Chapter Thirteen
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Ottilie had just seen Mrs Icke out when Lavender appeared at her office door. ‘I’ve booked William Tavistock in and he’s waiting in the reception for you, but I’ve also got Chloe in reception asking to see you. What do you want to do? You want me to tell her to wait until your clinic is over, or can you spare two minutes? I can make William a cup of tea and ask him to wait if you need me to.’
Ottilie frowned. ‘That’s sweet of you, and he’s not normally in a rush, but did Chloe say what she wanted that was so urgent?’
‘She wouldn’t tell me. She seems calm enough, but you can never tell with that girl. The sky could be falling down and she’d be walking round like she was bored of life.’
‘Well, did she say how long she wanted me for?’
Lavender shrugged. ‘Again, this is Chloe. She’s not going to tell me. I did say to her you couldn’t spare much time because it was in the middle of clinic, and she said that was OK.’
Ottilie rubbed some alcohol gel into her hands. ‘I suppose I might as well see her now if William is happy to wait.’
She wiped down the treatment bed and tidied her supply cupboard while she waited. A couple of minutes later, Lavender returned with Chloe in tow.
‘Hi, Chloe,’ Ottilie said. ‘Come in and shut the door.’
Lavender left them to it, and Chloe took a seat at the other side of Ottilie’s desk. Without a word, she took a piece of white plastic from her pocket and laid it down in front of Ottilie. ‘Can you get a midwife for me?’ she asked.
Ottilie peered at the pregnancy test and then looked up at Chloe. ‘One of our doctors needs to do that.’
‘I don’t want them to know.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because Simon will tell my mum.’
‘Chloe,’ Ottilie said, leaning across the desk, ‘I think your mum will find out sooner or later. Are you worried about telling her?’
‘She’ll freak out. She’ll say it’s too soon after Mackenzie.’
‘What do you feel about that? Or Ollie…I’m assuming it’s Ollie’s baby?’
‘Yes!’ Chloe said with the merest hint of offence at the suggestion the father might be anyone but her boyfriend.
‘Sorry, but I had to ask. It’s a professional thing, you know – we can’t make those kinds of assumptions.’
‘Oh. Right.’
‘So you’re OK with it?’
‘I’m glad,’ Chloe said. ‘I want the baby. I like babies now.’
‘Even though it will disrupt your studying?’
‘Ollie says he’ll help. We’ll manage between us. We’re going to get a flat together.’
‘Sounds like you’ve got it all sorted. I’m not sure what you need me for. Like I said, I can’t refer you to midwifery. If you prefer not to see Simon, Dr Cheadle will do it, and she won’t say a word to your mum.’
‘She might say to Simon, and he might tell Mum.’
‘She won’t, and even if she did, Simon isn’t legally allowed to say anything no matter what the relationship. That’s how it is. None of us can. I’m not even allowed to tell Heath anything about his gran’s medical record, no matter what it might be. In this case, I don’t think any of us will have to tell your mum for her to know eventually. How far along do you think you are?’
‘About eight weeks.’
‘Early then. So you’ve got time to think about how you’re going to break it to her.’
‘Could you tell her for me?’
‘Again, I think it would be better coming from you. She adores Mackenzie – I bet she won’t be half as upset as you imagine.’
‘She will – she’ll say I’m throwing my career away and all that.’
‘She might worry about that, but I don’t think she’d say so.’
Chloe reached for the pregnancy test and stared at it for a moment. ‘Can I have another midwife, do you think? I don’t like the one I had for Mackenzie.’
‘She’s all we’ve got,’ Ottilie said, though recalling a conversation she’d had with Fliss not that long ago where Fliss was concerned they didn’t have enough cover for the sudden baby boom Thimblebury seemed to be experiencing. And here was Chloe, adding to the burden.
‘She was always telling me off.’
‘For your own good, I’m sure.’
‘I don’t think she liked me.’
‘Whether she likes you or not doesn’t come into it. Chloe’ – Ottilie gave an encouraging smile – ‘if I based my decision to treat on whether I liked the patient or not, I wouldn’t be very busy, trust me. I’m sure she’s the same with everyone; she’s probably just a bit businesslike. Some midwives are – they have a lot of women and babies in their care, and they don’t always have time for the niceties.’
‘They don’t have to be rude.’
‘If you think she’s treating you unfairly when you start to see her, you can make an official complaint.’
‘Nobody will care. Can’t you look after me? You did with Mackenzie.’
