‘Et voilà,’ he said, looking pleased with himself for delivering them in one piece to the château.
‘Merci, monsieur,’ Izzy said, stepping shakily out of the car, relieved to be on terra firma again. She stared open-mouthed at the creamy majestic building in front of her, with its very own tourelle, and wondered what it must look like inside. ‘It’s like something out of an historical novel. I didn’t realize mayors lived in such splendour.
‘I wonder what their linen is like?’ Jess said.
‘Their linen?’ Izzy nudged her sharply in the side. ‘Is that what really springs into your mind when you look at this place?’ She stared up at the tower with its rounded tiled roof on one side of the building and the eight-foot high blue shutters framing each of the windows. She’d never seen anything like this before and it was hard to imagine she and Jess would be walking up the sweeping stairway to the front door any moment now to enjoy lunch.
Jess shook her head. ‘No, but it’s a little overwhelming, don’t you think?’
Izzy needed to gather her thoughts. Growing up with an artistic, yet practical, no-nonsense mother it was difficult to step into this parallel universe. It was like nowhere she’d ever been to before. Jersey had some beautiful manor houses and in the three years she and Jess had been building up their business they’d been lucky enough to work in a few, but nothing came close to this.
She walked over to the back of the car to fetch her rucksack when an excited bellow came from the huge double front doors.
‘Ahh, Izzy et Jess, welcome.’
She couldn’t help grinning as first Xavier and then Roman marched over to them arms outstretched. It was good to see familiar faces in such surreal surroundings, especially as they seemed genuinely delighted that they were there. Izzy smiled and relaxed a little.
‘Hi,’ she said, stepping forward to hug first Roman and then Xavier.
‘Great to be here,’ Jess said joining them. ‘Mind you, he drives like a maniac,’ she nodded her head to indicate the tall, skinny man who watched the boys proudly. ‘I’m not sure I’d let him collect any more of your guests.’
Both men laughed, their heads thrown back in amusement. Xavier rattled something off in French to their driver. The only word Izzy could make out was ‘Papa’. She quickly sidled up to Jess and leaning over to her, whispered, ‘Crap, he’s their dad.’
Jess looked pained and Izzy held her breath for the man’s reaction. ‘Great first impression I’m making.’
The older man laughed and patted both boys on the back, saying something to them and indicating Izzy and Jess before leaving them to enter the vast building. The boys watched him go and then kissed the girls three times on their cheeks.
Roman linked arms with Jess. ‘It is OK, he is amused by your comments.’
She immediately cheered up and winked at Izzy.
‘It is very good to see you here,’ Xav said. ‘We will show you to your rooms and then eat lunch, yes? You must be very hungry.’
‘Famished,’ Izzy said, waiting as he collected both rucksacks and slung one over his left shoulder, carrying the other with his free hand.
‘You like the château?’
She nodded. ‘How could I not: it’s incredible.’
They followed Roman and Jess into the marble-floored hallway. Izzy widened her eyes at the scene in front of her. They walked with the men up the curved creamy stone staircase to the first floor.
‘Wow, this is so beautiful,’ she said as they turned left and walked along a seemingly endless corridor. ‘What is it like working here?’
Xavier shrugged a shoulder. ‘It is very quiet most times. I live in Paris in an apartment. I come home to see my family when ma mere holds parties. I always love returning home.’
‘You live in Paris?’ Izzy asked, confused. She looked sideways at Jess, sensing she was having trouble coming to terms with the situation they’d found themselves in.
‘So your parents live here then?’ Jess asked as they walked along the wide stony corridors.
The boys stopped and swapped looks. ‘Oui, mes petites,’ Xavier said. ‘This is our family home, le château.’
Izzy was aware her mouth was open and had to make a conscious effort to close it so she didn’t look entirely stupid. ‘Le château?’ Had she heard right?
He nodded at her speck of French. ‘Oui, le château.’
‘Holy crap,’ Jess said, looking first at Izzy and then around the high-walled corridor.
‘You are OK with this?’ Roman asked.
