Page 20 of The Village Midwife
‘Funny couple,’ Flo said. ‘He looks a lot older than her. Sugar daddy or something, I’ll bet. Perhaps he’s got a lot of money – though why someone with money would buy Hilltop is beyond me. It’s a desperate spot up there – needs plenty of work.’
‘Perhaps he likes work,’ Zoe said, choosing to ignore Flo’s speculation on the relationship between the new arrivals. ‘He might be into fixer-uppers.’
‘Do you think? He’s a builder then?’
‘I didn’t say…’ Zoe held back a sigh and checked her watch. ‘Sorry, Flo. I’d love to chat, but I’m going to be late for my first appointment if I don’t get a move on.’
‘Oh…’ Flo looked disappointed but stood back, as if she was somehow blocking Zoe’s way. ‘Nobody has time to stop these days. That’s how the world is now – no time for us old ’uns.’
‘Sorry,’ Zoe said, and she was sorry. Much as she’d dug deep into her well of patience to listen to Flo’s idle gossip, she hated to think she’d offended the old lady, especially as she was practically family to Ottilie now. ‘Any other time I’d have stopped for a bit, but, you know…work. I’ll have no cottage on the hill if I don’t earn enough to pay the rent. I promise if I meet the people at Hilltop before you, I’ll make time to tell you all about it.’
‘You could call round for a cup of tea,’ Flo said, brightening. ‘I’m always in.’
‘That sounds nice. Thanks. I’ll do that.’
‘Met your new neighbours yet?’
Zoe halted at the door to the reception with a frown. ‘Is there anyone who hasn’t seen that van go up the hill? Has GCHQ been informed yet? Do you think we should ask the BBC to send a reporter?’
‘OK,’ Lavender said with a smirk. ‘Someone got out of the wrong side of bed this morning – I only asked.’
‘Sorry…it’s just you and everyone else I’ve bumped into on the way here has asked me the same thing.’
‘We did warn you nothing much happens around here – it’s hardly surprising we get a bit overexcited when someone new moves in. You should have heard the fuss about you when you arrived.’
‘I’m glad I didn’t,’ Zoe said, putting the biscuits she’d bought from the shop onto the counter for Lavender to put away. ‘I dread to think what sort of theories everyone had about me.’
‘Oh, they weren’t too bad,’ Lavender said carelessly. She scooped up the biscuits. ‘Ottilie got much worse. So you haven’t met them yet?’
‘Not officially. I did pass them on the road. They looked normal enough, if it helps. I only counted one head on each of them, so that’s a good sign.’
Lavender began to laugh as she put the biscuits into the drawer of a filing cabinet. ‘Oh, you’ve got the measure of this place already.One head each…’ She continued to chuckle as she went back to her desk and began to type. Zoe couldn’t help but smile as she went to her own office. On the way through, she popped her head around the door of Ottilie’s room to say good morning, and then did the same with Fliss and Simon.
Almost as soon as she’d got her coat off, the office phone rang. Lavender was on the line.
‘Your nine thirty is here.’
Zoe looked at the clock. There was twenty minutes to go until the appointment time. She was about to say so when Lavender anticipated it.
‘I’ve told her she’s early and you’re not ready yet, so don’t stress. I’ll make her a cup of tea.’
‘That’s sweet of you, thanks.’
‘Well, I’m making one anyway, so…you want one?’
‘Of course!’ Zoe settled into her chair and switched on her computer. ‘What did you think I bought the biscuits for?’
Lavender was chuckling again as she put the phone down. Lavender found almost everything funny. That was one of the first things Zoe had noticed about their receptionist, and it had been confirmed by Ottilie – nothing fazed her, and she could find the humour in almost every situation. It was a nice quality, one that Zoe liked.
She spent some time going through her emails to make sure nothing urgent had come in over the weekend, and then spent some more time prioritising what had come in. Once that was done and she’d formed a plan for the day, she called in her first appointment.
Maisie was tiny – smaller than Zoe herself, which was some feat. She looked far younger than her twenty years too.
Zoe glanced at the notes after they’d had a brief, introductory conversation. ‘You’re due your first scan next week…I don’t see an appointment on the system yet. Have you made one?’
‘I was hoping you’d do it.’
‘An appointment? I mean, I can, but it’s probably easier for you to go online and choose a slot.’