‘I delivered him in an emergency – I’m hardly qualified to look after you through your pregnancy.’ Ottilie glanced up at the clock. She realised that what Chloe needed, more than anything, was reassurance. She needed to know that she was making the right decision to continue with the pregnancy, that she would be able to cope, that she wasn’t ruining her life chances by having another baby so soon after Mackenzie, that Ollie wouldn’t abandon her like Mackenzie’s father had done, and so many other things. But Ottilie couldn’t give her those reassurances. Nobody could. And even if all she could offer Chloe was time to air her worries, she couldn’t spare that right now either. She had a clinic to run, and soon there would be a backed-up list of patients, some of whom would struggle to wait around for long. She wanted to repay the trust Chloe so obviously had in her, and in a way she was flattered that she was the person Chloe had turned to before anyone else, but it couldn’t be done right now.
‘Fine,’ Chloe said, getting up.
‘Chloe, wait! I’m not trying to fob you off; it’s just that I have patients waiting. If I’d known you were coming, I’d have made time to see you.’
Chloe made for the door. ‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘It does. Come to see me later at home. We can talk about the midwife situation and what we’re going to tell your mum.’
Chloe seemed torn. If Ottilie knew anything about her, she couldn’t decide whether to make Ottilie stew for a bit, letting her think her confidence wasn’t wanted but, at the same time, desperately needing it. ‘Yeah,’ she said finally. ‘I’ll come. What time?’
‘I’ll be finished here at six at the latest. I need ten, fifteen minutes to get back. How does that sound?’
‘Ten past six?’
Ottilie nodded and decided she’d have to run home because Chloe wouldn’t wait around if she was late. She also had to make certain now that her clinic didn’t overrun. At least her worst, most time-consuming regular, Mrs Icke, was already done. Barring nasty surprises, the rest ought to go like clockwork.
‘Right.’
Chloe left, Ottilie watching the door slam shut behind her. She let out a long breath and reached for her mobile phone. For a split second, she considered texting Stacey, but as she’d told Chloe, she wasn’t allowed to break her confidence, and so she wondered what she could say to Stacey that would be within the rules and yet also warn her that a big shock was coming her way. In the end, she had to conclude that there was nothing, and that Stacey would just have to find out the hard way when Chloe decided to tell her.
Ottilie saw her last patient off and rushed home to be there for Chloe’s arrival, but ten past six came and there was no Chloe. So she had a bite to eat and replied to a message from Heath saying he had a ton of work and wasn’t likely to make it over that night, and then sent a text to Chloe to see if she was still planning to come which went unanswered. She wondered if Chloe had decided to come clean with Stacey after all and so was busy talking it through with her. If that was the case, Ottilie didn’t mind at all that Chloe hadn’t turned up; she only wanted to know what the situation was because she’d arranged for Fion to visit at half past seven. She thought about putting Fion off, but by now her sister was probably already on the bus that wound its way through dozens of local villages on her way over, and it seemed inconsiderate to tell her to turn around and go all the way home for the sake of another visit that might not happen.
When Fion arrived, Ottilie was glad she hadn’t cancelled their plans. She seemed genuinely excited for her next driving lesson, about as animated as Ottilie had ever seen her.
‘Do you want a drink or a bite to eat before we go up the hill?’
‘I had a sandwich a couple of hours ago. I’m fine. We can get a drink afterwards – if you don’t mind me staying a while.’
‘Actually,’ Ottilie said as she collected her keys, ‘Heath won’t be here tonight. You’re welcome to stay over if you like. That is, if you don’t fancy the bus back and you want to stay for a couple of drinks and a chat.’
‘I don’t have any overnight things.’
‘That doesn’t matter – you can borrow some of my pyjamas, and I have a spare toothbrush in an unopened pack. It might as well be yours. There’s no pressure, but the offer is there if you want it.’
‘I’m sure nobody at home will miss me,’ Fion said. She beamed at Ottilie. ‘I’d love to!’
‘OK, so we’ll have an hour in the car and then head back. Do you drink?’
‘Sometimes, not all that often – I don’t go out all that often these days.’
‘Maybe we should pick something up from the shop before they close? Wine or beers or something. Do you mind if we call on the way up to your lesson? It’s been one hell of a day and I could do with a tipple.’
‘Has it?’ Fion seemed concerned, and Ottilie couldn’t help but smile at it.
‘Don’t worry – it goes with the territory when you’re a nurse. Some days are more stressful than others, and some patients are definitely more stressful than others, but it’s nothing I can’t handle if I get a chance to let off some steam.’
