Page 31 of Christmas for the Village Midwife
‘What do you do when she’s ill?’
‘Panic,’ Ottilie said with a grin.
‘I hate to break it to you, but she’s just threatened to hand in her notice with me too. You don’t really think she’d go?’
‘If you’d asked me a couple of months ago, I’d have said no way, but since Fliss left…well, we all know they were close, and Lavender was gutted when Fliss retired. I think under the radar it’s been on her mind since then. She doesn’t really need to work, you know. I think they’d manage all right on her hubby’s money, but she likes coming to work because… well, I think it gives her purpose. But if it stops being fun, then why would she want to come?’
‘I suppose so, but nobodyisirreplaceable. One day she’s going to retire as well, and then we’ll have to sort things out for someone else to take over.’
‘I know, but I don’t fancy dealing with that any time soon. What she doesn’t know about the running of this place really isn’t worth knowing, and when the time comes for her to leave, it would be better if it was under amicable circumstances, ideally with a handover period so someone new can be trained.’
‘Simon will smooth things over.’
‘He could if—’ Ottilie stopped, looking guilty as Lavender appeared at the end of the corridor with a tattered old box in her arms markedDecorations.
‘Are you going to tell me I can’t do your room?’ she demanded.
Ottilie gave her head a vigorous shake. ‘God no! Please come and bless me with Christmas cheer because I’m afraid to refuse it!’
Lavender dropped the box with a crash and her hands went to her hips. ‘Is that meant to be funny or something?’
‘Sorry, no, it’s not. Of course you can come in and do mine. I mean, I can do it if you’re busy?—’
‘I’m always busy, but I still make time for stuff like this, even though it’s not appreciated.’
‘It’s appreciated by us,’ Zoe said. ‘Very much.’
‘Just give us a bit of warning before you come down to our rooms,’ Ottilie said.
‘I’m not stupid!’ Lavender shot back before scooping up the box and marching back to reception.
‘Bloody hell,’ Ottilie said, blowing out a long breath. ‘You don’t happen to have a hard hat in your room, do you? The mood she’s in today we’ll need all the bodily protection we can get!’
Corrine handed Billie an apron. It was decorated with sprigs of holly and had deep symmetrical creases that suggested it had been recently purchased and only just taken out of the packaging. Zoe had brought her own over, one that had been gifted to her by Corrine shortly after her arrival in Thimblebury. Corrine wore her old splattered, faded, tested and true faithful, the same one she almost always had on whenever Zoe called in.
‘I don’t need that,’ Billie said, holding it at arms’ length. ‘I won’t make a mess.’
‘I’m sure you won’t, but just in case. I’d hate for you to stain that lovely top.’
Corrine gestured for her to put it on, and in the end Billie did, checking out the kitchen as if she hoped nobody really cool was hiding in a cupboard ready to jump out and laugh at her.
Zoe shared a secret look of amusement with Corrine. ‘No Ottilie?’ she asked. ‘I thought she was coming.’
‘She phoned to say she was feeling tired and wanted to stay in.’
‘I don’t blame her.’ Zoe glanced at Billie. ‘How are you doing there? Not too tired to bake?’
‘I’ve done nothing but sleep this week,’ Billie said. ‘I’m all right. You’re as bad as Dad, keeping on asking me every five minutes.’
‘It’s only because he cares about you,’ Corrine said briskly. ‘You’d have cause for complaint if he stopped asking, I’d say.’
To Zoe, Corrine’s statement sounded a little like a rebuke and not like the usual gentle Corrine at all. She couldn’t deny, however, that there was some truth in it, and, as Billie didn’t reply, it seemed she thought so too.
Perhaps Corrine thought she’d been a little harsh, however, because her next enquiry was much more like her old self. ‘Do you bake at all?’ she asked Billie.
‘Not really. Don’t have time. I mean, I didn’t used to.’
‘Not even with your mum?’
