money. He told the bank manager that he had not yet decided on the disposition of his funds, but would let him know soon what his plans were.

He then hurried out to his impatient wives, and they went on to the university. Once there, he asked his girls if he himself should contact Tom Hancock about the Commitment ceremony for Fiona to join them; or did one of them want to do that. The consensus was for him to get on with it. They wanted him to be responsible for some aspects of the arrangements, though they didn’t tell him so.

Reg managed to get an appointment with Tom during the afternoon at a time when both were free for half an hour.

Tom was surprised when Reg explained his need to have another ceremony. He looked shocked, then shrugged. “Reg, lad, how you cope with four women I cannot conceive, so saddling yourself with a fifth seems crazy to me. However, it is your life, and if the girl is the one pushing for it, it is up to you. You are the one to have to live with your decision. Is she another student here?”

“Yes, I am afraid so. Actually, she is a graduate in Sociology, intending to do a PhD now, so she is several years older than me and the other girls. Also, she has just had it confirmed that she is pregnant, so that is another reason for going ahead with the ceremony. Do you think we all have to go through the repetition that we did before, or can we shorten it, do you think?”

“It was long enough last time, Reg.” He considered for a moment then suggested, “Why not have her and you commit to each other, and then have her commit to your other wives, and simply ask them to say that they will accept her as another wife. They just need to say ‘I will’, and that should suffice. It is not a legal ceremony, anyway, so we are simply going through the motions – even though to you all, it is a binding contract.”

It suddenly registered with Tom what Reg had told him a few moment before, and he blurted out, “Eh? Pregnant, did you say? Your doing? How the heck will she manage to continue her studies, lad?”

“Tom, she is not the only pregnant student in the university.”

“Yes, but the others are all married, as far as I am aware.”

“Well, so will she be shortly – to me and my girls. We have a cook and housekeeper at our home now, and they have promised to do baby-sitting as part of their duties.”

“Dammit, your life is better organised than I expected, for such a young and inexperienced man. How the hell can you manage to afford staff to help you? Come into funds, did you?”

“Actually, I did, Tom, more by accident than design. I won’t bore you with details, but I can tell you that we can now afford our staff.”

“Still, it is a bad precedent. You don’t want your other women falling pregnant, do you?”

Reg looked embarrassed. “Umm, on that question, Tom, the girls say they all want to have a stab at pregnancy soon.”

“Good God! In that case, I can tell you, as a medical man, that at least some of your ladies are going to suffer from morning sickness; but that is a misnomer. They might feel nauseous all day at times, and have to keep running to the loo to vomit! Not much fun in a lecture room situation, Reg.”

“They are aware of the ramifications, and accept that there are always side effects in pregnancy. Does the university not have advisers on such matters?”

Tom reluctantly admitted, “We have had to institute such provisions, under the Equality Act, 2010. That demands that we give reasonable support to both male and female students, which we didn’t properly do before for the females. Believe it or not, we found that at least eight per cent of all full-time students at UK universities are parents. It has to do with the higher number of more mature students at university. The figure is even higher for part-time students, in fact considerably so.

With thousands of students on campus, it is inevitable that some will get pregnant. Being clever enough to attend university doesn’t prevent some females being silly over lack of contraception, if they are Roman Catholic; quite apart from the ones who are pregnant by their own intent. We have prenatal classes to give the girls decent advice to help and support them, so your wives will not lack for help at this university at least. We have a Student Support Manager to advise on what ways the university can help, during pregnancy and after having the baby.”

“That sounds great, Tom.”

“Care to let me know who the lucky girl is, that you have fathered a child on, Reg? I am presuming you are the father.”

“Oh. Sorry. Yes, I am. She is Fiona Prentiss.”

“Prentiss? The sociology graduate that you mentioned? But she is so much older than you!”

“So? What has that got to do with the price of cheese in Oxford?”

Tom goggled at the question, then realised it was rhetorical, to point out the irrelevance of his own question. “I see. Age does not matter to either of you?”

Reg explained, “Tom, the difference is minor in the long run. Fiona wants to be happy and believes that I can help her to be happy. I believe it too. You are unaware of her background; a family situation that makes it so important to her to have me to depend on.”

“Hang on a mo, Reg! You don’t get married just to become a crutch; there has to be a deeper justification than that, or it will easily fall apart.”

“Don’t I know it! The girls grilled Fiona for ages before allowing her even to be seriously considered as an addition to the family. You surely didn’t think I would be allowed to decide on my own? No, Fiona observed us as a family group for some time beforehand – she is a sociology graduate, remember? She came to the conclusion that we had the kind of togetherness that she was seeking, and when she first contacted us, professed to want to study us for a sociology project. That was merely a ruse to see us close up, to get confirmation or otherwise that we were genuine. It was only after we saw through that gambit that she admitted what she was after.

