The Vineyard in Alsace

by Julie Stock

  Hearing voices outside, I went out to greet everyone and to give my mum a hand with serving. We were making better progress with the harvest than I would have expected after just a couple of weeks, which I put down to a mostly experienced group of pickers helping us this time. After breakfast, I announced that we would be able to take Sunday off again because we were doing so well. There were grinning faces all around at this news and I couldn’t resist a grin of my own. Fran came and joined me after my little speech.

  ‘Chlöe was absolutely fine, chatting all the way. She asked me if I’d enjoyed sleeping over at your house.’ I let out a roar of laughter, causing one or two people to turn and look at me. I raised my hand in apology, wiping my eyes.

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘What do you think? I said yes of course! I don’t think we need to say any more to her about it now. If that’s how she sees it, that’s fine.’

  ‘You’re right. Come on then, shall we get going?’

  Fran

  Henri and I set off after lunch on Sunday to pick Ellie up from the station, neither one of us able to contain our excitement at seeing her again. I desperately wanted to sit and have a long chat with her but understood I would have to share her with Henri from now on. It made me nostalgic for the times when we would sit and talk for hours at her flat in London. So much had changed in such a short space of time. Still, we would be seeing much more of one another now she would be living in the village, as well as helping out with the harvest.

  I waved and yelled in her direction as soon as she stepped off the train. She broke into an enormous grin. She had two big suitcases with her so we made our way to her as quickly as we could through all the crowds of people.

  ‘Hey! I made it,’ she cried, throwing her arms round us both for a hug.

  ‘It’s so good to see you,’ I said, stepping back so she and Henri could share a more intimate moment. She winked at me over his shoulder and I had to laugh as I picked up one of her discarded bags. She was her own woman and always would be, and that was one of the many things I loved about her.

  Henri took her hand and pulled her other suitcase alongside him as we progressed slowly along the platform towards the exit.

  ‘So, how is everyone? Has everything calmed down a bit now?’

  ‘Didier was very stressed immediately after what happened but he’s much calmer about it all now.’

  ‘Yes, it was tough on him but Isabelle has agreed to the divorce now and they’re negotiating custody terms,’ Henri added.

  I glanced at Henri, wondering how he knew as much as I did. He and Didier obviously found time to talk regularly. I hoped Didier hadn’t told him that I’d almost left him after seeing him hugging Isabelle.

  ‘Oh, that’s excellent news, Fran. You must be pleased.’

  ‘I am.’ There was a “but” I could have added but I didn’t want to say anything about my inner feelings in front of Henri, given his friendship with Didier. Ellie gave me a quizzical look so I knew she would ask me about it later.

  We reached the car and Ellie climbed in the back with me so we could chat more easily.

  ‘How much longer will the harvest be going on?’ she asked.

  ‘Didier estimates we need another couple of weeks to finish everything.’

  ‘I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and doing my bit,’ she said. Henri glanced in the mirror at us, a little frown on his face.

  ‘Elle attend participer dans le vendange avec impatience,’ I translated for him.

  ‘Oops,’ she giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. ‘I will have to be more careful about using slang. Poor old Henri, what are you going to do with me?’ An intimate look passed between them in the mirror and I had the feeling Henri had a very good idea what he was going to do with her. My face flushed at being the gooseberry and I hastily looked out of the window.

  Henri pulled the car into the courtyard shortly afterwards and I got out after kissing Ellie goodbye.

  ‘Good luck with moving in and I’ll see you later, okay? Seven o’clock at Didier’s.’

  ‘We’ll be there,’ she replied, hopping out of the back and moving into the passenger seat next to Henri.

  Didier

  Chlöe loved cooking and so we’d spent all morning preparing food for the party. First of all, we made little cakes with chocolate fondant on top and then she helped me prepare an onion tart and some potato salad.

  ‘You’re an expert at rolling out pastry now,’ I told her, as we washed up after cooking.

  ‘I can’t wait to show Fran what we’ve made,’ she said with a smile. It was reassuring to know she loved Fran as much as I did.

  We took Ruby on a tour of the estate afterwards, arriving back at the courtyard just as Fran was coming through the archway. Her long brown hair was blowing gently in the breeze as she appeared, and I found her beauty breathtaking once again. Chlöe ran up to her and she bent down straight away to give her a hug and a kiss, and to listen to her tales of what we’d been up to that morning.

  ‘Hey, Fran, how was Ellie?’ I asked, kissing her softly on the cheek.

  ‘She was her usual, outgoing self,’ she laughed. Her face lit up as she thought about her friend.

  ‘Well, we’re all ready for the welcome party tonight, aren’t we, Chlöe? Why don’t you tell Fran what we’ve made?’

  We listened to Chlöe all the way back to the cottage, hardly able to get a word in edgeways while she chattered on.

  ‘Are you going home for lunch now?’ Fran asked.

  ‘Yes, would you like to join us?’

  ‘I thought you’d never ask,’ she teased. ‘Your house is the place to be if I want to get fed today. I never seem to get round to going food shopping.’

