Page 18 of Christmas for the Village Midwife (The Village Midwife #2)

The following evening, Zoe slipped off her coat, red-cheeked from her walk over the fields to Hilltop Farm.

Alex took it from her to hang up with his own while Zoe kicked off her boots, the chill of the stone floor of Hilltop’s kitchen seeping through her socks.

It wasn’t unwelcome. They’d walked quickly and despite the freezing conditions outside, she’d worked up a sweat. ‘Something smells good.’

‘It’s probably Billie,’ Alex called as he returned and took off his own boots to sit at the back door. ‘Are you in?’ he called to the empty room.

Grizzle rushed through, wagging his tail and leaping around them in circles.

‘Hello!’ Zoe bent to fuss him.

A moment later, Billie’s voice made her look up. Alex’s daughter was taking a glass to the sink.

‘Have you been baking again?’ Alex asked.

Billie nodded. ‘I tried some different things in the gingerbread. I’ve been watching some cooking videos.

I asked Corrine about vanilla and she said it might be nice.

She’d never put it with ginger before, but I wasn’t so sure when I made some.

I did some with caramel too, and that was all right.

’ She gave an aimless shrug. ‘The thing is, I don’t know if I’m tasting stuff right. ’

‘How can you not taste stuff right?’ Alex asked.

Billie shot him a withering look. ‘Because I’m pregnant. Everything is weird when you’re pregnant.’

‘She’s got a point,’ Zoe said.

‘OK.’ Alex grinned sheepishly. ‘The man will shut up now.’

Billie took a seat at the table. ‘Anyway, there isn’t that much time to keep messing around now.

I’ll have to decide soon because it’s in a few days, isn’t it?

And I still need to get the hang of building the house.

I mean, I know I’m not going to win or anything, but I don’t want it to be embarrassing. ’

‘Don’t worry, I’ll do the embarrassing for you,’ Zoe said. ‘I can’t see anyone else having to worry about winning the booby prize.’

‘Yours didn’t taste that bad,’ Alex said.

‘Liar,’ Zoe replied with a grin, and he grinned back, not even trying to argue.

Billie ruffled Grizzle’s fur as he rested his head on her lap, his huge brown eyes staring up at her with adoration. ‘I’m not going to get my hopes up either.’

Zoe exchanged a brief look with Alex. He’d been encouraged to hear how well things had gone the evening they’d spent learning to make gingerbread with Corrine at Daffodil Farm and noted for himself how she’d returned home with a cautious enthusiasm.

They’d discussed how good it would be for her to have something to do that would take her mind off her worries.

It was only a silly village event, but Zoe suspected it meant much more than that.

Perhaps it would signal the start of Billie’s rehabilitation.

Perhaps she would finally begin to enjoy life again and move on from the bitter losses of the past couple of years.

And perhaps she might finally begin to see herself as a capable young woman.

Who knew what that might mean for her future and that of her baby?

It seemed, in one way or another, that many of Zoe’s expectant mums had been on her mind.

Since her impromptu chat with Maisie in her clinic, Zoe had been pondering what to do about her too.

Maisie had dutifully returned the following day, and they’d had another frank conversation about nutrition, and Zoe had – yet again – issued her with recipe cards and pamphlets full of information, but she still wasn’t certain that her advice would cut through the noise coming from everyone else in Maisie’s life.

In particular, Maisie’s mum, Bridget, seemed to have too much influence.

Ordinarily, Zoe had no issue with supportive family members – in fact they were mostly to be encouraged – but Bridget had some odd ideas, and not all of them, as far as Zoe could tell, had Maisie’s best interests at heart.

Maisie was younger than Billie but only by a couple of years, and the one thing Billie had that Maisie didn’t was a stronger sense of herself.

She wasn’t swayed so easily by the opinions of others, and she had a more mature, practical outlook.

Zoe had toyed with the idea of setting up a village support group for her pregnant mums, but she’d wondered whether it would be a waste of time.

She had enough to keep her busy in clinic, but whether the numbers willing to be part of such a group would be enough to make it viable was a different matter.

She’d suggested to one or two they go along to the existing mum and baby group run by Stacey at the village hall, but was aware it probably wasn’t what they needed, especially if it was a first baby who hadn’t yet arrived.

The idea occurred to her now, as she turned her gaze back to Billie.

Maybe Billie and Maisie could be good for one another.

It wasn’t exactly a support group in the strictest sense, but they might be able to offer support to one another – albeit in very different ways.

