The Midwife's Child

‘But I liked living with Jed,’ Toby grumbled, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout as he stared out of the car window. ‘I want to carry on living with Jed.’

‘Well, we can’t,’ Brooke said quietly, pulling up outside the cottage with a frown. She was expecting to see a tarpaulin over the roof but there was nothing, and it seemed as though the missing tiles had been replaced. Who had authorised that? She certainly hadn’t spoken to anyone. She’d been so busy all week she hadn’t even had time to call the insurance company.

Still frowning, she unlocked the front door and stared anxiously into the hall, wondering what state the soaked carpet was now in.

‘Why have we got a new carpet?’ Toby stared at the carpet and then at his mother who was slowly starting to simmer. Toby was right. The carpet was new. This must be Jed’s handiwork again. She tilted her head and, sure enough, the ceiling had been repainted and there was no sign of the water stain.

Upstairs was now immaculate. Toby’s bedroom had been completely redecorated and was cosy and snug.

‘Wow! I can go back in my room!’ Toby danced with delight and Brooke forced herself to unpack the bags and settle themselves back into the cottage again.

Once Toby was asleep she wandered down to her tiny living room and flopped onto one of the sofas.

Why had Jed done it? Why hadn’t he asked her first? It was like the car. He just took over and made these huge financial gestures to appease his conscience. Well, first thing tomorrow when he came to pick up Toby she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

He arrived just after eight the next morning, freshly shaved and wearing a pair of snug jeans and a dark-coloured sweatshirt which emphasised the width of his shoulders.

‘Is he ready?’

No polite greetings or warmth, just straight to the point. He wanted Toby.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ She glared at him and stroked her dark hair away from her face with a shaking hand. ‘Why didn’t you tell me, Jed?’

‘Why didn’t I tell you what?’ His blue eyes were glacial and she felt her heart beat faster.

‘I assumed that when you contacted the roofer, it was just an emergency measure. I didn’t realise that you were planning a complete refit.’

His jaw hardened. ‘You’re telling me you wanted your cottage left like that?’

Brooke glared at him, her eyes hurt. Did he really not understand why she was upset? ‘No, of course not. But I can manage by myself. You don’t need to keep stepping in. First the car and now this. How many times do I have to tell you that you don’t owe me anything?’

‘It’s nothing to do with owing you anything.’ His words were clipped and his eyes were suddenly tired. ‘I just thought—’ He broke off and let out an impatient sigh, shaking his head in disbelief.

‘What did you think Jed?’

‘I thought you’d be pleased,’ he said finally, dragging long fingers through his dark hair. ‘You were so upset about it last week that I contacted your insurance company, got the quotes and had the work done.’

‘I could have sorted out the insurance company myself,’ Brooke said hoarsely, and he nodded.

‘Well, I know that. I never once thought you weren’t able to do it. I just thought you might prefer to have some help. It’s the sort of thing that families do in a crisis. They help each other out. Phil did the plastering and Tom and Dad did the painting.’

Brooke licked dry lips. ‘Your family did it?’

His family had done all that? For her?

‘That’s right.’

‘And the carpet?’ Brooke muttered. ‘What about that?’

‘It’s a small hallway, Brooke.’ He rubbed the back of his neck and looked exasperated. ‘Phil had a piece of carpet left over from one of the properties he lets. He used that. It was no big deal.’

Why had they gone to so much trouble for her?

Her head started to throb. ‘They didn’t need to do all that for me. I could have done it myself.’

‘None of us doubted that.’ A muscle worked in his lean jaw and he watched her for a moment, his blue eyes sweeping every inch of her face. ‘If you’re expecting me to apologise for helping you out, you’re going to wait a long time. It wasn’t because we didn’t think you could do it yourself. It’s just that we thought it would be a nice surprise if we did it for you. That’s what family is for. It’s about pulling together.’

Brooke looked away, her face flushed. Hadn’t she said almost exactly the same thing to Mrs Baxter when she’d torn her off a strip for not standing by her daughter? The trouble was, she didn’t know the first thing about pulling together. Her family had never been like that.