Page 23 of Christmas for the Village Midwife (The Village Midwife #2)

Zoe knocked at the front door. When there was no answer, she knocked again. This time, Emilia came to the door. It was odd to see her in less formal attire, bundled up as she was in a thick, oversized cardigan and some tracksuit bottoms. She almost didn’t look like herself.

‘Oh… Zoe… what is it?’

‘I came to see if Georgia was planning to bring something to the gingerbread contest. She’s all right, isn’t she? Only I thought she’d said she wanted to do it, and it’s about to start, so…’

‘She’s fine,’ Emilia said. ‘Tired but that’s to be expected, isn’t it?’

‘It is. So there’s nothing else? Nothing to be concerned about…?’

‘With the pregnancy? No, I don’t think so.’

‘But she’s not planning to come…Actually, I don’t suppose she’s in? I might as well ask her about it myself, hadn’t I?’

‘She’s resting.’

‘Oh. Asleep?’

Before Emilia could reply, Zoe heard noises coming from inside the house. A crashing thud, and then Georgia’s voice. With sudden alarm, she looked at Emilia. But just as she was about to rush in, thinking it must be Georgia who’d fallen, Georgia herself appeared in the hallway.

‘Em, I need you, Brett’s—Oh…hi, Zoe.’

For the first time since Zoe had reconnected with her old friend, Georgia seemed less than pleased to see her.

‘Everything all right?’ Zoe asked.

‘Yes, why shouldn’t it be?’

‘I don’t know, I just…Well, you said you were going to bake for the gingerbread house contest, and it’s today, so…’

‘I was, but I didn’t get time.’

Zoe found that hard to believe, but perhaps she was being unfair.

Maybe it was a case of Georgia not having the energy – and that was understandable given how pregnant she was.

Something was definitely off here, though – Zoe just knew it.

And then Brett emerged from a door in the hallway, blood running down the side of his face, and Zoe gasped, causing Emilia and Georgia to turn around.

‘What happened?’ Emilia demanded.

‘I was coming to get you,’ Georgia said. ‘He fell.’

Brett was the only person who didn’t seem very concerned about his injury. Instead, he fixed a swaying stare on Zoe. ‘It’s you…’

Emilia rushed to prop him up. After sitting him on a step, she examined the cut on the side of his head that was causing all the blood.

Zoe stepped inside. ‘Can I help?’

‘No,’ Emilia said. ‘I can manage. It’s not deep.’

‘But I could get some water, ring an ambulance or?—’

‘I said I could manage!’ Emilia snapped, hauling Brett up and leading him down the hallway to the kitchen at the end.

Georgia turned a mortified gaze on Zoe, her eyes filling with tears. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘She didn’t mean it like that.’

‘I know. Is he OK?’

‘He’ll be fine.’

‘Look, I know Emilia said…but do you want me to stay? I could sit with you, if it helps.’

‘I don’t think it would be a good idea. I’m sorry about the gingerbread thing.’

‘That’s all right – it doesn’t matter.’

‘I was going to do it, but things got in the way.’

‘I can imagine.’

There was a heavy pause, so long it became uncomfortable, and then Zoe shook herself, realising there was no point in hanging around. She wanted to help, but she understood that it wasn’t necessarily welcome, and whatever the reason for that might be, she had to respect it.

‘I hope it’s a good day,’ Georgia said as Zoe turned to go. ‘Hope you win.’

‘There’s not much chance of that, but thanks,’ Zoe said, forcing a careless smile. ‘As long as you’re OK. Shall I phone you later? I could fill you in on all the gossip that I hear today.’

‘I’d like…actually, perhaps I’ll phone you tomorrow, if that’s all right. It might be a bit…’

Georgia didn’t finish, and she didn’t need to. Zoe understood perfectly well the meaning from the words she hadn’t said.

‘Whenever you have a minute,’ she said. ‘Maybe we’ll see you at the carol service next week if you can make it?’

‘Hope so,’ Georgia said before closing the door.

Zoe stood on the step, thoughtful as she processed what she’d just seen.

One thing was fairly clear – Brett had been steaming drunk.

It was presumably why he’d fallen and why Emilia was so impatient about it.

With a sigh, she made her way down the path.

There was nothing more to be done here, and she had a competition to lose.

When she got back to the village hall, the judging had already begun.

One of the dignitaries who’d come to do the job was apparently some celebrity chef who lived locally.

The other two were old ladies, one from the WI and the other someone who volunteered at the church.

But as Zoe had never been to a WI meeting or to church, she didn’t recognise them either.

They worked their way methodically down the row of tables, and when Zoe arrived, they were marvelling over Magnus’s cathedral.

He was clearly trying not to appear too smug, but his chest was puffed out, and he was smiling broadly, while Geoff looked on with pride.

