Page 89 of Christmas for the Village Midwife
‘Or desperate to open her Christmas Eve gift?’
‘That too,’ Alex said with a grin.
‘She pretends to be all cool and nonchalant, but she’s still your little girl at heart, isn’t she?’
‘Always,’ he said with such fondness it almost made Zoe envy Billie. Alex loved Zoe, and she was in no doubt of that, but Billie would always be the most important woman in his life. Zoe understood that, and she would never get in the way, but it was a fact she was going to have to get used to.
‘If it makes you feel better, we won’t stay for much longer. Let’s finish these drinks, pop over to Georgia’s with their presents and then we’ll go back up to Hilltop.’
‘Thanks,’ he said. ‘Not that I’m not enjoying this, but I’m getting to the point where I want to be home.’
‘Me too,’ Zoe said. ‘Very much so.’
27
After many complaints that they were leaving, offers of Christmas Eve get-togethers at some house or other, and affectionate goodbyes, Zoe and Alex finally made it out of the church. They hadn’t been outside since the service had begun a few hours earlier and were both shocked at just how fast the weather had worsened. Where the snow had been cleared was inches deep again.
‘Here’s your white Christmas.’ Alex pulled his collar up and clamped a woolly hat onto his head. ‘This is mental. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it like this.’
‘What time is it?’ Zoe asked. ‘I don’t want to take my gloves off to look at my phone because I think my fingers might get instant frostbite and fall off.’
‘Just after nine.’
‘Later than I wanted to be.’
‘Later than I wanted it to be too. Billie won’t be pleased, but there’s not a lot we can do about it now.’
‘I’m sorry, but I still have these presents to drop off at Emilia’s house. I know we’re already late, but do you mind if we call in? We don’t have to stay.’
‘You’re right, we’re already late, so what difference will ten more minutes make? Come on.’
Grabbing her hand, he led the way. It was slow going, and they both walked with their heads down, partly to watch their feet to make sure they didn’t slip and partly to avoid a face full of driving snow.
‘I’ll be glad when we’re home and warm,’ he said as they arrived at Emilia’s gate. ‘Next year, don’t even think of talking me into a Christmas Eve carol service.’
‘You loved it really.’
‘I did. I’m just not loving this bit.’
Just as they trudged up the path, the lights went out on the lane. Zoe looked sharply at Alex, barely able to make out his features in the sudden gloom.
‘Snow must have brought a power line down.’
Zoe glanced at the house and could see there were no lights on in there either.
‘They’ll be out to fix it as soon as they can, I would imagine,’ Alex said reassuringly.
‘How’s anyone coming out to fix anything in this?’
‘They’re equipped for this sort of event,’ he said in a voice so confident that Zoe did feel reassured, even if she wasn’t quite sure how he’d know so much about it. ‘It won’t be out for long.’
Almost feeling their way, darkness and snow reducing visibility to a point that made looking useless, they made it to Emilia’s front door. Alex gave the knocker a firm rap – a sound that would have ordinarily echoed back through to them but was muffled by the snow.
‘I hope they’re in and not out in this,’ he said with a look of faint worry.
They gave it a minute, and when there was no answer, they knocked again. Nobody came to the door. Zoe went to a window and tried to look inside, but with no lights on, it was pointless.Even if anyone was home, she couldn’t see them. When she pressed an ear to the glass, she couldn’t hear movement either.
‘I don’t think theyarein,’ she said, coming back to Alex on the doorstep.
