Page 4 of A French Country Escape
‘Looks like I got here just in time,’ Freddie said, stepping onto the landing. ‘You all right, sis? Or do I have to accidentally trip up this scumbag so he falls down the stairs?’
‘I’m leaving,’ Bradley huffed.
‘Good decision,’ Freddie said. ‘I won’t assist you then.’ And he and Sasha both stood watching as Bradley strutted down the stairs and disappeared.
Sasha gave a deep sigh. ‘Good riddance to bad rubbish. I can’t wait to get to France and begin my new life in the Cottages du Lac.’
4
It was the last week of March when the cottages became theirs and Sasha and Freddie left England for France on the night ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff. Despite it being a calm crossing, Sasha couldn’t sleep and spent most of the night listening to her brother gently snoring in the top bunk, and worrying about the future.
An hour and a half after they’d driven off the ferry in Roscoff, they were deep in the Brittany countryside and a few moments away from their new homes. Sasha gazed around her. ‘It’s as beautiful as I remember. Even better now that the sun is shining and the sky is blue,’ she said laughing, remembering the grey winter sky from their original visit to view the cottages. ‘And look, there are primroses in the hedge.’ She turned to Freddie. ‘It is going to be all right, isn’t it, Freddie?’ she asked tremulously. ‘We are doing the right thing, aren’t we?’
‘Too late for second thoughts now, sis,’ Freddie answered. ‘We’re here, so it’s up to us to make it work and we will,’ and he turned the car onto the château drive.
Sasha bit her lip. Knowing Freddie as well as she did, she could tell from the tone of his voice that he was just asanxious as her. ‘Wewillmake it work,’ she muttered to herself determinedly as Freddie pulled up to one side of the cottages, leaving room for the small removal van that had followed them from Roscoff to park alongside.
Time passed quickly as the two removal men, helped by Freddie and directed by Sasha, unloaded the van and divided the meagre contents between the two cottages. Freddie, having lived in furnished accommodation as part of his job, had little of his own – just a bed and a chair he’d bought to bring with him, a couple of rugs and a box or two of personal possessions. The plan was for him to sleep in No. 2 but to spend most of his time with Sasha in No. 1 until he’d sourced some more fittings and sorted a kitchen. Sasha’s one-bedroom flat hadn’t exactly been full of furniture, but she did have the basics for a bedroom, her mum’s Chesterfield for the sitting room, and a cooker and fridge for the kitchen.
Sasha was indicating where the cooker should go to the removal men, when Ingrid appeared at the door with a flask of coffee and several pains au chocolat for everyone.
‘Hello, I’m Ingrid Chevalier. Welcome to the Cottages du Lac,’ she said, shaking Sasha’s hand. ‘I hope you and your brother will be very happy here.’
‘I’m Natasha Heath, known as Sasha. My brother is Freddie. Thank you for this,’ Sasha said, taking the basket containing the drink and the food. ‘It’s really kind of you. I haven’t found the kettle yet.’ Sasha smiled at Ingrid. ‘Your accent… With your surname, we expected you to be French, but you sound English.’ She gave Ingrid a quizzical look.
Ingrid laughed. ‘Lots of people make that mistake before they know us. Yes, we’re both English, from the West Country, but Peter does like to boast about his French ancestors from the nineteenth century.’
‘If I had French relatives, I’d boast about them too,’ Sasha said, relieved that Ingrid was so friendly and welcoming. ‘The château looks wonderful from the outside. Solange, the estate agent, said you’ve been renovating – did you have a lot to do?’
‘More than we expected.’ Ingrid sighed. ‘Thankfully, it’s more or less finished now, although, of course, it will never be finished totally, there will always be maintenance – for the grounds as well as for the building itself. The grounds really need a full-time gardener, but until the place provides an income, Peter will carry on doing it as best he can with part-time help. Now, moving-in day is always fraught, but we’re hoping you and Freddie will join us for a celebratory glass of champagne to welcome you, and a bite to eat tonight? I can give you a guided tour of the château then as well, if you’d like to see it.’
‘Thank you,’ Sasha said. ‘Please. That’s so lovely of you.’
‘I’ll leave you to it then. Please don’t hesitate to come and find us if you need anything, otherwise we’ll see you about seven,’ and Ingrid turned to leave. ‘Oh, I nearly forgot. Our apartment is at the back of the château, we personally rarely use the front entrance. Bit too grand for everyday use!’
As Sasha poured coffee for everyone and handed the pains au chocolat around, she smiled happily. Only their first day and already things were going better than she’d dared to hope. Ingrid was so welcoming with her basket of food, an invitation for supper, and the offer to give them a longed-for tour of the château. Life in France was definitely getting off to a good start.
For the next few hours, Sasha and Freddie worked together, unpacking the boxes they could, pushing into various corners in both cottages the ones with contents that had to stay packedup for the lack of cupboards or somewhere to place them. To Sasha’s delight, the pantry in No. 1’s kitchen had an electric socket under the marble shelf where the fridge fitted perfectly once they’d found the box with the French adapters. Freddie checked the ancient wall cupboard was fixed securely before Sasha placed her crockery inside, and the kettle and coffee machine found a home on the small pine kitchen table she’d brought with her, when it was pushed against the wall to act as a working surface for the time being.
Freddie’s meagre belongings did little to fill the rooms in No. 2.
‘I need to seriously find some furniture,’ he said ruefully. ‘Starting with a fridge and a cooker.’
‘You can use mine, don’t go spending money too soon. The list of things I need is growing too,’ Sasha said. ‘Just in here, I want a dresser, a proper kitchen table and chairs, some shelving, and that old fireplace is calling out for a modern range. Think the floor needs some new tiles too,’ she added, scuffing her foot along the floor. ‘And the walls need painting.’
‘Better make painting the last job,’ Freddie said. ‘But it would be good to decorate before we fill both cottages with furniture.’
Sasha nodded. ‘You’re right.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘We’d better try to tidy ourselves up before we go to the château. I did switch on the water heater earlier, so hopefully there will be hot water.’
Twenty minutes later, when they’d both freshened up as best they could, Sasha switched the hall light on to welcome them home later, locked the front door behind them and they set off.
‘I wish we had something to take with us – a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine,’ she said. ‘I don’t like going anywhere empty-handed. It seems rude.’
‘I’m sure it doesn’t matter on this occasion,’ Freddie said. ‘They’ve invited us as a welcome to the cottages, so I’m sure they’re not expecting us to turn up with the champagne.’
Approaching the curve in the path that led to the château, Sasha glanced back at the cottages and sighed happily as she saw the hall light shining in No. 1. She owned that cottage. Whatever happened now, she would always have a roof over her head. She squeezed Freddie’s arm. ‘I miss Mum so much, but if it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t be here. I wish we could hug her and say thank you.’
Freddie, never one to show his emotions, nodded and murmured something in agreement that sounded like, ‘I’ll plant those rose cuttings tomorrow.’
