by T A Williams
‘Thanks for being there for me. I really do love you a lot, you know.’ Before her grandmother could reply she headed for the door, almost bumping into Eddie as she did so.
‘Hi, Faye, on your way already? What’s the hurry?’
‘Hi, Eddie. Nothing. Just got to go. There’s champagne open and Anabelle’s waiting for you.’
Chapter Twenty-One
The next day passed in a mad rush. The morning was spent helping Claudette get everything ready. Ignoring the housekeeper’s objections, Faye threw herself into helping Obelix moving furniture, fitting the extension to the dining table, unrolling the biggest tablecloth she had ever seen, and then assisting Claudette in preparing eighteen place settings.
By the time they had finished, there were more glasses and cutlery on the table than Faye had ever seen before in a private house. She helped bring red wine up from the cellar and squeezed a last few bottles of champagne into the cooler until it was absolutely packed. She didn’t see either Eddie or Miss Beech all morning and had to restrain her curiosity as to what might have happened in the lounge after her hasty departure the previous evening.
She took Marlon for a good walk before lunch, deliberately heading across Gavin’s fields, hoping to see him, the scent of lavender still hanging over the rows of meticulously trimmed grey-blue plants. His rose plantation still had a few last pink blooms remaining, in spite of the cold, but the vines had now lost almost all their leaves, the ground beneath them covered with brown and gold as the vineyard settled down for its winter sleep.
It was a clear, dry day and the wind had dropped, but, along with it, so had the temperature. Faye tugged her jacket tighter around herself as she followed the dog through the fields, her eyes constantly on the lookout for any sign of Gavin, but without success. Winter had arrived and Christmas would be here soon. Then, in a few months’ time, it would all start again and fresh shoots would appear. As she walked, she wondered how her life would be by the time the springtime came.
Her father arrived around mid-afternoon in a rented car and she was very pleased to see him, but she had little time to do more than make him a cup of tea before her appointment with the hair stylist. She left him with a mug of tea and a plate of Claudette’s biscuits, reading his copy of the final version of the book, and went across to the chateau, up the stairs to the first floor, and along to Miss Beech’s suite.
The door to her dressing room was open and Faye found her grandmother just emerging from the attentions of the slim, olive-skinned hair stylist who had a beard and earring that made him look like a pirate: a very, very well-groomed pirate. As Miss Beech saw Faye, her face lit up.
‘Hello, dear. All well? Did your father arrive safely?’
Faye was relieved to see her smiling. She had been worrying all day that her intervention last night on behalf of Eddie might have been a mistake, but it didn’t appear to have affected her grandmother negatively. Very much the opposite, in fact.
‘Yes, thanks, and my dad says he’s looking forward very much to seeing you again.’ Faye took a good look at her grandma. She had yet to dress or apply make-up from what she described as her “box of tricks” but she looked stunning all the same. Her hair had been pinned on her head in exactly the same style as in the old pictures of her. Although it was now silver, no longer gold, she still looked amazing.
Miss Beech nodded. ‘And me him. Anyway, a very happy birthday, darling. You look lovely, and you’ll look absolutely stunning by the time Javier has finished with you.’
‘Erm, Anabelle, I was wondering. Did you have a good evening with Eddie?’
Her grandma smiled: a warm, open smile. ‘Yes, thank you, Faye. Thank you very much.’ She was prevented from saying anything else by a peremptory summons from the hair stylist. ‘Go on, you mustn’t keep him waiting. I’ll tell you all about it later.’ Miss Beech lowered her voice. ‘Javier’ll only sulk otherwise.’
However, there was an immediate hiccup before Javier the stylist could make a start upon Faye. He took one look at the jumper she was wearing and shook his head. ‘Mademoiselle, are you going to your party dressed like that?’
‘No, I’ll be changing into a silver evening dress.’
He gave her a stern look and sighed. ‘And how do you intend to take off that high-necked jumper without ruining your hairstyle? Have you thought about that?’ He was tut-tutting to himself and Faye flushed as she realized her mistake.
