Matilda Next Door - Kelly Hunter Page 0,25
she put the pram together, because did it come pre-assembled? No, it did not. It was a good thing she knew her way around the basics and that Henry had a small collection of tools in one of his kitchen drawers. Once a farm boy, she’d thought the very first time she’d opened that particular drawer, but this morning she was just plain grateful.
She assembled the monster luxury pram with only one screw left over, and decided it was a spare. The baby slept through it all, and there was something to be said for small mercies.
She drank her morning coffee in peace.
She eyed the tablet on the wall.
Henry picked up somewhere in the middle of the first ring, eager soul that he was, and because she was a goddess, even after a night of despair, she greeted him and didn’t use swear words. ‘Morning.’
‘It’s almost afternoon where you are,’ he muttered. ‘Are you only now getting up?’
‘Listen, genius. When you too have been up since four am walking the floor with a colicky infant who finally went back to sleep at a quarter to nine, then and only then can you comment on my new sleeping habits. And by the way, thank you for the pram and all the other stuff. I don’t know if I’ll have it all unpacked by the time you arrive, but I’ll give it my best shot.’
‘Does the baby need to see a doctor before I get there?’
That silenced her.
‘On account of all the crying and what not?’
Oh, God. She hadn’t thought of that. But she was thinking about it now. About trying to explain why she knew nothing of the baby’s history or habits or anything else that could help a medical person form an opinion. ‘Do you have a regular doctor here?’ Because that might help when it came to bypassing awkward explanations.
‘No.’
‘Goddammit, Henry!’
‘I haven’t needed one.’ His was the calm voice of reason. Hers was not.
She took a deep breath. ‘I know people in Wirralong who I can phone for advice. Midwives. Doctors. They might even be able to provide an over-the-phone medical consult.’
He nodded, and she noticed for the first time how drawn he looked. Dull in the eyes and tight in the mouth. ‘Hey,’ she offered. ‘You okay?’ And watched any semblance of openness about him shut down hard.
‘I’m fine. It’s you I’ve been worried about.’
‘I’m all right. And I truly think Rowan’s just fussy and I’m not the person she wants to see. Simple as that. But we will see a doctor today and get her checked out. I should have thought of it earlier. Silly Tilly, right?’
‘Don’t do that. It wasn’t true then and it isn’t true now. I—’ He stopped abruptly, and she leaned towards the screen in a futile attempt to hear words he simply wasn’t saying.
‘You have the strangest look on your face.’ Which made him drag his big palm down over it in a futile attempt to wipe that look off. ‘Nope. Still there.’
He swore beneath his breath, which made her smile and take the shot. ‘Henry Church, you watch your mouth. You’re a father now.’ He rubbed his face again. Two hands this time. He’d get used to the thought eventually. They all would. ‘What were you going to say earlier?’
‘Only that I trust your judgment.’
‘Oh.’ She had a feeling he meant it. ‘Big call.’
He laughed at that. A strangled sound that had nothing to do with humour. ‘Yeah, but I do. For what it’s worth.’
Chapter Seven
Never let it be said that Matilda Moore could not rise to a challenge. Granted, she didn’t relish the opportunity to shine in adverse conditions the way some people did, but drop her in the desert and she’d start walking. Give her a baby to care for and she’d get online and figure out what she needed to do. Touch base with those at home along the way and laugh with the Wirralong midwives during their impromptu lessons on how best to clean a baby’s bottom or take a temperature. Get her mother’s guidance on how to wrap Rowan snugly in a soft blanket and settle her to sleeping.
Tilly Moore, nanny extraordinaire. Cool, calm and in control.
Mary freaking Poppins.
Okay, maybe not, but the local doctor had given Rowan a clean bill of health, and the screaming had largely stopped. The way to Rowan’s heart definitely involved food, and food was Tilly’s forte, thank you very much.
She made custard and stewed apples, mashed vegetables and hard teething