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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

‘Looks that way.’ My lips are numb. But my instinct had been spot on. I was right not to go back. I was right to stay. I was right that we were over. But right isn’t making me feel very good. I stand up, my knees shaking. I wasn’t enough for Ollie. I do the only thing I can think of doing: I start to dig over more of the earth in the lavender field, ready for new plants.

And I keep digging, under my wide-brimmed hat in the Provençal sunshine, breathing the scent of the rosemary, pine and lavender. Rhi and Lou join me and silently we work, stopping only for water. Stephanie joins us, and we dig until the sun is dipping in the sky. Eventually, I stand to stretch out my back. Ralph is suddenly barking madly and I have no idea why.

‘Ralph, ssshh!’ I say, feeling much calmer than I did earlier. But Ralph doesn’t stop barking. I catch a glimpse of something … or maybe someone. Everyone stops and looks up.

‘Allô!’ I call. ‘Anyone there?’

We move towards each other, tools from the old barn in hand.

‘Allô!’ I call again. Ralph is still barking.

‘It’s okay! He won’t hurt you, he’s friendly!’ I say.

And then slowly, from around the side of the house, a figure appears, a young man in a baseball cap. Stephanie and I gasp.

THIRTY-SIX

‘JB!’ I’m incredulous.

He stands nervously, his hands thrust into his pockets. Stephanie doesn’t move either.

‘How did you find us?’ I ask, walking slowly and carefully towards him. He backs away as Ralph continues to bark.

‘I asked in the town. I told the man at the brocante I was … a friend of Stephanie.’ He seems to struggle to work out what he is to Stephanie: her ex, the father of her child. ‘He gave me a lift up here.’

I look around for any sign of Fabien. But there’s none. I wish he’d waited.

‘He was delivering some furniture,’ JB says. I think of the day he arrived with mine. The day I started my new life, without Ollie. Ollie and his new life are a world away from me and mine. It’s truly over.

I walk towards JB and Ralph runs around barking.

Stephanie scoops up Tomas protectively and holds him to her. Ralph barks even more excitedly as JB backs away from him again. And Tomas bursts into tears. JB looks petrified.

‘Wait!’ I say. He seems overwhelmed by the situation. Stephanie’s face is taut with worry. I don’t think she could bear to be rejected again. ‘JB! Wait!’

As he turns, in all the barking and chaos, I don’t hear the van pull up.