by Julie Stock
‘That sounds great. Is she happy with the idea? I never really had her down as someone who’d like to work with children.’
‘She’s volunteered a couple of times and got on quite well with both the children and the other staff. I think she’s going to give it a shot.’
‘And you’re okay about her staying with you?’
‘Actually, she’s moved in with Sylvie for the time being.’
‘Really? Whose idea was that?’
‘It was Sylvie’s. It has resolved a lot of potential issues. Anyway, I’ll let her tell you more about her situation but she’s very pleased she can stay here and continue seeing Thierry.’
‘So, are you on your own in the cottage now?’
‘Well, not quite, sorry. Didier and Chlöe have moved in with me.’
There was a pause.
‘Does that mean Didier’s divorce is now sorted out?’
‘Pretty much, yes, and he more or less has full custody of Chlöe.’ I’d gone on to give her all the details.
‘I’m so pleased for you, I really am. Look, I’ll pass you over to your dad and we’ll see you next weekend. Take care, love.’
I got dressed and had a quick breakfast before heading out towards the office. Didier was just arriving back as I walked through the archway.
‘Did you see Lottie?’ I asked.
‘I did and she was fine. She was a little nervous, but once the children came in and started chattering, she seemed much more at ease. Chlöe went straight up to her and took her hand in hers.’
‘Oh, that was sweet of her. I bet Lottie will have a wonderful day and won’t even notice the time passing.’
I unlocked the door to the office and shivered at once from the cold. Didier went to reset the storage heater since we would be here all the time now the harvest was over. Henri arrived a few minutes later, followed by Ellie, and I had to stop myself from squealing in pleasure to have my friend with me once again. Today was Ellie’s first proper day with us after the harvest. She was going to help me go over the whole Visitors’ Centre project and work out a detailed timeline of events before the spring opening we had planned. I was so pleased Ellie was with me to help me think it all through. After a quick hug, she helped me sort the post and then I went through my emails.
‘Right,’ I announced around ten, standing up from my desk. ‘Ellie and I are going to have a conference at the cottage about the building project. We’ll probably be there for the rest of the day.’
The two men saluted me and with a little smile, I turned on my heel and walked to the door with Ellie right behind me.
Didier
The bedroom door creaked open in the semi-darkness.
‘Papa, quelle heure est-il?’ Chlöe’s little voice whispered right by my ear. I strained to see the clock and groaned when I saw that it was only six o’clock.
‘It’s very early, little one,’ I whispered back, trying not to wake Fran.
I pushed the duvet back gently and swung my legs out of bed. I would go downstairs with my daughter and keep her quietly busy until her mum came to collect her for the week’s holiday they were going to spend together at Isabelle’s new apartment in Strasbourg. Chlöe was excited to see her mum and I was very glad about that.
‘Qu’est-ce qu’il y a?’ Fran murmured from the bed as I stood up.
‘Shh, go back to sleep, it’s still early.’
I turned to leave the room with Chlöe, putting my finger to my lips to encourage her to stay quiet, but it was too late. Fran sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes before smiling at the sight of both of us trying to creep out.
‘Is it time for breakfast?’ she asked.
‘Yay!’ cried Chlöe.
We threw on our clothes and went downstairs to go and get breakfast from the boulangerie. Chlöe ran ahead down the path, while Fran and I followed at a more leisurely pace. With her hand swinging gently in mine, I felt like the luckiest man on earth. I thought about telling her my plans at that very moment but I didn’t want to spoil the surprise. I wanted to keep it for the festival celebrations in the evening, even though it was going to require superhuman control not to reveal the secret ahead of schedule.
At the boulangerie, we decided to buy extra pastries and take them round to my mother’s so she and Chlöe could see each other before she went off on her holidays. We’d just rounded the corner of the high street, ready to make our way round the back of Mum’s house, when we almost bumped into her hurrying the other way.
‘Maman!’
