Page 3 of Christmas for the Village Midwife (The Village Midwife #2)

Zoe had arrived home to Kestrel Cottage exhausted after Yana’s home birth.

She’d promised to phone Alex if it was still early enough at that point to salvage their day, and even though it probably was, she messaged him to say she was too tired to be decent company and it might be better if they put off the tree decorating until the following day.

Much as she wanted to see him, she reasoned there was no point if she was going to fall asleep ten minutes after his arrival.

The following morning was Monday, and even though she’d been on call over the weekend, technically it was a new work week.

She never minded being called out, but sometimes, if there was a run, it could feel as if she hadn’t had a weekend at all.

Today was definitely one of those occasions.

She couldn’t stop yawning as she dressed, and let out an involuntary groan as she went to the window of her bedroom to see it had started to snow heavily again.

To a point, it looked pretty, but it was making travel to her home appointments hellishly difficult.

Downstairs, the tree Alex had bought for her the previous day was standing in the porch to keep it cold and fresh until they could get to it. No fear of it staying cold, Zoe mused wryly as she passed it on her way out.

She closed the gate and waved at her neighbour and landlord, Victor, who was bang on time to give her a lift down to the village.

‘It’s really good of you,’ she said as he opened the door of his old Land Rover for her.

‘You’d never make it in your car,’ he said cheerily. ‘And it’s no bother for me. Old Banger will make short work of the snow; she always does.’

It was lucky that Zoe had only one home visit to Yana on her list for that day and she could walk to her house if worse came to worst. She wasn’t sure how she was going to cope if more came up later that week and the weather was still bad.

She hated to cancel anyone but realised she might have to at least postpone one or two who lived further out until the roads were clear again. Hopefully that wouldn’t be long.

‘Never seen anything like this.’ Victor started the engine. ‘I’ve seen snow here man and boy, of course, but I can’t remember the last time I saw it this bad and for this long.’

‘At least it’s not a regular thing then,’ Zoe replied. ‘I love snow, but I don’t know if I could do this every winter.’

‘I’m with you there, lass.’ Victor yanked the gearstick and the car juddered, tossing Zoe so violently to one side she wondered if she’d have whiplash by the time they made it down the hill.

‘Could you drop me outside the shop? I need to get a few supplies before I go to work. I can manage from there.’

‘Whatever you like.’

There was a pause. Zoe couldn’t help but smile because she was getting used to this pause, and she was beginning to recognise what it meant.

‘Seen much of Alex?’ Victor asked idly.

‘Yes,’ Zoe said, her smile growing. Victor loved to pretend he didn’t gossip, but he was as interested in her new romance with Alex as everyone else. Perhaps more since he and Alex had become good friends. ‘Quite a lot, actually.’

‘Ah. So it’s…’

‘Going well,’ Zoe finished for him. ‘So far.’

‘Of course,’ he said gruffly. ‘Early days and all.’

‘Exactly. Early days. But I like to think we’re off to a good start.’

A better start, she’d have said, but she didn’t want to go over their rocky introduction with anyone who didn’t already know about it.

The fact was that anyone who’d witnessed Zoe and Alex’s first few weeks from close quarters would have bet against them ever exchanging a civil word, let alone romance.

It was funny, Zoe had reflected more than once, that life, as her grandma always said, could turn on a sixpence.

Wherever Zoe went, the same conversation was being had about the snow in wondrous tones.

Some were happier than others, depending on how fond they might be of sledding or tubing or cross-country skiing, or hiking in snowshoes, or any of the other things people who often had lots of snow liked to do.

Magnus, co-owner of Thimblebury’s shop, being Icelandic, was rather nostalgic and very stoic about it all.

The record-breaking snow currently falling on the Lake District reminded him of home, and he couldn’t see what the fuss was about.

Zoe could tell he was secretly enjoying the fuss anyway but not quite as much as he enjoyed telling people that snow wasn’t nearly the obstacle to everyday life they all seemed to think it was.

According to Magnus – who had no commute to his place of work, a nice electric heater at his feet behind the counter and an endless supply of tea brought to him by his partner, Geoff – snow was no issue at all if you simply found sensible solutions to it.

‘Easy for you to say,’ Flo huffed as Zoe leaned on the counter, checking the emails on her phone as she waited for her turn to be served. She’d been there with enough time to go through quite a lot because Flo had much to get off her chest, mostly about how neglected she was.

Zoe couldn’t help but smile to herself as she caught snatches of the conversation, scrolling her messages with the absent patience of someone who was too tired to worry about it.

And Flo was far from neglected – Zoe’s friend and colleague at the surgery, Ottilie, made sure of that.

She and her partner – Flo’s grandson, Heath – went out of their way to look after her – not that anyone listening to Flo would know it.

‘I could fall over in that snow and freeze to death and nobody would find me,’ she said, pursing her lips like she was eating a lemon.

‘Are you thinking of painting yourself white then?’ Magnus asked with a subtle, blithe humour that Zoe had come to recognise since her arrival in the village.

‘What’s that got to do with anything?’ Flo snapped.

‘Well, I wondered how you wouldn’t be seen in the snow. But then I thought, if you were painted white, then it would be camouflage. So I wondered if that was your plan.’