  ‘If you ever need anything, you must tell me,’ I chided. ‘Maman and I take turns to shop, and we can easily add things in for you too.’ I paused for a moment, considering the possibilities for this conversation. ‘Of course, if we lived together, you wouldn’t even have to think about food shopping.’ She rolled her eyes lovingly.

  ‘You, Monsieur Le Roy, are very persistent,’ she said, prodding my chest gently with her finger.

  ‘Qu’est-ce que cela veut dire - per-sis-tent?’ Chlöe interrupted.

  ‘It means déterminé!’ we cried together.

  ‘Ah, oui, c’est vrai!’ Chlöe agreed and ran off across the lawn with Ruby.

  ‘I’ve had an idea about the whole living together debate,’ Fran said, catching my attention.

  ‘I’m listening,’ I said, slowing down.

  ‘We decided the builders should start on the château rather than the Visitors’ Centre while the harvest is still going on because of the dust,’ she began. I nodded, remembering our discussion from Friday. ‘Well, the château would get dusty too, when they start work there, which might make it a bit uncomfortable for you both.’ She stopped, waiting for me to get her point.

  ‘For me and Chlöe, you mean?’ I replied, trying to process what she was saying.

  ‘So, maybe it’s not me that should be thinking about moving in with you but…’

  It suddenly clicked and my mouth fell open. ‘We should move back into the cottage with you!’

  I picked her up and whirled her around, bringing her face to mine for a kiss.

  ‘I take it you like the idea?’

  ‘I love it, and Chlöe will too. Are you sure you wouldn’t mind us being there?’

  ‘I’ve given it a lot of thought,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I love the cottage and I’ve put my stamp on it a little now, but it would feel more like a real home with you and Chlöe in it too.’

  ‘You’ve made my day. I love you, you know.’

  ‘I know,’ she said, stroking the hair away from my face.

  Fran

  The party for Ellie was in full swing by the time Lottie arrived on her own. She’d gone out first thing to spend the day with Thierry, so I thought they would come along together some time in the evening.
As soon as she found me, she pulled me to one side.

  ‘Thierry and I have had an awful row,’ she said, keeping her voice low. I heard the wobble in it though.

  ‘What!’

  ‘Shhh,’ she hissed, frowning at me. ‘I don’t want everyone else to get involved.’

  ‘What happened? And where is he?’

  ‘I don’t think he’ll be coming.’ She stopped, struggling to find the words to tell me. ‘We were just talking about where things might be going between us and I told him if there isn’t a job for me after the harvest ends, which isn’t looking likely, I’m going to have to go home. He just came right out and said maybe we should stop seeing each other now, seeing as I was only going to leave anyway.’

  ‘What did you say then?’

  ‘Nothing. I just stood up and stormed out.’

  I groaned and covered my face with my hands. She pulled them away gently. ‘You know you should have stayed and talked it through together?’ I said, looking her straight in the eye, ignoring the fact that I didn’t exactly always follow my own advice.

  ‘What’s the point? He made it very clear he didn’t want to try and get over the issue, so why should I make the effort?’ I recognised that defiant tone at once. I’d seen it so many times when she really cared about something or someone but was trying hard not to let it show.

  The French doors opened and I glanced up.

  ‘Don’t look now but he just walked in and he’s scanning the room, probably looking for you.’

  She raised her eyes to the ceiling and suddenly my heart was in my mouth as Thierry spotted us and started walking our way.

  ‘Salut, Fran,’ he said softly before turning to speak to my sister. ‘Lottie, we need to talk. Please. I’m sorry for what I said before.’ He blew out a deep breath, waves of frustration radiating off him. Years of living with my sister had made me more than aware of how trying she could be.

  Lottie didn’t reply. She just turned on her heel and went back outside, with Thierry following close behind. It was only once they’d gone that I realised the room had fallen silent. Suddenly, everyone started talking again. Didier found me and led me into the kitchen.

  ‘What was all that about?’

  I told him what Lottie had told me. He blew out a big breath, as sad as I was that Lottie and Thierry had argued when they seemed to be so good for each other.

  ‘Had you thought about where Lottie would go if Chlöe and I moved back in?’

  ‘To be honest, I was thinking she’d either go home or move in with Thierry.’ I pulled a face, knowing how bad that sounded and Didier raised his eyebrows.

  ‘We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. We should let them work it out for themselves, no matter how much we might want it all to end happily.’ He gave me a little smile before pouring out two new glasses of wine for us. He refilled a plate with food for everyone and, passing me a glass, he moved out to mingle.

  The room was full of our friends, old and new, including many of the grape-pickers and carriers who had worked so hard for the Domaine over the last couple of weeks. It was good to thank them in this way in the middle of the harvest. There would be lots of parties in the region when the harvest was over but for now, this smaller, intimate gathering was more our style.

  Ellie and Henri had been at each other’s side all evening and so I was surprised to see her come into the kitchen on her own.

  ‘Hey you, is everything okay?’ she asked. ‘I saw Lottie come in briefly and then go again.’

  ‘I’m okay. She’s just had a bit of an argument with Thierry because she still doesn’t have a job to go to when the harvest ends.’

  ‘And he wants her to stay, is that it?’

