Page 43 of Summer at the Château
It was nearly midnight before she and Charlie checked the pizza oven fire was well and truly out and made their own way upstairs.
Before she went to bed, Pixie climbed the stairs to her writing room. The moon was shining in through one of the dormers and Pixie stood for a moment in silence, just breathing in the atmosphere. Up here she felt she could sense Frank’s presence more than anywhere else in the château.
‘I missed you tonight, Frank. I so wish you could have been here. I wish too, I could have thanked you in person for this lovely room.’
As the moon went behind a cloud and the room darkened, Pixie sighed and went downstairs to her bed, where she soon fell into a deep dream-filled sleep.
She and Frank were lying wrapped in each other’s arms in the four-poster and Frank was telling her how much he loved her. ‘And this party tonight will be the first of many so long as you stay here and don’t sell the château. All your dreams will come true here and the château will be a home to the family we always wanted. Promise me you’ll still live here and won’t sell our dream home.’ Pixie reached out and touched his face. ‘I promise I won’t sell the château.’ Frank gave a happy smile and pulled her back into his arms.
Pixie woke with a start, reaching out for Frank, convinced that he really was in bed with her, only to find herself clutching a pillow close to her chest and the bed empty. She hugged the pillow tighter. The dream had felt so real and to hear herself promise Frank that she wouldn’t sell the château made her close her eyes in despair. In truth, so much of her longed to keep the place, to live here forever, but the reality was that keeping it was also a dream. Wasn’t it?
28
The mood at the château the next morning was a downbeat one, with everyone feeling sad that the holiday was over and it was time to leave. The knowledge too, that this holiday had been a one-off hung in the air, nobody shouting ‘we’ll be back’. Instead plans were made over a late breakfast of croissants out on the terrace to meet up later in the year when summer was over and Pixie was back in England. Gwen, unable to cancel her routine yearly check-up at the hospital, was going back with them, returning to France as a foot passenger on the Pont Aven in two days.
‘Time to go,’ Gus said, finishing his tea and standing up.
Slowly everyone made their way through the château and out to the drive. Gwen was travelling with Gus, and Sarah with Annabelle and Mimi.
As they started to get into the cars, Justine came over, with Ferdie running ahead of her clutching one of Justine’s smaller hand-made raffia baskets. The basket was filled with a colouring book, crayons, a tiny Breton doll and a packet of sweets. Shyly Ferdie held it out to Mimi, already strapped into her car seat, before returning to hold Justine’s hand and wave goodbye. ‘Bye bye, Mimi.’
Pixie hugged everyone and wished them a safe journey. ‘Mum, I’ll be at Roscoff to meet you in two days’ time.’
Both cars gave a toot as they turned out of the drive and disappeared from view.
Pixie sighed. ‘It was fun, wasn’t it, having the family here?’ she said, glancing at Charlie and then at Justine. ‘I guess it’s going to take us a day or two to get used to the quiet again.’
Charlie glanced at Ferdie. ‘Wanna give me a hand cleaning the bike?’
Ferdie nodded vigorously.
‘Sorry, I should have asked you first,’ Charlie looked at Justine. ‘Is that okay with you? I’m not planning on starting it or anything.’
‘It’s fine so long as he’s not in the way.’
‘My mate, Ferdie, in the way? Never.’ Charlie ruffled Ferdie’s hair affectionately and the two of them walked off to the barn, with Ferdie chatting away excitedly.
Pixie watched them go with an indulgent look on her face. ‘It’s wonderful to see Charlie with Ferdie – they really get on, don’t they?’ Pixie turned to Justine with a smile. ‘Join me for a coffee before I start stripping beds?’
‘Thanks. Would you like some help with the beds afterwards?’
Pixie shook her head. ‘It’ll keep me busy and take my mind off how empty the château is now that everyone has gone.’
Sitting out on the terrace with fresh cups of coffee, Pixie wondered if it would be a good moment to try and get Justine to open up and tell her the truth about the relationship she’d had with Frank. What the hell, she needed to know the truth and the only person who could tell her that was Justine. She’d give a gentle probe and see what happened.
‘Ferdie is a lovely little boy, a real credit to you. The kind of son I always dreamt of having but sadly never did,’ she added softly, not looking at Justine.
‘Frank told me how desperate you were to have a child. All the tests and fertility treatment you endured,’ Justine said.
Pixie caught her breath. Why would he discuss such an intimate matter with the younger woman if he hadn’t cared deeply about Justine?
‘It wasn’t easy on Frank either, he longed for a family too.’ Pixie paused for a moment, remembering how hard those years had been. ‘But in the end we both had to accept that it wasn’t meant to be. I think, to be honest, when we reached the decision to stop trying and to accept things, Frank was relieved. I must have been hell to live with at times. Over the years, we got through it together. The shared pain made us closer than many married couples, I think. At least I thought it did, but now I’m not so sure.’
‘I’m really sorry. I think you would have made a great mum.’ Justine fiddled with her cup on its saucer. ‘I know you don’t understand why Frank said Ferdie and I could live in the cottage without telling you. All I can say is he had his reasons and would have told you eventually.’
Pixie looked at Justine and waved her words away with an impatient gesture. ‘But he’s not here now and you are. I want you to tell me the truth.’
Justine bit her lip. ‘I’m sorry, I can’t. I made a promise.’ She stood up. ‘Thank you for the coffee, but I think I should go now.’
