20^TH APRIL 1931

Franklin J Hart was feeling weary after the first day of his business trip to Los Angeles. All he wanted to do was go back to his hotel room and sleep for as long as possible to prepare for the following day’s business. His friend Charlie Frieson, however, had other ideas.

"Come On Frankie Boy, don’t be such a wimp," he said with a wicked grin. "I know somewhere we can go for a good time!"

"I’d really love to go with you, but I’m so tired I think I’d probably just end up falling asleep!"

Charlie wasn’t going to be denied. "Look Frank, just come to the ‘La Riviera’ club for an hour or so. They do some really great floor shows there and the chorus girls are to die for!"

Franklin groaned. "Oh, alright then Charlie, anything to keep you quiet!"

The ‘La Riviera’ club was a large building with a huge pink and blue neon sign above the door, which flashed on and off periodically. A long queue had formed outside, snaking around the block. Franklin and Charlie found themselves near the back.

"This place certainly seems popular," said Franklin, studying the queue in front of them, "It seems like everyone in town’s here!"

"Charlie laughed. "They probably are!"

After about half an hour, Franklin and Charlie finally got to the front of the queue. Two large, menacing looking doormen eyed them suspiciously as they walked in.

"They probably think you’re Al Capone," laughed Charlie.

"Do you think I should go back and ask if they do Italian food here?"

"Not if you want to keep your dazzling good looks!"

Franklin and Charlie were seated at a table bordering the dance floor. They’d just ordered their first drinks when the lights went down and a row of pretty dancers dressed in oriental style outfits trotted out and launched into their first number.

"Wow, I like the look of the one on the end!" Charlie grinned lasciviously.

"I don’t know," sighed Franklin, "they all look the same to me!"

The dancers finished their number and hurriedly vacated the performing area.

"Remind me to get that girl’s name address and telephone number," Charlie shouted over the noise of the audience’s applause.

The dance floor suddenly went dark, the only illumination, a single spotlight. The MC for the evening, dressed in a white tuxedo, walked into the spotlight carrying a microphone on a stand. There was a drum roll and he bowed to the audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to ‘La Riviera!’ Allow me to present the club’s star attraction…Miss Pearl Baker!"

The audience clapped and cheered as a young woman walked into the spotlight.

Franklin’s jaw dropped open. "Oh God, Charlie, she’s beautiful!" He gasped. "I have to meet her!"

Pearl Baker smiled, took a bow and began to sing. Franklin listened, spellbound by her beauty and her soulful voice. Her auburn hair was teased into a sophisticated chignon and she appeared to have been poured into a tight fitting purple sheath dress. Her mouth was full and sensuous and she had a pretty turned up nose which, like the rest of her, was covered in a liberal sprinkling of freckles.

Franklin gazed longingly into her almond shaped hazel eyes and felt his heart pounding as she looked straight at him and gave him her most dazzling smile. She unhooked the microphone from its stand and sashayed across to where Franklin and Charlie were sitting. Perching on the edge of the table, she leaned towards Franklin, her lips almost touching his as she sang the last few words of her song.

As the audience erupted into applause, she smiled suggestively at Franklin and gave him a last, lingering look as she slid off the table and walked back across the dance floor. Franklin’s heart ached as she finally disappeared from view.

He sprang to his feet. "I have to see her again Charlie!"

"Keep your hair on Frank, there’s plenty to choose from!"

It was obvious, however, that Franklin J Hart had already made his choice.

It was early morning in the Hart household and Jonathan was already up and about. After putting the finishing touches to a breakfast tray, he picked it up and carried it carefully out of the kitchen. He somehow managed to get it safely upstairs without dropping it or doing any damage to himself.

Carefully nudging open the bedroom door, he entered and placed the tray on Jennifer’s bedside table. Leaning over the sleeping beauty, he woke her with a kiss.

"Good morning darling," he whispered.

"Good morning," she whispered back sleepily.

"Are you hungry?" Jonathan lifted the tray off the bedside table and placed it on the bed.

