The Vineyard in Alsace

by Julie Stock

  ‘I was just thinking how much everyone likes you. It makes me feel proud to be with you.’ She didn’t look at me as she spoke. I stopped her and lifted her chin.

  ‘I am proud to walk alongside you too. You are beautiful and I’m so glad I can share all this with you. The vineyard means so much to me.’ I waved my arm to indicate I meant the estate. Then I coughed, feeling a bit embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just so passionate about it all.’

  Fran took my face in her hands and kissed me firmly on the lips.

  ‘I love your passion, Didier.’

  I smiled at her and we started walking again. In no time, we were deep in the heart of the vineyard, with row upon row of vines sloping down as far as the eye could see. It was an amazing sight. Even though the land was mine, I felt a great sense of awe at the size of our vineyard and our operation.

  ‘How big is the vineyard?’ Fran asked. ‘And how does it compare to others locally?’

  ‘We have about 20 hectares here, which makes us a small-sized vineyard in Alsace. Most of the local ones are similar in size. A Grand Cru vineyard would be double the size of ours though. Last year’s vendange was a good one because the weather was pretty good. We were able to produce a small amount of red and rosé, together with large quantities of our white wines, making just over 150,000 litres.’

  Her eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened. I chuckled at her response. We continued our tour, stopping every now and then so I could check the grapes with my refractometer.

  ‘What are you measuring with that instrument?’ Fran asked after one such stop.

  I straightened up and showed her the reading. ‘This measures the balance between sugar and acid in the grapes, as well as the pH levels. I compare the reading to an index and it gives me an idea of the weight of the unfermented grape juice. This, in turn, tells me the potential alcohol of the grape juice during fermentation. It’s not as complicated as it sounds.’

  ‘What are you thinking about the harvest? Is it time?’

  ‘It’s definitely time for the pinot blanc grapes, which is what we usually harvest first for the crémant. I’d like to make a start on Tuesday or Wednesday, as long as I can get enough people to come and help.’

  ‘How long will the harvest last from beginning to end?’

  ‘If we have enough people for the hand-picking, it will take around a month and a half. And we will be working eight hours a day every day for that time, both picking and pressing.’

  We started walking back up the hill towards the château, now shimmering in the distance in the haze of the midday sun. I wrapped my arm around Fran’s shoulders.

  ‘Where do you get all the people from?’ she asked.

  ‘People come to France just for the harvest every year. They either contact us directly or they come via an agency. Some of them have been coming back for several years. The rest are family, friends and other locals who step in to help us. It’s truly a community job. Everyone helps out somewhere.’

  ‘I’m very excited to pick grapes for the first time.’

  ‘I’ll remind you of those words in a couple of weeks’ time, Fran. It’s back-breaking work, you know.’

  She lifted her chin in that determined way of hers and I had to smile.

  ‘Are you trying to tell me I’m not up to the job, monsieur?’

  ‘I wouldn’t dare. Have I ever told you how sexy you look when you get that gleam in your eye?’

  I kissed her and pulled her closer to me.

  ‘Are you hungry?’ I asked her.

  ‘I’m starving,’ she replied, ‘but not necessarily for food.’ Her eyes twinkled. She pulled away and began to run. I chased after her, enjoying the wind in my hair and against my face. I couldn’t ever remember feeling more content.

  Fran

  As we lay in bed after making love, I was surprised to hear the kitchen door open downstairs. I froze as Didier jumped out of bed and pulled on his trousers to go and investigate. I was sure I would have heard Chlöe’s little voice by now if it was her and her grandmother. I got up and started to get dressed again, hearing the door close while I was doing so, followed by Didier’s footsteps on the stairs.

  ‘Who was it?’ I asked.

  ‘Don’t worry, it was only my housekeeper. I asked her to drop lunch off for us so we wouldn’t have to worry today.’

  ‘You think of everything, you really do.’ I gazed at him with admiration and he reached out for me.

  ‘I am wooing you with food and wine,’ he murmured, bending his head to kiss me in the sensitive spot just below my ear.