At first, she simply wanted to live as part of our household, but the more she saw and heard, the more she was attracted to us, and it got to the point where she asked Frances if she could join the marriage. Frances explained that, to us, it was a permanent commitment with no divorce-style get-out, and sent her off to think about it. She came back later and told Frances that she wanted in, permanently. In order to discover if Fiona and I were compatible in bed, Frances insisted on a test drive with me. That is how Fiona got pregnant; she had never made provision for birth control.”

“Stupid woman,” commented Tom. “Still, if she was prepared to be pregnant...”

Now Tom wanted to know, “But is she happy with that state of affairs? Pregnancy?”

“Indeed. She is looking forward to having the baby. Her excitement when she told me I was going to be a father; that was positive and forward-looking, I can assure you, Tom.”

“All right. On the ceremony, I think we can do something along the lines I suggested. I’ll get back to you about a date for the commitment ritual.”

Reg reported back to Frances and Fiona about his talk with Tom Hancock. They approved the plan, and passed on the information to the others. They shelved their next response until back at home.

Once back, activity centred on mealtime and the evening meal menu. The twins were working on standard British recipes based on regional English dishes. This evening it was Beef Wellington in a wine sauce, with roast potatoes. As an alternative, for a vegetarian choice, there was Bubble and Squeak.

Jessica and Sidra had been fascinated by the preparation of these two dishes, and had been in the kitchen for most of time with the twins. Carol had concentrated on the Beef Wellington, and Holly on the vegetarian option. All were happy with the results, and Jessica had been recording the recipes for use by herself.

Prudence remarked to her, “Who are you intending to make these meals for, Jessica?”

Mrs Sadaf stopped for a moment, then admitted, “I hadn’t thought that far. I suppose I was subconsciously thinking of this family, Prudence.”

Prudence replied, “I am flattered, Jessica, that this is the way you are starting to think. Perhaps we are all looking at you as part of the family, thinking in the longer term. I am certainly not expecting us to put you out on the street, ever.”

Jessica gazed at Prudence, then gave her a swift hug. “Thank you, Prudence. You have made my day.” She stood there a while longer, thinking to herself, until her daughter came up to her, “Ammi, are you okay? You were away somewhere in your mind, I think.”

“Yes, sorry, Sidra dear. I was indeed thinking: thinking about the future.”

“That’s good; that’s very good. It means you are getting over all the trouble you were in with father.”

“Yes, that is true, Sidra. I must start viewing life differently from before. I think I must speak to Frances soon.”

“Oh, about us staying here longer? Goody. I like staying with the Robertsons, and with the twins as well: they are fun. But, ammi, can you talk to the Robertsons about what we do to protect us from father in the longer term? We need some kind of way of keeping him away from us. There is no guarantee that a divorce will stop him wanting retribution.”

“Hmm? Oh, yes, that too. Leave it with me, Sidra.”

Mrs Sadaf remained quiet through dinner and beyond. It was mid-evening before she managed to find Frances alone, and asked to speak with her privately.

“Privately? In this house?” she laughed at the idea. “I think we should go to your bedroom and lock ourselves inside. That is the only way we can have real privacy to talk. We normally never think in terms of privacy in this family. What ones knows, the rest should know, is our practice.”

“I just want to get your opinion on an idea of mine. If it is a non-starter, then it goes no further.”

“That sounds reasonable, Jessica. Let’s go.”

The were soon inside Jessica’s bedroom, and Frances watched Jessica lock them in. Frances asked, “Now, what is it that is on your mind, Jessica?”

“It is a delicate question, Frances. If you say no, then that is final.”

“So? What is bothering you, Jessica?”

“You know that Sidra was my first child, from when I first got married?”

“Yeeess. Where are we going from there?”

“I soon discovered what Sidra’s father was like, and I resolved not to have any more children and put them at risk. I secretly went on birth control, so Sidra was my only child.”

“I had heard. Quite understandable, my dear woman. If I had been in your position, it would have been my choice also.”

“I am happy to hear that you understand, Frances. The other factor is that I always wanted more than one child, so I was punishing myself as well as HIM.”

“That I can understand as well. I myself hope to have several children.”

“I am still young enough to have another child, don’t you agree?”

“What, at 36? Certainly. I would expect you could have several more if you were of a mind to do so.”

“Thank you. All I need is the sperm donor to provide the male component that is essential for a baby. That is where you come in, Frances?”

“Me? Don’t be silly! Oh, you mean ... Reg?”