Billie needed something to restore her confidence and sense of worth, and Maisie needed someone who would encourage her to stand up for herself, perhaps to show an example with a little more common sense than the people she currently had around her.

She needed to find a way to frame it that might persuade Billie it was a good idea, and that was the first problem Zoe could see with the plan.

‘The shopping arrived,’ Billie said, breaking into Zoe’s thoughts. ‘I put it away.’

‘I said I’d do it when I got back,’ Alex said. ‘You shouldn’t have strained yourself.’

Billie rolled her eyes. ‘It’s hardly straining myself. The heaviest thing in there was a bag of peas, which would have been defrosted if I’d left them in the bag for you to put away. I can still do stuff, you know, Dad.’

‘I know. I worry you’ll?—’

‘I won’t,’ Billie cut in. ‘Stop fussing. Did you see Victor’s girls?’

‘We did,’ Zoe said. ‘They’re as cute as ever.’

‘And greedy,’ Alex said. ‘Love their treats.’

‘A bit like Victor with Corrine’s cakes then,’ Zoe said with a grin. ‘They say dogs look like their owners, but maybe alpaca behave like theirs?’

‘Dogs look like their owners?’ Alex eyed Grizzle. ‘God help me then.’

‘I didn’t like to say anything, but now that you mention it…’ Zoe grinned at Billie.

‘Oi!’ Alex said. ‘Who’s to say it’s me who looks like Griz?’

‘Everyone,’ Billie said. ‘Because you do.’

‘Thanks a bunch. So, enough of that. What shall we eat?’ Alex asked as he went to the fridge. ‘It looks like everything is here. No substitutes?’

‘Don’t think so,’ Billie said. ‘I thought I’d cook, actually.’

‘You don’t have to…’ Billie met his protests with a deep frown, and he smiled. ‘All right, that sounds nice. What were you thinking of?’

Billie turned to Zoe. ‘You like curry, right?’

‘I like everything,’ Zoe said.

‘OK, cool. So I thought I’d make a chicken curry.’

‘Want some help?’

‘Nah, I’m better doing it on my own – I’ll only get annoyed at someone being in the way.’

‘Trust me,’ Alex said as Zoe looked set to argue. ‘I know from experience that’s true. Best to sit in the other room until she’s done.’

Billie stood up. Zoe had noticed it was taking a little more effort for her to move around over the past week or so, but it was understandable as she was in her third trimester and the baby was getting big.

However, as she still wasn’t finding pregnancy unduly difficult and, despite Alex’s concerns, seemed to have plenty of energy, she was happy to let Billie get on with things.

On a selfish note, it meant more time for her and Alex to chat in the living room, and she didn’t think she could ever get enough of talking to him – no subject was too boring as long as he wanted to discuss it.

If she could have seen herself, she’d have probably told herself to stop being so soppy.

It was a good job, in that case, that she couldn’t.

Not yet, though. Zoe’s thoughts were occupied by the problem of Maisie, and as she hadn’t yet found the right way to frame her proposal to Billie, perhaps the only way was to come straight out with it.

‘Billie, I’ve got an expectant mum who comes to clinic,’ she began slowly, ‘and I must admit I’d appreciate your take on her situation.’

Billie stopped at the door, frowning. ‘My take? Are you even meant to talk about other people to me?’

‘Well, it’s a grey area in this case…’

‘You’re hardly going to report her, are you?’ Alex put in.

‘Ordinarily, I’d say you’re right,’ Zoe continued. ‘The point is she’s younger than you and not nearly as clued up. I won’t say who it is or give you any medical details, I just want to know what you think of an idea I had to help her.’

‘Why me?’

‘Because you’re smart and you have good ideas.’

Billie retook her seat, and Zoe was glad to see she was giving her full attention.

‘As I said, she’s a couple of years younger than you and a bit na?ve even then.

Her support network…well, let’s just say they mean well but they cause more problems than they solve.

The trouble is they’re all she’s got, and they’re dishing out a lot of flawed information and advice, and of course I can’t be there all the time keeping an eye on things.

I worry they’ll unintentionally cause real harm. ’

Billie was silent for a moment, and as Alex opened his mouth to offer an opinion, she finally spoke. ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to do about it.’

‘Nothing,’ Zoe said. ‘Not unless you want to.’

‘What does that even mean?’ Billie asked.

Zoe took a moment before starting again.

‘You’re right – I’m not doing a very good job of explaining the situation.

I had thought about starting a support group for my mums, but in a place as small as Thimblebury, I’m not sure it would work.

