Two Weddings and a Baby

by Scarlett Bailey

  She watched the closed little face for a moment longer as everyone else bustled around them, preparing for what, she wasn’t sure. What a way to meet the world! Soon the poor scrap would be getting hungry, if it wasn’t already. And it couldn’t stay in her arms for ever, even if, as far as it was concerned, that was the beginning and end of existence.

  ‘We can’t stay here much longer,’ Sergeant Dangerfield told them, putting the notepad away. ‘I’ll radio St Austell to tell them about the baby, but now we need to get everyone to safety. I’ve still got other houses to get to. I need to get people to higher ground … I was thinking, the hotel.’

  ‘Castle House,’ Sue Montaigne said. ‘It’s high enough and strong enough not to be washed away by a bit of water, and we have the empty moat, which should go a long way to making sure the flood doesn’t breach our defences. And it’s big enough to take in as many as we need to.’

  Ruan came back inside from the storm. ‘I’ll help you round people up,’ he told Sergeant Dangerfield. ‘It’s really bad out there. You’re going to need help moving the elderly and the sick. We can collect dinghies, waterproofs.’

  ‘I’ll help too,’ Alex said.

  ‘No,’ Ruan said. ‘You’ll be needed up at Castle House, and I think Buoy needs you too; look at him. He’s made the trip once. I’m not sure his gammy leg can do it again.’

  ‘Are you using my insane love for a dog to stop me from doing something that you consider to be too dangerous for a woman?’ Alex asked him.

  ‘No,’ Ruan told her gently. ‘I’m using it to stop the woman I love breaking her leg or worse in the days before our wedding.’

  ‘On this one occasion I will concede,’ Alex nodded, looking at Buoy, whose head was on Tamsyn’s knee, as he felt duty-bound to stay close to his charge. ‘Hopefully Skipper will pull me up the hill on his lead.’

  ‘I can help you, Ruan,’ Jed volunteered.

  ‘Vicar, the thing is, we need someone to get this lot up to Castle House safely,’ the sergeant said. ‘And I know you are more than up to the job.’

  A look passed between the two men that Tamsyn couldn’t identify.

  ‘Honestly,’ Sue said. ‘We’re women, not poor helpless creatures that can’t manage a bit of rain.’

  ‘Ms Montaigne, I promise you that I have never in all my years of knowing you ever thought of you as a poor, helpless creature,’ the sergeant said. ‘However, that baby there is very vulnerable, and it’s as bad out there as I’ve ever seen it. Worse. People get killed in storms like these. I think we’ll be lucky if we don’t lose someone tonight. Time is running out before the water is under the door, and I happen to know that the vicar here has the sort of training that is going to help you manage the trip.’

  ‘Training?’ Sue turned her gimlet eye on Jed. ‘What haven’t you told us, Vicar?’

  ‘I used to be a boy scout,’ Jed told her.

  ‘Look, if we are going to go, can we go?’ Tamsyn said. ‘The baby needs food, a nappy and a place to lie down, like a bed. Can you put a baby in a bed, or maybe a drawer … a manger?’

  Just at that moment, the lights snapped out.

  ‘Right, that seals it.’ The sergeant crossed to the window and peered out. ‘The whole town is out. The storm must have bought the power lines down, which is dangerous in itself. I’d better get out there and, Vicar, I’m relying on you to keep these ladies – and the baby – safe.’

  ‘Oh, for goodness’ sake,’ Sue said, and although Tamsyn couldn’t see her, she thought she was most likely rolling her eyes. ‘Castle House has its own petrol-run generator – it’s as old as the hills but has never let us down yet, and we’ve plenty of firewood. I’m sure I’ve still got some newborn clothes somewhere. The only thing we will need to find is formula and nappies.’ Sue thought for a moment. ‘The Perkinses have just had a baby, and Elaine was poorly so couldn’t breastfeed, so I’m sure they will have some we can borrow. I will go and collect some – no arguments, Sergeant, I think you’ll find I can take care of myself. The Reverend can take this lot up to Castle House – the portcullis isn’t locked. Rory, you get the urns out from the cellar, start tea – and there twenty loaves of bread in the freezer and a ton of jam in the pantry – we can feast like kings tonight!’

