Page 35 of A French Country Escape
‘Have you heard from Mum recently?’
Eliza nodded. ‘Since I moved here, she’s rung every Sunday evening to check that I’m all right.’
‘Any chance of a visit?’
‘She’s talking of later in the year,’ Eliza said. ‘Will you and Lucas still be here then?’
Alice shrugged. ‘I can’t answer for Lucas. I’m helping Peter organise this fete on 14 July, but at some stage I need to find a new job.’
‘I am enjoying your company, so you can both stay for as long as you like,’ Eliza said. ‘And selfishly I hope you do, but you need to work on finding more than just a new job. You need that special person in your life. I’ll stop nagging you for now,’ Eliza said, smiling. ‘But remember, I’m on your case.’
26
The morning of thevide-grenier, Sasha and Freddie took the pups for an early walk on their leads. Freddie was giving them their ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ commands and they were so good. They certainly responded to their names, but Sasha didn’t feel they were ready yet to be let off their leads in the château grounds.
Once back at the cottages, Freddie fed the pups a small breakfast whilst Sasha made the coffee. Freddie was going to paint the orangery wall that afternoon.
‘I’m looking forward to starting in there asap,’ Sasha said. ‘I’ve done rough sketches for each of the threetrompe l’œils. I just hope the Chevaliers like it when it’s finished. It will be too late to change it before the wedding anyway.’
‘Honestly, sis, you know they are going to love what you do. You’ve never given your art much of a chance before. Now you’ve got the opportunity to do a Banksy and show everyone how good you are.’
‘Hope so,’ Sasha said. ‘Have to admit I’m excited. I’ll get on designing the menus Penny wants while you’re painting the wall this afternoon.’
‘Come on, let’s get to thevide-grenierbefore all the good stuff is sold,’ Freddie said. After shutting the pups in the kitchen, Sasha and Freddie left for the village. It was easier to walk there than to take the van and have difficulty parking with so many more people around.
It was barely nine o’clock, but already the village was teeming with stalls and crowds. ‘I don’t know where to begin,’ Sasha said. ‘I didn’t expect there to be so many stands. Oh, they’re down the side streets as well.’
Freddie found a stall selling second-hand gardening equipment and other tools, so Sasha left him to it and strolled slowly along the main street. Getting her studio up and running was still high on her to-do list, but downgraded from number one to two after the orangery.
There were lots of tables full of stuff she wasn’t remotely interested in, and she was beginning to feel a little despondent. Most seemed to be full of either baby clothes or toddler’s toys, DVDs, kitchen equipment from the dark ages and lots of mocha coffee pots. About to turn and walk up the other side of the road, she saw something that she was definitely interested in. A rusty, round, white wrought-iron table and four chairs that once rubbed down and repainted, would be perfect for the cottage terrace.
Sasha saw the stallholder looking at her and pointing to the table. ‘Cinquante euros pour tout,’ he said, including the chairs in a gesture.
‘Tell him forty euros,’ Lucas whispered in her ear, suddenly appearing at her side.
‘Cinquanteis fifty, isn’t it?’ Sasha said, turning to look at him. ‘I think fifty is a fair price.’
Lucas nodded. ‘But forty-five would be better. You have to play the game and bargain,’ Lucas said, turning to the man. ‘Quarante euros.’
‘Quarante-cinq,’ was the man’s immediate response.
‘D’accord,’ Lucas said, and held out his hand to shake on the price.
Sasha watched, bemused at what had just happened.
‘Now you have five euros for the sandpaper and paint,’ Lucas said.
‘True,’ Sasha said as she handed the money over. ‘Can you tell him I’ll collect them later this afternoon please?’
Lucas wandered with her up the other side of the main street, where she found a small cupboard that would be perfect for lots of her craft things. Afterwards, she headed down a small side street on her own that was mainly full of people selling clothes, ornaments and crockery. And birdcages. Three rusty round hanging ones that would be perfect in the orangery, sprayed gold and hung with some greenery draped around and LED candles inside, or even a model bird. As she was standing there debating how many to buy, the woman selling came over. Sasha pointed at one and said, ‘S’il vous plaît–combien?’
‘Twenty euros.’
‘Fifty for the three?’
‘Okay. You have a bag?Non?I’ll put them in a box.’
Wandering through the crowds clutching an awkward box and trying to look on various stands as she walked by was not easy, and Sasha was pleased when she bumped into Lucas again. Especially when he instantly took the box from her.
