‘Go ahead,’ I reply, and swallow. Carine leads the way and Ralph barks as the couple follow, making the woman jump and scurry past him.

Fabien starts to unload the furniture. The bed, the mattress and bedclothes, the chair that needs finishing off, the table and the box of plates and cutlery. He doesn’t ask why I’m in an empty house, selling it yet buying basic furniture for it. And now I wonder if it would have been far more sensible just to go to a guesthouse. This place could have new owners by the end of the day, if those encouraging voices are anything to go by.

I can hear Carine showing them around the house, ‘Its original features …’

‘Oh. We can get rid of them,’ says Keef. ‘Gut it and give it a real modern look. I like the view from the kitchen,’ I hear.

I love the view from the kitchen. Where will I get another view like that?

‘I think we could do something with it,’ says Keef.

‘Knock it down and rebuild it?’ says his wife.

Fabien raises his eyebrows as he unloads the last of my things, clearly unable to hide his feelings any longer.

I feel disloyal to the house and to the town, to people like Fabien.

‘So, why are they selling?’ asks Keef.

‘I believe the owners have decided to return to the UK.’

‘Couldn’t stick it out, eh?’ He tuts.

My hackles are up.

‘I’ll put the bed upstairs, oui?’ says Fabien, gesturing at the wooden headboard.

‘Merci,’ I say. He takes the pieces up to the bedroom. Soon I can hear him putting the bed together and can picture it looking out over the valley.

‘We could put in a hot tub over there, pull out those plants,’ says Keef’s wife, loudly.

‘La lavande,’ says Carine. ‘Fine lavender. It is grown only here in Provence. It is used for healing, for beauty products and in recipes too.’

‘Ewwww! Lavender in food?’

‘This was a lavender farm at one time. The whole valley was covered with lavender. Like over there.’ She points to the other side of the valley. ‘The smell was amazing. But every ten years the plants must be uprooted and replanted. Sadly, this hasn’t been replanted. The owner died and the family sold the place. Only those plants remain,’ she says, with a hint of regret in her voice.

‘Well, as I say, we’ll uproot them and put the hot tub there,’ says Keef’s wife.

I can’t listen to any more. Ralph barks at me and I take that as agreement in what I’m about to say.

‘Hi, Carine,’ I say, marching around to the side of the house. ‘I wonder if I could—’

‘Ah, there you are. We like the house. It’ll do,’ says Keef.