‘Of course, how stupid. I’ll just go and change.’
‘Certainly you must change.’ He sounded very disapproving.
‘You need a shirt with buttons, or a cardigan.’ Miss Beech’s voice floated in from next door. ‘Here, try this.’ She reappeared at the door with a beautiful soft mohair cardigan. Faye hesitated and then slipped out of her jumper and into the cardigan under the disapproving eye of the stylist. Finally satisfied, he told her to sit down and he got on with the job.
Javier didn’t talk as he worked and Faye felt quite intimidated by him, particularly as he refused to let her look at herself in a mirror until he had finished. As the minutes ticked by, she sat there, feeling him fiddle with her hair, struggling to dominate her impatience to see the results of his ministrations. Finally, after what seemed like an age, he pronounced himself satisfied and she was allowed to stand up and walk across to the mirror.
The result took her breath away. Although her hair was a bit shorter than Miss Beech’s, Javier had managed to reproduce exactly the same style and look. The result, Faye had to admit, was quite dazzling. A bit of make-up and the silver dress, and she really would look just like a movie star – in fact, very similar to her grandmother half a century earlier. She turned to Javier and curtsied.
‘Javier, you’re amazing. This is wonderful.’
‘I know.’ Clearly, Javier was not one to hide his light under a bushel. Mind you, Faye thought to herself, if he spent his life styling hair for the rich and famous, he probably did know his worth.
‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’
‘You’re welcome.’ For the first time there was just a hint of a smile on his face.
***
Faye felt more than a little self-conscious as she picked her way cautiously across the courtyard in her high heels at just before eight o’clock. Underneath the tight-fitting dress, she wasn’t naked as her grandmother had been, but she might as well have been, and she had never felt so conspicuous. She had taken an age to squeeze into the gown, doing her best to make sure the thin straps were done up tightly enough to stop it from falling open, or even falling off.
Her father, quite clearly stunned at her appearance, had been almost speechless. When she had finally managed to get him to speak, he had reassured her that she looked absolutely amazing and not, as she had feared, in any way vulgar or obscene. Even with this reassurance and feeling fairly safe in the conviction that she was now reasonably structurally sound, Faye felt herself blushing when Marlon looked up from his basket in the kitchen and wagged his tail as she came in. It distinctly looked as though he winked at her. Oh, God, she thought to herself nervously, if the bloody dog can make me blush, what about the others? What about Gavin?
Just then Claudette emerged from the door leading down to the cellar and did wonders for Faye’s self-confidence. As she set eyes on Faye, she did a double-take. ‘Good Lord above, it’s her. It’s Miss Beech in the flesh. Faye, you look amazing.’
‘Thank you, Claudette. But you’re sure I’m not obscene?’
‘Absolutely not. You look enchanting.’ Claudette turned back and called down the stairs. ‘Eddie, come up here a moment. You’ve got to see this.’
Faye heard footsteps on the stairs and then Eddie appeared, a couple of dusty bottles of port in his hands. As he came through the door he stopped dead, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. His jaw literally dropped and he stood there with a silly smile on his face for several seconds before reacting. ‘Wow!’ There was a pause, while he searched for the appropriate words, but
all he could come up with was another, heartfelt, ‘Wow!’
Faye was feeling much better now. ‘So, can I take it I look all right?’
Finally, he found his voice again. ‘All right? All right? You look totally devastating, Faye. For a moment there, I thought I was seeing things. Wow!’
‘That’s three wows now, so I know it’s all right. I was afraid I looked a bit too flashy.’
‘You look stunning, Faye, absolutely stunning.’ He took another good look at her, nodding approvingly. ‘Takes me right back … Anyway, go on through. I imagine the guests will start to arrive very soon. We’ve left the gates open for them.’ Faye felt the eyes of Eddie, Claudette, and the dog on her back as she left the room and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself before facing Miss Beech.
Faye went into the lounge, which was still empty apart from a girl she recognized as Monique, the baker’s daughter from the village, who was filling glasses with champagne and setting them on a silver tray. All around the walls, branches of holly and sweet-scented rosemary, decorated with silver and golden balls, reminded her that Christmas was now less than a week away.