‘Oh, because I can leave the lesson if you?—’
‘Don’t be daft,’ Ottilie said, nodding for her to follow as she headed for the front door. ‘If anything, spending an hour up the hill with you will be relaxing after the day I’ve had.’
‘You say that, but I haven’t got behind the wheel yet.’
‘Come on,’ Ottilie said, her smile growing, ‘we’d better get a move on if we’re going to catch Magnus and Geoff before they close.’
‘Ottilie!’ Magnus was tidying a shelf of magazines as they walked in while Geoff was counting change at the counter.
‘Oh, you’re not closing right now?’ Ottilie asked, her gaze going to Geoff at the open till.
‘In a few minutes,’ Geoff said. ‘It was quiet and we thought we might as well.’
‘I’ll be quick,’ she said, dashing to a shelf with a modest but quality selection of wine on it. That was one thing Ottilie liked about Magnus and Geoff being such foodies – they didn’t stock a great deal of a thing because the shop was too small, but what they did have was always very good.
‘Don’t worry,’ Magnus said, regarding Fion with obvious curiosity now as she followed Ottilie. ‘No rush.’
Ottilie grabbed a white and showed it to Fion. ‘Look all right?’
‘I haven’t a clue about wine,’ Fion said. ‘I’m sure it will be.’
‘Me neither,’ Ottilie said. ‘All I know is that if it’s on the shelves here, it’s likely to be nice.’
‘Thank you,’ Geoff said. ‘We’ll take compliments like that until the cows come home.’
Ottilie could see he was curious about Fion now too. People in the village had heard about the half-sister who’d suddenly appeared in Ottilie’s life – she hadn’t seen any point in keeping it a secret – but she hadn’t gone out of her way to parade her around and introduce her to everyone as if she were some minor royal who’d come to stay.
‘Fion,’ Ottilie said, waving a hand from one to the other, ‘Magnus and Geoff. The two most cultured people I know. And some of the kindest and most fun.’
‘Wow, that’s some introduction!’ Geoff said. ‘I don’t think we could possibly live up to that now! Pleased to finally meet you, Fion.’
Magnus wandered over and took hold of Fion to give her a light kiss on both cheeks. ‘We don’t stand on ceremony here. It’s lovely to meet you, Fion. Hopefully we’ll be seeing you around a lot more?’
‘I hope so,’ Fion said, glancing at Ottilie. ‘I think maybe you will.’
Ottilie wondered whether that meant Fion had made a decision about coming to stay with her long-term at Wordsworth Cottage. She’d have to ask later when they’d finished their driving lesson.
‘So you have to come far to visit?’ Magnus asked.
‘Not too far,’ Fion said. ‘I live in Penrith. The buses are slow, but they’re not too bad.’
‘Penrith, eh?’ Geoff smiled. ‘We thought about buying a shop there, way back. The rents were higher than here and there was lots more competition, so we decided to stay put. It’s a nice town, though.’
‘Yes,’ Fion agreed.
Both Magnus and Geoff looked expectant, like they were waiting for more from Fion. Ottilie knew them both well enough to see that beneath the polite enquiries, they were actually mad with curiosity and wanted to know absolutely everything about the new girl in the village.
‘Is Stacey keeping all right?’ Ottilie asked Geoff.
He frowned slightly. ‘I would imagine you’d know better than me; I’m sure she must see more of you.’
‘I haven’t seen her for a few days – busy, you know. I’ll have to pop round.’
‘Hmm.’ Geoff nodded vaguely. Ottilie concluded that if Chloe had broken the news of her pregnancy to Stacey since she’d been to the surgery, Stacey would have been straight on the phone to tell her brother. So it seemed Chloe hadn’t done so yet. Again, Ottilie wondered what was happening and why Chloe hadn’t turned up at Wordsworth Cottage when she’d arranged to, but decided she’d send a discreet message later to check all was well.
‘It’s the same here,’ Geoff said. ‘Always so busy.’
‘We can’t even get time to go and visit my relatives in Iceland,’ Magnus said. ‘It’s so hard to get cover for the shop. Sometimes Chloe will do the odd few hours but nothing more.’
‘I offer to cover so you can go,’ Geoff said to him.
‘But I want you to come with me,’ Magnus replied.
‘You have family in Iceland?’ Fion asked. ‘I’ve never been. Is it nice?’
‘Beautiful. Not as green as it is here but beautiful in a very rocky kind of way. You must go one day.’ He grinned. ‘You’ll probably get there before I do.’
‘I could look after your shop,’ Fion said. ‘I know you don’t have a full-time position but I’m not working right now, so I can cover if it helps.’