“Exactly so. I would be happy to have a child with Reg as the father; perhaps more than one. I am not asking to become a wife; merely have him impregnate me, but I still need you, as his wives, to approve the plan before I even suggest it to Reg. What do you say, Frances? Am I asking too much?”

Frances was forced into thinking deeply about this question, and its ramifications.

Eventually, she started to explain her thinking to Jessica.

“Dear Jessica, I have to tell you a few home truths about our little family. One is that we agreed that any child of Reg’s would be OUR child. We would all regard ourselves as the child’s mothers, and bring it up that way. The concomitant to that is that the child’s mother would be treated as one of us, should she reside with us. It is the best course for the child, you see. Should the mother not wish to reside with us, and not take care of the baby, she can leave the child with us to be brought up as OUR child. She would abandon all claim on the child, leaving responsibility for the baby to Reg and us.”

“Good grief! You must have thought about this beforehand, Frances.”

“We have. With our commitment ceremony, we commit for life, but should any girl wish to leave, we have no legal right to prevent her. We can, though, make sure that Reg’s children do not go with her, though. This is why the prior agreement of Reg’s children staying with the family should such a situation ever arise. I intend to get a short contract drawn up to make this a signed legal agreement.”

“Very well. I can see the value in that arrangement. If it was Reg who changed and was no longer the man that you loved, the whole commitment would be dissolved and you would each have your own children. Am I right?”

“Jessica, we have never really pondered that option, but I suspect you are correct as to the solution, though we girls might decide to continue to remain together.”

“Well, I am willing to abide by that regulation. It would be always Reg’s child, and remain with his family group. Does that mean I have your blessing?”

“I suppose it does. I think I talked myself into that!”

“Thank you, my dear. I shall s[eak to Reg as soon as the time is appropriate, if you will clear it with the other wives first. Will you speak to Sidra about this for me, as I am not certain how she will react?”

“You don’t feel that you should speak to her as mother to daughter?”

“It is another delicate question, you see. I have an inkling that Sidra is starting to see Reg as her saviour; the opposite of her prior experience of men, and as a consequence sees Reg as a man to be viewed in a way akin to love. She may not see my having a baby by Reg as a positive development, as she might – I repeat, MIGHT – view Reg as a possible future husband. You see the problem?”

“Good God! I did not realise that might be a possible outcome of taking Sidra into our home, but your analysis is valid. She may indeed view Reg in that way. Do you want us to actively dissuade her from that idea?”

“Gosh, no. Who knows what she might think or do if she was upset in that way? I would much rather you keep an eye on her and gently avert her from such a course.”

“But?”

“Is there a but? Oh, I see what you mean: should she not be deterred, then eventually I would not be distraught if you all added her to your marriage. I can think of very few outcomes that would be better for her.”

“Even if you had children by Reg? She would expect to have children by Reg herself, if she married us.”

Jessica considered this, but declared, “No, I see no reason to object. There is no genetic problem involved, and no legal problem either, as there is no legal marriage to be considered. If she should eventually wish to join your marriage and you approved, it would be with my blessing, Frances.”

“Okay. I think we ignore the Sidra aspect for now. She is too young to be part of the equation at the moment. We simply discuss you and Reg having children. Do you want me to broach the suggestion first, or let you ask him direct?”

“I like the idea of you introducing the subject, so that he can think about it without any immediate pressure.”

“So, it seems that I have been lumbered with speaking to Reg and also speaking to Sidra. Reg should be first on the list, Jessica. No need to disturb Sidra if Reg has an objection, eh?”

“Quite right, Frances. Do it that way. When do you have to talk it over with the other wives?”

“AFTER I have talked with Reg. I want to be able to tell them what he thought of the plan and what we intend doing about it, if anything.”

“Yes, makes sense to do it like that. Thank you, Frances. I really love the way you run your family: always considering the other members and their future together.”

“It is mostly applied common sense, Jessica. I’ll get back to you after I talk with Reg.”

“Thanks, anyway, no matter which way it goes. You are a good woman, Frances.”

“I am Reg’s good woman, Jessica, and don’t you forget it.”

The two left the bedroom and returned downstairs, where Frances was accosted by several other wives. Freda looked the most anxious, so the others waved her to the fore.

“Where did you get to, Frances? I was looking for you,” Freda accused.

“I was talking with Jessica, in private, Freda. You’ll hear later. What did you want me for?”

“To let you know that Daddy phoned me back a little while ago. He has got the letter off to the school – and he turned up his nose at the name of the school, metaphorically speaking. He doesn’t think much of it, same as us. He just has to wait for their reply, confirming that Sidra is off their pupil database. To quote him, ‘If and when they get around to it! I may have to send them a reminder, recorded delivery.’”

