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Back Escape to the French Farmhouse Save as PDF
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

Stephanie is glowing. Her hair is clean, brushed and not tied back, and I wonder for whose benefit that is. I think of Fabien, and worry again. I look at Henri, standing in the doorway of the bistro, watching Stephanie at work, like a proud uncle, and then me. He’s been a good friend to me. With the money I make from the desserts and the stall, I’m earning enough to feed us and put some away for next month’s mortgage payment. But it’s tight. And with Ollie still sending me regular messages from the UK, asking if I’m sure about my decision, no matter how many times I tell him I am, I can’t help wondering if I’ve done the right thing. But even if I wanted to, I couldn’t go back now: Stephanie and Tomas are relying on me.

TWENTY-ONE

After a good day on the stall, I wander round the market, thinking I might be up for a couple more lavender plants. I see Serge, who greets me like an old friend. I tell him I’ve come to buy two more plants and he puts them into a box for me.

‘You’ve given me too many!’ I tell him.

‘Un cadeau, because of your beautiful smile,’ he says. ‘I am happy that the valley is coming back to life.’ I understand his words, and smile all the way home to plant them.

This morning, we finish baking in good time: soft, moist sponge, with sticky lemon drizzle and floral lavender.

We seem to have developed a good system for baking some of the favourites and introducing something new every day. The woman in the bakery van has offered to take some of my lavender tuiles and shortbread to sell on her rounds. I’ve accepted happily. The macarons still need to improve, but all the packages now have little stickers, saying the contents are from ‘Le Petit Mas de la Lavande, la Coeur de Provence’, with a little purple heart. It was Stephanie’s idea, and when we told the printer in town what we wanted, he gave me a very good deal and wished me luck. Later we took him some biscuits to thank him.

Stephanie has gone into town with Tomas to deliver today’s desserts to Henri. The woodpecker is hard at work in the copse of oak and pine trees where Stephanie’s caravan is now cleaned and polished to within an inch of its life. She even has plans to redo the paintwork in the same colours as our little stickers. A washing line is hanging between the trees, and though I’ve said that, now money is coming in, we can get some furniture and she can move into the house, she says she’d like to stay in the caravan. Finally, she has a home of her own.