‘Well, I mean,’ Izzy struggled with what to say next. Then it dawned on her how concerned Roman seemed that they’d still be willing to stay with his family and she added. ‘Yes. Yes, of course.’
‘Don’t mind?’ Jess looked at her in astonishment. ‘This place is like something out of one the stories that my gran used to read to me. I’d love to stay here.’
Izzy couldn’t wait to explore. ‘I hope we remember which way to go, this place is huge.’
Xavier laughed and linked arms with her. ‘We will give you, how you say, um, tips? Then you will find your route to meet us later.’
Roman and Jess followed them, laughing at something he’d just whispered to her. She could tell Jess liked him and could see why. He was good-looking and attentive, and Jess needed someone who wanted to please her. Alex, she mused, would expect her to spend time hanging about waiting for him to finish surfing, come home late all the time, and generally flirt with anything in a skirt or bikini.
‘I live near Paris also,’ Roman said. ‘It is good to return home and spend time with our parents.’
‘Oui,’ Xavier said. ‘We do not manage this very often. I have been looking forward to coming back here.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ Izzy said ‘I can’t wait to see everything. I hope we have enough time.’
‘You are in here,’ Roman said to Jess, holding the door open and waiting for her to walk in. ‘I will see you later when you have had time to be refreshed,’ he said before hurrying down the corridor,
‘Izzy, come and look at this,’ Jess shouted from inside.
She went to join Jess amused to see her friend’s eyes widening as she stood in the large, airy room. Light flooded in from the tall windows. Jess didn’t seem to mind that Roman had made a quick exit, but gazed at the room around her, her mouth making an ‘O’.
‘This is my room,’ Jess announced unnecessarily, flinging her arms wide to encompass the space where the wallpaper, bedding on the ornate four-poster bed, and carpets were different shades of yellow. It was like walking into sunshine.
‘It’s perfect for you,’ Izzy said, moving out of the way when Xavier came in. He held up the two rucksacks, wanting to know which one to leave behind.
Jess took her pink rucksack, thanking him. ‘This place is amazing,’ she said.
Roman came back into the room carrying towels. ‘Pardon, these were forgotten,’ he said, placing three on the bedspread and handing the other three to Xavier. ‘The bathroom it is down the hallway at the end à gauche, um, to the left.’
Both girls nodded.
‘Your room is next door,’ Xavier said, waiting by the bedroom door for Izzy to follow him.
Within a couple of strides she was walking into the prettiest bedroom she’d ever seen. Izzy gasped. ‘Oh, Xavier, it’s gorgeous.’
Her room was slightly smaller than Jess’s, and painted ice-blue, but much more to her taste. She walked over to the open window and rested her palms on the thick windowsill, staring across the vast lawn to the wooded area behind a large lake. ‘I can’t believe I’m going to wake up to this view tomorrow morning.’
‘I am happy you like it here,’ he said smiling as he leaned out of a nearby window to talk to her. Izzy giggled to see him there. ‘My parents have spent many years to bring the château to this level of appearance.’
‘They’ve done a wonderful job, it’s like walking into a dream.’
He stood away from the
window and took her hands in his. ‘They will be very happy to hear you say this, Izzy.’
She wasn’t sure quite what to say to this, so tried, ‘Your English is very good.’ She wished she had bothered to become a little more fluent in French. She had no excuses, having learnt it at school like all the other Jersey children did, and coming across to France to stay at the holiday homes of schoolfriends through the years. Hearing someone else speaking, if not perfect English, then very passable English, was sobering.
‘Thank you, I do not speak as well as my brother, but he was sent to boarding school in Jersey and so his English is perfect, I’m told.’
Izzy raised her eyebrows: she hadn’t realized Roman had been educated in the island. ‘Why him, and not you?’
‘His godfather doesn’t have a son, but he lives in Jersey and offered for my brother to do this. My parents, they think it is a good idea and so he moved to Jersey from age fourteen.’ He placed her rucksack down on the settee at the end of the bed. ‘I will leave you now and go to visit with my mother. We shall meet in one half hour in the hall? I shall introduce you to my mother and we can enjoy lunch together.’
