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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

‘Perfect!’ we agree.

At that moment, regulars begin to arrive at the bistro for lunch.

‘Smells good!’ they mutter to each other, and I’m nervous and excited all at the same time. Lou, JB and Stephanie are helping me in the kitchen, and we serve all of Henri’s customers, who ask after him as we wait anxiously for news from the hospital. As we put up the ‘Closed’ sign, we sit down to eat together in the little bistro window, Stephanie, JB, Lou, Tomas and me.

As the sun begins to set we take the rest of the food to the clearing, where the talk is of Henri and Alain. The regulars smile when we arrive, and I tell them it may not be as good as Henri’s but it’s made with as much love. They clap. As Stephanie opens the hatch to the makeshift kitchen, we put the pan of stew on the stove to keep warm and I take the first bowl to Alain. He saved a special man’s life today. I promise to tell him any news as soon as there is any. He thanks me and takes the bowl from me with his dirt-engrained hands.

‘Merci,’ he says, and gazes at the small queue lining up at the hatch and Stephanie’s smiling face. ‘Henri would be very pleased,’ he tells me in French, and I understand, on many levels.

Stephanie and I serve the food into bowls. JB and Lou take the empties, stack them and start the washing-up. They smile as every single person thanks them for the meal. Dogs are wandering around and I put out bowls of water for them, then offer their owners any leftover scraps to give to them, which is, according to Stephanie, what Henri does.

Just as we’re clearing up, Rhi and Fabien arrive back from the hospital.

‘He’s okay,’ Rhi says. ‘Sleeping and as stable as can be.’

‘I’ve let Carine know and she’ll tell the mayor,’ says Fabien.

‘Fabien was great,’ says Rhi, brimming with excitement, ‘really calm. Especially when we thought Henri had had another attack in the ambulance. But they sorted him. They said Alain’s quick thinking saved his life.’ I look at Fabien, who gives an embarrassed smile at Rhi’s sudden praise for him. There are tears in my eyes. I don’t know if they’re from relief that Henri is doing well, or the sight of these people, who rely on him every night for the work I never knew he did.

I go to Alain and pass on the news about Henri. I tell him I’ll come with an update tomorrow.

‘So, you’ll be back? Here? Demain?’ he says.

I glance at the happy faces, feeling pride in what we’ve done here tonight. Lou, Rhi, Stephanie, JB, Tomas and Fabien: we all did this.

‘Yes, I’ll be back,’ I tell him.