by Julie Stock
‘Bonjour, mesdames!’ Didier cried.
‘Oh, I feel about a hundred years old when you say that,’ I chided him, smiling at the same time. He laughed.
‘Are you taking Ellie on a tour of the estate?’ he asked and I nodded. ‘What do you think so far, then?’
‘I love it! I can really imagine so many ways you could transform this place for visitors, and Fran is the woman to help you, for sure.’ She beamed at him.
‘Actually, Ellie has given me some great suggestions, Didier. Are we still getting together for dinner?’
‘Absolutely. I’ve already told Chlöe, so no changing your mind now.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it. We’re off into the village. Is there anything you need?’
Didier asked me to pick up some ingredients for dinner and then we were on our way again, having said our goodbyes to them both.
Despite a long wander around the village exploring all the shops, as well as the market, we didn’t manage to bump into Henri, much to Ellie’s disappointment. Still, she was never one to stay down for long. On the way back, I stopped off at the château to give Didier his ingredients while Ellie returned to the cottage.
I got back to find her preparing omelettes and salad for our lunch, the lovely aroma filling the little cottage.
‘I’m back,’ I called out. ‘What can I do to help?’
‘You can pour out some wine and then sit down. I’ve got this and I want to do something nice for you. And you can tell me exactly what’s going on between you and Didier. Have you even kissed him yet?’
I groaned. I knew that voice. It was the one she used to boss me about when she thought I was burying my head in the sand.
‘He kissed me the other day,’ I blurted out, more to shut her up than anything else.
‘What? Why have you kept this from me for so long?’ She stared at me for a second before continuing. ‘Come on then, spill the beans. Where are things between you guys?’
‘Nowhere, really,’ I said with a sigh. ‘I don’t want to rush into anything, which is why I told him I just wanted us to be work colleagues. But now we’ve become friends again, and more than that, I know I still have feelings for him.’ I frowned before telling her my real dilemma. ‘Even so, I’m not sure if I’m ready to give things another try with him. The thing is, I don’t know yet if I’ll want this life in the long term, much as I’m enjoying it right now.’
‘And have you told him any of this?’
‘Well, yes and no. We haven’t discussed whether we still have feelings for each other. We’ve really been keeping each other at arms’ length. Then the other day, after he kissed me, I said I wanted to take things slowly but I think he thought I meant I didn’t want to get involved at all. I haven’t had a chance since that conversation to tell him exactly what I did mean.’
‘Okay then, you need to do that as soon as possible and tonight, when we go for dinner, is a great opportunity. I’ll keep Henri talking - ooh, that will be such a pleasure - and you can go and talk with Didier.’ She rubbed her hands together with glee.
‘I think you’ve forgotten about Chlöe. I can’t say anything in front of her, can I?’
‘Of course not, no. You’ll find the right moment, don’t worry, and you’ll know just what to say when the time comes.’ She patted me on the arm before collecting our plates.
Not long after clearing the table, I received a text from Didier.
‘Henri is coming over at 4 to give me a hand with getting things ready. Would you both like to join us then?’
I read the text to Ellie, who promptly jumped up off the sofa where she’d been lounging.
‘Tell him yes, of course, but we’re going to have to hurry to get ourselves ready by then.’ She ran off upstairs towards the bathroom. I had to chuckle at her excitement. I sent back a reply saying we’d be over as soon as we could and went to my bedroom to see what I could wear. I was still sitting on the bed, staring at my woeful selection of clothes, when I heard Ellie come out of the bathroom. When she called out my name, I let her know I was in my room and she poked her head round the door.
‘You look miserable. What’s up?’
‘I just don’t have anything that’s right to wear. I only have city outfits or casual clothes. I really need to go shopping.’
‘Come on, let me have a look.’ Within minutes, she’d pulled out a pretty, cream, linen skirt embroidered with colourful pastel flowers that I hadn’t worn for ages and matched it with a simple, violet jumper.
