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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

‘Of course!’ I say, without thinking. Because, right now, I can’t move. I’m rooted to the spot. The one thing that Fabien wants most in the world I can’t give him. I shiver as the warm breeze blows the door open again, letting us know that the mistral is on its way back. I stand up and shut it.

FORTY-SEVEN

Leaving the doctor’s, Carine says very little. I walk her back to the estate agency.

‘Merci,’ she says, and kisses me on each cheek. ‘Thank you for coming with me today.’

‘Are you okay?’ I ask. Her usually perfect complexion is dull.

‘I’ll be fine. I just need …’

I turn to follow her stare. My heart and stomach lurch and my head goes into a spin with mixed-up emotions. It’s Fabien.

He’s standing just across the square, having walked from the brocante. He looks as if he’s on his way to see me at the bistro.

‘I just need some time to think,’ says Carine, unlocks the glass door and lets herself in.

I turn back to Fabien, who is gazing at me with a lazy smile. He points in the direction of the brocante and nods towards it, telling me to meet him there, then heads back with a spring in his step.

I walk away from Carine, worrying about what she’s thinking. I look towards Fabien on the other side of the road. He smiles and nods towards the brocante again.

I point to my watch. ‘I have to get on,’ I call, waving a hand.

He frowns and puts on a sad face.

‘Later,’ I lie, and rush towards the bistro, pulling the keys from my bag, feeling sick. Because I know I can’t see Fabien any more. I can’t fall in love with him, or him with me, because I can never be the person he wants me to be. I can never give him what he wants most in the world.

FORTY-EIGHT

As lunchtime ends, I look up and down the road nervously, knowing Fabien will be expecting to see me, or he’ll come looking for me to join us for lunch, like yesterday. Yesterday was a world away. I was the happiest I’ve ever been. And now I’m as far away from that as I could be.

‘Let’s eat back at Le Petit Mas today,’ I tell a surprised Stephanie.

‘Okay,’ she says. ‘Is everything all right?’

‘Yes, yes … just a headache. Wondering what will happen now that Henri is on his way home. Maybe his daughters will want to take over the bistro. You have the market stall in hand. Time to make some new plans, that’s all,’ I lie again.

‘I didn’t want to take over—’ she says.