‘Oh, sorry,’ Janine apologized. ‘I didn’t see her get up. Nelly loves seats, you see.’

She started to remove the large animal and as she did, Nelly put out a friendly paw to Meredith.

‘There,’ Janine laughed. ‘She really likes you. She doesn’t do that to everyone.’

Meredith was about to snap that the feeling wasn’t mutual when she caught a glimpse of Jean-Christophe and Philippe two stalls away, buying cheese and laughing at some joke the stallholder had cracked. There really was a strong family resemblance, even if Philippe did look as if he’d slept off the night in a hedge.

‘The thing is . . .’ Janine was wittering on. ‘Nelly may look scary but she’s the gentlest dog I’ve ever looked after. You’re an old softie, aren’t you?’ She caressed the dog behind its ears, producing an expression of utter bliss in the animal. ‘The point is,’ Janine the philosopher announced, ‘I suppose you can’t always judge a book by its cover.’

Meredith glanced across at Philippe and Jean-Christophe, tempted to admit that she did sometimes make snap judgements about people that turned out to be wide of the mark, and found Philippe’s level gaze fixed on her. Despite priding herself on her brisk and decisive manner, Meredith experienced the oddest sensation. Was the man laughing at her again?

She walked back along the riverbank. The greenery all around her was almost dazzling in its intensity, especially after the urban smog of Eastern cities. A long, narrow expanse of pasture stretched close to the river, with cows peacefully grazing on it. Below her there was a bathing place with a small waterfall behind it. It was so reminiscent of her childhood that Meredith longed to tear off her smart city clothes to reveal the baggy elastic one-piece swimsuit of her ten-year-old self. The intensity of this longing made her forget everything except that precious moment in time.

Both Steph and David were in the kitchen when she arrived back at Fleur-de-Lis. She was glad to see that relative peace seemed to have broken out.

‘Would you like a coffee?’ David offered. ‘We’re just making some.’

‘Thanks. That’d be perfect. Actually, I’m glad I’ve caught you because I wanted to have a word. Where’s Jo, by the way?’

David and Steph exchanged significant glances. ‘In the garden. With that winegrower chap, Liam. He brought over six bottles of the château’s wine from the duchess, then asked her to show him the garden. We rather thought he wanted to be alone with her.’

Meredith tried to remember the man. All she could recall was that he’d worn workman’s overalls and yet hadn’t seemed to be the workman type. At least he wasn’t a toyboy; and anything to take Jo’s mind off that creep Mark had to be a good thing.