Her face lit up when she saw us but I noticed the slight stiffness in her shoulders.
‘Ah, ma petite!’ she cried as Chlöe ran towards her for a hug. She bent down awkwardly and I exchanged a worried look with Fran. For the first time, I wondered whether my mum needed to slow down a bit.
‘Where are you off to this early?’ I asked as we accompanied her along the street.
‘Why, to the Salle of course! We’re already setting up for this evening and there’s always so much to do.’
‘Have you had any breakfast, Sylvie?’ Fran asked.
‘No time for that!’
‘Well, we’ve got some lovely pastries from the boulangerie,’ I told her. ‘Why don’t we come along and give you a hand and then perhaps you’ll find time to eat something, as well?’
Her shoulders sagged with relief. We carried on along to the Salle which was filled with people moving tables and chairs and decorating them for the celebrations. I threw my hand in with the furniture moving while Fran and Chlöe followed my mum into the kitchen. Before I knew it, two hours had passed and Isabelle was texting me to say she was nearly at the vineyard. I went in search of Chlöe, saying my goodbyes along the way. My mum had tears in her eyes as she hugged her grand-daughter goodbye, making my own emotions rise to the surface too. I didn’t want Chlöe to see any tears, though, so I put on my brightest voice and took her by the hand.
‘Come on sweetheart, we don’t want to be late for Maman.’ As I was helping Chlöe into her coat, the door to the Salle opened and Lottie came in, looking flushed and happy, Thierry close on her heels.
‘Oh, I’m glad you two are here. Can you give Sylvie a hand so I can go back with Didier?’ Fran asked. When they nodded, she joined us for the walk back to the Domaine.
Fran
Even though things were much better between Didier and Isabelle now, he still seemed anxious about meeting her again. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze as we left the Salle to take Chlöe to meet her mum for her week’s holiday. We reached the courtyard to find Isabelle already there. She put out her arms to her daughter, who ran straight into them. I nodded at Isabelle and made to walk round them all to go back to the cottage. They needed their privacy as a family.
‘Please don’t leave on my account, Fran,’ she called.
I stopped beside her. ‘No, no, it’s fine,’ I replied with a smile, ‘I have things to do anyway. I hope you have a great week together.’
‘I just wanted to say I’m sorry for what I said about you. I overstepped the mark and I had no right to.’ She blushed and looked tentatively between me and Didier.
Didier’s eyebrows shot up at her apology and I swallowed, not knowing quite what to say.
‘That’s all behind us now,’ Didier replied, ‘but thank you. Take care, won’t you? And if you need anything, anything at all, please call me.’
I left then, passing through the archway and away from them, their voices fading on the breeze. My mind returned to Didier’s mum, Sylvie. She’d seemed so fragile that morning. Perhaps she was overdoing things. The problem was how to make her slow down without offending her sense of independence. I was so glad we’d helped her this morning, though. At least that was a start.
I reached the cottage and stood looking out across the landscape. There was an autumnal look to the trees in the distance, like a sunset of yellows, oranges and browns in the middle of the day. I thought about all the changes that had happened to me between the su
mmer’s end and the start of autumn and I felt lucky. My love for Didier was all-consuming and I longed for us to be together forever. He’d confirmed his feelings for me when he’d chosen me over getting back together with Isabelle. Now, I hoped we could share our feelings about our long-term future soon so we could move forward together. I heard a crackle of leaves behind me and turned to see Didier arrive.
‘Everything okay?’ I asked.
‘Fine, yes. Isabelle seemed like a changed woman, didn’t she?’
‘Yes. It was nice of her to say what she did.’
‘She owed you that, at the very least,’ he said, putting his arms round my waist and pulling me towards him. He lowered his head and moved his face closer to mine. My lips parted in anticipation of the kiss I knew was about to come but he waited, his hot breath caressing my lips and his warm smile enveloping me. I licked my lips, and his eyes darkened. I lifted my hands to his face, enjoying the feel of his newly-shaved skin under my fingers. He bent his head to mine and kissed me. When we came up again for air, I was overwhelmed by the depth of my feelings once again.