Magnus and Geoff exchanged a look that told Ottilie they were interested. She also understood that they didn’t know the first thing about Fion. Ottilie herself hardly knew her, and it was perfectly understandable that while they’d grab any opportunity for the break they clearly needed, they’d have to get to know Fion better before they could trust her with their livelihood. She hoped that if Fion did decide to stay at Wordsworth Cottage, that would happen. They needed cover and Fion needed work, so it seemed like a very neat – if temporary – solution to both problems.
‘We might talk to you about that one of these days,’ Magnus said. ‘It would be nice to go home.’
‘I’m sure you want to talk about it,’ Ottilie said. ‘I can easily let Fion know if you decide to take her up on the offer.’
‘And I could do some trial shifts to see if you like me,’ Fion said.
Magnus smiled. ‘We already know we like you.’
Fion blushed, and Ottilie gave her a fond glance. Fion had become such a big part of her life already she couldn’t imagine what it might be like without her now.
‘She might be working for Damien soon too,’ Ottilie said.
‘Damien?’ Magnus frowned slightly.
‘You know he’s starting that business?’ Ottilie asked. ‘Making posh pies.’
‘Oh, yes,’ Magnus said doubtfully.
Ottilie laughed at the look of disbelief on his face. ‘They’re actually good,’ she said. ‘We did some taste-testing for him. You might want to stock some here when he’s up and running.’
‘I’m not sure how many we could sell.’
‘There’s only one way to find out,’ Ottilie said.
‘That’s told us,’ Geoff said with a laugh.
Ottilie paid for the wine and bid them both goodbye. As she and Fion got into the car, she could see Geoff at the door, locking up for the night.
‘They’re lovely,’ Fion said.
‘They are,’ Ottilie replied.
‘I thought they might be a bit weird with me.’
Ottilie started the engine. ‘Why would they do that?’
‘Because of the way I knocked on their house when I first met you. I suppose it was a bit…well, just turning up like that… But they seem OK.’
‘The thing about Magnus and Geoff is they will gossip about anything given half a chance, but at the same time they’re not quick to judge. They’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, and they’ll be lovely to you as long as you don’t give them reason to be otherwise.’
‘It would be good if I could work for them.’
‘I’m not sure they can afford you all the time, but if you don’t get a job soon and they do decide to take time off to go to Iceland, it might work out well for you for a bit of extra cash. We’ll have to see what happens when they talk it over. I expect Magnus will snap your hand off; it’s Geoff who might be less keen.’
‘Because he doesn’t know me?’
‘Well, because he’ll worry about what’s going on here, and, of course, he doesn’t have the same pull to Iceland that Magnus has.’
‘I see.’
Ottilie took off the handbrake and then paused. ‘Do you fancy driving a bit of the way? Maybe just out of the village until we get to the bottom of the hill?’
‘On the road, you mean?’
‘You’ll have to do it sooner or later, and it’s nice and quiet here right now.’
Fion looked uncertain but then nodded. ‘You’re right – I’ll have to do it sooner or later.’
They were swapping seats when Ottilie looked up to see Chloe walking on the other side of the road.
‘Chloe?’ she called.
Chloe stopped and looked across, before changing course to come over. ‘Hi,’ she said.
‘I was expecting you earlier,’ Ottilie said. ‘Everything all right?’
‘Yeah,’ Chloe said. ‘Mackenzie wouldn’t go down for a sleep so…’ She gave a vague shrug.
It was a questionable excuse, but Ottilie wasn’t about to split hairs now – she had her hands full with something else. She could only imagine that Chloe had been plagued by second thoughts about trusting Ottilie with her secret after her visit to the surgery or she’d decided she was perfectly capable of sorting things for herself and didn’t need to talk it over after all. Either way, it was frustrating for Ottilie.
Not because she was annoyed for the no-show – she was used to that in her line of work; patients often missed appointments – but because whenever she felt she’d moved forward with Chloe, something would happen to pull the rug from under her. Having Chloe turn up and confide in her had felt like an honour in many ways because Chloe was not the sort of girl to form friendships easily, and Ottilie had worked hard on theirs. And then to have her pull back by not coming over to continue that conversation made Ottilie question their friendship all over again. It hardly mattered in the scheme of things whether Chloe considered Ottilie one of her friends at all, except for the fact that Ottilie was now so close to her mum Stacey, she almost considered them both family.
Chloe’s gaze went to Fion.
‘Oh,’ Ottilie said. ‘This is my sister, Fion. Fion, this is Chloe.’
