Page 77 of Christmas for the Village Midwife
‘Georgia said you called her in for a chat,’ Emilia added into the gap.
‘I wanted to know she was well. I mean, because she’s so close to term and she’s away from home. It can be stressful, the uncertainty. That’s all.’
Emilia nodded slowly, and Zoe wondered how much Georgia had told her. But she offered no more, except for a thank you. ‘It’s good of you to watch over her so well.’
‘It’s my job.’
‘Yes, I know, but still.’ She glanced up and down the road. ‘I don’t think your bus is coming.’
‘I’m beginning to think that too.’
‘What’s your list like tomorrow?’
‘My workload? There’s not much on it, to be honest. I’ll be done by lunch when the surgery closes for the Christmas break.’
‘Can’t you take the afternoon to do your shopping then? I don’t think it’s going to be worth your while tonight. Even if you do manage to get there, I would imagine a lot of the shops will be closing early with the bad weather. You might struggle over for nothing.’
‘You wouldn’t mind me taking the afternoon? What about paperwork…the audit after Christmas?’
‘Not at all. You and Ottilie said the other day you’re up to date already, so it shouldn’t be a problem, should it?’
‘Well, yes, we are…’
‘In fact…’ Emilia paused, and then said something entirely unexpected. ‘I could give you a lift to Windermere and do some shopping myself. That’s if you don’t mind the company.’
‘And Georgia too?’
Emilia was silent for a moment, and then she gave her head the briefest shake. ‘I don’t think she’s up to it, do you? If she were to go into labour…’
Zoe wondered whether she was being admonished. It was certainly stating the obvious; then again, it wasn’t as if Georgia would be without very able help should that happen. She wondered whether Emilia had another reason for not wanting to invite Georgia, but she couldn’t think what it might be, only that she might want to get her sister a gift after all, despite what they’d agreed.
‘If you’re sure it’s no bother. I thought you said you were going to do mail order or something.’
‘I will for those I won’t see, but I’d like to get some food. Better food than I can get at the shop here.’
‘Don’t let Magnus hear you say that. He prides himself on stocking nice things.’
‘Yes, they’re fine, but there isn’t a lot of choice. I’d like to see what I can get in a bigger town, and I haven’t had the opportunity to see much of the area yet, so it would be two birds with one stone.’
‘Assuming the weather will let us, I’d love that.’
‘My car’s pretty sturdy and usually good in bad weather, so I think we ought to make it in one piece. Let’s both stop work at lunchtime and go straight off.’
‘Lavender was planning to do a special lunch before we all finished for the break,’ Zoe said doubtfully.
‘I don’t think there will be time to stay for that if we’re going to get to Windermere in time to achieve anything.’
‘She won’t like it if we miss it.’
‘It strikes me she’s too vocal about a lot of things she doesn’t like. She’s struggling with the change, I think.’
‘You mean Fliss retiring? They were close – worked together for a long time.’
‘So I hear, but nothing stays the same forever, no matter how we might want it to.’
Zoe was struck by her words and the way she’d said them. Was she still talking about Lavender now, or her own life? As for her offer, it made sense. It looked increasingly unlikely she was going to make the shops tonight, and the only other time she’d get was the following afternoon, sandwiched between her morning at work and the carol service that evening. If she was going to make the best of that window, she ought to get there as soon as she could. Lavender wasn’t going to like it, but perhaps when Zoe explained her predicament, she might let her off. It wasn’t like they were best friends or anything because Zoe was a fairly new addition to the surgery team, and if Lavender had her very close colleagues there, it was all that mattered, surely?
‘If you do decide to go, then yes, I’d love to come along. I’m going to wait for a little longer here, just in case a bus does come.’
