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

I follow the little family up the riverside path, Lou and Alain kissing Henri and Rhi as they head back to his flat above the bistro. And as we walk, watching the bats flit this way and that, I can’t believe how lucky I am. I may not have Fabien in my life, but I do have all of this. And you can’t have everything, can you? Enough to be content.

SIXTY-TWO

Back at Le Petit Mas, we all walk up the drive and I see a glow. We all slow down. The terrace is lit with candles and someone is waiting there. I hope it’s not Ollie, running out on his new family already. We walk slowly up the path. It isn’t Ollie. My heart gallops. It’s Fabien.

‘I guessed the only way to get to talk to you was away from crowds,’ he says, a bottle of rosé on the table with two glasses.

Stephanie says goodnight, kissing me on both cheeks, as does JB, and I kiss the sleeping Tomas in his arms.

Lou disappears into the house with Alain. And now it’s just me and the brocante man, standing on the terrace looking back at the town over the lavender field that is filling the warm night air with its scent. Something about that smell and this place seems to heal people. I hope it can heal the hurt between Fabien and me.

‘I hope you don’t mind.’ He cocks his head in the way that he does and his black curls fall to one side.

‘No, no, I’ve wanted to talk to you,’ I say.

‘You’re in demand, Del. A popular lady.’ He pours the wine into the glasses. The light pink liquid tumbles joyously out of the bottle, glowing in the candlelight. ‘Perhaps now you understand why I find you so attractive. You attract people, Del. People are drawn to you. You are a very beautiful person, inside and out,’ he says. ‘I can’t apologize for falling in love with you.’

I catch my breath.

‘In love with me?’ And there and then I want to just kiss him and never stop. But I can’t.

‘I loved you from the moment I saw you. But I understand you think I’m too young for you. Perhaps you are still in love with your husband.’

‘Oh, no.’ We sit down and look out over the field at the bats flitting through the trees. I take a large glug of wine. It hits the spot with its refreshing cool flavours that reflect the sunny terroir in which it’s grown here. I breathe in the lavender. It’s time to explain why I can’t be with him.