Chloe looked from one to the other. ‘Mum said something about that.’ She looked back at Fion. ‘You moving here then?’
‘I don’t know,’ Fion said, seeming wrong-footed by the forthright younger woman.
‘Where do you live now?’
‘Penrith.’
‘Any good?’
‘It’s nice.’
‘Cheap flats?’
Fion shrugged. ‘Depends what you want, I suppose. I don’t think it’s all that cheap.’
Chloe studied her for a moment and then seemed to decide she had the information she wanted, and that Fion wasn’t all that interesting after all, because she turned back to Ottilie. ‘Shall I come later?’
‘Fion and I were planning on having a drink later.’
‘So I can’t come?’
‘I suppose…’
‘I don’t mind,’ Fion cut in.
‘Yes, but it’s something private,’ Chloe said. ‘I need to talk to Ottilie.’
‘I can be out of the way for as long as you need,’ Fion offered. ‘I’m sure I can find something to do.’
At that moment, Ottilie recognised in Fion the chronic people-pleaser that she had in herself. She’d lived her life that way, happy to put herself last all the time, and for the most part she hadn’t seen it as a problem. It was only when others had pointed it out and told her she deserved better – that they wanted better for her – that she’d come to realise it wasn’t always healthy to be that way. And here was Fion, doing exactly the same. And now Ottilie could see it from the other side, she wanted better for her half-sister.
‘No,’ she said. ‘You won’t need to do that. We’ll be out for the next hour or so, Chloe, but then in for the rest of the night. Feel free to come round if you want to talk, but if you want it to be just us, then I’m afraid we’ll have to make it another time.’
‘Right.’ Chloe shot a look at Fion that bordered on dislike.
Ottilie gave her a moment to add something to her statement, but when she didn’t, Ottilie motioned for Fion to get in the car. She didn’t know whether she was meant to expect Chloe later or not, but she wasn’t going to worry about it.
Fion seemed flustered as she fastened her seat belt and started the engine.
‘Yes,’ Ottilie said, watching Chloe cross back over the street. ‘She can be a bit intense.’
‘I don’t think she likes me.’
‘I wouldn’t take it personally – she doesn’t like anyone.’
‘She likes you.’
‘Now, yes, but believe me, it’s taken some effort on my part. Are you ready?’
Fion nodded and pulled away from the kerb with a little jolt.
‘That’s good!’ Ottilie said.
‘I nearly stalled it.’
‘But you didn’t, so it’s a definite improvement. A few more weeks and it will all click into place – I promise. Then you’ll be zipping around all over.’
Ottilie stood by the car, peering into the ditch where the front wheel had lodged.
‘I’m so sorry!’ Fion said as she stood next to her.
Ottilie tried not to show her stress. ‘It’s not your fault.’
‘I was driving!’
‘You’re learning. If anything, it’s my fault for persuading you to drive up to the farm. The light’s fading, and I should have thought about that.’
Despite Ottilie’s reassurances, Fion looked close to tears. ‘I’m useless. How are we going to get it out?’
Ordinarily, Heath would have been her knight in shining armour, but she wasn’t expecting him that evening, and she wasn’t about to disturb his work and make him drive from Manchester to pull her out of this. ‘I’ll phone Victor,’ she said, deciding on the next best thing. ‘He’ll know what to do.’
‘Damien has a tractor!’ Fion added. ‘I saw it in the barn!’
Ottilie nodded, phone already pressed to her ear as she waited for someone at Daffodil Farm to answer. They only had a landline – Victor had got so fed up of losing mobile phones around the farm he’d given up buying them, and Corrine hardly went out enough to warrant one either.
To her relief, Corrine answered quickly, and Ottilie explained the problem. Half an hour later, Victor and Damien were with them. They hadn’t brought the tractor, Victor insisting his old Land Rover would be strong enough to pull them free. Ottilie wasn’t convinced. She’d been a passenger in Victor’s beloved car, and whenever she’d gone up the hill with him, it had rattled so alarmingly, she was always afraid it would fall to bits. But she let them hook the tow rope to her car and stepped back with Fion to allow them to try.
Fion’s hands were twisted together as she watched. Ottilie offered her a reassuring smile. Smoke poured from the exhaust as the Land Rover pulled, Victor at the wheel while Damien stood at the ditch and shouted instructions over the roar of the engine. After a few minutes, Victor turned off the engine and hopped out.
‘It’s proper stuck,’ he said, scratching his head through his woolly hat as he stood at Damien’s side, peering into the ditch where the wheel of Ottilie’s car was still lodged. He looked up at Ottilie. ‘You’ve done a good job there, lass.’
