Page 79 of The Village Midwife
‘I’ve got some good ideas,’ Flo continued. ‘Better than some of the rubbish they’re putting on.’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Magnus said. ‘I think some of it’s very good.’
‘You would,’ Flo huffed. ‘Because they’re showing that film of yours.’
‘Prue was very interested in that, actually,’ he replied with obvious pride. ‘She said it was a lovely document of what it was to come to Thimblebury as a foreigner and how the village welcomed me in.’
Flo sniffed loudly. ‘You’re not the only outsider, but nobody else is making a fuss about it.’
‘I don’t think I’d know where to start if I wanted to make a film,’ Zoe said. ‘And I’m sure Ottilie hasn’t got time.’
‘Nobody asked my Heath,’ Flo said.
‘He’s not exactly an outsider, is he?’ Geoff said.
‘He moved here from Manchester only this year!’
‘But he came back from Manchester. Technically this was home for him already.’
‘Ooh, you’ve always got an answer for everything, haven’t you, Geoff?’ Flo replied, tottering over to the fridges. ‘I ought to take my business elsewhere.’
‘Good luck with that,’ Geoff said mildly. ‘As we’re the only grocer’s in the village.’
‘Look…’ Magnus tutted and pointed to the counter. ‘Victor forgot his magazine in all the excitement.’
‘What excitement?’ Flo asked, to be ignored by everyone.
‘So he did,’ Geoff said. He looked up at Zoe. ‘You said you’d be going up there to look at his beads. Would you mind taking it with you?’
‘Beads?’ Flo came back to the counter empty-handed, clearly having decided that what was going on there was more important than whatever she’d gone to the fridge for. ‘What beads are these?’
‘Never you mind,’ Geoff said.
‘What’s the big secret?’ Flo demanded.
‘It’s not that big a deal,’ Zoe said. ‘Victor and Alex found them while they were searching for more Bronze Age stuff on Hilltop Farm.’
‘What Bronze Age stuff?’
Magnus looked at Geoff. ‘She’ll find out eventually.’ And then he turned to Flo. ‘They found some arrowheads and other bits up there, and they think there might have been a Bronze Age settlement. It would make sense, wouldn’t it? There are others dotted around the lakes.’
‘And the beads might be jet,’ Zoe said. ‘But they’re going to have them checked by an expert. But if they are, I think that might be a big deal.’
‘Oh,’ Flo said. ‘Is that all?’
‘Don’t you think it’s exciting?’ Magnus asked.
‘Not especially. If they’d found a big pile of gold, I’d be interested. Some beads…pah! Who cares about some old beads?’
‘Plenty of archaeologists would.’ Zoe reached for the magazine, and Magnus nodded at her. ‘Thank you for doing that.’
‘Not a problem. Like you said, I was going up to see them anyway, and it’s not like it’s a million miles out of my way, even if I wasn’t. I’m only a field away.’
Half an hour later, Zoe knocked at the door of Daffodil farmhouse. She could hear laughter coming from within, and when Corrine opened up, she saw Alex was sitting at the table with Victor. The smile he greeted her with was easier than last time they’d bumped into one another. Perhaps the excitement of their recent find had wiped the memory of her rudeness from his mind.
‘Hello, flower!’ Victor said. ‘Come to see our treasure?’
‘And also to give you this.’ Zoe took the magazine from her bag and handed it to him.
