Page 28 of Christmas for the Village Midwife (The Village Midwife #2)

Zoe should have known that any attempt to sneak out of the party and then back in without being noticed would fail spectacularly. They’d hardly pushed open the door when there was a cheer from the other side of the room. Zoe looked to see Magnus with his hands in the air, grinning at them.

‘And just where have you two been? Sneaking away for romance, eh?’

Zoe glanced at Alex and then smiled at Magnus. ‘Ah, you caught us! Sorry for running out, but…’ She gave a helpless shrug. ‘Did we miss anything?’

‘You missed my “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”!’ he said, laughing.

‘Huh?’

‘You know,’ Geoff cut in. ‘The song. From Les Mis .’

‘Sorry,’ Alex said. ‘Not really a musical theatre fan.’

Magnus mimed an arrow shooting him through the heart. ‘No! And I was singing it just for you!’

‘Were you?’ Zoe looked bemused.

‘Of course! Because you had gone and your chairs were empty!’

‘Ah…’ Zoe gave a little laugh, exchanged another brief look with Alex and then took her coat off. Magnus rushed to take it and then waited patiently for Alex’s before staggering into another room with them.

Ottilie came over, rosy-cheeked, nibbling a cheese straw. ‘If you’d have said you were going out, I’d have come. It’s boiling in here, and I could do with some air.’

‘It’s just started to snow, so it would definitely cool you down,’ Zoe said. ‘Want me to come with you?’

‘I’ll get Heath in a minute…if I can find him. Last time I saw him, he was deep in conversation with Simon about something. Looked a bit serious, but then, isn’t Simon always serious? Anyway, where did you two go?’ she asked. ‘And I only need the clean version.’

Zoe smiled. ‘It was nothing like that. I was a bit hot too.’

Ottilie raised her eyebrows. ‘So you could have stood in the garden to cool down, but I looked and I didn’t see you there.’

Zoe paused. She glanced at Alex, but he shrugged.

Zoe supposed, despite wanting to help, he didn’t know Georgia or Ottilie like she did, and so he couldn’t give an opinion on whether it would be a good idea to share her concerns about one with the other.

In the end, she wondered why there was any doubt.

Ottilie would be discreet and would probably be full of wise advice.

‘To be honest, I went to check on Georgia.’

‘Oh?’ Ottilie frowned. ‘She’s all right? No problems with the baby?’

‘Nothing like that. I think…well, I don’t know really, but do you think something is off there?’

‘I can’t say I do, but I don’t know her like you do. What sort of thing?’

‘Well, Emilia is uptight all the time. I know her from years ago, of course, and she was always a bit serious, but she was nice. She’s still nice – I don’t mean that, but…

I can’t put my finger on it, but I think it’s to do with having Georgia and Brett staying with her, and I think it’s more specifically something going on with Brett that Georgia and Emilia are having to deal with, and I think there’s more to Em having them stay with her than anyone is saying.

I mean, I know there is, I just don’t know how worried anyone should be…

’ Zoe took a long breath and grimaced. ‘I don’t think any of that made any sense, did it? ’

‘It’s vague, I’ll give you that. Like I said, I don’t see it, but I don’t know them like you do, so if you think there’s something to worry about, then I’ll take your word for it. Do you have anything more specific to go on than just your gut?’

‘Well, I think he’s drinking,’ Zoe began.

Ottilie’s frown deepened. ‘Not to be obstructive, but the fact he might like a drink doesn’t mean much. Do you mean he has a problem?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘I’m fairly sure he was steaming when I saw him earlier sitting on a bench by the old phone box with no coat on,’ Alex put in. ‘And I think when you’re at the point when you’re sitting in the snow with no coat, you might consider that a problem.’

‘Doesn’t mean it’s a regular thing,’ Ottilie said with a sceptical tone. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to pour cold water on your theory, but it needs pointing out. We’ve all done the odd daft thing when we’re drunk, but that doesn’t make us alcoholics.’

‘Getting blind drunk in the middle of the afternoon on your own? In my experience, that’s the sign of a problem.’

Zoe gave him a sharp look. Was he speaking from experience?