"Only for you!" Jennifer giggled playfully and tried to kiss him.

Jonathan grinned mischievously. "Not until after breakfast!"

On the tray were two dishes of museli, two boiled eggs, four slices of toast and two cups of coffee. Jonathan had added a vase containing a single red ‘Jennifer Hart’ rose as a romantic touch. Also on the tray was a pile of letters.

Jennifer peered over his shoulder. "Hey, that’s your birth certificate, isn’t it?"

Jonathan nodded. "I need it for our anniversary."

Jennifer’s curiosity was aroused. "But our anniversary isn’t for another two months!"

Jonathan took her left hand in his and gently kissed the second finger, his lips brushing against her wedding ring. "I need my birth certificate to prove my identity when we renew our vows!"

Jennifer squealed with delight and threw her arms around his neck. "You’re the best husband in the whole world!"

Jonathan laughed as he tried to study his birth certificate while being enveloped in a crushing embrace. Suddenly his smile faded.

"What’s wrong?"

Jonathan held out the document. "Nothing…it’s just strange seeing my mother’s name written down. I never knew her because she abandoned me when I was four months old. All I know about her is that her name was Pearl Baker and she was unmarried!"

"Have you ever tried to find her?"

Jonathan stared at the piece of paper. "When I was a kid, I used to dream that one day she’d come back for me, but she never did. She obviously didn’t want me, so I don’t want anything to do with her!"

"I’m sure she had a good reason for doing what she did."

Jonathan carefully folded the piece of paper. "Well, as far as I’m concerned, Miss Pearl Baker ceased to exist the moment she abandoned me!"

Jennifer embraced him comfortingly. "I understand how you feel and I’ll let the subject drop if you promise to do something."

"What?"

"Ravish me right now, Mr Hart!"

4^TH JULY 1931

Moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating Pearl and Franklin entwined in each other’s arms. A thin sheen of sweat covered their naked bodies as they lay among wrinkled sheets on a large double bed.

Pearl climbed on top of Franklin and folded her arms across his chest, lazily resting her chin on them. "There’s something I think you should tell me before we proceed any further!"

Franklin’s eyelids flickered open to reveal eyes the colour of brightly polished sapphires. "If you’re worried about my wife finding out about us, don’t. Discretion is my middle name!"

"Actually, I just wanted to know what the ‘J’ in ‘Franklin J Hart’ stands for!"

Franklin chuckled. "If you must know, it stands for Jonathan, and before you laugh, remember…I didn’t choose it, my parents did!"

Pearl smiled dreamily. It’s a lovely name. If I’m ever lucky enough to have a son, I’ll call him Jonathan. It’s classy without being too exotic or showy…a lot like you!"

Franklin rolled over and pinned Pearl to the sheets. "You are one seriously sexy lady, Miss Baker," he whispered huskily.

She shrieked with laughter as he playfully nuzzled her and covered every inch of her exposed flesh with kisses.

"Darling, I’m home!"

Jennifer quickly slipped the box back into her briefcase and closed it, just as Jonathan breezed into the room.

"Did you mail all the ‘Wedding Blessing’ invitations, sweetheart?" He playfully nuzzled her neck.

"Sure," giggled Jennifer. "I even invited Aunt Martha and the twins!"

15^TH AUGUST 1931

Pearl walked blindly out of the doctor’s surgery and crossed the busy main road, ignoring the screech of brakes and honking of horns as traffic missed her by inches. Oblivious to everything going on around her, she somehow made it safely to the ‘La Riviera’ club.

Ellie Gregson was putting the finishing touches to her make-up when Pearl entered the dressing room.

"Where the hell’ve you been honey? The boss is screaming blue murder!"

Pearl sat down next to Ellie and burst into tears.

"Hey, what’s wrong sugar?" Ellie placed a comforting arm around her friend’s shoulders.

"I’m pregnant!"

Ellie tried to lighten the moment. "Mr Franklin J Hart sure doesn’t do things by half, does he!"

