‘Come in, sit down,’ I say quickly, and guide them to the side of the house and the terrace. Just at that point Tomas comes running out of the clearing, pretending to be a dog, barking.

Carine and Fabien stop and stare. Fabien bursts out laughing. Carine looks as if she’s waiting for a wasp to fly away.

Stephanie follows Tomas from the clearing, calling him. She pauses and, for a moment, they all stare at each other, then Stephanie’s head drops. I can see she recognizes Fabien and Carine from the town. I step in to break the silence.

‘This is Stephanie. Stephanie is my new assistant. Chambermaid and kitchen assistant,’ I say, thinking on my feet, wishing I could come up with a really good title. Clearly Stephanie has been transported back to her reputation as the young single mum who sometimes steals.

Fabien moves forward and puts out his hand. ‘Bonjour, Stephanie,’ he says. ‘Bienvenue.’ He speaks as if she’s new to the area and starting a whole new life, just like me.

‘Bonjour.’ Carine is keeping a wary eye on Tomas, who is running around a little too quickly for her liking by the look of it.

‘Let’s have coffee,’ I say. ‘Stephanie, come and help me.’ She looks at me gratefully, clearly glad not to have to explain how she ended up at Le Petit Mas.

‘I have something for you,’ says Fabien, going back to the truck. ‘I’ll get it while you make coffee.’

As we bring out the tray with some of the chocolate cake, I spot a box by the table. I put down the coffee and cut the cake.

‘Le cadeau!’ Carine scolds Fabien good-naturedly.

‘Ah, yes,’ he says, pulling himself away from Tomas and Ralph. ‘It was Carine’s idea.’

‘This is my way of making sure you stay!’ She smiles.

Fabien hands me the big wooden box. ‘Fine lavender plants,’ he says, and as he hands me the box, our fingertips touch, jolting me. ‘A friend of mine has a farm over there.’ He points to the lavender field across the valley. ‘But he’s getting on and finding it hard to manage, these days. He sells in the market.’ I remember the old man who gave me the lavender at the antiques market. ‘He sent these, wished you luck and tells you to keep smiling!’ I look down into the box at the six plants.

‘It’s a start!’ says Carine. ‘You’ll bring Le Petit Mas de la Lavande back to life.’

I’m thrilled. What a thoughtful gift.

‘You’ll need more lavender if you’re going to continue to cook with it for the stall,’ Fabien says.

‘And for Henri,’ says Carine.

‘And Henri,’ Fabien says quietly.