Page 49 of A French Country Escape
Eliza sighed. ‘The box arrived a month after my daughter Claudia was born and a week after my mother Marie-Thérèse died. I just didn’t have the energy – mental or otherwise – to deal with anything else. William put it up in the attic because it was in the way in the cottage and to be honest, I completely forgot about it. If it had been that important, somebody from thenotaire’s office would have been in touch. Fifty years on, it’sunlikely to have any relevance to my life these days. It’s from another time. Let the past stay in the past. Put it back up in the attic or throw it away.’
Sasha put her phone back in her bag. ‘Of course, if that’s what you want. I hope I haven’t upset you by showing you the photo, but I thought you ought to know I’d found it.’
‘No, I’m not upset,’ Eliza said. ‘But I have no intention of dragging the past into my present. Your English author L. P. Hartley was right when he wrote, “The past is a foreign country.” And I, for one, have no intention of travelling to it.’
Sasha drove back to the cottages on autopilot. She couldn’t help but feel that Eliza was wrong not opening the box and at least checking the contents. But part of her could sympathise as well. From what Eliza had said, it had arrived at a time when she was feeling particularly low. Unwrapping it could possibly drag up feelings from fifty years ago which would not necessarily be a good thing. Sasha wished that Eliza hadn’t given her the choice of putting it back in the attic or throwing it away. She definitely couldn’t dispose of it as it was, but she couldn’t rid herself of the fact that it wasn’t hers to open. Simply putting it back in the attic unopened didn’t feel right either.
Back in the cottage and deciding she’d like some female company, Sasha rang both Penny and Alice and invited them for a girly evening at the cottage rather than meeting in the bar. She walked Mimi and Mitzi into the village late afternoon for a couple of bottles of wine, ham and cheese, baguettes and some olives, crisps and nuts.
Penny was the first to arrive later that evening, walking through the château grounds and calling out ‘Hello’ at the frontdoor of the cottage. Alice opened the garden gate from theroute de galopalmost at the same time and Mimi and Mitzi went a little mad, barking and chasing back and forth, not knowing which of them to greet first. Once the three women were together on the terrace, the pups calmed down.
Freddie said ‘Hi’ over the garden fence and declined the offer of joining them. ‘I’m off to the bar to watch the sports with Jean-Paul. Have fun.’
Sasha poured everyone a drink before placing the sliced baguettes on the table, along with a round of brie, olives and some sliced ham, and emptying the crisps and nuts into bowls. ‘Santé,’ she said, raising her glass of rosé. ‘Sorry about the short notice, but it’s great to see you both.’
‘A girly evening is just what I need tonight,’ Penny said. ‘I haven’t told Mum and Dad this yet, but my old boss Emma rang me earlier with a job offer. A better contract than I had before, more prospects and more pay.’
‘How long did she give you to think about it?’ Alice asked.
‘I didn’t need any time to think about it, I turned it down straight away because…’ Penny took a sip of her wine. ‘I’m not going back to Bristol. I’m staying here.’
‘It’s great news that you’ll definitely be staying in the village,’ Sasha said. ‘What are you going to do for work though?’
‘Mum and Dad have asked me to do the catering for the château as a partner with them but – and this is the wonderful part – they’ve offered meLa Maison du Jardinierto live in. I can use the house to run a separate business of my own. A cookery school maybe. Or outside catering. I’m still processing it all. I’ll talk it through with them tomorrow.’
‘Exciting times,’ Alice said. ‘I keep thinking I’d like to stay and live here permanently, but apart from a job in the village bar, there isn’t any work locally,’ she shrugged. ‘Grand-maman is a worry too. She’s really perked up since Lucas and I have beenback. If we both leave at the end of summer, I’m not sure how that will affect her.’
‘Quimper is what, an hour’s commute away,’ Sasha said. ‘Could you find something as an event manager there?’
‘Possibly, I’ll have to start to put some feelers out, see if there is anything.’
‘So Lucas is definitely leaving at the end of summer as well?’ Penny asked casually.
‘I guess, but I really have no idea what my dear brother is doing. I didn’t even know until recently that he was jobless.’
‘What was his job anyway?’ Penny asked.
‘He’s been working down on the Riviera recently for a private marine company. Usually he talks to me, but this time, nothing. I do remember there was a bit of a hiatus last year when the company were fined for bad working practices. No idea what, but I’m pretty sure Lucas wasn’t involved in that.’ Alice shrugged. ‘He’ll talk about it eventually. Grand-maman and I are wondering what he’s going to do next.’
In the silence that followed, Sasha topped up their glasses. Alice was clearly cross with her brother and Penny… well, Penny obviously felt more for Lucas than she’d let on, judging from her quiet reaction to Lucas’s possible departure.
‘Jean-Paul rang before you two arrived. He’s taking me to Châteauneuf-du-Faou tomorrow evening,’ Sasha said into the silence.
‘Hope you like jazz,’ Alice said. ‘The annual jazz festival in the town finished this week, but there are always a number of small bands who stay around throughout summer in the town and down by the canal.’
‘How’s your French?’ Penny asked, grinning at her.
‘Definitely improving. As is Jean-Paul’s English,’ Sasha said, smiling, knowing exactly what Penny was hinting at.
‘Ooh, have you taken my advice already?’ Penny said.
‘No, it’s too soon to be even thinking that. How was your grand-maman this evening?’ Sasha asked, turning to Alice.
‘Same as usual,’ Alice said.
‘She didn’t mention I called in to see her today?’
Alice shook her head and looked at her curiously. ‘No.’