  ‘I warn you that if you kiss me there, we will never get to eat today.’ He carried on kissing me until I dodged away and made for the stairs.

  ‘You can be such a spoilsport, you know,’ he told me, laughing at me.

  ‘Well, I really am hungry for food now so you’ll just have to wait and ravish me later.’ Behind me, I heard him groan but then he followed me downstairs anyway. When I reached the bottom step, I glanced over at the kitchen table to see a beautiful wicker picnic hamper waiting for us, along with a chilled bottle of Domaine rosé. I couldn’t wait to open the hamper and find out what was inside. Didier gave a rich laugh behind me, as I threw back the lid of the basket. I was overwhelmed with a whole host of heavenly smells. There were fresh baguettes, a delicious looking onion tart, a selection of charcuterie and various salads and - for the remote chance we might actually have some room left - there were also some home-made desserts. I smiled as Didier passed me my glass of wine.

  ‘You look very content,’ he said before taking a sip of his wine.

  ‘I was already before we found this wonderful hamper but now I really am in heaven. It’s a proper banquet!’

  We began by tasting the onion tart, which was still warm and every bit as delicious as I’d expected.

  ‘I hope Ellie and Henri are enjoying their weekend as much as I’m enjoying mine,’ I said, closing my eyes as I savoured the smoky flavour of caramelised onions - a glorious match with the fruity wine.

  I helped myself to some bread and charcuterie before passing the plate to Didier.

  ‘I’ll send Henri a text today,’ he said. ‘I ought to let him know we’re planning on starting the picking on Tuesday, just so he’s prepared when he returns.’

  ‘That’s a good idea. Will it be all right to leave the office unattended during the harvest?’

  ‘It’s what we usually do. Most people realise if we’re not there at this time of year, it’s because we’re busy. I take your point though. Maybe we should put up a sign or something this year.’

  ‘I can do that on Monday. I’ll call the builders as well, and tell them what’s happening.’

  ‘Are you any closer to a decision yet?’

  ‘I liked the look of the second quote and the company very much, so unless the third one is outstanding, I think we should probably go with them. If we do decide, could they make a start while we’re doing the harvest do you think?’

  ‘Mmm, yes, possibly.’ Didier swallowed a mouthful of potato salad before patting his firm stomach in defeat. ‘That was delicious but I really can’t eat any more.’

  ‘What about dessert?’ I teased, moving over to lean against him.

  ‘I think I’ve probably had more than my fair share of dessert already today.’ He patted me on the bottom, giving me a cheeky grin. I kissed him with delight and rested against him.

  ‘This has been lovely, thank you.’

  ‘You deserve every minute, and it has been my pleasure.’

  Didier

  When I woke up on Sunday morning, I could feel a change in the weather. Before I’d even got out of bed, I could see there was no sun peeking through the blind, and it seemed a tiny bit darker than the day before. It was definitely time to start the harvest.

  I walked along the corridor to Chlöe’s room and peeked in. She was fast asleep, another tell-tale sign that the new season was coming. Chlöe was a good sleeper, luckily, but she
was usually up with the birds. Today was noticeably different. I went downstairs to put on a pot of coffee. As the machine gurgled, I stared out of the French windows at the early morning dew, fretting about leaving the picking too late. At least it hadn’t rained. If it had, leaf rot would be a major concern.

  I poured myself a strong cup of coffee, no milk, no sugar. As I sat at the table, I remembered about sending a message to Henri regarding the start date for the harvest. I picked up my phone and was surprised to find a message already waiting for me, sent late the previous night.

  ‘Salut, Didier. Sorry to have to tell you but Fran’s ex was here at Ellie’s tonight demanding to know where Fran is. We said nothing but he was very aggressive. Wanted to warn you.’

  Damn. I sucked in a breath at the man’s nerve.

  ‘Only just read this, sorry. Are you both okay? How did you leave it with him?’

  I waited anxiously for a reply but it was an hour earlier in London. Should I tell Fran or would it just worry her, perhaps unnecessarily? Or perhaps Ellie had already told her. I sent off another text to Henri.

