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

‘Let us have coffee and, er, talk about your knees,’ he says, leading me into the big warehouse.

‘My knees?’

‘Yes, are you living here?’

‘Oh, I see.’ I bite my top lip. ‘My needs.’

‘Yes. Your knees. Was it wrong? My English is …’ He puts out a hand and tilts it from side to side.

‘No. It’s fine. My needs. It’s complicated. I was supposed to be living here and now, well … I’m staying, just for a bit.’ I have no idea what my plans are. ‘Until I know where I’m moving on to.’

‘So you are here to invade us!’ He smiles widely, and I’m wrong-footed.

‘What? To invade?’ I repeat and he nods. ‘No, I was here to live, but now, I’m just staying for a bit, then going back. Definitely not invading!’

He looks confused. ‘Sorry, my English, it’s not quite …’ He tips his head from side to side and the smile returns to his face, as it does to mine. ‘I mean you are here to live with us.’

‘Well, I’m just staying … for a bit,’ I repeat. I wonder how the locals must feel about so many British people moving here. Do they feel we’re invading their towns and villages? Do they resent us coming?

Fabien doesn’t seem to resent my being here. But then I remember Ollie and me drinking gin and tonic with the other expats in the ‘pub’, barely speaking French. I wouldn’t blame him, or anyone else in the town, if he did.

He claps his hands together. ‘You are staying here so we need to make you as comfortable as possible,’ he says, with that killer smile. ‘Enough to make you content.’

Comfortable and content would be perfect right now. I can’t help but think the people of the town must be laughing at the likes of me and Ollie. Another British couple moving here for the good life, wanting to make a Little Britain beyond the Channel, then packing up and moving back when it all goes wrong. I sigh. I barely speak French. I’d had no idea how I was going to work or where. I can see why people like Fabien might laugh at us. Although, thankfully, he doesn’t seem to be. In fact, he’s being charming, welcoming and nothing but helpful.