  ‘Were you preparing for the apocalypse?’ Cordelia, nanny to the Montaigne children, asked her boss.

  ‘You clearly have no idea how much my children eat,’ Sue said. ‘Now, chop, chop – I think you’ll find that’s water seeping under the door. Toodle-pip!’

  Sue clapped her hands together, her eyes glowing happily.

  ‘Ms Montaigne …’

  ‘No point in trying to stop her, Sergeant,’ Rory said. ‘She’s got that look in her eye. I’ll venture it’s the same one her relative had during the Spanish Raid in 1595.’

  ‘Oh, my pub,’ Rosie said, looking at the water that was gradually seeping into the carpet. ‘Oh Eddie, this is bad. It’s really bad.’

  ‘It’s all right, love.’ Eddie held his wife, kissing her. ‘Come on. We can worry about the pub once we know we’ve got all our people safe, OK? Whatever happens here can be fixed, in time.’

  ‘Right,’ Jed said as the group began to don extra coats and jumpers. ‘If everyone does exactly as I tell them, we will make it. I promise you.’

  And Tamsyn didn’t know why, but she believed him. She might not believe in God, but the vicar seemed like exactly the sort of person it was sensible to put your faith in.

  Chapter Seven

  ‘Stay close behind me,’ Jed told them, as the shock of the cold and the rain that instantly drenched the small party made Tamsyn want to head back into the pub, even though she knew it was a bad idea. Her instinct was to hide away, to find a safe spot, a bed, maybe, and crawl under it, but that was the worst thing she could do, especially with a tiny life strapped to her chest by a scarf in a makeshift sling.

  ‘Stick close to the buildings. There seems to be quite a current now. The water’s really coming down.’

  ‘And up,’ Cordelia said, glancing over her shoulder. When Tamsyn followed her gaze, she could see that seawater now covered the square.

  ‘Right,’ Jed nodded briskly. ‘We are going to do this as quickly as we can: no talking, no deviating. Keep your eyes peeled; there’s bound to be debris, possibly falling tiles, trees, shop signs. You are each responsible for keeping an eye on the person ahead of and behind you. Keep a tight grip on the boys. Smaller ones don’t do so well in fast currents. If you need help, shout out. Let’s go.’

  Tamsyn was surprised by the genuine fear that coursed through her body as she began to follow Jed against the flow of the water that was tumbling down the narrow maze of steep streets, white-water rapids coursing through the town at devastating speed. It was as if the town she had grown up in had vanished entirely, lost in an alien nightmare version. Tree branches, plants and bits of fence tumbled past them at speed, and the downward drag of the water tugged at her legs, giving her the feeling that she could easily pitch backwards at any moment. Just as they neared the church, almost at the top of the hill, a terrifying metallic roar seared through the air and a car juddered into view at speed. Jed covered Tamsyn’s body with his, pressing her and the baby back against the wall of a cottage, as the car veered dangerously close to the huddled group.

  ‘Mummy, I’m scared,’ Jamie said, clinging onto Keira, along with his brother. Keira did her best to look calm, although Tamsyn could see the anxiety wrought in her face.

  ‘It’s an adventure,’ she told her boys, who were now both in tears. ‘Just like in your storybooks!’

  ‘And we are almost there,’ Jed told the boys brightly, smiling for them. ‘It’ll be a walk in the park now. A piece of cake, made by the Poldore WI, which we can all have a big piece of once we are inside, OK?’

  Tamsyn saw him glance just briefly at the churchyard, which was now entirely underwater. Merryn’s headstone was probably lost in swirls of dark water, seeing as the cedar tr
ee now lay crumpled across the path that led to the church.

  ‘Come on,’ he said grimly and they set off once again, veering right to take a narrow alley that cut off the corner and led to the gate to Castle House, water cascading down the steep steps like a waterfall. Tamsyn didn’t think that in all her years living next door to the fanciful Victorian ideal of a castle, she’d even noticed that the bridge that led to the entrance went over a narrow but deep moat, probably because it was now filled to the brim with water for the first time in living memory, keeping the house and grounds that lay beyond the ramparts thankfully dry.

