‘I know, I should not wander on your land uninvited; but you must understand, it was my home for fifty years. I cannot just rip it out of my heart.’

‘No, I see that,’ accepted Jo, knowing that Meredith wouldn’t see that at all.

‘Besides, my suggestion was an excellent one. We always had much success with our wine tasting. Is the bride going to do it?’

‘Possibly,’ conceded Jo, not wanting Margot to go and boast to anyone who’d listen, which was most of the village, that she might have sold it to the mad British, but they still listened to her wisdom up at the château.

‘OK, so who’s going to have the conversation with Steph?’ Sophie enquired brightly.

Meredith and Jo exchanged mystified glances. ‘What conversation?’ enquired Meredith.

‘The one where we tell her we have a contract and need a thirty per cent deposit and actually would quite like to know who’s paying?’ Sophie shrugged. ‘Unless, that is, we’re doing the whole thing free for publicity? But given that the minimum cost for a château wedding is four grand – pounds, that is, not euro – rising up to forty with all the trimmings, it’s quite an important question.’

‘I will,’ Meredith announced with her usual decisiveness. She looked at her watch. ‘In fact, I’ll go over there now. The breakfast rush should be over.’

‘And David will have finished the clearing up,’ Sophie said naughtily.

‘And Steph will have pointed out that the table’s still smeary,’ Jo added. ‘Are things any better since you got in Jean-Christophe?’ she asked Meredith, feeling rather guilty that they were discussing their friend’s marriage like this. But they all cared about Steph, and having just been through a horrible divorce herself, Jo certainly didn’t want that for her friend. Especially since David had always struck her as being one of the good ones.

‘I don’t really know,’ Meredith replied. The truth was, so far her scheme didn’t seem to have had the effect she’d hoped.

‘I hear we’re all coming to your wine tasting tomorrow,’ Steph greeted Meredith when she arrived at Fleur-de-Lis. ‘Want a coffee?’

‘I’d kill for one,’ Meredith confessed.

‘No need to go that far,’ David smiled as he put the mats away, ‘I’ll make you one. Cafetière or cappuccino?’

‘Either. Or even instant.’

‘Meredith,’ David replied in mock-shocked tones. ‘This is France. They wouldn’t even clear their drains with instant.’

‘Cappuccino then, thanks. He is a gem, you know,’ she pointed out to Steph as he left the room. ‘I hope you appreciate it.’

‘Delicate territory,’ replied Steph quickly. ‘Best avoided.’

Meredith looked at her friend searchingly. Did she know about Suzi? Was it really over between them, as David had said? Actually, Meredith had the strong impression it had never really started – but it easily could, if things didn’t get any better.