“Bette isn’t pregnant.” Tina said wondering why Helena would say such a thing.

“Of course she is. I noticed it the night of the party. I’m sure it’s one of the reasons she walked away from me. She needs to avoid undue stress in the early months and judging from her reaction to me I’d say I’m definitely causing some stress. If she loses the baby she’ll probably blame me for that too.”

“Bette can’t be pregnant. How could I not know? How could she not tell me?” Tina was in shock at the revelation.

***

As a seductress Helena prided herself on being a connoisseur of women and as such was intimately familiar with every aspect of a woman’s body. Some might think it strange but her real turn on was pregnant women. It was almost an obsession and as such she was especially attuned to the changes their bodies experienced even just within the first few weeks of conception. She was rarely wrong in her assumptions and it didn’t take much observation to see that Bette Porter was with child. Bette was thin and almost gaunt when she’d visited Helena in New York, now months later she had obviously put on some weight but there were subtle differences that couldn’t be attributed to just weight gain and work-outs. No, she was almost sure that Bette was in her first trimester.

Tina sat in shocked silence. Could Helena be right? Could Bette and Emma have started a family so soon? Pregnancy certainly would explain the glow and what she’d mistaken for just weight gain and a healthier lifestyle. Why didn’t Bette tell her instead of making her believe that she was just eating healthier and taking better care of herself; not that it was an untrue but it wasn’t the whole truth.

Helena sat back feeling smug. She loved it when she was able to get the upper hand on Bette Porter at Tina’s expense. Suggesting that Bette concealed her pregnancy from Tina would only serve to move Tina further away from Bette and closer to Helena. Things were progressing just as planned.

Helena nudged Tina out of her reverie as they approached the circular drive of a mammoth mansion and were met at the car by a middle aged man wearing a real estate company logo on his suit jacket. He didn’t wait for the driver to open the car door as he did it himself eager to greet Helena Peabody and get started on his sales pitch. He knew Helena was in a hurry to rent and had every intention of closing the deal today on one of the four homes he had to show. He was talking steadily as they entered through the front door into the foyer.