Free Two Weddings and a Baby by Scarlett Bailey

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