The fire had been lit in the fireplace and it was wonderfully cosy. Even in her next to non-existent dress, Faye was as warm as toast and she felt relieved. One of her main concerns had been not to feel cold. Somehow, a woolly cardie over the top of the dress would not have projected the right image.
She went around the room, double-checking that everything was ready, fluffing cushions and picking up an odd rose petal that had fallen from one of the vases. She had just grabbed the poker and was shuffling the logs in the fireplace, taking great care to ensure that bending over didn’t stretch the material of her dress too badly, when the doorbell rang and she hurried out into the hall to greet the first of the guests.
‘Chantal, hi, do come in. And, Alain, how smart you’re looking.’ Faye stepped back and waved them in, slightly perturbed, but also secretly rather pleased, to see Alain’s eyes out on stalks as he viewed her silver dress. Beside him, Chantal looked lovely. She had opted for a grey maxi dress and, as she removed her coat, Faye saw that it was daringly open at the back and Alain very quickly returned his attention to his girlfriend. Chantal studied Faye’s gown and gave her verdict.
‘Faye, you look like a film star. Is that one of Miss Beech’s dresses? You could be on stage at the Oscars.’
Faye nodded. ‘This very dress has actually been on stage at the Oscars. Miss Beech wanted me to wear it tonight. Sort of as a memory of her youth.’
‘Well, it looks wonderful.’
The doorbell continued to ring as more guests arrived until, finally, she saw Dominique at the door with Philippe the doctor.
Faye waved them in, shrugging off their compliments at her appearance and remarking how very good Dominique looked in a sheer, black dress. Beside her, Philippe, in a dinner jacket, was also extremely smart and clearly happy to be there with Dominique. Faye glanced over their shoulders, but could see no sign of Gavin. Seeing her expression, Dominique was quick to explain.
‘Gavin’s coming, but he apologizes he’s going to be a few minutes late. Just as he was getting changed, he got a call to say some of the sheep are out on the road. He told me to tell you he’ll be here just as soon as he’s rounded them up.’
Faye swallowed her disappointment and ushered them in to join the others in the lounge. Her father appeared a few moments later and she introduced him to the others, realizing that this would give them an unexpected opportunity to practise their English with him. She helped herself to a glass of champagne and began to circulate.
After a few minutes, Miss Beech arrived with Eddie at her side. Both of them looked very elegant and very happy – Eddie for once not wearing T-shirt and jeans, but an impeccable white tuxedo. Faye caught his eye and received a big smile in return. Champagne was distributed and the conversation flowed. Faye found she was thoroughly enjoying herself, although she kept glancing over towards the door in the hope of spotting Gavin.
Finally, at nearly half past eight, just as Faye was listening to a monologue from Obelix about embroidery, the doorbell finally rang. She excused herself and hurried out into the hall to open the front door. Marlon trotted along with her, his tail wagging furiously as he saw who it was. As she opened the door to Gavin, Faye did her best not to let her own tail wag as well.
‘I’m really, really sorry to be late. It was Houdini again, I’m afraid.’
He was wearing a midnight blue dinner jacket and his hair was freshly cut and styled. His tanned face contrasted well with the crisp white shirt he was wearing, his tiger eyes were sparkling, and Faye thought he looked even more gorgeous than normal. She thought seriously about throwing herself into his arms, but instead, she just gave him a kiss on each cheek, French-style, without even touching him with her hands. Even so, the feel of his skin against her lips was tantalizing. She stepped back and took his coat from him.
‘Houdini? So you name your sheep as well as your cows?’ She was smiling at him and she was relieved to see a smile appear on his face too.
‘Just this one. He’s one of my rams and he’s got a knack for getting out of fields …’ His eyes suddenly registered her appearance and his voice ground to a halt. He took her hand and led her into the middle of the hall, directly under the chandelier, so as to get a better look at her. ‘Wow, Faye, you look absolutely stunning. Is that dress like the one your grandmother wore in Faded Heart by any chance? I was only watching it last week after reading your book.’