  ‘Did you tell Fran about this? If not, please don’t. She doesn’t need the worry. I was going to text you today to say that we start the harvest on Tuesday, just to let you know. So sorry you had to deal with all that trouble. See you tomorrow.’

  I worried then for a while about whether Fran would be waking up to this news. She would be sure to panic but I had no idea what we could do. I decided to go over and see her as soon as Chlöe and I were dressed.

  By the time I’d showered, Chlöe was downstairs playing in the living room.

  ‘Bonjour, Papa.’ She looked up at me with a smile and then promptly yawned.

  ‘Hey, sleepyhead. You must have been very tired this morning after your sleepover with mémé.’ She nodded. ‘Why don’t you go and get dressed, and we’ll go out and get some breakfast?’

  While she went upstairs, I checked my phone again.

  ‘We’re both okay but Ellie’s still quite shaken up today. We threatened to call the police and he went. Ellie has already sent Fran a message, sorry. See you tomorrow.’

  I ran my hands through my damp hair. Christ, what a mess. I had no idea her ex was like this. I was glad he had cheated on her. It had given her a damn fine reason for leaving him. I ran upstairs to help Chlöe finish getting dressed.

  Fran

  I was still in my pyjamas enjoying a lazy start to Sunday morning when I was surprised by a knock at the door of the cottage. Didier was on the doorstep, a worried frown on his face. He brought Chlöe inside, where she settled down with Ruby in front of the fire, and then guided me out to the kitchen out of her hearing.

  ‘I take it you haven’t looked at your phone since last night?’

  I shook my head. ‘I didn’t look at it at all yesterday evening. I went to bed quite early, with my book. What is it? What’s happened?’

  ‘Ellie’s sent you a message. It’s not good news, I’m afraid.’ That scared me to death as I imagined all kinds of terrible things happening to her and Henri. I let out a gasp and ran to find my phone. ‘Sorry, Ellie and Henri are both okay,’ he added quickly.

  I found the message and groaned. ‘How dare he do that to my friends? The bastard.’ I spoke in a fierce whisper so Chlöe wouldn’t hear. I read Ellie’s message out to Didier.

  ‘Paul came round tonight looking for you. He was drunk and shouting about you hiding from him. He kept asking us where you were and when we wouldn’t tell him, he became aggressive. Henri stood up to him and when we said we’d call the police, he went. We must do something to stop him, Fran.’

  ‘Oh my God, I just can’t even begin to process this. What am I going to do?’

  ‘Look, why don’t you call Ellie? I’ll go with Chlöe to get breakfast and we’ll talk some more when we get back. Okay?’

  Didier helped Chlöe put her coat on again, whistled to Ruby and then they were gone. I sank down onto the sofa while I worked out what on earth I was going to say to Ellie. How could I make this up to them both?

  ‘Ellie, hi, it’s me. I’ve just read your message. I’m so sorry.’

  ‘Let’s get one thing straight right away: this is not your fault, okay? I will not have you blaming yourself for Paul’s behaviour.’

  ‘Okay, but what the hell happened?’

  I gnawed on my lip as I listened to her story.

  ‘We’d been out for dinner and were just getting ready for bed when there was a terrible banging and shouting from the hallway outside the flat. I went to the door and Henri followed. I recognised Paul at once of course, and I could see he was really drunk. He kept shouting your name over and over. I realised he thought you were staying with me, so I told him you weren’t, and that you were still in France. Then he accused me of lying and barged into the flat looking for you. That’s when Henri stepped up.’

  I gasped. I couldn’t believe Paul had actually gone to these lengths to find me.

  ‘I screamed that I would call the police and he started to back off. He was making such a commotion that other people came out of their flats too. At least that means we have a lot of witnesses. Just before he went, he said he would find you, that you couldn’t hide away from him forever. He kept demanding your new number but I didn’t say anything.’

  ‘Oh, Ellie, God, I’m so sorry. Are you both all right?’

