Page 9 of A French Country Escape
Ingrid shrugged. ‘I think – and hope, after what she’s just told me – that she’s had enough and wants out.’
‘Once she’s done that, if she’s anything like me when Bradley left, she’ll turn to you. The only person I could talk to was my mum,’ Sasha said.
‘Fingers crossed then that she sees sense and kicks him out of her life. I know Peter will be happy, he’s never truly liked Rory – not that we’ve met him more than once.’ Ingrid wiped her eyes again. ‘I’m sorry, what must you think. We hardly know each other and here I am telling you my personal worries.’
Sasha smiled gently. ‘Try not to worry. I’m sure things will resolve themselves soon now that Penny has told you the truth about her relationship. Telling your mum you’ve cocked up and made a terrible mistake is not easy.’ Sasha stood up. ‘Thank you for the lift and the coffee. I’d better get home and do some more unpacking.’
Sasha walked back to the cottage deep in thought. Ingrid reminded her of her mum in so many ways, but especially the way she’d talked to Penny about what she should do. She was so friendly and down-to-earth. The fact that she was of a differentgeneration didn’t seem to matter. Neither did the fact that she and Peter might have sold the cottages because they were currently strapped for cash, but they were clearly used to having more money than either Freddie or herself. But Sasha was happy to think she’d made a new friend already, although it would be nice if there were to be some people of her own age around. Perhaps joining the château book club like Ingrid had suggested would be a good start.
Once the shopping was safely stored in the old-fashioned larder and the fridge, Sasha went through to the sitting room and opened her Kindle. Before making a start on the rest of the unpacking, she’d download the book Ingrid had mentioned and see what it was like. It was only when the internet connection wouldn’t open that she remembered Freddie had promised to put their new Starlink satellite dish up later today, after he’d had his chat with Peter. Rather than read on her phone, which she hated, she’d wait until the internet was up and running. Right now, though, she’d enjoy a fresh croissant and another cup of coffee, and send positive vibes to Freddie for his job trial with Peter.
7
Freddie was full of enthusiasm when he returned to the cottage at midday. Peter had offered him work for three days a week as a general handyman/gardener starting asap. ‘I think he’d really like to take me on full time, but he’s a bit hesitant about finances until the château is up and earning, if not its keep, at least making a contribution, which is fair enough. To be honest, I quite like the idea of a variety of jobs. Don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket.’
‘And don’t forget our own renovations and gardens,’ Sasha reminded him. ‘You’ll need time to work on those too.’
‘I won’t forget. Peter has said there’s a long ladder in one of the outbuildings that I can borrow to climb up and fix the Starlink dish in the best position for our internet connection and get it working. That’s my first job here.’
‘Tomorrow, if you’re not working, we could go into town,’ Sasha said. ‘We need to find a supermarket and stock up with food. Be nice to have a proper look around the town too.’
‘Talking of a proper look around, fancy a walk in the grounds?’
‘Oh yes,’ Sasha said, jumping up. ‘I’ll get us some lunch when we get back.’
By mutual consent, they started walking in the opposite direction to the château and found themselves on a camellia- and hydrangea-lined track. The camellia bushes were in bloom with pink, white, red and some beautiful variegated blossoms. Too early yet for the hydrangeas, but the buds were showing, and it wouldn’t be long before they too were in flower as the camellias died away. The track meandered round the estate, criss-crossing a couple of others, until eventually they found themselves approaching the old chapel to the side of the château.
‘Peter wants me to give him a hand with the inside,’ Freddie said.
Sasha tried the door. ‘Shame, it’s locked. Let me know when you’re working in there; I’d like to come and have a look.’
Farther on, they passed the emptyMaison du Jardinier.
‘That would make a lovely detached home,’ Sasha said. ‘I wonder what Ingrid and Peter plan to do with that.’
Freddie shrugged. ‘Probably turn it into a gîte – or maybe their daughter will take it on. While we’re this close to the château, I think I’ll go and collect the ladder for this afternoon. Okay?’
Sasha nodded. ‘I’ll go home and get some sandwiches ready.’
Whilst Freddie unpacked the satellite dish and read the instructions, Sasha cleared the lunch things away and went upstairs to start unpacking a few boxes. An hour later, she heard Freddie give a shout and hurried downstairs.
‘The router is by the plug in the sitting room. Can you plug it in please? Once it’s connected, the dish will start to locate the best angle for it to receive the signal.’
‘That sounds highly technical,’ Sasha said, joining Freddie.
They both watched, fascinated, as the unusual rectangular-shaped dish on the pole Freddie had fixed high up on the side of the cottage slowly moved into position, finding its own perfect location to connect to the satellite.
‘We’re lucky that with so many trees on the estate, there aren’t any close enough to the cottages to block our direct access to the satellites up there,’ Freddie said, looking at the app on his phone, which was showing him the details of the connection.
‘I can’t believe it’s doing it all by itself,’ Sasha said, staring up at the roof where Freddie had fixed the satellite pole.
‘D’you want to go and switch your laptop on? You’ll need to create a password, but then you should be good to go,’ Freddie said.
Sasha went indoors and, opening her laptop, clicked on the internet icon. Choosing a password was easy. She’d use the phrase ‘Happy2BinFrance’ with a few symbols randomly placed. A few minutes later and she was online.
8
The instant Penny Chevalier had finished the call with her mother, her mobile rang. No need to look at the caller ID. With Ingrid’s supportive words still ringing in her head, Penny closed her eyes, took a deep breath, accepted the call, and forced the words out in as determined a voice as she could before Rory had a chance to speak.