‘I’d completely forgotten I’d even bought those clothes. It’s been so long since I wore either of them. I’d better try them on again.’ She rolled her eyes and left me to it. I slipped the skirt on and was relieved to find it still fit me with a bit of room to breathe as well, and the jumper went really well with it. I showed Ellie before jumping in the shower myself. I was just putting the finishing touches to my hair and make-up when she knocked lightly and came in.
‘Ooh, you look lovely, Ellie,’ I told her, admiring her dark linen trousers and her colourful tunic. ‘Your hair looks great like that too.’ She had such luscious red hair and her curls were to die for. I envied her. She was one of the only women I knew who loved her hair just as it was.
‘That’s it, then. I’m done too. Shall we go?’
CHAPTER TWELVE
Didier
By half past four, Henri and I were settled at the table in the enormous farmhouse kitchen, with our sleeves rolled up, preparing a feast for dinner. Chlöe was playing happily outside the French windows with Ruby - although she was still calling her Princesse - and I was hoping that Fran and Ellie would be arriving soon.
‘Ladies, come on in,’ I cried, when they appeared outside a few minutes later. I wiped my hands on my apron before kissing each of them on both cheeks and pouring out two more glasses of Kir. Chlöe followed them in, reaching out to Fran to be picked up. Fran happily obliged and they studied the food together. Ruby sat patiently at her feet, wagging her tail and waiting for her little companion to rejoin her.
‘Can we help with anything?’ Fran asked. I exchanged a glance with Henri, which I hoped Fran wouldn’t quite be able to interpret.
‘I know that you like cooking, whereas Henri, not so much.’ Henri shook his head as if to confirm this and Ellie grinned, having probably guessed I wanted some time alone with Fran. A fleeting look of concern crossed Fran’s face and I worried she might feel she was being manipulated. Henri had whipped his apron off by this time and he encouraged Chlöe to fall into his arms so he could take her back out to the garden. Ruby went first and Ellie followed them all, giving Fran a little wave and a wink before closing the door. Fran picked up the apron and put it over her head. I turned her round gently and tied the apron behind her. When she turned round again to face me she was smiling, and I felt my heartbeat quicken a little.
‘Shall we get to work?’ I said softly. She nodded and surveyed the work surface. There were ripe, red tomatoes, a whole romaine lettuce and some red onions.
‘The entrée is salade aux tomates, I’m guessing,’ she said.
‘Exactement. Would you mind preparing it while I check on the main course?’ I walked over to the large range oven and opened the door, releasing a wonderful smell of roast chicken into the kitchen. I took out the chicken and smothered it with a herb butter I’d prepared earlier. Then I put it back in the oven and returned to the work surface to begin preparing vegetables next to Fran. We worked in comfortable silence for a few minutes while I plucked up the courage to say something about the previous day. I heard Fran take in a deep breath too, but I didn’t say anything.
‘I…I think I may have given you the wrong impression the other day,’ she began.
‘How do you mean?’ I asked, frowning a little.
‘When I said I thought we should take things slowly. I didn’t mean I didn’t want us to get involved again, just that we both need to be sure of what we want before we take that step.’
I
put down my knife and turned to face her.
‘And do you want to take that step?’ She wiped her hands and raised her head to look at me then.
‘I think so but I don’t want to rush things. I’ve only just come out of one relationship, and you’re still married. Do you understand what I mean?’ She looked up at me for reassurance. I bent towards her, slipping my arms round her waist, and kissed her gently on the lips.
‘I do understand but I also know I would like us to try again. I think we both know we made mistakes before. Now, we can take all the time we need.’
With that, I let her go and returned to my food preparations with a smile. We had both said what we needed to.
