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

‘And now,’ Fabien translates, ‘you have it in your life.’ Serge proffers the lavender and Fabien holds my gaze. It takes all my effort to pull it away from him and direct it to Serge.

I thank Serge and kiss him on both cheeks, then a third time, as he reminds me with a laugh. He instructs Fabien to take all of the plants by the back door and load them on to the truck for me. As I’m thanking him again, Stephanie and Tomas are helping Fabien. From a distance the three look like a family.

Serge tells me to take care of the plants and to come and find him if I need any help or advice. He’s happy to see lavender returning to Le Petit Mas. He’ll be watching, he says, pointing over the valley to my house opposite. Just for a moment, I stand in the lunchtime sunshine and imagine the whole valley covered with lines of purple.

We leave Serge and jolt down the bumpy drive. I’ve had a whole education in lavender and what it means to the area, and am determined to nurture my few plants. I feel I have my part to play and, somehow, that these plants are weaving me into the fabric of the place.

Fabien drops us off and I thank him again.

‘I shall return to check on the lavender plants,’ he says from the cab, his arm out of the window, Mimi by his side.

As the sun sets on another day, Stephanie, Tomas and I set to work, digging over the ground at the top of the field, planting and watering our lavender. When we’ve finished, we go back to the house and toast the new plants, with rosé from the bottle Serge also gave me. Lavender has returned to Le Petit Mas and I hope I will keep it blooming here. We sit and watch as the swifts fly overhead and the woodpecker rat-a-tat-tats in the woods.

As evening sets in, the bats swoop to and fro, and Tomas dozes in Stephanie’s arms. I remember the love and safety I felt in my mother’s arms when I was young and feel I’ve found some peace at last. I wonder what tomorrow’s recipe will be, knowing for sure that it will include lavender. I am beginning to feel content just being me, being here. Enough to be content.

TWENTY

I’m standing at the top of my field, which rolls away from the house, wandering through the lavender plants, watering them, using the bottle from the wine Serge gave me, now filled with water. I keep having to go back to the house to refill it.