Page 24 of A French Inheritance
Jeannie’s phone rang at that moment and she picked it up.
‘Hi,’ she said, and listened before speaking again. ‘That would be lovely. Thank you. We’ll see you then.’ Turning to Briony, she said. ‘That was Yann. He’s invited us to lunch in the village today. I accepted for both of us.’
* * *
Three-quarters of an hour later as they arrived at the village café, Yann was waiting to greet them and Odette showed the three of them to a reserved pavement table under the cover of a large parasol.
With a glass of rosé to sip, a bread basket and a large plate of charcuterie on the table to share between them as a starter, Briony sat back as Yann and her mum talked nostalgically about the meals they’d shared there with their respective partners, in the past. At one point, they both laughed and glanced at each other as if the two of them shared a personal special memory of that particular occasion. Thoughtfully, Briony sipped her wine and began wondering. Jeannie’s voice brought her back to the present.
‘I was telling Yann about the boxes you found in the attic. He’s suggested that when we’re back and settled here, we show them to him. His own grandparents were friends with Dad’s grandparents, particularly his grand-mère and great-granny.’
‘Brilliant idea,’ Briony said, smiling at Yann.
Lunch developed into the typically French two-hour affair and it was late afternoon when they said goodbye to Yann and made their way back to the cottage.
‘Shall we pack this evening, ready for an early start tomorrow?’ Briony said. ‘It still feels a little unreal that we are actually going to come and live here permanently.’
17
ENGLAND
Briony stayed with Jeannie when they arrived back in the UK. There was little point in sleeping in her own place, she just needed to clean it and pack up her few personal things and move out.
Briony finished cleaning and emptying her apartment and handed the keys back to the agency two days later. Mentally, she ticked it off her list. Now to concentrate on helping Jeannie.
First, the two of them went through the house from top to bottom, Briony making notes while Jeannie decided what furniture she’d like to take to France. In the end, there was only her favourite armchair, a couple of bedside tables, some lamps and two or three rugs. ‘Are you sure about this?’ Briony asked. ‘I know you decided your furniture wouldn’t suit the cottage, but what about your bed, for instance?’
‘No, the bed in the cottage is more comfortable than this one,’ Jeannie said, laughing. ‘I’m hoping the house will appeal to a first-time buyer and they will appreciate the fact that it comes furnished. If it’s a problem, I can always get a house clearance company in.’
‘Okay. We’ll put all the things you want to take in the dining room, I think; we’re not using it. Now we need to start sorting through the smaller stuff – books, bedding, kitchen equipment, ornaments, cushions, clothes.’
By the end of the week, the local charity shops had received box after box of books, ornaments, miscellaneous things that defied naming but were deemed to be useful and clothes that Jeannie said she didn’t want to keep. Despite all this decluttering, the dining room was overflowing with the furniture and the boxes earmarked for France. Briony tried not to think about where on earth everything was going to go in the cottage.
While Jeannie had a hair appointment one morning, Briony met up with Maeve for a coffee.
‘Any news on the job front for you?’ Briony asked.
‘Sort of but…’ Maeve pulled a face. ‘The American company who took over have asked me back, said they made a mistake, but I really don’t want to work for them after the way they treated us. What’s to stop them doing the same again in six months?’ Maeve gave the waitress a smile as she placed coffee and cakes on the table. ‘But I don’t have any real choice. There’s just nothing around. Anyway, enough about me, what’s happening with you? You’re looking good, the French air obviously agrees with you,’ Maeve said. ‘Your mum still going to sell the place or did this visit change her mind?’
‘Not exactly,’ Briony laughed. ‘I’ve inherited the cottage, not Mum, and guess what?’ She gave a dramatic pause. ‘We’re both moving to France.’
‘Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.’
‘Neither was I,’ Briony said. ‘But I’m excited now it’s been decided. We’ve been busy getting Mum’s house ready for sale and I’m heading back to France the day after tomorrow. Mum will fly out once the estate agent is sorted and the house is on the market.’
‘I’m so pleased for you,’ Maeve said. ‘You’ve had a tough time recently.’
‘You will come and visit, won’t you? You and Brian – the girls too if they want to come. Just get yourselves on a cheap easyJet flight to Nice and come and have a holiday. Plenty of room in the cottage.’
‘Sounds like a wonderful plan,’ Maeve said wistfully. ‘But it probably won’t be this year, even if I do go back to Raise Your Hand Auctions.’
Briony looked at her friend. ‘Have they offered you a rise, longer holidays?’
Maeve shook her head. ‘I’ve said I’ll go in tomorrow and talk about it. I suspect there will be a little pay rise but not enough to make much difference.’
‘They’ve approached you to return so quickly, they obviously need your expertise on the system quite desperately. Don’t just say thank you and return to your desk. Name the wage you want, the holiday period you want and tell them the hours you’re prepared to work before asking for overtime. You might not get all three things, but…’ Briony shrugged. ‘Worth a try. You held that accounts department together and you were never given enough respect for that.’
Maeve was staring at her wide-eyed. ‘When did you get to be so demanding?’