Dinner was ready not long after that, and when I called out ‘à table’ everyone came running, including Ruby. We all enjoyed the fresh tomato salad, with warm bread to mop up the juices, before going on to the roast chicken flavoured with an abundance of herbs and accompanied by a wonderful selection of vegetables. Chlöe enjoyed her meal as much as the adults and she chatted away happily throughout. Looking at her little face, I wondered if I had made the right decision not to tell her yet about her mother being away for a while. For dessert, there was fresh fruit and cheese, and then we all went to sit outside to enjoy the last of the daylight before it was time for Chlöe to go to bed.
‘C’est l’heure de te coucher, maintenant, ma chérie,’ I told her. Her little face fell and her lower lip pushed out when I mentioned bedtime.
‘Tu viens avec nous?’ she asked Fran, her dark eyes wide. Fran stood up at once, with a look of delight on her face, and I smiled at her gratefully.
Fran
We left Ellie and Henri to have a bit of time on their own while we whisked Chlöe through a very splashy bedtime and into her pyjamas. She was yawning widely by the time I kissed her goodnight. I left Didier reading her a story and went back downstairs to start clearing up the kitchen. I bashed some pans a little to make my presence known to the lovebirds outside, just in case they were getting on a bit too famously. I didn’t want to walk in on anything. I put some coffee on for everyone, using a rather old-fashioned filter machine I found tucked away on a shelf, and coughed pointedly before emerging through the French doors. Ellie smiled up at me innocently and raised her eyebrows just a fraction. I couldn’t say anything to that so I just took a seat.
‘Thanks for tidying up the kitchen. You didn’t need to do that,’ Didier told me when he came back down a few minutes later. ‘Fran has also put the coffee machine on so would you all like one?’ I joined him in the kitchen to lend a hand and we brought everything out again shortly afterwards.
‘Henri, will you be all right to stay here with Chlöe for a while if I take Fran home?’
‘Of course, if that’s okay with Ellie,’ he looked over at her and she leaned in to him, patting his leg.
I stood up, kissed Henri goodbye and took Didier’s hand as we walked off into the night, Ruby close at our heels. It wasn’t long before the cottage came into sight and I knew Didier wouldn’t be able to stay long.
When we arrived at my door, I took a small step towards him, hoping he would kiss me properly this time. I tilted my head up and the next thing I knew, his lips were crushing mine and he was kissing me again with a passion I hadn’t realised I’d been missing. His hands were in my hair and my arms had naturally gone round his waist, pulling him closer to me as he pushed me gently against the wall of the cottage. When he paused for a moment, my lips were left tingling from the sensation of his mouth on mine. He stared deep into my eyes and I worried that he could read all my thoughts, which I wasn’t sure he was quite ready for. I touched his lips with my fingers and then gently rubbed the stubble on his cheek.
‘God, I’ve really missed you,’ he said, leaning in to my touch and taking my hands in his.
‘I’ve missed you too.’ He stepped back and I felt the loss of the warmth of his body immediately.
‘I want you to know I’m going to go ahead with the divorce, just so you know that I’m not doing anything behind Isabelle’s back…or yours for that matter.’
‘I’m sorry for all of you but it seems best for everyone.’
‘It won’t be easy but I want to be honest with you.’
I nodded and kissed him then, reassuring him I knew what I was getting into. He pulled away reluctantly a little while later.
‘Will I see you tomorrow?’ he asked.
‘I hope so. It’s Ellie’s last day so I want to spend what time I can with her. Still, I have a feeling she might want to see Henri as well.’
He laughed then. ‘Bonne nuit, see you tomorrow.’
I watched as he walked away, and thanked goodness for fate.
I woke early the next morning and as I lay there in bed, enjoying the peace and quiet, I remembered waiting up for Ellie for a while but eventually going to bed without seeing her. I was thrilled that she and Henri had hit it off so well and couldn’t wait to hear all about it. I had a quick shower and got dressed before going downstairs to see what there was for breakfast. Ruby jumped up as soon as she heard me coming, tail wagging furiously and I bent down to give her a long cuddle to make up for being so busy over the last few days.