Fion glanced at Ottilie, who didn’t bother to put Victor right. She didn’t want to make Fion feel even worse than she so clearly already did.
‘I can get the tractor,’ Damien said.
‘Let’s have another go with Old Banger,’ Victor said.
‘Don’t want to knacker your car as well,’ Damien replied doubtfully.
‘She’s tougher than that,’ Victor said cheerfully as he climbed back in and started the engine.
There followed more alarming engine noises and smoke, and just when Ottilie thought they were going to fail again, there was a jolt, and her car came free. Victor pulled it a little way along the road, out of the way of the ditch entirely, before coming to a halt and hopping out of his Land Rover. Damien jogged over and helped to unhook the tow rope.
Ottilie went over to inspect her car, Fion following closely behind. ‘Will it be all right to drive?’
‘I’ll have a look,’ Damien said, ‘but it doesn’t seem too bad from here. You might be lucky.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Fion said again.
Victor turned with a grin. ‘Oh, so you’re the culprit? I should have known our Ottilie is a safer driver than that.’
Ottilie tried not to groan. The comment was well intentioned, but Fion would take it personally for sure. It would dent her confidence behind the wheel too – the last thing they wanted.
‘We all had to learn once, right?’ she said with forced cheeriness. ‘I can’t even think how many mistakes I made when I was learning. And it was getting dark.’
‘It’s not that dark,’ Victor said, not seeming to get the memo.
‘Were you still thinking of using the yard at our place?’ Damien asked.
Ottilie glanced at Fion. ‘I’m not sure. Maybe we ought to call it a night.’
‘I think I’ve done enough damage for one day,’ Fion said.
‘Like Ottilie says’ – Damien wandered over to her and smiled – ‘everyone was a learner once upon a time.’
Fion looked up at him, and Ottilie could have sworn there was a strange, charged moment before he tore his gaze away and up towards the hill.
‘If you’ve come all this way, you might as well call to see Corrine,’ Victor said. ‘I was ready to take the girls up to their pen for the night too, if you want to see them before they go.’
‘The alpaca?’ Fion asked. ‘Oh yes, they’re so cute!’
‘They’re trouble,’ Victor said. ‘But we can’t help but love them. A bit like Ottilie.’
‘Is that me?’ Ottilie asked. ‘Or are you talking about my namesake up the hill?’
Victor laughed. ‘Both! But we wouldn’t change either of you. Corrine’s been baking – she’d be happy to see you.’
‘She’s always baking,’ Damien said. ‘The poor woman doesn’t do anything else.’
‘She likes it,’ Victor sniffed.
‘I’m sure she’d like a holiday where she doesn’t have to do anything but lounge by a pool too,’ Damien replied, and Victor waved an impatient hand.
‘Farmer’s wife – she knew how it would be when she said yes to me. It’s not so easy to go on holiday every five minutes when you have land to tend and animals to look after. You can’t just give it to someone else to do – it’s not like taking your dog to the kennels or whatever.’
‘I’ve told you a million times we’d see to the animals for you,’ Damien said as they began to walk back to the Land Rover. Then Damien stopped and turned back. ‘Sorry…do you want a lift up? You’re going up to Daffodil? Or do you want to go up in your car and see how it drives?’
‘You’ll be on hand if I drive up there now and it’s not quite right,’ Ottilie said. ‘It seems a good idea.’
‘Right,’ Damien said. ‘Who’s going to be driving this time?’ he asked in a playfully mocking tone.
‘Ottilie,’ Fion said firmly. ‘I’m not going near that steering wheel until I know I haven’t wrecked it.’
‘You wouldn’t want to tackle that gradient just yet anyway,’ Ottilie said, making her way to the driver’s side.
‘We’ll go up behind you,’ Victor said, ‘just in case.’
Damien joined them in Victor’s kitchen as Corrine made tea and dished out cake to everyone. Ottilie thought it odd he didn’t message Melanie to tell her he was there – after all, Corrine and Victor were her parents and he was visiting. Perhaps it was simply what they did, but she knew if she was visiting Heath’s parents and he was only down the road kicking his heels, she’d message him to see if he wanted to come. What was stranger still was that neither Victor nor Corrine remarked on it. Neither of them suggested that Melanie might want to pop in too. Instead, they made a fuss of Ottilie – as they always did – and were as interested in Fion as Magnus and Geoff had been.