‘It’s not a copy. It’s the actual dress. She gave it to me as a birthday present.’
‘Is it your birthday? I didn’t know.’
‘Twenty-nine today. Only another year and I’ll be in my thirties.’
‘Thirties are good. I like the thirties.’ His smile broadened and she felt his hand squeeze hers for a second. ‘But I really, really like the look of twenty-nine.’ He let his eyes run slowly, appreciatively, down her body and she felt her heart leap.
Just at that moment, there was the noise of a knife banging against a glass in the lounge and Faye hurried him inside. Miss Beech was standing by the fireplace. As she spotted her granddaughter, she beckoned Faye over. ‘Faye, darling, come across and join me, will you?’
Faye shot an apologetic glance towards Gavin and did as instructed. As she reached the fireplace, her grandmother took her by the hand and pulled her to her side. The guests formed up in a rough half circle in front of them as Miss Beech proceeded to embarrass Faye until she felt her face glowing. For the sake of non-English speakers in the audience, Eddie gave a simultaneous translation as she went along. ‘Thank you all for coming. I have a little surprise for you. Please can I introduce you to my sweet, beautiful, clever granddaughter, Faye. Yes, that’s right: my granddaughter.’
Faye saw Chantal’s eyes open wide and gave her a little wink. Behind Chantal, Claudette and Obelix exchanged knowing looks. Clearly, little transpired at the chateau without their knowledge. ‘And along with her is my son-in-law, her father, David. Today is Faye’s birthday and I’m delighted to welcome you all here tonight. She has just finished writing the story of my life and I know I couldn’t have asked for a better biographer. But, above all, I’m so, so happy to have my granddaughter at my side. So, please will you all join me in a toast. Happy birthday, Faye.’
The others dutifully repeated the toast and drank to Faye’s health while she did her best to restrain her blushes. She glanced at the crowd and, for a moment, her eyes met Gavin’s and he smiled: a comforting, supportive, smile that did a lot for her confidence. But then, it was her turn. ‘So, Faye, say something to your guests.’ Miss Beech pushed her forward a foot or so and stepped back, leaving Faye in the limelight. Faye did a bit of quick thinking. She glanced at her grandmother.
‘The only person here who deserves any thanks is you, Anabelle. You’ve been so warm and welcoming and you’ve helped me more than you can imagine in getting my life sorted out and rea
lizing what’s important to me.’ While she considered what to say next, she rattled off a translation of her words into French. ‘I’ve enjoyed every day here in St-Jean, where I’ve met and made friends with some wonderful people. I love you all.’ She glanced briefly across at Gavin and smiled, as she raised her glass and drank to them all.
‘Excellent, a very happy birthday to you and thank you for everything you’ve done for Anabelle and for me.’ Eddie stepped up and kissed her on the cheeks, before addressing the rest of the room. ‘Now, ladies and gentlemen, I’ve been told it’s dinnertime. So, please would you all like to follow me through to the dining room and take your places at table.’
Everybody shuffled out into the hall and along to the dining room where Faye took a seat alongside her grandmother and looked round until she spotted Gavin. She had just surreptitiously waved to him to take the seat beside her when her father appeared at her shoulder.
‘All right if I sit beside you, Faye?’
She looked up and smiled. ‘Of course, Dad. Please do.’ She shot a covert glance across at Gavin once more and saw him give a little shrug and a wink. She smiled at him and turned her attention to her father and Miss Beech.
Dominique and Philippe were sitting together on the opposite side of the table from him, so presumably she must have followed Faye’s advice and talked to Gavin the previous night. On the occasions when she looked across at him, there was nothing in his manner that indicated he was in any way unhappy or disappointed, but there were no signs of infatuation either.
By the end of the meal, Faye still hadn’t been able to work out if his recent freedom from responsibility towards his sister-in-law and her child meant that he was ready to concentrate his attention and affection upon her. She hoped so, but couldn’t tell for sure.