Flo narrowed her eyes. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I can leave if you’re going to be like that.’

‘It’s only a little tease,’ Magnus said but looking somewhat sheepish with it.

‘It’s not fair, teasing an old lady for being afraid for her life. That’s what’s wrong with the world these days – no respect. No care for others. Everyone’s a comedian at someone else’s expense…’

‘I’m sorry,’ Magnus said, though he didn’t sound all that sorry to Zoe. ‘If I’m walking around, I’ll be sure to keep a look out in case you are lying in the snow. I’ll make sure Geoff does the same.’

Flo looked cynical but then seemed to decide that was the end of that particular conversation. ‘Have you got my cheese in? The apple one?’

‘Sorry, Flo, not yet.’

‘You haven’t had it in for weeks!’

‘Not weeks, only a few days. The suppliers are struggling. It’s the snow, I expect, having an effect on everything.’

‘Oh!’ Flo threw her hands into the air. ‘Another thing ruined by this blasted snow! So when are you going to get it in?’

‘We’re doing our best,’ Magnus said. ‘As soon as we get some, I’ll let you know.’

Flo frowned. ‘I’m sure I don’t know what I’m going to put on my crackers for tea.’

‘We’ve got some nice smoked cheddar,’ Magnus began, but Flo was already on her way to the door.

‘I’ll come back later to see if it’s arrived…’

As the door slammed shut and Flo walked a cleared path, huffing as she went, Magnus turned to Zoe. ‘What can I get for you, my love?’

‘I want my apple cheese too!’ She pretended to flounce out, and Magnus burst into laughter.

‘Actually,’ Zoe said with a grin, ‘I need some waterproof plasters – I don’t suppose you have any? I’ve looked at the first aid shelf, but I can’t see them – probably right in front of my face, but…’

She followed Magnus to an area that held a scant and basic stock of first aid, and her grin spread as he put his hand straight onto a box. ‘I said they would be,’ she offered in an apologetic tone. ‘Sometimes I worry about myself.’

‘Some days are just like that,’ Magnus said. ‘Will these be all right for you?’

‘Perfect.’

‘Did you cut yourself?’

‘Oh, Alex did yesterday trying to show me how manly he is by wrangling a Christmas tree into a car. The tree came out best. I had to use the last plaster I had in my handbag on him and I thought it might be a good idea to get a replacement box in case he had more manly ideas.’

‘Yes, manly ideas often lead to trouble.’ Magnus smiled. ‘Anything else?’

‘Have you got any ground ginger?’

‘That I can’t help with, I’m afraid – we sold out yesterday. I take it you’re thinking of entering something into the gingerbread house contest?’

‘Me and everyone else in Thimblebury, apparently.’

‘Every Christmas it’s the same. Everyone wants to beat Corrine, of course, but they never do. Perhaps you’ll be the lucky one.’

‘I doubt that – have you even met Corrine? I think that woman was born with oven gloves on her hands. I’ll have a go, but it’s just for fun, really – an excuse to join in, you know?

To tell you the truth, Alex and I have been talking about how we ought to make more of an effort to be a part of the community, and this seemed like a good place to start. ’

‘There’s always plenty going on at Christmas that brings people together, that’s for sure. And you’ve got lots of time for the competition.’

‘Oh, I know, but I wanted to do a couple of practice runs beforehand.’

‘You and everyone else…that’s why the ginger is sold out.’ He cocked an eyebrow. ‘So you do want to win? Just a little?’

‘Maybe a little,’ Zoe said, laughing. ‘I can’t help it.’

‘We all want to win a little,’ Magnus agreed. ‘If only to go down in Thimblebury’s history as the person who finally broke Corrine’s run.’

‘You’re going to bake something?’

‘Naturally. I do something every year; Geoff too. We usually have some of them on display in the shop afterwards.’

‘I’m looking forward to seeing them. So you don’t know when you’ll have the ginger in? If there are supply issues, I mean.’

‘Different suppliers than Flo’s cheese, my love. Geoff’s at the wholesalers now; we should have it when he gets back.’

‘Brilliant! If I pay you now, will you put some aside for me? I’ll pick it up when I next come down to the village.’

‘Pay me when you collect it.’

Zoe thanked him and left with the plasters and some other bits she’d picked up for work. The surgery staff took it in turns to fetch supplies of tea and coffee and snacks, and it was hers.

As she stepped out into the snow, she found it had restarted after a brief break.

This time, however, the sky was heavy with it, falling in stuttering flurries.

It was almost as if the weather itself was trying to apologise for the way it was behaving, or perhaps that it was uncertain what it was meant to be doing.

Someone had cleared a path from the shop down to the road, and along the main street as far as the old stone cross that marked where the traders of old had sold their wares, but already the exposed ground was dusted with a powdery layer of fresh snow.

Zoe didn’t mind. She liked snow – at least down here where the terrain was flat and manageable.

The hill going up to her cottage was a different matter, but she’d been lucky enough to have Victor and his Land Rover to take her up and down while the weather had been making the path difficult.

She drew in a lungful of clean, iced air, exhaling it as a great cloud that swirled up into the sky, and smiled. Life was good.