Page 90 of Christmas for the Village Midwife
‘They picked a fine night to go sledding,’ Alex said. ‘What do you want to do? You want to go back to the church to see if they’ve turned up there and we’ve somehow missed them on the road? I wouldn’t be surprised if we had in these conditions.’
‘I don’t think they will have done. They weren’t all that bothered about staying after in the first place, so why would they have gone back this late, knowing the event would be almost over?’
‘Who knows? It was a suggestion I made because I don’t have anything else. Are you worried about them?’
‘Not Emilia and Brett, but I am worried about Georgia. She’s really close to term, and I don’t like the thought of her being out.’ She pulled a glove off and got out her phone. But then she frowned at it.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘I was going to phone one of them to see where they are, but I don’t think…’ She switched her phone off and then back on, watching the opening logo on the screen for a moment before her usual display appeared. ‘I don’t think I can get a signal.’
Alex got his out and nodded. ‘Me neither. It must be something to do with the weather. Like the blackout.’
‘So we can’t phone them then. Where the hell could they be?’
‘Would they have gone to see anyone else in the village?’
‘They don’t really know anyone all that well, and everyone they might know was at the church.’
‘I don’t know what to say. I don’t think there’s a lot more we can do. If it matters that much to you, Zo, we can come tomorrow first thing and drop their gifts in. Before lunch or something.’
‘There’s nothing else for it, so we’ll have to.’ Zoe looked up at the door and knocked one last time in the vain hope they were in after all, but was met with silence once again. ‘That’s it then,’ she said. ‘We’d better go home before we get stranded.’
‘Stranded in a blizzard with no lights and no phone signal – sounds appealing, doesn’t it?’ he said. ‘I agree – let’s get back. I like a bit of festive snow as much as the next man, but once we’re home, nothing is getting me out again in this.’
As they started for home, it quickly became apparent that it was going to be more of a struggle than either of them had imagined. Alex was all for going back to the church to see if Victor was still there with his Land Rover in the hopes he could get them back, until Zoe reminded him that doing so might present troubles of its own. Firstly, they were relying on the fact that he would be there and hadn’t already left, and, secondly, even if he was there, his car would be too full for them both because he and Corrine had Melanie and their other daughter, Penny, with them. They couldn’t even phone anyone to find out if there was someone else who could help, but Zoe had faith that if they took care, they’d be fine. After all, she reasoned, it wasn’t as if they lived in the tundra. This was England, and people didn’t get lost in the snow or frozen solid where they stood. And so they walked, frustratingly slowly, with numb fingers and toes and dripping noses, feeling their way in the dark.
‘I love Kestrel Cottage,’ Zoe panted at the halfway point. ‘And I love Hilltop, but after this I might move downhill to the village proper because I don’t fancy doing this again next winter.’
‘We haven’t got through this one yet,’ Alex replied through gritted teeth. ‘One thing at a time.’
Zoe stumbled and then felt his hand close around hers to steady her. ‘All right there?’
‘I’ve been better.’
‘Me too. Just keep thinking about that wine when we get back.’
‘I think the wine we had before we started out is causing more than enough trouble for us now. I might lay off it. In fact, I might just collapse into bed and you can wake me when it’s Christmas.’
‘And miss all the fun?’
‘Right now, sleeping looks like a lot of fun. Ugh…’ She gasped as the wind changed direction to drive fat, wet snowflakes into her face.
‘I don’t know about the mulled wine we had earlier being the problem,’ Alex said. ‘I’m definitely sober now.’
Zoe had no idea how long it had taken them to get to the top of the track. There was no moon and barely any light at all. Even when the lights of either Hilltop or Daffodil or Kestrel Cottage ought to be visible, they could see none of them. Zoe could just make out a squat, fuzzy shape across the nearest field, which she guessed was Daffodil Farm.
‘I think it’s this way,’ Alex said, pointing to a spot further along the ridge. ‘If that’s Daffodil, I mean.’
‘I think it is,’ Zoe agreed. ‘We should be able to see Hilltop soon if we walk along a bit.’
‘If we don’t, we might have to go to Daffodil instead and see if Victor wouldn’t mind running us over to mine.’
Zoe hadn’t wanted to disturb the residents of Daffodil Farm, especially when they had family visiting, but she couldn’t argue with the logic.
A few minutes later, Zoe thought she could see the vague outline of Hilltop.
‘Either that’s a mirage,’ Alex said, squinting against the driving snow, ‘or that’s home. I’m hoping for the latter.’