She thanked him and watched him leave. As soon as the door closed behind Xavier, Izzy kicked off her shoes and fell backwards onto the bed. It was like lying in a fabric cloud. She sighed. This was going to be great fun, once she’d got past the meeting with his mother. She would have been much happier with a sandwich and a walk around the grounds, but if she wanted to spend a couple of days as a houseguest in a place like this, she would have to do as expected.
Her door opened silently. Jess popped her head around it. ‘You alone?’
Typical Jess innuendo. Izzy laughed. ‘Yes, come in.’
Jess ran in barefoot. She shrieked and leapt on to the bed, landing next to Izzy. ‘I suppose this is how Catherine de St Croix’s guests feel when they stay at her dad’s manor house.’
Izzy wriggled her toes and stared up at the intricately embroidered material making up the bed’s canopy. ‘I suppose so,’ she said, not wishing to think about Catherine at this moment. ‘I could do this more often,’ she murmured, closing her eyes.
‘You’re not the only one.’
They lay there in silent contemplation for a few minutes. Izzy watched the dust motes dancing in the sunbeams from one of the windows. She imagined that as perfect as this place was on summer days like this, it must feel a bit spooky on dark wintry nights.
She felt Jess get up.
‘Come on, you don’t have time to lie there. The guys are going to be waiting for us downstairs soon and I’m going to change,’ Jess said. ‘I made a crappy first impression with their dad, so I don’t want to do the same with their mum.’
‘Good point,’ Izzy agreed, getting up and pulling off her T-shirt and shorts. ‘I think I’ll wear that summer dress I packed.’ She opened her rucksack and pulled out a creased cream garment. ‘Bum, it looks like a dishcloth.’
‘Hang it up and wear something else then,’ Jess said, ‘Roman told me the guys were wearing casual trousers and shirts,’ she added. ‘so I’m sure we don’t have to be too smart.’
‘That’s a relief,’ Izzy said, tipping out the meagre collection of clothing she’d packed for the trip. ‘I wish they’d told us we’d be staying somewhere like this.’
‘Me too.’ Jess went to turn the door handle, but stopped and rested her back against the door, eyes closed. ‘He’s so cute, don’t you think?’
‘Who? Roman?’
‘Well, both of them, but I meant Roman, yes.’ Jess opened her eyes. ‘What do you think? Maybe we could make a foursome for the trip.’ She hugged herself. ‘Wouldn’t it be perfect to fall in love and spend the holiday seeing all those places with these guys?’
Izzy liked the idea, but it was a fantasy. ‘Firstly, Jess, I thought you had the hots for my brother,’ she ignored Jess’s protestations. ‘Secondly, has it occurred to you that we’re only going to be with them for a couple of weeks and if they don’t already have girlfriends, these guys live in Paris.’
‘So?’
‘We live in Jersey.’
Jess pulled a face. ‘So what? You need to relax and not be so practical for once, Iz. I might be daydreaming, but there’s no harm in that. Anyway, I can’t see us getting a chance like this again in a hurry, so I for one am going to make the most of what fun I can have, and I suggest you do the same.’ Without giving Izzy a chance to reply, Jess opened the door and left.
Maybe Jess had a point, Izzy thought, as she pulled a cotton skirt out of her bag. Giving it a good shake, she decided to try and go with the flow for once and not worry about the future. She was on holiday and doubted she’d be having another one anytime soon. That settled in her mind, she studied her skirt. It would have to do; it was the second smartest piece of clothing she had with her.
She washed her hands, changed, and went into Jess’s room, surprised to see her re-plaiting her hair. ‘Hurry up, I thought you didn’t want to be late.’
They hurried downstairs and after a bit of confusion as to where the others might be, they found Xavier and Roman waiting patiently for them in a hallway. The guys smiled when they spotted Jess and Izzy hurrying down the staircase.
‘Sorry we’re a bit later than expected,’ Jess said. ‘She couldn’t decide what to wear.’
Izzy narrowed her eyes at her best friend. It was typical of her to shirk the blame when she’d been the one to take for ever on her hair.
