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

A few people pass my stall on their way between the two market squares – the main square and the car park. They’re walking past and looking but no one is stopping to buy. Henri’s right, I think. I should know this from working in the department store. You have to draw people in. You have to get them interested in what you’re selling. You have to let them try. I put down my coffee and, with shaking hands, break up some shortbread and toss a piece to Ralph for behaving so well. I put the fragments on a plate, then take a huge breath, walk out from behind my stall and offer them to passers-by, hands still shaking. The Frenchwomen, smart, with sunglasses on their heads, no doubt on their way to work, raise a hand, decline politely, smile and walk on. It’s going to be a complete disaster! But as the morning warms up, the tourists start to trickle by. They’re happy to try and, to my relief, I start to sell. The more I tell people about what I’m making, the more interested they become in the lavender. I offer them lavender-infused biscuits and explain where I live, that it used to be the biggest lavender farm of the area. I turn to see Henri watching me with a smile. He was right. They seem to like the story, and the fact that I’ve left the UK to live on a lavender farm here. The more I tell the story, the more it seems to grow. The tourists reach into their pockets and purses and buy. It’s the story of a woman turned lavender cook that they buy as much as the biscuits.

‘Well, this looks lovely!’ Cora and her friends have appeared and I feel bad that I haven’t taken them up on their suggestion of a drink at the ‘pub’.

‘Hello, Cora,’ I say, and she makes a big event of kissing me loudly. The French don’t make a sound but Cora does it with a ‘mwah’ each time, making her stand out from the crowd.

‘How very brave of you,’ she says. ‘I mean, living here is one thing, but trying to get the French to accept us, then beating them at their own game, that’s brave!’

‘I’m not trying to beat anyone, Cora. I’m just trying to be a part of things.’ I smile, unsure of what she means. My confidence dips.

‘Well done you. I’d invite you to join us for coffee, but you seem tied up. If you get fed up, you know where to find us.’