  ‘We’re fine, honestly. I do feel a bit shaken up still but I’m most concerned about what he’ll do if he finds you. I really think you should call the police about him, Fran.’

  ‘The thing is he hasn’t done anything to me, has he? I don’t think they would be interested to hear from me unless he does something. I can’t understand what’s got into him. When I spoke to him before I left, he was upset but he seemed to have accepted it was over between us. Why has he changed his mind?’

  ‘I really don’t know but I’m worried for your safety.’

  ‘Look, please try and enjoy your last few hours with Henri. I’ll call you tomorrow. Thanks so much for sticking up for me.’

  ‘Any time. Take care now.’

  I rang off just as Didier and Chlöe came back with breakfast.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Didier settled Chlöe at the table, and while she was busy eating her pain au chocolat, I relayed my conversation with Ellie to Didier as quickly as I could.

  ‘What do you think I should do? I’m wondering about calling Paul and threatening him with a court order.’

  ‘Has he ever been to your family’s home?’

  ‘No, he was never interested in coming to France, thank God. I did tell him I was coming home for Amandine’s wedding, and Ellie confirmed I stayed on afterwards.’

  ‘He can’t connect you with the vineyard, though, so that’s good. I don’t think you should make any further contact with him. He’s not someone you can reason with, from the sounds of it.’

  ‘I suppose you’re right. It’s just I hate the fact that Ellie and Henri have been dragged in to something that’s nothing to do with them. It’s my mess and I feel I should do something.’

  ‘No, it’s not your mess. This is all down to Paul and you’re not responsible for him.’ He pulled me towards him and I rested my head gratefully on his shoulder as he stroked my back, trying to soothe all my worries away.

  ‘Are you going over to your mum’s for dinner today?’ I asked, changing the subject to take my mind off Paul.

  ‘Yes, would you like to come too? She asked me to invite you.’

  ‘I’d love that, thank you.’ We shared a long kiss and then he jumped up.

  ‘Come on, Chlöe, let’s go and get you properly washed and dressed before we go to grandma’s this afternoon. We’ll pick you up around midday, Fran, okay?’

  After Didier had gone, I thought carefully about what he had said. I knew he was right but I couldn’t help worrying about it all. I had a quick shower and got dressed and then decided to give my parents a call and get their advice.


  ‘Papa, c’est moi.’

  ‘Oh, ça va, ma chérie?’ He sounded weary which wasn’t like him at all.

  ‘Dad, what’s the matter? You sound as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders.’

  He sighed. ‘It’s Lottie. She’s taken herself off to Strasbourg to visit a friend for a few days. We tried to talk to her about her future plans and she pushed against us, thinking we were pressuring her. Now we haven’t heard from her, and your mother’s worried sick.’

  ‘Come on, Dad. She’s always been a free spirit and she does what she likes, you know that. She’s just annoyed because she can’t wriggle out of this. She has to face her responsibilities now. I’m sure she’ll be fine in Strasbourg for a few days.’

  ‘But she’s pregnant, Fran, that’s the difference this time. We are very worried about her.’

  ‘And she’s not answering her phone, I take it?’

  ‘No. Have you been in touch with her?’

  ‘Not since that weekend, no. I’ll send her a text today and see if I can persuade her to get in touch with you. Listen, I called because I need to talk to you about something.’

  ‘I think Didier has given you good advice,’ my dad said after I’d explained what had happened. ‘And thanks for warning us. I don’t think Paul will come and bother us but if he does, at least we’ll be prepared. Anyway, how’s everything going for you? Tell me some good news, please.’

  ‘Things are great, Dad.’ I smiled as I thought of how wonderful things were between Didier and me. ‘We’re going to start the harvest this week, which I’m really excited about. How would you and Mum like to come up and help out? We start on Tuesday, and we need as many pairs of hands as we can get for the next month or so.’

  ‘It’s been years since we helped at a grape harvest but I think it might do us good to get away from home for a bit. It will take our minds off things. I’ll have a chat with your mum and let you know. You won’t forget to contact Lottie, will you?’