  Fortunately Sue hadn’t been mistaken when she said that the small, door-shaped gate that had been cut into the portcullis was open, and as they stepped through into the courtyard, it was as if the wind couldn’t reach them behind the high walls, and finally the ground was dry beneath their feet. Tamsyn wasn’t aware how much she had been holding her breath until she let out a long sigh of relief. They had made it.

  ‘I’ll get the generator going,’ Rory said, heading off at once towards an outhouse.

  ‘And I’ll check on the children and Granny, and then I’ll find some baby clothes and nappies,’ Cordelia said.

  ‘Come on, Buoy.’ Alex set the old dog down, whom she’d carried for the last few yards after his legs gave way, bending over for a moment while she caught her breath. Tamsyn noticed how he leant against her legs, rubbing his muzzle against her knee as if in thanks, while Skipper, jumping around her feet, barked in excitement as Sue’s dogs came out to greet them, yapping and baying, and suddenly the haven of the courtyard was filled with noise.

  ‘Hey, Skipper, it’s your mum,’ Alex said as a regal-looking poodle led the doggy delegation. ‘Come on, everyone, let’s get inside. I’ll put the kettle on.’

  They had only been in the kitchen for a few minutes before the lights came on and Cordelia returned.

  ‘The kids are up; they weren’t scared by the storm – in fact, they’re bouncing off the ceilings with all the excitement. Rory’s mum was very pleased to see me; I think she was at the point of throwing herself from a turret. I’m going to take them some hot chocolate, maybe throw in a bit of brandy, see if I can get them settled. What about it, boys?’ She grinned at Jamie and Joe, who were drenched through and clinging onto their mother. ‘Fancy a hot bath, a warm drink and then a bed-bouncing competition?’

  ‘I’m tired,’ Jamie said, rubbing his fists into his eyes. ‘And so is he.’

  ‘You say that now, but you wait till I’ve given you a double espresso with ten sugars …’

  ‘Wait a minute …’ Keira said, as the boys, who were always intrigued by the idea of getting something they shouldn’t have, went to Cordelia.

  ‘I am joking,’ Cordelia said, as she began to lead her nephews away to get dry. ‘Or am I?’

  ‘Come here,’ Laura said, unzipping Tamsyn’s borrowed coat and slipping it off her. ‘Let’s have a look and see how that little one’s doing.’

  Tamsyn supported the child as her mother untied the makeshift sling from her back, taking its meagre weight in her arms.

  She was surprised to find a pair of black eyes, wide open, watching her as she looked at the little face.

  ‘Hello there,’ Tamsyn said, feeling that she should probably say something. ‘I am sorry, you’ve had a terrible first few hours, I know. But you are in a safe place now, and there will be lots of people to help you, I promise.’

  ‘I’ve got formula!’ Sue appeared, her hair dripping around her face, meaning it took a moment or two for Tamsyn to realise she was crying. ‘It’s awful out there, terrible.’

  ‘It’s OK, love,’ Rory said. ‘It’s not that bad.’

  ‘It is that bad.’ Sue shook herself, straightening her shoulders and stiffening her upper lip. ‘The ground floors of all the waterfront cottages are ruined, water’s rushing in from the sea and down from the hill. It’s awful. I saw your mum, Alex, she’s on her way with Ruan. She told me to tell you she put the dresses upstairs, so they should be OK. She stopped to help with the sick people. Seems like half the town has come down with some sort of stomach flu, and they can barely walk. The lifeboat crew are bringing them up here. Oh, I can’t bear it – my beautiful town being torn apart.’

  ‘Suddenly the dresses don’t seem important any more,’ Alex said absently.

  ‘But the town,’ Sue continued, her voice quivering. ‘My town … It’s mayhem. Ruan and the lifeboat boys are doing their best, bringing people in. We are going to get very busy here tonight. Brace yourselves.’

  ‘Here.’ Lucy took a tin of formula and two bottles from Sue. ‘I’ll sort this out. You get dry, and get the kettle on.’

  ‘There’s a steam steriliser still in the pantry,’ Sue said. ‘Luckily I never got round to giving it away.’

  Cordelia returned. ‘Right, the boys are in the tub but they want you, Keira. I think they are still a bit shaken up by the trip up here,’ she said, dropping a bundle of clothes onto Tamsyn’s lap. ‘And here are some fresh clothes and a nappy for the little one, Tamsyn. Better get back to my charges, and I’m taking a bottle of wine, Sue. Come on, Keira, you can come too. If there’s two of us drunk in charge of children, there’s much less likely to be an accident.’

