‘Is he all right? He’s not cold, is he?’
‘I don’t think so. It’s more likely he’s not very happy about being naked…’ She cooed at Ezra. ‘There’s no need for all this fuss…It’s not for long, little man.’ After noting his weight, Zoe lifted him gently from the scales and handed him to Maisie. ‘Thank you for the biscuits, by the way. I forgot to say.’
‘What biscuits?’
‘Oh, your mum left them for me. I thought perhaps you’d had something to do with it.’
Maisie shook her head, and Zoe couldn’t deny that the notion that Maisie hadn’t prompted her mum to make the gesture made it all the more precious, especially given their previous frosty relations.
‘They were nice anyway,’ Zoe continued. ‘Thank your mum for me, won’t you?’
‘Yeah.’ There was a pause. ‘She said nice things about you the other day.’
Zoe raised her eyebrows as she closed Ezra’s progress file.
‘Well,’ Maisie continued, ‘she saidthingsabout you. And they weren’t bad.’
Zoe coughed lightly. ‘I’ll put the file on this shelf…is that all right? You’ll remember to put it somewhere safe? I’ll need it when I next come.’
‘Don’t you put all the things in your computer?’
‘Yes, but you have a file too. It’s so you can keep track of how he’s doing as well as me. They’re a nice keepsake too – lots of mums put them away to look back on.’
‘Oh, that’s a good idea. So I can show it to him when he’s old enough to read?’
‘Exactly.’ Zoe was fastening her bag when there was a knock at the door. ‘Would you like me to get that for you? I’ll be on my way out in a second anyway.’
‘Yes, please. I don’t know who it is.’
‘Perhaps when we open the door we’ll find out,’ Zoe said, though the subtle joke was wasted on Maisie, who simply sat down with Ezra to dress him.
Before she’d reached the door, she could hear a familiar gruff voice from behind it. And then another, even more familiar. She opened up with a quizzical smile.
‘You didn’t say you were coming down,’ she said to Billie, who hooked a thumb at her chaperone by way of explanation.
‘Victor said he was coming to the village and asked if I needed a lift down there to get some air, and I thought I might as well come to see Maisie. I mean, she’s in, right? It’s not like she’s going to be going anywhere for the next few days, not with Ezra only just born. Have you come to weigh him?’
‘And some other bits and bobs.’ Zoe stood aside to let Billie in. She had Louisa strapped to her front in a papoose.
Victor lifted his hat to scratch his head. ‘I won’t be coming in.’ His anxious glance down the hallway confirmed to Zoe that he would probably have enjoyed meeting Ezra, but not if that meant having to make small talk with one of the other residents of the house.
Zoe lowered her voice. ‘Bridget’s gone to bingo so it’s only Maisie, if you fancied saying hello.’
Victor gave a sheepish grin before stepping over the threshold. ‘Happen I will. Just to be sociable, you know. Might as well welcome the newest villager while I’m here.’
‘That’s what I thought,’ Zoe said, sharing a knowing look with Billie as they both went down the hallway.
From within, there was a sudden squeal, and for the shortest second, Zoe wondered if something was amiss, until she realised it was Maisie showing how thrilled she was that Billie had come. Zoe didn’t blame her for that as she walked in to see them excitedly introducing their babies to one another – she was surprised to see Billie on such a mission of her own accord but also pleased. It meant Billie, who had suffered from postnatal depression after the birth of Louisa and hadn’t wanted to participate in life much at all, was finally on the right path. Even a week ago, Victor would have made the offer to bring her down and she would have declined. Zoe wished she could stay to witness more of it, but she had another home visit to get to, and she was already in danger of running late.
‘Have fun,’ she said from the doorway.
Billie turned to her. ‘You’re going already?’
‘I’ve got another appointment. You’ll be able to keep Maisie company until her mum gets home, won’t you?’
At this, Victor seemed to remember that he hadn’t wanted to be there when Bridget was. He chucked baby Ezra beneath the chin before smiling up at Maisie.
‘He’s a bonny one. It’s good to see you looking well, but I’d better get on. Corrine says she’ll come to see you when she gets a minute.’