‘I think it’s wonderful’ – Corrine poured yet more tea into Ottilie’s cup – ‘you two finding each other like this. Imagine, your whole life thinking you were an only child and there was your sister not thirty miles away.’ She put down the teapot and regarded them both. ‘I can see the resemblance too. You both have the same nose and skin tone. Something about the eyes too. Does your dad have those greyish eyes?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Fion said.
Corrine looked surprised. ‘Haven’t you ever looked?’
‘Probably, but I can’t recall. I suppose they must be – my mum has brown eyes.’
‘Oh, Corrine,’ Victor said gruffly, ‘they didn’t come here for the Spanish Inquisition.’
‘Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition,’ Damien said with a grin – one that only Victor returned, nobody else seeming to get the joke.
Ottilie had noticed that Victor and Damien got on well. If there was a problem in Damien and Melanie’s marriage, it seemed his in-laws were doing their best to stay out of it. They certainly didn’t appear to be taking sides with their daughter.
Ottilie silently chastised herself. She was seeing intrigue and gossip wherever she went these days – she had no evidence there was anything wrong in Damien’s marriage apart from hearsay and some probably faulty intuition. She was starting to think she’d spent too much time around Magnus and Geoff.
‘So you’re going to see a lot more of one another?’ Corrine asked, ignoring Victor.
‘That’s the idea,’ Ottilie said.
‘What about you?’ Corrine asked Fion. ‘You live in Penrith. I expect you have lots of friends there, a lovely girl like you. I expect Thimblebury seems boring in comparison.’
‘A lot of my friends are living with partners or have babies or have gone to live elsewhere. I still see them, but it’s not the same as it used to be. And I like Thimblebury. It doesn’t feel boring to me. Everyone’s really nice.’
‘I suppose you have a boyfriend,’ Corrine said.
‘Or girlfriend,’ Damien cut in. ‘You can’t assume anything, Cor.’
‘Yes, yes…’ Corrine stirred her tea and then let the spoon clatter into her saucer. ‘I’m sure Fion would have put me right – don’t make me look like an old fool.’
‘Oh, no, I don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend,’ Fion said. ‘I had a boyfriend, but we split up. I haven’t been with anyone since.’
‘That’s a shame,’ Corrine said. ‘I’m sure you won’t be single for long.’
‘I’m not all that bothered,’ Fion said.
‘Sworn off men for a bit?’ Corrine said, shooting a glance at both Damien and Victor. ‘Can’t say I blame you.’
Ottilie smiled, her own gaze going to the ruby ring Victor had bought for Corrine on the occasion of her all-clear from cancer the year before. The glow from the wall lights glinted from it, hinting at the fact that although Corrine was active all day, baking, doing housework and helping on the farm, she paid great attention to keeping Victor’s gift polished. Corrine might say such things, but she didn’t mean them. She was as devoted to Victor as he was to her.
‘Hey!’ Victor half laughed and half grumbled. ‘Less of that!’
‘Not really,’ Fion said, flushing. ‘It’s just that I have other things to think about.’
‘How’s the job hunt going?’ Damien took a gulp of his tea.
Fion shook her head. ‘I’m applying for things, but there’s not much around at the moment. A lot of it is part-time or casual work too. It’s all right to keep my head above water for a bit; not really what I want long-term, though. I can’t get a place of my own on part-time or casual work – I need to know there’s definite money coming in every month.’
‘I hear it’s tough out there,’ Damien said.
‘It is,’ Fion agreed. She brightened. ‘I’m sure I’ll find something soon. Ottilie’s been helping, haven’t you?’
‘I wouldn’t go that far,’ Ottilie said. ‘I’ve only put the feelers out here and there, and it hasn’t amounted to anything so far.’
‘Magnus said he might have a bit of work for me,’ Fion reminded her.
‘I wish I could help you there,’ Victor said. ‘There’s a million things here I’d love to give to someone else, but there isn’t the money to pay them.’
‘That’s a shame,’ Fion said. ‘I’d have loved a job feeding the alpaca.’
‘I know you just said you wanted full-time,’ Damien said. ‘But I might have some work going forward. It will be a couple of weeks before I know for sure. Would you still be interested if that happens?’
‘Making the pies?’
He nodded. ‘I’ve come to realise it’s going to be far too labour-intensive for me to manage alone, and Mel has her own work to do. So…’ He drained his teacup. ‘If you’re interested, then I’m sure we could chat about it, work out pay and hours and that sort of thing.’
‘That would be amazing! I mean, I have to keep looking in the meantime, but I would love that.’