But it might be that some of you, in a more casual way, could offer support to one another. ’

‘You want me to sort her out?’ Billie asked, her tone straying into impatience.

‘Doesn’t it sound familiar, though?’ Alex asked. ‘A first-timer with a family who doesn’t have a clue what you need?’

‘It’s hardly like that for us,’ Billie said. ‘You’re a bit clueless, but you’re not putting me in danger.’

‘I might have done, if not for Zoe’s advice.’

Zoe shook her head. ‘That’s not true. Billie’s right about that – it’s not the same at all. And I’m not expecting anyone to sort her out – I just think talking to someone in a similar situation might help her.’

‘We’re both pregnant, but that doesn’t mean we have loads in common.’

‘She doesn’t have the dad around either. Of course,’ Zoe added hastily, ‘it’s a very different situation to yours, but the fact still stands. You’re way more clued up than she is, and if she could be half as savvy as you, it would make my life a lot easier.’

Billie looked doubtful. ‘I don’t know what I’m doing half the time.’

‘Neither does she. In the end, it might be that she helps you as much as you help her.’

Billie paused for a moment and then gave her head an emphatic shake. ‘No. I’m not getting involved.’

‘I understand,’ Zoe said with a small smile. ‘It was worth a shot, though. I need to find a way to dilute her mum’s influence, that’s all.’

‘At least she has a mum,’ Billie said. ‘And just because you don’t rate what her mum has to say doesn’t mean it’s wrong.’

‘Billie!’ Alex began to admonish her, but Zoe cut across.

‘It’s all right. I know what Billie means.

I sound like an interfering professional, and perhaps I am.

’ She turned back to Billie. ‘It’s not a problem.

I’m only trying to do whatever I can to help her.

I thought a friend who understands some of what she’s going through might be the answer.

I’ll think of something else, I’m sure.’

‘You could at least give it some consideration,’ Alex said but was met by stony silence from his daughter.

‘Leave it,’ Zoe said, afraid that pushing the request would sour the atmosphere. She wanted to help Maisie but not at the expense of her fragile new relationship with Billie. ‘It was unprofessional of me to ask; I realise that now.’

‘I’m going to cook,’ Billie said, leaving the room before anyone had time to comment on her plan either way.

Alex turned to Zoe with a look of unnecessary apology. It was hardly his fault, and Zoe was already beginning to regret trying to involve them.

Alex was loading the dishwasher after their meal while Billie and Zoe went into the living room. Billie flicked idly through the TV channels.

‘The curry was really good,’ Zoe said. ‘You’re a brilliant cook.’

‘We had a neighbour in Spain who taught me how to make loads of things.’

‘Oh. Well, they did a good job.’

‘Yeah, thanks.’ Billie turned off the television and tossed the remote down. ‘This girl.’

‘Which… You mean Maisie?’

‘That’s her name? The clueless one you were telling me about earlier.’

‘I wouldn’t go as far as to say clueless, but…well, you could say she’s a bit…inexperienced.’

‘I’ve been thinking, and if you want me to talk to her, I will. Don’t think we’re going to be best friends or anything, but I’ll meet with her. I can’t make any promises, though.’

‘I don’t want you to. Nobody would expect you to spend time with someone you don’t gel with. I do appreciate you giving her a chance, though.’

‘What do you want to do about it?’

‘I hadn’t got that far yet. To be honest, the idea only occurred to me earlier on, and I haven’t thought much beyond asking you. I’m not even sure I’m meant to be doing it at all.’

‘If you want, you can give her my number and say I’m new and I’ve got no mates here or whatever, and it’ll look like she’s doing me the favour and you’re just trying to find me a friend. What does it matter if I look like a loser? Sounds like I can’t be a bigger loser than she is.’

Zoe couldn’t help but grin. That wasn’t how she’d put it either, but she was starting to recognise statements like this as Billie’s humour.

‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’ll message her tomorrow. I think it will really help.’

‘We’ll see,’ Billie said. ‘She might not want to talk to me.’

‘True, but nothing ventured nothing gained. I’m just glad of the offer.’

They both looked towards the door as Alex came in, rattling a tin at them.

‘Dad!’ Billie groaned. ‘Those are the Christmas chocolates!’

‘It’s almost Christmas,’ he said with an impish look. ‘Technically it starts at the beginning of December, doesn’t it, so technically it is Christmas. Or like pre-Christmas?’

Billie shook her head with such resignation that Zoe had to laugh. ‘There’s no hope for him, is there?’