It wasn’t something they’d discussed, but had he hit that sort of low after he’d lost Jennifer?

It was something that had blindsided her, and she wanted to probe, but it would have to wait because here with Ottilie wasn’t the time.

Not to mention they had a more immediate issue to deal with.

‘I still think you have to be cautious.’

Zoe let out a sigh. ‘True. I don’t want to see problems every time I look, but I do, that’s all. You’re probably right, though.’

‘Look,’ Ottilie said, ‘if it were me, I’d keep a close eye on things, maybe try to drop some hints to get one of them to open up, but I’d be careful.’

‘If I’m wrong, they’re going to be very offended, I know.’

‘Maybe even really hurt. Again, though, that’s just me. You know them better than me, and you might see what I don’t because of that, so what you do is really up to you.’

Zoe nodded slowly. ‘Thanks, Ott.’

‘Not sure how much help I’ve been, but you’re welcome.’

Alex put an arm around Zoe and pulled her close. ‘There’s nothing else we can do for now. Let’s try to enjoy the party.’

‘He’s right,’ Ottilie said. ‘You might as well.’

‘I’ll get you a drink,’ Alex said. ‘Want cava, like you were having before?’

‘If there’s any left, thanks.’

She watched him go and then turned to see Ottilie studying her.

‘Things look like they’re going really well for you two,’ she said, biting into her cheese straw.

‘I think so,’ Zoe said. ‘I’m just trying really hard not to blow it at the moment.’

‘I can’t see that happening. Seems to me he’s as keen as you are.’

‘It’s early days, isn’t it? Who knows? He might start to think I’m a busybody who sees drama everywhere she looks and wants to wade in to fix it.’

Ottilie laughed. ‘I don’t think so! You don’t really feel that way, surely?’

‘No…’ Zoe shook her head. ‘I don’t think I do. He was brilliant when we went out. So supportive. I’m not used to that, and it’s hard to get my head around at the moment.’

‘Ritchie wasn’t exactly husband of the year, was he?’

‘I don’t know about that. He did his best, and he was good in his own way, but he wouldn’t have understood my worries like Alex does.

Ritchie would have wanted hard proof, and even then he wouldn’t have wanted us to get involved.

He liked the easy life – the less hassle for him, the happier he was. Alex is…’

‘Better?’

‘ Different is perhaps the word.’

Ottilie looked sceptical. ‘I think you’re being far kinder than your ex deserves.’

‘Maybe. I sometimes think I’m still fond of him, even though he’s being an absolute pain over the house sale right now.

At the beginning, I said I didn’t want to throw away all the good memories we made together simply because we’d split, and I want it to be that way.

I don’t want to feel that all those years were wasted time. ’

Ottilie smiled. ‘They’re never wasted time – nothing ever is.’

A shout went up from the windows, and Zoe looked to see Stacey pointing at the snow, now coming down in a blizzard.

‘It was nothing like that five minutes ago!’ Zoe said, making her way over with Ottilie following.

‘Doesn’t it look pretty?’ Stacey gave her a blurry, booze-soaked smile.

‘It’s lovely. But I think it means nobody is going far just yet.’

‘Why would anyone want to go?’ Geoff asked from somewhere behind the group who had gathered to look. ‘We have plenty of space for anyone who wants to stay over later.’

‘Nobody has a toothbrush,’ Stacey said.

‘Ah,’ Geoff said, tapping the side of his nose. ‘But we have a shop with toothbrushes in it! Anyway, we love hosting! If we didn’t host at least once a month, I think Magnus would shrivel up.’

‘Speak for yourself.’ Magnus came to join them. ‘All you talk about is which party is next.’

‘OK, so you’re both as bad,’ Stacey said. ‘Tell us something we don’t know.’

‘But,’ Ottilie put in, ‘Thimblebury would be a lot duller without you.’

There was a murmur of agreement, and both Magnus and Geoff flushed with pleasure. Or perhaps the red faces were from the volume of cava they’d drunk since the party had begun – it was hard to tell.

‘Right!’ Stacey was already heading for the door. ‘Who’s coming?’