‘I hope you know how much I love you,’ he whispered, his voice husky after our kiss.
‘If it’s anywhere near as much as I love you, then yes, I do.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Didier
We spent the afternoon back at the hall, helping to set everything up for the evening. We even managed to persuade my mum to go home for a rest. At five, we left to get ready for the party. Normally, for me, that would just mean a quick shower and a change of clothes from one shirt and one pair of jeans to another but this evening was going to be special for me and for Fran - I hoped - and so I planned to take extra care of my appearance.
Nothing could have prepared me for how beautiful Fran looked when she descended the staircase.
‘You look wonderful,’ I said, standing up to kiss her softly on the cheek. Her long, wavy hair curled softly round her shoulders, caressing her skin, and her eyes glowed. She was wearing a long, figure-hugging dark blue dress and I had to stop myself from thinking about the luscious body underneath it.
‘You too,’ she said. ‘I don’t think I’ve seen you so dressed up since Amandine’s wedding. Very smart.’ She grabbed the lapels of my dinner jacket and pulled me gently towards her. As our bodies pressed against each other, I had to work really hard not to let my feelings for her show too obviously. There would be plenty of time for that later. Our lips touched and it was electrifying. The effect rippled through my whole body and Fran shuddered.
‘Shall we go?’ I asked, taking her hand in mine.
The moon was bright as we walked out into the night, and lit up the sky.
‘The stars are shining especially brightly tonight, wouldn’t you say?’ Fran asked.
‘I definitely would say,’ I replied with a grin. I put my hand in my pocket just to check my surprise was safely there for later and put my other arm round Fran’s shoulders as we walked down into the village.
When we arrived at the Salle, it was already full of people bustling around making last-minute touches to the tables for the dinner and ball. First of all, there would be a wine tasting, mainly of the vin nouveau but also of the wines of the region. I was pleased to see Thierry was already here. Fran removed her coat and went in the direction of the kitchen to look for my mum.
‘Salut, Thierry, ça va?’ I greeted him, shaking his hand firmly. I surveyed the small display of wines he had chosen to bring along. It was a great selection of both old and new.
‘Do you agree with this selection?’ He was confident he had made the right choice - I knew him well enough for that - but he wanted my confirmation too.
‘I couldn’t have chosen any better myself.’ We exchanged smiles and I noted his relief. ‘What time is the tasting supposed to start?’
‘In about twenty minutes. I brought along some of the leaflets Fran had printed too. Hopefully, this will bring visitors our way.’
‘Excellent, thank you for remembering.’
Lottie made her way over and after exchanging kisses with her, I went to find Fran.
Fran
I found Sylvie in the kitchen, looking much calmer than she was when we had left her earlier. She was wearing a stunning emerald-green dress, which shimmered as she moved.
‘Fran, you look beautiful, chérie,’ she said, looking over my outfit.
‘You do too.’ I gave her a warm smile. ‘Is there anything else you need a hand with?’ I asked, glancing round at all the food laid out on the worktops.
‘No, everything is ready, so we can go and enjoy the wine tasting now.’
Didier smiled broadly when he spotted us leaving the kitchen.
‘Everything all right?’ he asked his mum, taking my hand once again.
‘Absolutely fine,’ she confirmed. ‘What I need now is a glass of our wine.’
‘The tasting is just about to start,’ he replied.
I accompanied Didier as he worked his way along the tables laden down with wines for guests to try. He studiously tried them all but he didn’t swallow. He used the spittoons professionally and didn’t seem to look any the worse for wear as he consumed each new one. I had to pace myself, though, taking small sips of each wine only so that I could try a good selection. You could tell with a quick glance which people were pros, like Didier, and those who were simply tasting the wines for the love of it, like me. I noticed Didier making some notes and I realised he was constantly evaluating each and every wine he tasted. About halfway through, I took a quick break to keep Lottie company, leaving Thierry and Didier to it while we caught up.
