Page 8 of The Village Midwife
Zoe bit back a grin. She was beginning to see what Ottilie had meant when she’d warned her about Flo, but she was also finding her more entertaining than she’d expected. ‘Is the cottage close to the main farmhouse?’
‘No, a couple of fields away,’ Ottilie said. ‘It’s close to Penny’s – that’s Corrine and Victor’s other daughter. They gifted both girls a bit of land to build on. It’d be peaceful enough if you wanted it, but the good thing is, there are nice people not too far away if you needed anything.’
‘Penny’s dogs howling day and night…’ Flo continued. ‘I wouldn’t thank you for it.’
‘Lucky for you then,’ Ottilie said as she poured boiling water into the teapot, ‘nobody’s asking you to move up there.’
‘Still, I suppose beggars can’t be choosers.’ Flo turned to Zoe. ‘I expect you’ll be falling over yourself for the new doctor like everyone else is.’
Zoe held back a frown while Ottilie sighed. ‘Simonhas been with us…well, about a year give or take. However long it is exactly, he’s hardly new. And he’s also with Stacey now.’
‘Stacey,’ Zoe said, ‘now let me think… that’s Magnus’s husband’s sister, right? Runs the parent and baby group and has the pregnant daughter?’
Ottilie nodded. ‘Got it. And there was me thinking you weren’t listening.’
Flo got up and began to search the cupboard. ‘Doesn’t stop people looking.’
‘What are you after?’ Ottilie asked.
‘Some decent biscuits.’
‘Here…’ Ottilie pulled out a pack and handed them to her. ‘That’s the best I can do, I’m afraid.’
Flo took them back to the table.
‘So Simon is the other partner at the surgery?’ Zoe asked.
‘Right again,’ Ottilie said. ‘He’s lovely, easy to get along with and very good at his job.’
‘Too charming,’ Flo said. ‘You can’t trust the charmers.’
‘You can when there’s nothing more to it than being nice. Remember that?’ Ottilie arched an eyebrow at Flo. ‘Remember what it used to be like to think the best of people?’
Flo ripped open the biscuit pack and fished one out. ‘I call a spade a spade.’
‘Call it a spade when itisa spade, not when it’s a…I don’t know…when it’s a…’
‘Pitchfork?’ Zoe offered.
Ottilie grinned at her. ‘See, you’re already tuning in to our weird village wavelength. Couldn’t have put it better myself.’
Flo huffed and rolled her eyes before shoving a biscuit into her mouth. ‘Where’s Heath?’ she asked, spraying crumbs across the table as she did.
‘Gone to help Simon put up some shelves.’
‘Friendly with him all of a sudden.’ Flo reached for another biscuit.
‘They’ve always been friendly,’ Ottilie said. ‘We’ll go over there,’ she continued to Zoe. ‘When you’ve finished your tea and we’ve settled you into the spare room. Fliss says she’ll come over to us to say hello. Lavender might pop in too, if she has time. That’ll be the whole team in one fell swoop, right there for you to meet.’
‘That sounds good,’ Zoe said, reaching for her cup.
‘Tomorrow I’ll take you on a little tour around the area.’
Flo sat up. ‘Are you going into Kendal?’
‘We might,’ Ottilie said. ‘It depends on what Zoe wants to do.’
‘Can I come? We haven’t been to that café in ages.’