As I was making breakfast, I heard Ellie getting up and creaking round upstairs. Shortly afterwards, she emerged into the kitchen with a great big smile on her face.
‘Ooh, someone’s cheerful this morning. I hate to sound like your mum but what time did you get in last night?’
‘It was after midnight, I think.’ She gave me a sheepish grin before continuing. ‘By the way, you could never sound like my mother.’ She then pulled a quite different face, leaving me in no doubt about how she felt towards her mum.
‘Were you at Didier’s all that time?’
‘No, we walked into town to have a drink and ended up staying quite a while before walking back.’
‘So, everything’s good between you, then?’ Her smile slowly fell away. ‘What is it, Ellie?’
‘It’s just that I’ve had such a great time this weekend, being here with you and now meeting Henri as well. I don’t want to go home, that’s all. I hate my job and now I haven’t got you there to cheer me up any more.’ She sat down at the table with a sigh.
‘Hmm. It has been a great weekend, you’re right, and just as lovely for me having you here too. Have you thought any more about getting a new job? You’ve been so unhappy for such a long time. I know you could get something much better.’
‘I’m always thinking about it, to be honest, but I can never get myself motivated enough to do anything. Being here this weekend has made me wonder whether the city is the right place for me, after all.’
I raised my eyebrows at that and she laughed as she took in my expression. Neither one of us had ever expected to hear her say that.
‘Well, look, we need to come up with a plan of action to change your life but why don’t we concentrate on doing something really fun today to bring the weekend to a nice close? I’m sure you have plans to see Henri at some point, don’t you?’
‘Oh, you’re such a sweetheart. I do want to see him, of course, but I want to see you as well. I told Henri I’d text him once we were up and ready, so we can see what ideas he has.’
I sent a text to Didier too, and in the end we all went out together to the nearby Jardins des Papillons, which was something we would all enjoy. We took a picnic with us, hastily cobbled together from three different fridges before we bundled ourselves into the van. The weather was already starting to cool as summer gave way to autumn but the day was still warm enough to enjoy being outside. It was only a short drive to the gardens, which was just as well because Chlöe was almost giddy with excitement before she’d even got into the van. I glanced round to see her chatting away animatedly to Ellie who was nodding often despite not knowing many words of French at all. I laughed and turned back to finding Didier smiling at me too.
We went straight into the butterfly house when we arrived, havin
g tried to explain to Chlöe that it would be very hot inside because that’s how butterflies like it. She was still completely taken aback by the humidity when we walked in, puffing out her little cheeks in surprise.
‘Oh, qu’il fait chaud, Papa!’ she exclaimed, as we closed the screen doors carefully behind us. She began fanning herself at once but as soon as Didier pointed out the first butterfly, she forgot about the heat in no time. There was a stunning display of exotic butterflies inside the house and they kept us all entertained right through till lunchtime. We managed to find a lovely picnic spot in the village but it wasn’t long before Chlöe was running around again, leaving only the adults to lounge about on the assorted blankets.
Didier
‘What do you do in London, Ellie?’ I asked as we all tried to recover from the heat of the butterfly house, coupled with our generous lunch.
‘A very boring job at a bank in the City, I’m afraid,’ she replied, rolling her eyes.
‘What would you prefer to do?’ We all looked at her, wondering what she would say.
‘Well, I’ve always liked working with the public. Customer services, that kind of thing.’
‘Ah yes, I can see you in that kind of job, certainly.’
‘The thing is I’ve always loved being in the city but this weekend has made me wonder whether it’s time for a change.’
We strolled around the gardens for an hour or so after lunch until it was time for Ellie to get ready to catch her train. No sooner had we strapped Chlöe into the car than she fell asleep. The journey home passed quietly as we all retreated into our own thoughts. When we got back to the Domaine, Henri offered to drive Ellie to Strasbourg.
‘Would you mind, Fran? I don’t want you to be upset but it would save you the hassle.’ Ellie looked torn.