‘Won’t it be a bit far to come?’ Corrine asked. ‘All the way from Penrith every day.’
‘We’ve got the caravan out back,’ Damien said. ‘It’s cosy enough, and we don’t use it. I’d be happy for Fion to stay there in the week while she’s working, maybe go home for weekends or days off.’ He looked at Fion. ‘If that’s a thing you’d want to do. It’s not luxury, but it would save you travel costs.’
‘She can also stay with me,’ Ottilie said.
‘Ah.’ Damien nodded. ‘The caravan’s all right, but I know which I’d prefer.’
‘Thank you, though,’ Fion said to him. ‘It is a good idea, and if not for Ottilie, then I would have said yes.’
‘Rather you than me,’ Corrine said. ‘All right in the summer, but I’d want bricks and mortar around me come the cold weather.’
Damien stood up and reached for his jacket from the peg by the door. ‘I’d better get back. Thanks for the cake, Cor.’
‘Thanks so much for helping with the car,’ Ottilie said.
‘Yes,’ Fion added. ‘I won’t be doing that again.’
‘I hope not,’ Damien said. ‘Why don’t you come and see me next week about that work?’
‘Shall I message you about what day?’ Fion asked.
He zipped up his coat. ‘Can do. Ottilie can give you my number – my phone’s at the house right now so I don’t have it here.’
‘I don’t think I have it,’ Ottilie said.
‘Don’t worry – we do,’ Corrine said. ‘I’ll let you have a note of it before you go.’
As the car came to a stop outside Wordsworth Cottage, Ottilie turned to Fion with a smile. The short drive home had been filled with lively discussion, most of it centred around Fion’s decision that if Damien offered her some work, she’d move in with Ottilie. It seemed likely that he would. After he’d gone, Corrine and Victor had told them he’d had positive responses to his pie samples and many local businesses were interested in being supplied.
Fion unclipped her seat belt. ‘Do you really think Heath won’t mind?’
Ottilie couldn’t be certain of that. He’d had doubts, but in the end, he’d pledged his support for whatever decision Ottilie made. But that was then, and this was now. His opinion might well have changed – opinions often did. He might not have viewed it as a realistic possibility, or events since that conversation might simply have changed his mind. But she’d made the promise to Fion, and she was going to keep it. If she had to, she could talk Heath round. It wouldn’t be forever, and if she could reassure him of that too, perhaps he’d be patient with the situation.
‘He said he didn’t when I last spoke to him about it. The bigger problem is your parents.’
‘They’ll understand I can’t live with them for the rest of my life.’
‘It’s not the moving out they won’t like – it’s who you’re moving in with.’
‘They can’t tell me what to do and who to see.’
‘Seeing me is one thing; living with me is another. They’ll be offended – you’ve chosen me over them.’
‘It’s not like that. You’re not my mum; you’ll be more like a roommate in a shared house. One who just happens to be my half-sister.’
Ottilie pushed open the car door. ‘I suppose that’s true.’
‘I’ll put it to them like that. Dad won’t care what I do.’
‘I’m sure he will. What about your mum?’
‘She won’t like it at first, but I think she’ll come round.’
‘She’ll miss you.’
‘I suppose so. I’ll miss her too, but…’
Ottilie understood. Much as Fion worried that her mum would be left alone with Conrad in a house that was far from happy, she needed to get out. Ottilie could only imagine, from what she’d been told, how stifling the atmosphere there was, how miserable it was making her sister’s life. She unlocked the front door and switched on the hall light as Fion followed her inside.
‘I’ll put the wine in the fridge and grab a quick shower. It should be chilled by the time I’m done.’ She opened the fridge door and then turned to Fion, who was hovering uncertainly by the table. ‘If you go into my bedroom, you’ll find some pyjamas in the drawers. Help yourself if you want to get comfy. Unless you want a shower first? In which case you’re welcome to jump in before I do, and I’ll get on with some snacks here.’
‘Could I?’ Fion asked. ‘I don’t want to be a nuisance.’
‘Don’t be daft,’ Ottilie said. ‘You’re going to have to get out of that mindset too if you’re going to be living here. This will be home for a while – I want you to feel comfortable treating it as such. You take the shower first, and I’ll cut some bits for dips with our wine. You’ll find towels in the airing cupboard in the bathroom and a hairdryer in my bedroom on the dresser if you want it. Shout if you need anything else.’
Fion gave her a grateful smile. Ottilie watched her thoughtfully as she left the room. She wasn’t often lonely, and it would change things with Heath, but she couldn’t help feeling she was going to like having Fion around a bit more.