Page 64 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

‘Oh, I see! This is for the album launch,’ said Lily, finally understanding as she read the words ‘Hazy Memory’s new album,Down Memory Lane’. ‘Well, that’s good, isn’t it?’

‘No!’ Annie’s eyes were huge. ‘No! It’s not good! Look at them! Look at where it says it’s being held!’

Lily looked down at the party invite once more and gasped as she read the final paragraph. ‘Oh no!’

‘What were you thinking?’ said Annie.

At the bottom of the invitation was the venue information. And it was listed at being held at Willow Tree Hall.

Lily was horrified. She must have absent-mindedly put in the wrong venue at some point. Maybe she had been thinking about the summer fete instead of the fancy London hotel where it was due to be held.

‘I told you I could handle it!’ said Annie, bursting into tears. ‘Why did you take over?’

‘I’m really sorry,’ Lily told her, feeling awful.

‘We can’t have the launch here!’

‘I know!’ said Lily, aghast. ‘I’ll sort this out, I promise.’

‘How?’ Annie sounded borderline hysterical. ‘The invitations have already gone out. People will think we’re a total mess if we change the venue.’ Annie took a deep intake of breath and clutched at her stomach. ‘We can’t have the launch here,’ she repeated before pausing. ‘I’m having a baby.’

‘I know,’ Lily told her. ‘Look, I’ll get it sorted…’

‘No,’ cried Annie, staring at her. ‘I mean, I think I’m having the baby right now!’

She groaned and clutched at her stomach.

‘Is it a contraction?’ asked Lily.

‘It must be the shock,’ wailed Annie, looking upset. ‘The baby’s come a month early!’

They stared at each other for a second before Lily burst into action. ‘Right,’ she said, bringing out her phone. ‘I’ll dial 999 first. Then Sam.’

Feeling calm despite the situation, she quickly dialled the emergency services.

‘Ambulance, please!’ she said, nestling the phone under her neck as she swiftly went back across to Annie and gently helped her into a chair.

After giving the address and details to the paramedic crew, she dialled Sam’s number and told him what was going on.

‘He’s on his way,’ she told Annie, putting her phone down. ‘He was only in the village.’

‘I can’t do this,’ said Annie. ‘Oh, God, I can’t remember anything.’

‘You don’t need to,’ Lily told her. ‘The ambulance will be here soon. I’ll grab your birthing bag, just in case.’

‘It’s all upstairs,’ said Annie, wide-eyed and panicked.

Lily shook her head. ‘I made a spare bag just in case, remember? It’s by the front door.’

‘Oh! OK.’

‘Get breathing,’ Lily told her.

But Annie had got up from the seat. ‘I can’t settle,’ she said, pacing up and down. ‘Do you think the baby will be alright? Why is it so early? Where’s Sam? He can’t miss this!’

‘You just need to focus on your exercises,’ Lily told her in a calm tone. ‘Look, here’s the technique. We’ll breathe together, OK?’

She managed to keep Annie focused on the breathing technique until Sam’s Range Rover roared down the driveway at breakneck speed before skidding to a halt outside the kitchen window.