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Back Escape to the French Farmhouse Save as PDF
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

For now, though, I’m just going to enjoy being here, with the people I care about. I’ll worry about everything else tomorrow. The cracks and all.

THIRTY-THREE

The following morning, as the sun begins to rise, life seems to have found its groove again, like the lavender plants in their rows in the field. Where yesterday there was chaos, now there is order.

It’s market day. Everyone is delighted to see Stephanie back. Even Cora comes over to say hello. ‘But just a word of warning,’ she says conspiratorially. ‘I heard you were running this business from home. Hope you have all the paperwork in order. You know what the French are like! I’m telling you as a friend, looking out for you.’ She seems genuine. Would someone try to push me out because I’m not French?

Henri is serving a table of two outside, and Stephanie is telling interested holidaymakers that the bakes are made at Le Petit Mas, with lavender and love. But Cora’s words niggle. What if I shouldn’t be making these things in my own kitchen? What if there are regulations I don’t know about, including not having hairy dogs in the kitchen? Is everyone who they seem to be?

Everything seems to be hanging by a thread that might snap at any moment. Even so, I let the morning sun warm my face and watch Stephanie and Tomas handing out samples on the plates I bought that first day in the brocante. Henri has told Fabien the good news about Stephanie. I wish he’d come to see her … or maybe I’m wishing he’d come to see me, which wouldn’t be a good idea. No, it’s best we keep our distance for all our sakes.

As the church clock strikes midday, we have hardly anything left. Tomas was a great salesman, making people smile. We pack up, put the table in Henri’s storeroom, have lunch and walk home along the riverbank with the bees buzzing, the water flowing in and around the bright green plants growing on the bottom, past the deep purple irises and overhanging wisteria. We pass the clearing. Stephanie stops and greets the man with the long beard and hair. She seems to be thanking him. She even takes Tomas to meet him and the man’s face lights up – he’s apparently delighted to see Stephanie reunited with her son. She waves to him as we walk on. I don’t ask who he is or where she went when she ran away.

‘He helped me, when I … was upset,’ she says.

We walk with Tomas between us. ‘Un, deux, trois!’ we say, and swing him into the air.