Page 75 of Christmas for the Village Midwife
However, here she was, and to be silly about it in front of Maisie wouldn’t send a very encouraging message. Maisie had put a lot of faith in Zoe and so she had to at least look like a sensible adult in her presence.
The house would once have been a handsome place, with symmetrical windows either side of a perfectly central front door and a decent-sized garden that was a bit wild with shrubs and trees but still a good outside space. But even in the dark Zoe could see the house was in a state of disrepair, and it looked as if it had been like that for some time. There were slates missing from the roof, chunks of rendering gone from the front wall and one of the windowpanes downstairs had been replaced by a square of chipboard. The presence of an old mattress propped against a rickety lean-to only added to the depressing air of neglect. If this was the outside, it was a fairly safe bet that the inside wouldn’t be much better.
Zoe’s heart went out to Maisie. Perhaps it didn’t bother her because she didn’t know any differently, but it seemed to Zoe like a miserable place to live. No wonder her mum, Bridget, was so tetchy all the time. It was just another thing for Zoe toworry about. She was no stranger to caring for young mums in unsuitable accommodation in Manchester, but it was a shock to find one here, in the breathtaking beauty of the Lakes. She hadn’t yet made a home visit to Maisie, but when the time came, Zoe wondered how she’d find it and whether she’d be forced to try and do something about it. Those situations were hard – nobody wanted to be told their house wasn’t a fit place to bring up a baby, but sometimes it had to be said. And knowing Maisie’s mum, she wouldn’t take something like that well at all.
‘Thank you,’ Maisie said to Victor. She turned to Zoe. ‘See you soon.’
‘You will,’ Zoe said. ‘And thanks again.’
Maisie smiled. ‘You’re welcome.’
She hopped out of the car and pushed on an already unlocked front door to go inside.
Victor restarted the engine. ‘She’s a lovely little lass,’ he said. ‘Shame about her parents.’
‘I’ve had run-ins with Bridget, but I’ve never met her dad.’
‘Think yourself lucky,’ Victor said, pulling away from the kerb.
‘They can’t be that bad if they managed to raise Maisie. She’s so sweet.’
‘They’re not bad,’ Victor said. ‘But they have some odd ideas. Not very fond of many in the village either.’
‘Oh, so it’s not just me.’
‘No,’ he chuckled. ‘Don’t worry – it’s not just you.’
23
Two days before Christmas, Zoe still hadn’t managed to find the perfect gift for Alex. She’d ordered a few things online, but every single one had arrived and was either far less impressive than she’d hoped, damaged or suddenly the stupidest idea she’d ever had. She’d always hated buying gifts online anyway, and this depressing display only confirmed to her why that was. At this point, she’d settle for any gift at all, and so she kept them in reserve and, with time running out, she decided to head to the only town with a late-night opening for the shops, determined to return with something better.
To save time, as soon as the surgery had closed, she changed quickly from her uniform in the bathroom with the intention of going straight to the bus stop from there. While she was getting into her own clothes, her phone bleeped a text message.
Hey, gorgeous, don’t know if you’ve noticed it starting to snow again. Want me to come down and pick you up? X
I’m fine. I’ll leave my car here and walk, thanks. See you tomorrow for the carols. X
It looks like it might be bad. Better if I come to get you. X
Zoe smiled ruefully. On any other evening she’d be feeling smug about how lucky she was to have found such a wonderful man, but today his concern was a spoke in the wheel for her plans. She didn’t want to tell him where she was going because she didn’t want him to know how last-minute his gift had been when he opened it on Christmas morning. She was rather hoping it would look well thought out and expensive (that would be a Christmas miracle because she was fairly broke too), and him knowing she was dashing to a nearby town on a last-minute quest wasn’t going to help with that illusion.
I’ve got some things to do at the surgery, so won’t be ready for a while. Just spoken to Simon and he says he can take me home if needs be. X
Zoe hoped her little white lie would be enough and hurried to finish getting changed, shoving her uniform in a locker when she was done. Her phone bleeped again, and she was relieved to see Alex content with her pretend arrangements.
OK. Text me when you’re home so I know you’re safe and call if you need help after all. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow. X
When Alex had messaged to say the snow had started again, she already knew it was in the forecast, but when she stepped outside, she was taken aback by how quickly conditions had worsened. Over the past couple of weeks, it seemed that the cloud of arctic weather was simply stuck over the Lakes, and no sooner did it seem to be clearing than it began to come down again. It had snowed on and off for the past week fairly solidly, and it was only the relentless efforts of those in the village whohad tractors and shovels keeping the lanes here clear enough to walk. The roads leaving the village, however, were a different matter. Almost everyone who’d ventured out had reported back that they were virtually unpassable in places unless you had a stout set of tyres and front wheel drive. Aware that she wasn’t the most confident driver in the best of circumstances, Zoe was pinning her hopes on a functioning bus service to take her where she needed to go. She could have asked Victor to take her, but she didn’t want to bother him when he was busy getting ready for his own Christmas, and even if she did, she wouldn’t expect him to wait around for her, so she’d still have the issue of getting back to Thimblebury when she was done.
By the time she reached the bus stop, she was sweating under her layers. She wiped the snow from the timetable pinned up on a post and checked to see how long she’d have to wait. Fifteen minutes. It wasn’t too bad on any other day, but once she cooled down from her walk, she might start to get very cold. She glanced towards the shop, a little way down the road, and saw that the lights were on, so they were open, and wondered if Magnus and Geoff had their hot drink machine running today.
Leaving the bus stop, she decided to go and ask. She was hungry too, and so perhaps a packet of sandwiches or a bag of crisps wouldn’t go amiss.
Magnus was leaning on the counter staring at the windows when Zoe opened the door.
‘I bet this is a walk in the park for you,’ she said, stamping the snow from her boots before going in.
‘I’m used to seeing it at home, of course, but we’re a lot better at carrying on in Iceland than you are here. I hope you’re not planning to go far,’ he added.