“I warned him that the father was never to be able to connect back to us. He said he had marked the file – Personal and Private to Hubert – to let his staff know the file stays closed to everyone except him, should anyone enquire about it.”

“That should do the job. Thank you, Freda. Have you told Reg?”

“Not yet.”

“I think you should, and let him thank you properly.” Frances winked at her. Freda grinned back, and left to find Reg.

This allowed Prudence and Erika to make their plays.

Erika wanted Reg to be reminded about investments. “Now that Reg has his money, it is time to get his investments sorted out, Frances. Do you want to speak to him about that, or shall I remind him again? I don’t want to appear pushy, but he can get better interest than what the bank pays.”

“I have to see him about something else, so I’ll mention it in passing, Erika.”

Prudence simply wanted to get Reg’s mother’s birthday, so they could make sure a card was sent, and possibly a present from Reg and themselves. Frances agreed, but left Prudence to extract the date from Reg.

At last Frances was free to tackle Reg in his study, if that was where he was. As it happened, he had been at the kitchen to see the twins (and coincidentally Jessica and Sidra), to thank them for their dinner menu tonight. He ended up being briefed on their proposed choices for the rest of the week, so he arrived at the study just as Frances was turning to go back out.

“Looking for me, love?”

“I was, Reg. We have a serious matter to discuss, you and I, so can you lock the door, please?”

Surprised by this request, Reg did as asked, then enquired, “What is so special that we must talk behind closed doors, Frances?”

“It is a matter of babies. Another lady wants to be pregnant.”

“So? What’s the problem with that?”

“The person in question is Mrs Sadaf. She has always wanted more children, but did not want her husband to be involved. She has been on birth control since Sidra was born. Now she feels free again, she wants another child, and you are the chosen sperm donor, my love.”

“Really? She is a good-looking woman for her age, but why am I elected? Does she not want to suss out other possible fathers?”

“Reg, please be sensible. With her hiding from her husband, she cannot be seen in public to hunt for suitable men, and anyway, what is wrong with you? We are happy for you to father our children, and Fiona has already achieved that status, so why not with Jessica? She has asked me if you could be persuaded to get her pregnant. The woman has even declared that there is no need for her to be married to us. She just wants a second child while she is still young enough to conceive. I have agreed that there is unlikely to be any dissent from your wives. All that is required is for you to accept another opportunity to be a father. What do you say?”

“You are okay with this, Frances? Your words so far did not include agreement by you. Your opinion is what matters. The other girls will go along with you, as I am sure you know.”

“Very well. If you want my input, I say ‘yes’, with a small proviso which you have to keep in mind.”

“A proviso?” He queried. “What do I have to consider?”

“Sidra.” she went to speak further, but Reg jumped in with, “Oh, I know Sidra will be peeved at her mother wanting another child, but that is just teenage angst. She’ll get over it.”

Frances glowered at him. “Reg Robertson, please listen to my words properly before speaking. I had not finished.”

“Oh. Sorry, my love. I am still a bit wayward in my interactions at times. Do go on.”

“As I was saying, Sidra. Jessica knows her daughter and in her opinion, the girl is in serious awe of you, as the only man in her life who has ever placed her first in anything. You were the one who rescued her, in her mind. She ignores the Reverend who started the ball rolling and the input from the rest of us. The male figure is still a major factor in her way of thinking, and it has had an impact on her. Jessica thinks Sidra may already be in love with you.”

“Oh. Fuck.” Reg was subdued. “Is there more?”

“Yes. Jessica says that she would not be surprised if Sidra later asked to join our marriage, so she sees a problem if she – Jessica – had one or more children by you, then Sidra married you and had her own children by you. Jessica is concerned that Sidra might react badly to you and Jessica having a baby. That is what Jessica told me, anyway. I have promised to speak to Sidra about the possibility, should you decided to agree with Jessica’s pregnancy request.”

“Thanks, Frances. Now I see the complications that might arise, unless the matter is handled well. That, I presume, is why Jessica wants you to discuss it with Sidra?”

“Unfortunately for me, that is the case. You seem to think I will handle it well, darling, but it frightens me that I might say the wrong thing and cause a blow-up between mother and daughter.”

Reg leaned forward to place his arms round Frances. “Frances my darling wife, I admit that I do see you as our family miracle-worker. In my experience, you have always managed to say and do the right thing. The other girls noticed this as well. That is why they elected you as Senior Wife. It was a deserved elevation to a position of authority. All you need is time to marshal your words before you speak to her. You can use this study to ensure you won’t be disturbed.”

“You really think I can do it without Sidra crashing, Reg?”