"He’s married!" Pearl blurted out between sobs.

Ellie stroked Pearl’s hair. "Now look here honey, Frank’s a nice guy…I’m sure when he finds out there’s going to be a little Hart, he’ll want to look after you both!"

"It’ll ruin his marriage and his career!"

Ellie dabbed Pearl’s tearstained face with a tissue. "He should have thought about that before he started playing away from home!"

It was three days before Jennifer finally plucked up enough courage to use the pregnancy testing kit. After practically throwing Jonathan out of the house, she unearthed the little box from her briefcase and opened it, laying the contents out on the table in front of her.

After carefully reading the instructions, she made a quick trip to the bathroom to collect a sample for testing. With an accuracy that would have done Annie Oakley proud, she managed to fill the tiny test tube, which had thoughtfully been provided with the kit.

After following all the instructions, the sample had to be left for two minutes. It seemed more like two hours as Jennifer prowled around the living room, finally ending up sprawled across the couch, staring at the TV. She aimed the remote control and pressed the ‘ON’ button just in time to see a commercial for diapers. Every channel seemed to be full of babies, so it came as a relief when she finally came across a news programme.

"Today, a woman in Baltimore gave birth to Octoplets!"

Jennifer turned off the TV and went over to the kitchen counter where her test result was waiting to be revealed.

"If the sample has turned blue, I’m pregnant…if it hasn’t, I’m not!"

Nervously, she looked at the sample. The liquid in the test tube was bright blue.

"I guess that’s pretty conclusive," she whispered. Then remembering the news item about the woman from Baltimore, she added, "I want a caesarean!"

Jonathan stretched languidly, leaning back in his chair and resting his long legs on the desk in front of him. After a morning of stressful negotiations, he finally had some time to himself. His thoughts strayed to the conversation he’d had three days ago with Jennifer about his mother. He wondered if she ever thought of him and if she’d ever attempted to find him.

The buzz of the intercom on his desk brought him back to reality.

"Mr Hart, Stanley Frieson is here to see you!"

"Thank-you Deanne…send him in!"

Stanley Frieson was a small, bespectacled man who was congenitally accident-prone. He seemed to have an uncanny knack for seeking out the most valuable item in Jonathan’s office and (accidentally, of course!) breaking it.

As he entered the room, Jonathan picked up several cherished items and placed them in his desk drawers, well out of harm’s (and Stanley’s) way.

"Mr Hart, I brought those sales figures you requested and I’ve also checked out the sinking funds!"

Before Jonathan could stop him, Stanley dropped several bulging files onto the desk, knocking a pile of papers to the floor.

"Mr Hart I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to…" his voice trailed off when he saw the name ‘Pearl Baker’ scrawled across one of the sheets of paper. "Mr Hart, I hope you don’t think I’m being forward, but I know of a woman of that name. She was a friend of my mother’s!"

All thoughts of sales figures and sinking funds were forgotten as Jonathan took in what he’d just heard. "What can you tell me about her?"

Stanley coughed nervously. "My mother worked as a night-club singer in the 1930s and 1940s. One of the places she worked was the ‘La Riviera’ club. That’s where she met Miss Baker. I have a photograph in my office…I’ll just go and get it!"

Before Jonathan could stop him, he turned and ran for the door, knocking over two defenceless potted plants.

"Oops, sorry Mr Hart!"

Stanley returned a few minutes later, brandishing a framed photograph. It was a group picture, in back and white, of several young women.

He pointed proudly at one of the girls. "That’s my mother!" Then pointing at the girl standing next to her, he added, "and that’s Pearl Baker!"

The colour drained from Jonathan’s face as everything clicked into place. "Oh my God…I know her!"

10^TH FEBRUARY 1932

"I can’t do this any more!"

"Come on, we’re nearly there!"

Pearl braced herself for the next contraction. "Oh God, this really hurts!" She reached for the gas mask at the side of the delivery bed and placed it over her nose and mouth as the baby’s head started to appear. After taking several deep breaths she sagged, exhausted, back onto the bed.

