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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

The next day is much the same. Stephanie gets up and bakes the desserts for the bistro and I walk along the riverbank, passing the clearing, which is deserted now. I have no idea where all the people came from or where they go at night. But at least they slept on full stomachs, wherever they were. And the honesty box covered our costs and some. I must start paying Stephanie, now she’s doing all the work on the stall. It doesn’t seem fair not to.

Fabien and Rhi visit Henri again that day, and I throw myself into cooking, returning to the pages of the old recipe book for inspiration. Stephanie joins me just before lunch service.

‘I’m going to pay you for these shifts,’ I say, and pull out an envelope from my bag. ‘I know Henri would want that. And now the stall is starting to make some money, I can pay you for that too. It isn’t much but it’s something.’

‘No, no.’ She shakes her head emphatically. ‘You do enough for me,’ she says. ‘This is my way of saying thank you. To Henri and to you.’ She pushes the envelope away. ‘Please. There’s nothing I need. You offered me food and accommodation in return for work. JB is working for Fabien now. We have enough. Maybe in time …’

The very mention of his name makes my heart flip over and back again. ‘No, I insist!’ I push it towards her again. ‘Something for you and Tomas, for the future.’

‘No, I insist,’ she says. ‘Buy more lavender plants.’ She pushes it back towards me. ‘For the future.’ She wraps her small hand over mine, closing the envelope into my palm. ‘Maybe in time, I’ll need a coat for Tomas, some shoes …’

‘Of course!’ I say. ‘Please, take the money.’

‘Maybe in time,’ she says again. ‘Buy plants first.’

‘Then I’ll take you and Tomas shopping. JB too! We’ll make a day of it. New clothes for us all and lunch!’

We giggle.

‘But this week we’ll invest in more plants for the farm, so that it continues to give us a home and a business,’ I say. ‘But if you need anything for you and Tomas, just tell me.’

At lunchtime, we’re full. People have heard about the ‘lavender restaurant’ and want to try the local product. I even overhear them talking about how lavender was a herb used in cooking, like any other, but mostly now in toiletries. There’s even a journalist wanting to write about lavender and its resurgence in the kitchens of Provence.

After service, with aching feet and backs, we lay the table in the window to eat, Stephanie, Tomas and me. As we’re collecting the cutlery, JB arrives, with Fabien. And no matter how shattered I feel, suddenly every nerve ending is alive.