‘You’re not going out there?’ Simon asked, and Stacey turned and frowned, hands on her hips.

‘You know me better than that by now! Of course I’m going out there!’

Ottilie put down her drink and looked at Heath. ‘Coming?’

‘Seriously?’ Heath asked.

‘Let’s live a little.’

‘You’re pregnant!’

‘All the more reason to make the most of this last bit of freedom before I’m too tied up with being a mum!’

She grabbed his hand and then looked at Zoe and Alex. ‘You two have already been out, so…’

Zoe laughed. ‘Since when does that matter?’

As they all filed out, Zoe’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a message from Georgia.

Nothing to worry about but thanks for checking. Hope you’re having fun at the party. x

‘Everything all right?’ Alex asked as Zoe locked her phone and put it away.

‘I think so. Georgia says everything is fine.’

‘Has that put your mind at rest?’

Zoe nodded. ‘It will have to. Ottilie’s right – I’m probably making a mountain out of a molehill. We’ve done the neighbourly thing and checked, and we can’t do much more than that.’

‘I don’t think so.’ He glanced up at the sky as they went outside to join everyone else. ‘I hope we don’t get stuck – Billie will worry.’

‘Or’ – Zoe gave him a playful nudge – ‘she might be glad of the peace and quiet.’

‘She might,’ he said, laughing. ‘But maybe we won’t stay too late.’

Before she could reply, a snowball whistled past her ear, and she spun round to see Stacey laughing helplessly. The merriment was wiped from her face as Geoff fired one at her and hit her dead on the cheek.

‘Oh, you…!’ she cried, bending to scoop an armful before making a ball and hurling at him.

Before it hit the target, she’d been struck again by one from Simon, and Zoe’s mouth fell open.

She’d never had serious Simon down as the snowball-fighting type, but apparently she’d got that wrong.

He was grinning at Stacey, and she looked so momentarily shocked that it seemed she was only just discovering this new, mischievous side to him too.

‘Right!’ she huffed as she bent down for more snow. ‘You’ve asked for it, mister!’

Then another flew towards Zoe, this time from Ottilie, and it hit her on the forehead.

‘Ottilie!’ she cried and then wiped her face, only to see Ottilie looking sheepish.

‘Sorry, but you were just making it too easy.’

‘Easy, eh?’ Zoe said, gathering a handful for herself. ‘We’ll see how easy I am!’

She threw it, but Ottilie dodged and it hit Magnus instead, making him gasp as it slid down his neck and into his jumper.

‘You little madam!’ he yelled. He was already armed, and now his target was Zoe. But she ducked, and it hit Alex.

‘Hey!’ he said, brushing off his coat. ‘I’m supposed to be a valued guest!’

Zoe turned to him and planted a snowball right into his face, breathless with laughter at his look of shock.

And then he ran his hand along a wall to collect as much snow as he could, and Zoe ran as he started to chase her with it.

Eventually, he caught her and shoved it down her back, and as she squirmed, helpless with laughter, he wrestled her to the ground and rolled on top of her to kiss her.

His lips were cold and delicious, and she yielded to them.

‘People will talk,’ she whispered.

‘Probably,’ he said before kissing her again. And then he stood and offered his hand to help her up.

Nobody had noticed them because they were all too busy fighting an all-out snowball war.

‘A garden full of grown men and women,’ Alex said. ‘And look at them.’

‘Just goes to show, those kids are always still inside us,’ Zoe agreed.

‘I think life would be a bit boring if they weren’t.’

Zoe grabbed a handful of snow while his attention was on the other guests. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It would.’ And then she pulled him down for a kiss before moving her mouth at the last minute and rubbing the snow into his hair.

‘You’re a tricky one, aren’t you?’ he said, brushing it off. ‘I’m seeing a whole new side to you today.’

‘Good or bad?’

‘I don’t think I’ve decided yet. I think it might be a bit sexy, though.’

Zoe winked at him, not quite sure where it had come from. She didn’t wink, not ever, but Alex seemed to be bringing out a side to her she’d never known to exist. ‘Sexy, eh? I can live with that.’