‘How’s the job going after your first week?’ I asked her.
‘It’s been good but I had no idea how much hard work it would be looking after little children all day!’ She frowned.
‘Well, I suppose it’s good practice.’ I smiled at her. ‘Are you going to stick it out do you think?’
‘Yes, I want to keep at it. It’s impossible to tell after only a week whether it will be good for me in the long term but I want to try and give it a proper go.’
‘And how are things with you and Thierry after the party?’ I asked tentatively.
‘I’m still here, aren’t I?’ A flash of annoyance crossed her face. I didn’t say anything more, heeding Didier’s advice to let her sort her own life out. ‘Listen,’ she continued after a moment, ‘did you invite Mum and Dad tonight?’
‘Mmm,’ I replied swallowing a sip of a very dry riesling. ‘They should be here by now.’
I glanced round the room, searching for them, and found them near the main entrance taking off their coats. They didn’t see us for a few minutes, as they were so intent on getting started on the wine tasting but my mum soon came over.
‘It’s so lovely to see you both!’ she cried, giving each of us a hug in turn. ‘Isn’t it wonderful to see all the wines on display and to taste them, as well?’
‘It is but I don’t think I can taste many more,’ I complained. ‘I’m already a bit drunk.’ They both laughed. It was good to see Lottie’s smile back again. I left her and my mum to talk and went to find my dad. He wouldn’t have any trouble tasting all the wines.
‘Hey, Dad,’ I tapped him on the shoulder when I found him, right in the middle of the wines.
‘What a wonderful event this is, Fran. I hope you’ll invite me every year from now on.’
‘I will Dad, don’t you worry. So, which has been your favourite so far?’ We walked together along the line as he tasted more and more, giving me his opinion on each one. After Didier joined us, I left them both to carry on without me while I went to see if Sylvie had found us a table. Dinner was about to be served and I was really ready for some food to soak up all the alcohol. I spotted her sitting at a table in the middle of the room, with my mum and Lottie alongside her.
‘Ooh, it feels good to sit down,’ I said, sinking into a chair. The tasting had been in full flow for over an hour. The chatter in the
room was silenced by the master of ceremonies chinking his glass and announcing dinner. The men joined us, and shortly afterwards Ellie and Henri came up too, followed by a smartly dressed older, silver-haired man I’d not met before who went to join Sylvie. He greeted her with a hug as well as the usual kisses. He held her in his arms for a long moment and from the intimate look they shared, it was clear they knew each other very well. He pulled out Sylvie’s chair for her before sitting down himself and greeting others around the table.
The first course was a delicious salade with ham, gruyère and potatoes all combined together with a sharp vinaigrette and served with one of the region’s pinot blancs. Each course was accompanied by a different wine and one of ours was to be served next. I’d noticed there were leaflets on each table advertising different wineries so I’d run round putting some of ours out, as well. The next course was a rich flammekueche and Thierry had matched it with one of our older Gewurztraminers. It was a fantastic pairing and there were lots of appreciative noises from the tables around us, as well as from our own. By the time we were served dessert, I was almost full to bursting but I managed to squeeze in a little of Didier’s Kugelhopf sponge, and a sip of his vendange tardive wine too, before I had to give up.
As I looked round the table at my family and friends, I marvelled at how everything had worked out so well for us all, even Lottie. She still had a way to go to sort out her new life as a single mother but I was hopeful she would get there in the end. It was a real joy to see everyone smiling at each other as we celebrated not only the successful harvest but all our relationships, as well. The band began setting up as we finished eating, and I looked forward to the dancing that would follow.
Didier
Fran’s calm, beautiful face captivated me every time and tonight was the night to show her just how much I loved her. I dipped my hand into my jacket pocket for at least the tenth time that evening to check the velvet box was still there.