However, Blake felt under less pressure with Carminda out of the immediate vicinity.
It was some time since he had noticed the seashell-designed telephone on a side table in their alcove lounge. He had to call Laura and try to sound as casual as possible.
So, he rose and gestured a silencing order to the girls, placing his forefinger across his lips and proceeded to use the device.
Only when he spoke did he notice his slight slur. They had taken more drinks during their meal and these must have been stronger than what they had needed right now. He had been silent for quite a while and therefore did not have the opportunity of hearing himself speak.
Of course Laura was shocked. He realized that there was nothing to do now, except to get straight home, before she panicked. She put the phone down on her side, just as he was about to say this to her and he was left feeling rather stupid.
"How will I ever explain to anyone, least of all Laura, the events that had taken place tonight?"
He so hated blatant lies. Laura could read him like a book. He then decided that he would simply tell her the truth.
Meanwhile, he looked up from the phone and there were the patiently waiting and smiling girls, who gazed at him with amusement.
He half-smiled back and immediately they were all around him again; leading him back to his chair and removing his shoes this time.
Two of the girls began to give him massages on his shoulders and another two proceeded to give him a foot massage. These ministrations quickly caused him to doze off.
***
Laura awoke with a comfortable feeling of wellbeing.
She always felt super when she woke up naturally, instead of being harassed by the annoying sound of her alarm clock.
The moment she opened her eyes the feeling deserted her, however. The bed she had slept in was not her own.
She was at Rene's, because he had insisted on bringing her to his house as a treat and for a break.
That had been around three o' clock in the morning. He had then played some music and offered her a chocolate milkshake, but this had only been for about thirty minutes, in the TV lounge, because he had stressed the fact that they both needed some sleep.
They had spoken about everyday issues, light-heartedly. Rene insisted that they not discuss any of their respective problems at that "charmed" hour, as he referred to it. Instead they laughed and joked about funny incidents from the past.
Monique had not woken up from her sleep and they had laid her down in her own bed for the night. In a bedroom separate from the one which Laura would be occupying.
"Laura, you need to relax," Rene had said. "If the baby needs anything, there is a housekeeper to attend to her."
Laura had decided to relent.
"Rene is probably right, she had told herself.
She had never before tried to ignore her problems. Not even for a few hours. The only breaks she ever took from fretting were the hours she spent in sleep, when she finally went to bed. That was usually when she could no longer keep her eyes open.
Monique was apparently still asleep now.
This would imply that she had not woken up since she went to sleep at around half past eight the previous evening in the apartment.
Laura decided that she would have to go and find out why her daughter was not up yet.
When she walked into the bedroom where Monique had slept, she did not find her there, though.
"Where could she be?" Laura wondered.
"Probably with the housekeeper," she guessed out loud.
So, back in her own room she quickly pulled on the mauve, silk dressing gown which Rene had provided her with, just before he said goodnight.
She then brushed her hair with a brush, which she found on the dressing table.
Then she went down the hallway leading to the staircase.
Laura found Monique in the charming, sophisticated kitchen, sitting contentedly on a woman's lap.
She was drinking something which looked like fruit juice from her bottle.
"Good morning Ma'am," the woman said.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked.
"I slept well thank you," Laura replied. "Has Monique had anything to eat?" Monique had started crying and reaching out to her mother from the moment that Laura had walked into the kitchen.
"Yes dear," the woman replied cheerfully. "A whole bowl of cereal."
The woman's eyes twinkled as she handed the baby over.
"What would you like for lunch Ma'am?" she asked when Laura took the child.
Laura was puzzled. "Lunch? Have I slept that long?" She wondered inwardly.
"By the way, what is your name?" she asked the housekeeper. It was her first time meeting the lady.
"Josephine," the woman with the warm brown complexion and lively hazel-brown eyes replied with a gracious smile, revealing deep dimples in her cheeks.
"Well, I'm Laura and I think anything you have for lunch, accompanied by some coffee, would be just wonderful, thank you," Laura responded, feeling self conscious because she did not know the time.
Back in her assigned bedroom she quickly looked at the time on the small, porcelain clock on the dressing table. It was ten minutes to two in the afternoon! She had really overslept terribly.
Laura had been so preoccupied earlier, trying to find Monique that she had not bothered to look at the time.
"What now?" She wondered.
"Should I bath and then eat, or eat first and take a bath afterwards? And where is Rene?" she asked.
She decided to take a bath, before having her lunch. That way she could start feeling a little bit better about herself.
When she got out of the en-suite bathroom, she put on the gown again and started to brush her hair. She had no idea of what to expect for the day.