BooksBarbecue
Back Escape to the French Farmhouse
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

‘No, of course not.’ Lou is wearing shorts and a bikini top, and is working alongside him. I can’t believe it, but it looks like she’s taken off her lashes and most of her makeup. She looks lovely. Beside them is the old plough from the barn, which has clearly been used on the field.

‘I hope you don’t mind, Del. Alain stayed in the barn last night. It was hot, and after we’d been for our walk, well, it seemed like a sensible idea.’

‘The barn?’

‘Yes, the upstairs, the old hayloft. Very comfortable.’ He smiles. ‘And I wanted to say thank you for everything,’ he says. ‘This is my way of doing so.’ He is holding a trowel and waving at the plants already in the ground.

‘That’s great!’ is all I can think of saying. ‘Thank you!’ I can’t tell him to uproot them, that I’m sending them back to Fabien. I just can’t. And there’s no way I would do that to Serge either! ‘And do stay in the barn as long as you need,’ I say, and see Alain and Lou smile at each other. ‘But, please, you could stay in the house, if you want to,’ I add.

‘Thank you, but I haven’t slept in a bed for a long time. Not since …’ he looks at Lou for support ‘… not since my wife died next to me. It’s been a long, lonely road,’ he looks at Lou again, ‘but things are definitely on the up.’

It looks like love is in the air for everybody. Everybody except … I stop myself. I can’t go there. It won’t help to get maudlin. I just have to tell Fabien it was a wonderful night, but we have no future together. I have to be more like Carine, everything in its place … even lovemaking.

‘I’ll get lunch ready,’ I say. I go to the kitchen where I pull out knives and forks, with an extra set for Alain.

After lunch I have a quick siesta in which I don’t sleep, just relive my night with Fabien, here in this bed. The sweetest, loveliest night of my life. After that, we all walk down to the riverside clearing. Cora is waiting for me with one of her cronies. I expect the other will be on her way. They’re never far apart. I don’t want to deal with Cora and her bigotry today.

‘I’ve spoken to the mayor!’ she shouts, as she sees me coming. ‘He agrees it’s time to get this stopped.’ She’s waving her placard in her oversized yellow vest.

I ignore her, walking towards the little hut where I greet the queue that’s forming. I reach the door and unlock it.

‘Tidy up our town. Get rid of trash!’ Cora shouts.