‘Good to have him close by too, I would imagine,’ he continued.
‘Absolutely.’
To a point, Zoe had to admit it would be nice to have her dad closer, but she dreaded the conflict that would inevitably ensue as soon as her mother found out. And there was no way she could avoid being sucked into it.
Alex returned from the kitchen with Corrine. She was carrying a tray full of cups and a teapot – which Alex rarely used and had probably been forced to hunt the cupboards for. Although outwardly he was wearing a blandly pleasant expression, Zoe could see the signs of some alarm. It was likely only Zoe and Billie who could tell, and Zoe wondered if Corrine had just broken the same news to him as Victor had to Zoe. It was a fairly safe bet, and would explain why he didn’t seem to know what to do or say.
Corrine put the tray down, and Alex set a plate of sliced fruitcake next to it before standing up, rubbing at his neck as he watched Zoe carefully. Corrine didn’t wait to be asked – she began pouring tea as if it had always been her patriotic duty; meanwhile Victor didn’t ask if he could swoop on the cake either.
‘Zoe…’ Alex began. ‘Have you…?Did Vic…?Has your dad said…?’
‘About moving into Kestrel Cottage?’ she asked. ‘No, I’m just hearing all about it.’
‘It’s lovely news…’ Corrine offered Zoe a cup. ‘We weren’t sure who we’d get in, so it’s a relief for us. A bit sudden, isn’t it? Not that I’m complaining.’
‘That’s Dad.’ Zoe tried to keep the irony from her voice. ‘Always surprising us. You never know what he’s going to do next.’
Alex shot her the briefest look of sympathy. It was appreciated, but she decided then and there she wasn’t going to dwell on what she couldn’t control. The only thing she could do was try to find some positives in the situation. There were many, if she tried hard enough to see them. It was her dad, after all, and she loved him, and why wouldn’t she want him around? She ought to be glad because when her parents had first split, she’d felt him become distant, spending all his time with Chantal. Now he wanted to be where she was, and that had to be good. She only had to look around this room to see how full her cup was, and having her dad move into Kestrel Cottage could only make things better.
She pushed a smile across her face, forcing herself to feel it. Yes, she was going to be glad about this or die trying.
18
Zoe had hoped for a grace period, but her dad had other plans. The following week, as she returned to work, he was moving his belongings into Kestrel Cottage. He’d rented his own house to a friend at the golf club and so was perfectly free to settle into his new home as quickly as he liked. Which, apparently, was very quickly indeed. But Zoe, noting a strange kind of gratitude in the fact, had no time to worry about it because she was beginning to see she had far bigger concerns.
After greeting Lavender, Shabana and Simon briefly, Zoe went to see Emilia, whom she knew would be at her desk well before the start of morning clinic.
She looked up from some patient results at the sound of her door opening. ‘Zoe! Morning! Good week? How’s Billie and the baby?’
‘They’re good,’ Zoe said carefully. ‘It’s been a nice week – and needed. Thanks again for letting me have it at such short notice.’
‘It’s the least I could do,’ she replied vaguely as she rifled through the slips of paper, a crease appearing on her brow. ‘Was there something you needed, or were you just reporting for duty?’
‘I…it’s a bit delicate, actually.’
‘Oh?’ Emilia gave Zoe her full attention now.
‘It’s Billie. I’m almost certain she’s showing signs of postnatal depression.’
‘That’s sad, but why do you need to tell me?’
Zoe didn’t baulk at the question. She was used to Emilia’s direct, sometimes even brusque manner. It didn’t mean she didn’t care or didn’t want to help, only that etiquette and subtleties were concepts she’d never met.
‘I’m sure you have the experience to diagnose it,’ Emilia continued.
‘Not formally,’ Zoe said. ‘But yes, I recognise the red flags.’
‘Such as…’
‘Like she’s struggling to engage. She’s attentive enough to Louisa – there’s no worry on that score. But she doesn’t want to go out, and she’s not looking after herself and…I’m well aware that sometimes new mums feel too overwhelmed to do the basics they normally would, showering and getting dressed and so on, but…I don’t know, call it intuition.’ Zoe took a breath. Now that she was saying it all out loud, she wondered if she was seeing problems that weren’t there. Billie was Alex’s world, and perhaps Zoe was too aware of that to keep her professional head on straight. ‘The thing is, it’s Billie. And I’m?—’
‘Too close?’ Emilia put the sheet she was holding down. ‘I see what you mean now. You’re asking me to get involved?’
‘I was hoping to get your take on what I should do.’
‘I’d refer her to the appropriate service. There’s nothing else to do – not at this end anyway. I assume you have contacts for them.’
‘But how do I approach it?’
