Chapter 18 #2
‘It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened – I watched a documentary on somewhere just like that. And I’m sure it wouldn’t be the last. There are weirdos everywhere and people daft enough to listen to them. There’s a reason these people don’t fit into normal society.’
‘Maybe they just don’t want to.’
‘But that’s not what you think in this case, is it? Otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation now, would we?’
As much as Zoe hated Lavender’s smug assertion, she couldn’t help but admit to a tiny grain of truth in it.
‘I was only trying to get to the bottom of the message,’ she replied tartly, annoyed that Lavender had seen what she’d hoped to keep hidden.
She turned to go back to her office. ‘Thanks for your help.’
‘You’re welcome,’ Lavender replied, tone heavy with sarcasm as she went back to her post.
Zoe was tempted to reply, but instead she marched back to her office. Sometimes she liked Lavender very much. Sometimes she had less patience, and today was looking like the latter of the two.
She was deep in thought as she returned to her desk.
Should she pay the commune an impromptu visit?
She could go under the pretence that she was passing and wondered how Fern and Arwen were coping.
But she hadn’t exactly been welcomed last time, and she didn’t see how things would be any different now.
Perhaps her first instinct was the simplest and most logical one – that she’d phone the commune’s number when she had a moment in the hope that Fern would answer.
But whatever she settled on would have to wait – her first appointment was due, and Zoe was nowhere near ready for her.
Zoe didn’t much feel like going to lunch in the kitchen.
She was still annoyed at Lavender, which probably had more to do with the fact that Lavender had rumbled her true feelings on Fern’s commune, feelings that went against her tolerant nature, than it did with Lavender herself.
Although, Lavender was very good at being right about things and even better at being smug about it.
Even so, she was eager to share the meal Shabana had brought in because she’d never eaten something their locum nurse had made before, and she didn’t want to offend her.
She also hoped to catch up with Simon, who she felt she’d neglected somewhat, on a personal level, over the previous weeks.
And so she bottled up her pride and went into the kitchen to find Lavender mid-flow in a conversation with Shabana and Simon, sharing her side of the conversation she’d had with Zoe that morning about Fern and the commune.
On the odd occasion during her working life, Zoe had walked into a staff area and a sudden silence had descended, and she’d known that the conversation had been about her.
It was a part of working for a large organisation doing a job that could be considered high stakes, that decisions she made or opinions she held on a case would rub someone up the wrong way, and so she’d never taken it personally.
She’d decided there was no point because the very fact the room had fallen silent meant she didn’t know what they’d been saying anyway, and she could only surmise it had been about her, so what was the point in getting upset over an unknown thing?
Lavender, however, didn’t seem worried at all that Zoe had walked in.
She simply threw a wordless acknowledgement her way and then carried on.
‘If it was me, I’d call the police. That place needs to be raided because you can’t tell me there’s not something going on there. At the very least, I’ll bet there’s drugs on the premises. These places are full of drug addicts.’
Shabana went to the stove, perhaps feeling she wasn’t a firm enough part of the team to get involved either way. Simon looked as if he wished the ground would swallow him up. He offered Zoe a deeply apologetic grimace before turning back to Lavender.
‘I’m not sure we should indulge in generalisations like that.
We don’t know any of this. I haven’t seen much of them, but from what I have seen, they appear to be a peace-loving bunch who’ve just chosen to live outside society.
’ He gave a rueful smile. ‘And who here hasn’t dreamed, even once, of living with that much freedom? ’
‘Freedom?’ Lavender scoffed. ‘Zoe, tell him about their so-called freedom. That poor girl can’t even come and see the midwife without the rest of the commune having a vote on it.
I don’t call that freedom. I call freedom being able to go to Tesco when I want and talk to my friends on the phone when it suits me without everyone else having a meeting about it.
’ She reached for the water jug. ‘It’s weird. ’
Simon turned to Zoe. ‘Do you have doubts about this woman’s situation?’
