Page 9 of A Christmas Wish for the Village Midwife

‘She’s been ready for ages,’ Billie said.

‘Really ready now,’ Alex said. ‘Victor’s on red alert. I’d love to go and watch.’

Zoe caught Billie’s profile as she scrunched up her nose. ‘Ew. No thanks.’

‘Aren’t you interested?’

‘No.’

‘You would have been, when you were little. You were fascinated by nature.’

‘I’m not little now.’

‘No, I suppose not…’ Alex slowed the car. ‘I’ve got to go and pick up some milk. Anyone want anything?’

Billie mumbled something about chocolate, and Alex stopped outside the shop.

As Billie and Zoe watched him dash in, there was a tap at the window. Zoe’s hand flew to her chest, the noise making her jump, and she turned to see Flo’s face practically next to hers.

Zoe wound down the window. ‘Hi. How are you?’

‘I see they’re back,’ she said, indicating Billie and Louisa.

‘Yes. Safe and sound – we just picked them up.’

Billie didn’t add anything; instead, she nodded at Flo briefly and then began to type on her phone.

‘Spain, Ottilie says they went.’ Flo sniffed as she peered at Louisa. ‘Not very tanned.’

‘It’s winter there too,’ Zoe said. ‘And Louisa would be wearing sunblock, as she should.’

‘Oh, yes, another one of those new things.’ Flo’s tone was disparaging. ‘In my day, children were out in the sun, and it was good for them. They didn’t need all these chemicals clogging up their systems, just a hat and some common sense. Sometimes not even the hat. I used to swim up in the hills in this waterfall, and there was none of this health and safety nonsense. I’d come home when it got dark. And look at me. Still here, still fit as a flea.’

‘Times change,’ Zoe said with as much diplomacy as she could manage. Flo was her best friend Ottilie’s partner’s gran, and offending her would cause trouble there. And so, tempting as it was to offend Flo, who often seemed to be asking for it, Zoe mentally counted to ten and resisted. ‘We all do our best with what we know.’

‘People have got too much time on their hands if they can sit around finding all these problems. We didn’t have a minute to worry about whether the sun was good for us or not – we just had to get on with it.’ Flo looked over at Billie. ‘Did you see the father?’

Zoe hissed, trying to get Flo’s attention without making it obvious. At least Billie hadn’t been listening, too invested in something on her phone.

‘What’s the matter with you?’ Flo turned back to Zoe.

‘No,’ Zoe said. ‘Don’t you remember what Ottilie told you about…?’ Zoe turned her eyes as subtly as she could to indicate she was talking about Billie.

‘Oh… oh, yes. Now I remember.’

Zoe heaved a sigh, only to have it cut short by Flo’s next sentence.

‘Dead, isn’t he? That’s right.’ She looked at Louisa and tutted loudly. ‘Poor little mite. What a start in life.’

Billie looked up now with a frown. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Nothing,’ Zoe said. ‘Flo’s just saying goodbye.’

‘But—’

Zoe closed the window. Flo stared at her and then, with a huff, tottered away.

‘What’s the matter with her?’ Billie said as they watched her go. ‘I mean, apart from the fact she’s still breathing.’