  ‘I think he does but he just hasn’t quite worked out the right way to tell her that yet.’

  ‘Ah, I see,’ she said.

  ‘Anyway, how have you settled in at Henri’s?’

  ‘It’s been fine so far but it’s going to take some getting used to, living with someone else. Have you thought any more about that issue?’

  ‘Yes I have, and I’ve even come up with a solution that Didier likes too, but it all kind of depends on what happens with Lottie now.’ I looked away, embarrassed to tell her what else had happened.

  ‘What is it? I had the feeling there was more to this in the car.’

  ‘I can’t talk about it now but honestly, everything’s fine.’ I gave her a quick smile and she didn’t push any further.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Didier

  Two weeks later

  A great cry rang out across the vineyard as we finally downed tools. I called out goodbyes to everyone as we walked up the hill for the last time during this harvest. Despite the constant ache in my muscles, I was satisfied that it had gone well. I would be concentrating on the new, young wines in the winery now, with Thierry’s advice. I had every hope the resulting wines would be as good as the grapes suggested. That work would continue on Monday, though. For now, I wanted a good night’s sleep and a lie-in before I thought about it all again.

  I reached the courtyard just as Fran was going into the office. There wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait till Monday and I wanted her to have a rest too.

  ‘What are you up to?’ I asked, following her inside.

  ‘Just checking there’s nothing urgent to be dealt with.’

  ‘Come on. There won’t be anything important now. Let’s leave it all till Monday and enjoy our weekend.’

  ‘Let me just check today’s post at least. I’ll feel better if I do.’ She gave me that special smile of hers, making it hard for me to deny her whatever it was she wanted.

  ‘I’m giving you five minutes, that’s all.’

  I stood in front of her, arms folded, watching her sort the envelopes into two piles.

  ‘I told you there’d be something important,’ she declared, handing me another manila envelope, with the all-too-familiar name of my law firm printed on the outside.

  ‘I’m going to have an irrational fear of these envelopes soon. I’ve had enough these past few weeks to last me my whole life.’

  I opened it, as Fran finished sorting her piles.

  ‘Okay, let’s see,’ I said. I read it through quickly, trying to focus on the highlights but I got no further than the first line. I read it again to make sure before I told Fran. ‘Isabelle has accepted I have no more assets or money to give her and she accepts my request for full custody of our daughter.’ I looked up at Fran who was watching me very closely for my reaction. I swallowed before studying the rest of the letter. ‘She agrees that her itinerant lifestyle would be unsuitable for a young child. She wants to go with my suggestion that she should see Chlöe for a minimum of one week per month during term-time but spend longer with her during the holidays. She also agrees that we should negotiate this as we go along.’ I sank down into a chair, feeling suddenly weak now that everything I had wanted for so long was finally coming true.

  ‘And the divorce papers?’ Fran whispered.

  I lifted the letter summarising everything and looked underneath it at the other papers.

  ‘Mon dieu! She’s signed the divorce papers too. I just have to wait for the official paperwork to come through now.’ I glanced back at Alain’s letter. ‘There’s a final note saying Isabelle would like to take Chlöe for a week during the next school holidays, which I have no issue with. I hope this will pave the way for a good relationship between us in the future.’

  ‘I can’t quite believe it’s all over,’ Fran said. ‘This is really the end of it all. How do you feel about it?’

  ‘Pretty good. Relieved mostly.’ I stood up and she came towards me for a hug. I closed my eyes as I held her tight, relishing the feeling of finally being able to move on from the past.

  ‘Shall we go and see how everything’s going in the château before we go to your mum’s?’

  The builders had been working through the upstairs rooms at the château for the past two w
eeks, re-plastering the walls where necessary, and would soon be moving onto the downstairs to do the same job. I’d asked them to give me a couple of weeks to get the first wine pressing safely closed up in the tanks before they started work on the Visitors’ Centre. I’d have a better idea of the finances by then, as well.

  We’d crossed the courtyard and passed through the archway on our way towards the château when I had a change of plan.

  ‘I’m fairly sure the builders can wait to talk to us until next week, you know. I have a much better idea of what we could do now.’ I looked sideways at her and she laughed before changing direction to turn towards the cottage instead.

  Fran

  The door of the cottage banged shut as Didier left with Chlöe for the nursery. Now they had moved in with me, everything seemed to be right in the world. I closed my eyes again and snuggled back under the duvet savouring the novelty of my Monday morning lie-in for just a few minutes longer. As I stood under the water in the shower not long afterwards, I thought about my conversation with my mum and dad the previous day.

  ‘Hello sweetheart, how are you?’ my mum had asked.

  I’d filled her in on the news about the harvest and how well it had all gone.

  ‘There’s going to be a festival in the village next weekend to celebrate the end of the harvest and I wanted to invite you and Dad to come.’

  ‘That would be lovely. And what’s the news on Lottie? I haven’t spoken to her for a few days.’

  ‘We think there may be a job coming up in the village. It’s as a nursery assistant at the place Chlöe attends. She’d have to train up so it wouldn’t pay much to start with but if she likes it, it wouldn’t take her long.’