‘I’d rather not say right now.’ Zoe took a seat. ‘Only because I’m not sure what I think, but I am planning to go over to see her.’
‘If they’ll let you,’ Lavender said.
‘I could make time to come with you if you feel it would help.’ Simon nodded his thanks as Shabana put a plate in front of him.
‘I’m not sure if it will, or whether it will just seem more aggressive.’
‘Hmm…’ Simon was thoughtful as he poured some water into a glass.
‘I see what you mean. It might seem as if you’re bringing reinforcements expecting trouble and put people on the back foot straight off.
Well, the offer is there if you feel you need support.
Equally, I’m sure you can handle it.’ Zoe was about to reply with her thanks when he added something that shook her.
‘Just please don’t forget your safety protocols.
I know we can all be a bit lax about them, serving a community like Thimblebury where we rarely need to think about safety, but they exist for a reason. ’
Zoe’s mouth closed again. She hadn’t even considered that her personal safety might be in doubt because she’d been so preoccupied with the puzzle of Fern’s situation.
‘Got it,’ Zoe said tersely. ‘I’ll make sure I do everything by the book from now on.’
‘How was your week off?’ Shabana asked, and Zoe looked up and blinked. With all the tense discussions about dodgy home visits, she’d almost forgotten their new nurse was there.
‘Fab,’ Zoe said, trying to brighten her own mood to lighten that of the kitchen. ‘Really good. Louisa’s beautiful. It’s been lovely getting to know her. Nice to slow down for a bit too. Things will get hectic again soon enough, so it’s good to have a breather.’
‘So she’s not keeping you awake?’ Simon asked with a dryness in his tone that made Zoe smile.
‘Well, it’s an old house with thin walls, and she is a newborn who wants to feed every hour – or so it seems. Billie does her best to get to her before she wakes anyone else, and quite honestly I do worry that she doesn’t let us help.
That said, I suppose I must look like someone who’s being woken on the regular? ’
‘I wouldn’t go that far—’
‘But every time I come into your room,’ Lavender cut in, ‘you’re yawning.’
‘It won’t last,’ Zoe said. ‘Couple of months and Louisa will be sleeping through.’
‘You hope.’ Lavender sniffed as she tore a bread roll in half. ‘I heard Victor and Corrine have new people moving into Kestrel Cottage. Didn’t take them long, did it? I wonder who it could be.’
Zoe couldn’t hold back the frown that creased her forehead now. Lavender probably knew who was moving in but wanted to make Zoe say it because she thought it was amusing, or else because she was out for payback after the commune debate.
‘My dad and Chantal are moving in. They loved Thimblebury, and they were looking for somewhere a bit more… rural, I suppose, to bring up the baby.’ She gave a shrug that said she didn’t care.
It wasn’t true, of course, but nobody around this table had to know that.
‘Dad knew someone who wanted a place in Manchester and was ready to move in pronto, and he knew Kestrel Cottage was available, so everything slotted into place. There was no point in waiting around.’
‘It’s good he has his place in Manchester too, in case it doesn’t work out,’ Lavender said.
‘It’ll work out,’ Zoe replied.
‘But I see what Lavender means,’ Shabana said. ‘If they decide country life isn’t for them, they have somewhere to go back to. It’s not such a scary decision when you have that; easier to make a spontaneous move.’
‘Don’t you like it here?’ Lavender asked her.
Shabana turned with a puzzled look. ‘Yes, it’s very nice, but I’m only going to be here for a few months until Ottilie comes back so it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t. Zoe’s dad has moved here for good, that’s all I meant. It’s different.’
‘When are they coming?’ Simon asked.
Zoe blew out a breath. ‘I’m not sure, but I think this week. When I spoke to Dad, he had some loose ends to tie up first, but he wants to get settled as soon as possible, you know, because the baby is coming and there’s a lot to do to get ready.’
‘It will be nice to have one of your parents close by, won’t it?’ said Shabana.
Zoe smiled. If only she knew the half of it.