It wasn’t her place to mention that Billie might not be coping, not yet, and certainly not to Corrine. She knew Corrine wouldn’t gossip, but it still wasn’t appropriate. It was bad enough she’d involved Georgia, who, unlike Emilia, had no professional need to know, but that had been done precisely because she was in the unique position of being able to help. Again, Zoe was certain Corrine would want to and perhaps could, but in this instance that wasn’t the point.
‘I remember only too well what hard work it is,’ Corrine said. ‘It gets easier; I’m sure it will for Billie. And she’s got you and Alex, so she’s lucky.’
‘Alex is great with Louisa,’ Zoe said. ‘Absolutely adores her.’
‘As it should be,’ Corrine said with a smile. ‘Can you stay for a cup of tea?’
‘I’m sure I could find the time.’
‘Shall I pour you one?’ Corrine asked Victor.
‘Not for a minute, love,’ he replied. ‘I’ve got one or two things to do out here. I’ll be in shortly.’
Zoe hung back for a minute as Corrine went inside. ‘Are you taking her up to the field tonight?’
‘I don’t think so. I want to be there as she settles in. Just in case there are any domestics.’
‘You mean one of the others might not like her?’
‘Nothing not to like!’ he said with a grin. ‘She’s an angel. Still, it doesn’t hurt to watch a while, make sure everyone plays nice. Come on…’ he said, waving a hand at the ramp that led to the door of the trailer. ‘I’ll let you have a quick peek; I know you’re dying to see her.’
Zoe wasn’t tall enough to see in, and so Victor ended up opening the trailer a crack to allow her to look. ‘Aww, she’s so cute! Smaller than the others, isn’t she?’
‘A bit on the dainty side, but I’m sure she’ll hold her own. What she lacks in size, she makes up for in attitude. Remind you of anyone?’
Zoe laughed. ‘I can’t imagine who you mean. What did you say her name was?’
‘Dandelion.’
‘It’s so cute – I love it.’
‘She’s going to be a very nice addition to my little family,’ he said with a satisfied nod.
Zoe stepped back to allow him to fasten the trailer again. ‘How long until she has her baby?’
‘A good while yet. It’ll be the end of the year. I’ve got the vet coming up to look at her tomorrow, and he’ll give us something more exact. The fella I picked her up from didn’t seem to know much about anything. I felt sorry for his misfortune and all that, but between you and me, he shouldn’t have been keeping animals at all – nothing bigger than a goldfish anyway. She’ll be better off here.’ His expression turned serious. ‘I don’t have a problem with your dad having guests to stay at Kestrel Cottage, you know.’
Zoe frowned. ‘I didn’t think…’ She wondered where this was about to go.
‘And I certainly don’t have a problem with your dad; he’s a great fella. Chantal, too – lovely girl. I hope they weren’t offended when I went over, but there’s a code when you’re in the countryside, and everyone has to follow it. I didn’t mean to offend, but someone has to say something. We’re all right, aren’t we?’
‘God, yes!’ Zoe said, confused. Clearly Victor had felt the need to see her dad over some complaint, but what? And he seemed to think Zoe’s dad had told her about it. ‘What’s happened? I haven’t had a chance to see him since they moved in.’
‘So he hasn’t told you?’
‘No.’
‘But you know they’ve got that fella staying with them?’
‘Lennon? Yes, he’s Chantal’s brother.’
‘Only I had to have a word with him about the dog. It’s not that I mind anyone having pets in Kestrel – we’ve got enough animals around here, and I’m an animal lover myself – but you’ve got to keep some kind of control.’
Zoe’s eyes widened. ‘What did he do?’
‘It weren’t here,’ Victor said. ‘Sam’s farm – over the hill. Spooked some of his sheep. Sam chased him off and saw them walk back this way. Described the dog to me and I thought, well, there’s only one dog I’ve seen looks like that around here.’
‘Dad was OK about it?’