‘I think he’s in with a chance this year,’ Corrine was whispering to Billie as Zoe took off her coat and rejoined them. ‘His cathedral is a stroke of genius. I’m surprised he’s never made that before.’

‘What is it?’ Billie asked.

‘A cathedral,’ Corrine said.

‘I’ve never seen one that looks like that.’

‘It’s in Iceland.’

‘Is that where he’s from?’

‘Lord, I’m amazed you didn’t know,’ Corrine said with a low laugh. ‘It’s not like he never mentions it!’ She turned to Zoe as she finally seemed to notice her arrival. ‘Everything all right, my love? If you don’t mind me saying, you seem flustered. Nothing amiss, is there?’

‘No, everything’s fine.’

Corrine looked sceptical at Zoe’s reply. ‘And your friend is all right?’

‘Yes, she hadn’t had time to make anything in the end, so she didn’t think it was worth coming.’

‘I see.’

Zoe faced the front to watch the judges close their discussion of Magnus’s entry.

They scribbled some notes and then moved on to the next, while people whispered and Geoff gave Magnus’s arm a little squeeze before following it up with a light kiss.

Corrine was smiling as she watched them.

And then she did the most extraordinary thing.

She’d framed it as an accident, but later, as Zoe considered it, she was certain it hadn’t been.

Corrine spun round to her own display and knocked the belltower clean off.

‘Oh dear,’ she said, and it was so convincing that both Zoe and Billie stared at her in disbelief. ‘Well, that’s torn it, hasn’t it?’

‘Can’t you stick it back on?’ Billie asked.

‘I could, but it will still look a mess.’

‘Better than it does now.’

‘Yes,’ Corrine said. ‘You’re right. It will look a bit better, won’t it?’

Clumsily, she picked up the chimney and plonked it back on top of her house. But the force with which she did it cracked the roof.

‘What the hell?’ Billie hissed, her tone so dismayed that anyone who didn’t know might have thought Corrine had just destroyed her entry.

‘Never mind,’ Corrine said. ‘Can’t be helped.’

By now the judges were appraising Flo’s entry.

She had her arms folded, her body language daring them to utter one word of criticism.

The judges, on the other hand, were perfectly courteous, with smiles fixed to their faces as they made more notes on their clipboards.

Then they looked at Ottilie’s, giving her the briefest of smiles before moving on.

‘They didn’t spend long on Ottilie’s, did they?’ Billie said. Zoe tried not to grin because despite the strange and troubling experience at Emilia’s house, it was warming to see how invested Billie was in the events happening right here in the village hall. ‘I wonder what score they gave her.’

‘We’ll find out soon enough,’ Corrine said.

They watched as the judges continued along the row, stopping to chat briefly and taste bits from everyone’s display. Ten minutes later, they reached Zoe and her little group.

‘Hello, Corrine!’ the woman from the WI greeted her warmly. ‘It’s lovely to see you again. What do you have for us this year?’

They crowded round as Corrine moved aside, and then the other woman tutted. ‘Oh, seems like there’s been a bit of an accident here.’

‘Just,’ Corrine said. ‘Can you believe it?’

‘Such a shame,’ the chef agreed. ‘It’s a real masterclass of construction too.’

‘Isn’t it?’ the women agreed. ‘Shall we taste it?’

They all took a piece and agreed that it was delicious, congratulating Corrine, and then made notes before going on to Zoe’s. The look they gave her was more sympathetic.

‘It’s a very good effort,’ the WI woman said. ‘I like the little Christmas trees here…May I?’

She plucked a tiny tree from the garden and lifted it to her mouth.

‘Oh no!’ Zoe reached to take it from her. ‘Sorry, they’re plastic!’

‘Ah!’ The woman put it back. ‘Is there something on here we can eat?’

‘Here…’ Zoe plucked the gate from the wall and offered it to her. ‘This is probably the least burned, so try this.’

The celebrity chef was stifling a grin. Zoe shared a look with him and shrugged.

There was no point in being anything less than honest because they could all see she’d burned most of her gingerbread.

She blamed Alex for that, distracting her while she was baking with his soft lips and lovely eyes.

She should have told him to go, but she hadn’t, and then she’d run out of time to make more.

Then again, would it have been all that much better even if she’d been allowed to concentrate?

In fact, the chef didn’t take a piece but made some excuse to look at something else while the two women tried it. They both chewed, forcing bright smiles for Zoe.

‘Mm… it’s quite… gingery.’

‘Fiery,’ the other agreed. ‘Punchy. You wouldn’t need a lot to know you’ve had it.’

Zoe wondered what on earth that meant but guessed it wasn’t complimentary. ‘Thank you,’ she said, now stifling a grin of her own as they turned their attention to Billie’s.

‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘Some of the decoration fell off. We got it back, but…’