Page 74 of Christmas for the Village Midwife
‘She learned to cook in Spain, you know,’ Maisie continued. ‘I bet it’s amazing, living in Spain. No wonder she was sad coming back to England.’ Maisie gave Zoe a bright smile. ‘I’m glad you asked me to meet her.’
‘I’m glad too,’ Zoe said. ‘It sounds as if you’ve cheered her right up.’
‘You think? I mean, she was nice to me, but she didn’t laugh much.’
‘That’s just her way. She’s still sad.’
‘About coming back to England, I guess. And her boyfriend. Her baby is due before mine, isn’t it?’
‘Yes.’
‘It’s a shame because if mine had come first, I’d have been able to tell her what it was like to give birth.’
‘She’ll be able to tell you instead.’
‘Yeah, she will.’
‘Are you going to meet up again?’
‘I think so. We didn’t say, but she’ll probably message when she’s free.’
Zoe reached to rub Maisie’s arm with a warm smile. ‘That’s good. I’m really pleased you two have connected.’
At that moment, the quiet of the lane was interrupted by the growing sound of a rough and ready old engine. Zoe recognised it before she saw Victor’s Land Rover turn a corner and come into view.
‘Here’s my lift,’ she said. ‘Will you be all right getting home? I’m sure Victor won’t mind taking you where you need to be.’
‘I’ll be fine,’ Maisie said. ‘It’s not that far.’
‘But it’s dark, and the weather’s bad. I’d feel better knowing we’d got you home safe.’
‘But what if my mum sees you?’
Zoe held back a frown. ‘She can’t be mad at me for bringing you home, surely?’
‘No, but…’
Zoe gave a sage nod. Perhaps Maisie had a point. Zoe was sure she wasn’t flavour of the month with Bridget. ‘How about if we drop you somewhere close but not right outside?’
‘I suppose that would be all right,’ Maisie said, though she sounded uncertain.
‘Your carriage has arrived!’ Victor called from the driver-side window.
‘Do you think we can drop Maisie home too?’ Zoe asked.
‘We can do that,’ Victor said with an affable smile. ‘Your parents still at Stonehouse?’ he asked Maisie.
‘Yeah,’ Maisie said. ‘Mum says the only way she’s giving up that house is if she’s carried out in a box.’
‘Well, it’s not a bad spot,’ Victor said. ‘Hop in then, both of you. Corrine’s got tea stewing in the pot up at Daffodil!’
Maisie was suddenly far shyer in Victor’s company, but Zoe loved that he did his best to put her at ease. He asked after her parents and grandparents and how her pregnancy was progressing and what work she was doing and what her plans were once the baby arrived. Zoe made the odd contribution to the conversation, but she was happy to let Victor natter. It sometimes felt too intense when Zoe was talking to her, because it was often about her pregnancy and Zoe’s worries on that score rather than simply learning about Maisie as a young woman independent of the baby she was carrying.
Ten minutes later, Victor turned into a lane that was darker than the road that led into it, cast into gloom by dense trees and a streetlight that blinked on and off.
‘Someone needs to do something about that,’ Victor said as he halted outside a double-fronted house. ‘Here you go,’ he added, turning his gaze to the house and then smiling at Maisie.
Zoe looked at what she presumed was Maisie’s home, hoping Bridget wouldn’t see her. Victor had laughed at Zoe’s discreet question of whether it would pose a problem for them to be there, saying he knew Bridget of old and she was all bark and no bite, but Zoe had been barked at before by Maisie’s mum, and it had been enough for her to know she didn’t want it to happen again.