"Come on Pearl, get ready to push again as hard as you can!"

"I can’t," she protested, reaching for the gas mask again. "I just want it to stop!"

"One more push should do it," the midwife said brightly, trying her best to encourage Pearl. "You’re doing so well!"

Pearl concentrated all her remaining energy on the next push, screaming Franklin’s name as their child was eased into the world.

"Congratulations…you have a fine, healthy son!"

"Oh Pearl, he’s beautiful!" Ellie gazed in wonder at the three-hour-old infant who was firmly clamped to his mother’s left breast.

"He’s got a healthy appetite," laughed Pearl, "but he is a strapping young man. He weighed nine pounds six ounces when he was born!"

"No wonder it was so difficult for you! Franklin Hart has a lot to answer for!"

Pearl smiled wistfully. "It isn’t his fault!"

"Of course it is," Ellie protested, "he shouldn’t be so huge!"

The smile faded from Pearl’s face. "Does Frank know what’s happened?"

"Yeah, I called him when I brought you to the hospital!"

Pearl was roused from a fitful sleep by her baby’s plaintive cries. Reaching across to his crib, she took him in her arms. "Hush little one," she whispered, trying to get him off to sleep again. He responded by nuzzling her ample chest, making it clear what he wanted.

"Not again!" Pearl started to unfasten her nightgown.

"In some states a girl could get arrested for doing that in a public place!"

Pearl looked up, her eyes filling with tears when she recognised the man who was standing in the doorway.

He planted a kiss on her forehead. "How’s my special girl?"

"Tired but very happy!"

Franklin gazed at his son. "I can’t believe this is real!"

Pearl opened her night-gown to give him a better view of the baby. "Franklin Jonathan Hart, meet your son…Jonathan Franklin Hart!"

At that moment, Jonathan’s eyelids opened to reveal a pair of sapphire blue eyes just like his father’s.

Jonathan burst through the front door with all the grace and finesse of a tornado.

"Darling, I found out something incredible today!"

Jennifer embraced him. "So did I," she thought to herself.

Jonathan led her into the living room. "I know Pearl Baker, or to be more exact, I knew her!"

"How?"

"When I was a kid in the orphanage, this woman used to visit me on weekends. She was a beautiful redhead, a real fox!"

Jennifer grinned and squeezed his hand. "She sounds a lot like me!"

"Well, this afternoon I was having a meeting with Stanley Frieson and the conversation got around to our Miss Baker. Stanley said his mother knew someone of that name and he showed me a photograph. That’s when I recognised her!"

Jennifer’s journalistic curiosity kicked in. "I think we should talk to Stanley’s mother…she could well be the key to solving this mystery!"

Jonathan rolled over in bed and stretched languidly, reaching for Jennifer. He sat up with a start when his hand connected with thin air instead of the expected warm body. Letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, he climbed out of bed and pulled on his robe.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Jennifer was preparing herself a mug of hot milk. She was wearing one of Jonathan’s pyjama tops, which practically drowned her small frame.

"Darling, do you know what time it is?"

Jennifer tried to stay calm. "I didn’t mean to wake you!"

Jonathan reached for her. "You’ve been crying…what’s wrong?"

"Nothing, I just couldn’t sleep."

"Is it something I did?"

Jennifer’s face crumpled and she burst into tears. "I’m pregnant!"

"My God, it is something I did! How did it happen?"

"How do you think it happened, Mr Sperm Bank!"

Jonathan enveloped her in his arms, holding her close as the news sank in. "When is it due?"

Jennifer glanced up at him nervously. "It’s not an ‘It’, it’s a them’! I’m expecting twins and they’re in February!"

Jonathan slid his hand inside Jennifer’s pyjama top, feeling the roundness of her stomach. "If the due date is in February, then they must’ve been conceived in May, probably when we spent that week in the mountains!"

Jennifer brushed her lips against his. "That’s the last time I let you share my hammock!"