BooksBarbecue
Back Escape to the French Farmhouse
Chapters (79)
  1. COVER
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Jo Thomas
  4. DEDICATION
  5. ONE
  6. TWO
  7. THREE
  8. FOUR
  9. FIVE
  10. SIX
  11. SEVEN
  12. EIGHT
  13. NINE
  14. TEN
  15. ELEVEN
  16. TWELVE
  17. THIRTEEN
  18. FOURTEEN
  19. FIFTEEN
  20. SIXTEEN
  21. SEVENTEEN
  22. EIGHTEEN
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. THIRTY-ONE
  36. THIRTY-TWO
  37. THIRTY-THREE
  38. THIRTY-FOUR
  39. THIRTY-FIVE
  40. THIRTY-SIX
  41. THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. THIRTY-NINE
  44. FORTY
  45. FORTY-ONE
  46. FORTY-TWO
  47. FORTY-THREE
  48. FORTY-FOUR
  49. FORTY-FIVE
  50. FORTY-SIX
  51. FORTY-SEVEN
  52. FORTY-EIGHT
  53. FORTY-NINE
  54. FIFTY
  55. FIFTY-ONE
  56. FIFTY-TWO
  57. FIFTY-THREE
  58. FIFTY-FOUR
  59. FIFTY-FIVE
  60. FIFTY-SIX
  61. FIFTY-SEVEN
  62. FIFTY-EIGHT
  63. FIFTY-NINE
  64. SIXTY
  65. SIXTY-ONE
  66. SIXTY-TWO
  67. Epilogue
  68. Acknowledgements
  69. RECIPES
  70. Lavender shortbread
  71. Apricot jam sponge cake
  72. Lavender lamb
  73. READ MORE
  74. Prologue
  75. ONE
  76. TWO
  77. THREE
  78. FOUR
  79. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘I have to find her, Fabien. I have to put this right,’ I say. I wipe my face with my forearm. Tomas hands me Monsieur Lapin, which makes me cry and smile at the same time.

‘Okay, don’t worry.’ Fabien reaches out a hand and hesitates – I think he’s going to wipe the tears and my insides thunder with excitement. Instead, he lays it on my shoulder in a friendly, reassuring way. It’s not half as intimate as touching my face, and my heart starts to slow. Now he ruffles Tomas’s hair gently and speaks quietly to him, telling him that everything will be okay. Tomas holds Monsieur Lapin to my cheeks. The stuffed rabbit smells of lavender. It smells of home. Like a hug from my mum. Now I need to find Tomas’s mum so he can have one of those hugs too.

‘I’ll message Carine. If Stephanie is hiding in any of the empty houses, or holiday rentals, Carine will know. She can put out feelers. She has many … contacts,’ he says. I think he’s referring to her lovers. ‘She is even … close friends with the mayor. They will all look out for Stephanie and contact Carine if they see her.’ He finishes sending the message. ‘In the meantime, we will go and see Henri. He’ll be able to tell us more. He knows most of the stallholders in the market, the shop owners and—’

‘Henri! Good idea! He might have seen her.’ I spin round and head out of the courtyard, as Fabien apologizes to his customer, who tuts and flounces out. He pulls the gates to the courtyard shut behind him and locks them.

I head across the road and through the worn stone arch, then down the narrow street, as fast as the shiny warm cobbles will let me, towards Henri’s bistro where the awnings are out and tables laid, the paper cloths flapping in the constant breeze.

I hurry to the restaurant, still carrying Tomas, my arms aching. I don’t want to pass him to Rhi or Lou – I can’t let him down. I say hello to Henri, accept his kisses and explain what’s happened. Henri nods and listens.

‘I’ll speak to people. Put the word out. She won’t have gone far,’ he says reassuringly. ‘Give me your mobile number. I’ll text if there’s any news.’

‘What should I do? Where can I start looking?’