‘It is no problem,’ Xavier said. ‘Come. This way is the family dining room.’
Family dining room? Izzy wondered how many they could have.
They walked down a seemingly endless stream of stone corridors with large windows dotted along one side, letting in the golden summer sunlight. Eventually they arrived at a set of doors which Xavier opened, stepping back to let the others inside.
‘Maman, Papa, this is Jessica and Isabelle, our friends from Jersey.’
The parents stood up and shook the girls’ hands. ‘It is very good to meet you,’ their mother said, placing her cool free hand over Izzy’s. ‘Please, let us sit. Xavier tells me he will show you around the grounds after lunch.’
The girls nodded and sat where indicated.
There was a gentle knock on the door. ‘Entrez,’ their father said.
A middle-aged man in chinos and an open-necked shirt walked into the room carrying a serving dish, followed by two women each bearing a tray. ‘Madame la Comtesse, Monsieur le Comte, excusez-moi,’ he said.
‘Oui?’ their mother asked.
He spoke too quickly for Izzy to make out much of what he was telling them, but she did pick up that there had been a telephone call from someone.
The first course of pâté and crispy melba toast was served. It was a few moments before Izzy registered how the man had addressed the two parents. ‘Comtesse et Comte de Lys?’ she murmured.
‘Oui?’ the Comtesse replied.
Izzy forced a smile. She could almost hear the cogs whirring in Jess’s brain and prayed she wouldn’t elaborate on her own faux pas. ‘I …’
‘Blimey, does that mean you two are counts?’ Jess asked Xavier, a little louder than Izzy would have liked.
Roman laughed. ‘Bien sur, of course. In fact, our mother was born a baroness, but she married beneath her station.’
Izzy was a little thrown by his announcement, but relaxed when the entire family laughed.
‘It is true,’ the countess assured her. ‘Mais, I have forgiven my ’usband for my change of title now.’
Izzy laughed, relieved to see they all had such a good sense of humour. Today was turning out to be more surreal by the second, Izzy thought. She doubted any of her friends were ever going to believe what was happening to her and Jess, whom, she noted, looked perfectly calm, as if this was the sort of company she always kept. It made her even more certain that Jess had been right when she’d suggested she relax and enjoy everything this holiday gave to her.
She cleared her throat, wanting to thank the Count and Countess for letting her and Jess stay at their home. She opened her mouth to speak but before she managed to say anything the door opened and in walked Ed. The sight of him, so tall, his broad shoulders seemingly taking up most of the space in the doorway, took her breath away.
‘You’re both here, great,’ he said, smiling at Izzy and Jess and looking very much at home.
‘You are late,’ the Count said, not looking very impressed with Ed’s untimely arrival.
Almost before Izzy registered the tone of the older man’s voice, Ed said. ‘Pardon Papa, Maman.’ He strode across the room straight to the older couple and hugging them both affectionately.
‘Edouard, chérie,’ the Countess shrieked, opening her arms wide to embrace him.
Chapter Four
Izzy and Jess stared at each other. ‘What the hell?’ Jess mouthed.
Izzy shrugged. She had no idea what was going on here, or she did, but wasn’t sure she was comfortable with the knowledge slowly dawning on her. ‘I still can’t believe you’re the brother Xavier said was educated in Jersey.’
‘Why not?’ he said, his eyes narrowed as he glanced over at Xavier.
‘Because you sound so English. You don’t have a hint of a French accent when you speak.’ she said without thinking.
He nodded, taking a seat opposite the girls.
‘You’re a count too?’ Jess whispered as soon as his parents began speaking to Xavier about something.
He looked over at them and smiled. ‘I am,’ he said, holding up a jug of icy water to see if either of them wanted their glasses filled.
Izzy nodded. Her throat was dry. She picked at the skin around her left thumb, trying to process what she’d just learnt.
Izzy pictured him at Catherine’s home. ‘I thought you were a gardener at the manor?’
He shrugged, filling his own glass before placing the jug back down onto the table. ‘I am, of sorts. I work in the gardens and the stables.’
The Jersey Scene series box set Page 68