  ‘Me?’ Tamsyn looked around. ‘You want me to dress the baby? There must be someone else who can dress an actual baby. I’ve never done it before.’ She held up the Babygro, which seemed like an impossible maze of arms and legs that might have been made for an octopus rather than a human child. ‘I mean, how do you get their arms in? Are babies’ arms bendy?’

  ‘Go through to the snug,’ Sue told her. ‘You remember where it is? I made a fire in there, and it should still be going. It’s much cosier than in here. I’ll bring you some tea and cake in a minute.’

  ‘Yes, but how do you get this thing onto this thing?’ Tamsyn asked her, lifting first the Babygro then the baby.

  ‘I’m sure you can work it out,’ Sue said. ‘Aren’t clothes your job?’

  Tamsyn looked around, but everyone was busy with some sort of preparation, and even as she wondered about how a person was supposed to stand up while there was another very small person in her arms, the first set of refugees arrived through the door, shepherded by her brother, a gale blowing in after them.

  ‘Catriona,’ Jed rushed to support a woman in her forties, who stumbled against him. ‘When did you come down with this?’

  ‘I don’t think she’s that chatty,’ Ruan said. ‘We brought her up in one of the boats, lucky really. Her front door was open; she’d collapsed in the hallway. Loads of people have come down with it, so we’d better try and find a place for them away from everyone else so as not to spread it around.’

  A young woman threw up noisily into a plastic bag that the man she was leaning on held for her.

  ‘Yes, they need beds at once,’ Sue said. ‘Rory, Catriona looks like she can hardly walk. She can go in your study, onto the sofa bed. It’s about time it was used as a force for good. Mabel, James, Dinah and the others can go in the old nursery suite. Fortunately I’ve been getting ready to move Meadow down there, now she’s getting so grown up. That will take six of them at least, and if any more of the sick turn up, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Go on then, Rory!’

  Tamsyn noticed the exchange between the husband and wife, but didn’t really have time to think about it. Jed and Ruan helped the sick woman to Rory’s study, and Rory led the others up the stairs.

  ‘Do try not to throw up on the Axminster!’ Sue called out after them.

  Feeling a little queasy herself, Tamsyn got to her feet gingerly and went to find the snug.

  It was a reassuringly warm little room, lined with books and piles of old board games. Family photos dating back at least fifty years crowded every surface, and best of all, the one tiny, vaulted window overlooked the courtyard, shielding the room from the worst of the weather. Tamsyn found that she was still terrified, even though they
were now in relative safety. Then again, maybe it wasn’t the storm that frightened her so much; maybe it was the baby itself that she seemed somehow to be in charge of, despite her lack of any sort of qualification in that area.

  ‘I had a hamster once, you know,’ she told Mo as she lay the baby down on a rug at what she judged to be a safe distance from the embers of the fire. ‘It died.’

  For several minutes she looked at the Babygro, turning it this way and that, trying to fathom out what was the back and what was the front, and then once she thought she’d worked that out, she looked at the tiny child lying before her and decided that it was simply impossible to dress its little body without breaking it.

  ‘You could stay in those clothes,’ she suggested, staring into the bottomless black eyes. ‘Maybe when you get too big for them, you’ll shed them and grow new ones, like a snake.’

  The door opened and Jed popped his head round. The dog collar had gone again and his shirt was open at the neck. He had a very nice neck, smooth and kissable.

  ‘Catriona looks like she needs to sleep, so I thought I’d come and see how you are doing.’

  ‘Well,’ Tamsyn said, ‘on a scale of one to ten, I’d give myself a minus eleven. Who’s that lady you were helping? I didn’t recognise her from the last time I was here. Are you good friends?’

  ‘She’s my verger,’ Jed said. ‘Lay clergy. I couldn’t run the church without her, and yes, we are close friends. She and her mum moved here from St Austell a couple of years ago. She lost her mother a few months ago and it hit her hard; they’d always lived together, you see. I’ve been keeping an eye on her, making sure she is adjusting to life on her own, but I obviously failed her tonight. Poor woman is as sick as a dog.’