Page 61 of A French Inheritance
Jeannie looked at her curiously. ‘Thank you. You look terrible. Didn’t you sleep?’
‘Not very well. I had a nasty shock in Cannes yesterday.’
Jeannie poured two coffees and handed one to Briony. ‘Tell me.’
‘Elliot and I went down for a celebratory ice cream and Marcus put in a drunken appearance. But it was so unexpected and horrible I just went to pieces.’
‘What did Elliot say or do?’
‘Grabbed him by his shirt and jacket and threatened him if he ever came near me again he’d be sorry. Then let him go before the patrolling gendarmes could arrest him for drunken behaviour.’
‘Good for Elliot. Does Marcus know you live down here now?’
‘I don’t think so because he muttered about visiting Granny and was rude about the cottage and down here.’
‘At least Elliot has got the measure of him now, so I should just put it out of your mind. Forget you ever knew the horrible man. You’re building a good new start here and you’ve got Elliot in your life now. And he’s a good man.’
‘That’s another thing. What kind of woman must he think I am having got involved with someone like Marcus?’
‘The woman he was involved with wasn’t exactly a good woman from what we hear,’ Jeannie said. ‘So he will know exactly how easy it is to get involved with the wrong person. He’s not going to judge you for a bad marriage, he’s going to have empathy for you because he’s been there.’
Listening to her mum, Briony began to feel better. She knew Elliot had been through a public hell with Robyn, that’s why he had been so hesitant about getting to know her in the beginning. He’d been wary of being hurt again. Her own broken marriage had been a private hell, but it had made her equally cautious about starting another relationship. Something special was developing between her and Elliot and she knew she’d never forgive herself if she didn’t nurture it and allow them both to love again. But before that could happen, she had to talk to Elliot and tell him the truth.
* * *
Monday evening, Briony, Jeannie and Yann were sitting out in the garden enjoying a glass of champagne which Briony had insisted on opening to toast their engagement when Elliot and Luna turned up at the garden gate.
‘Luna wants to know if Meg can come out and play early tonight?’ he said, laughing.
Briony smiled. ‘Of course she can. But first come and join us for a glass of champagne. We’re celebrating.’
‘We haven’t had the chance to tell anyone yet,’ Jeannie said. ‘But yesterday Yann asked me to marry him and I accepted.’
‘Congratulations to you both,’ Elliot said. ‘I wish you every happiness.’
When Briony and Elliot eventually set off for the lake, they let both dogs off the lead and they bounded away along the path. Elliot reached for her hand as they walked and Briony willingly hooked her fingers around his.
‘Jeannie and Yann look so happy,’ Elliot said.
‘I’m really pleased for them both,’ Briony said. ‘They’ve known each other for years. I’m not sure if you know, but Yann was my dad’s childhood friend and is actually my godfather. Mum is really happy to have a special person in her life again.’
The dogs were already splashing around in the lake when Briony and Elliot reached the bench and sat down.
‘How about you, are you all right after yesterday’s incident?’ Elliot asked, sitting back and putting his arm around Briony’s shoulders, pulling her close.
‘Yes,’ Briony said, leaning into him. ‘I’ve talked it through with Mum and she insists I have to put it and Marcus behind me. And she is right, I do. But I also need to talk to you about why I have somewhat barbaric thoughts about Marcus. We both need to know the truth about each other’s past relationships. You’ve already confided in me and I want to tell you about my marriage.’
Elliot squeezed her shoulders gently. ‘I’m listening.’
‘My mum is under the impression that I left Marcus and divorced him because of our “irreconcilable differences”. They were part of the reason my marriage failed but not the whole truth. And, by the way, I divorced him, not the other way round, like he told you yesterday. I don’t want Mum to ever hear about the main reasons, okay?’
Elliot nodded.
‘I’ve always wanted a family. When Marcus and I married, I thought that was what he wanted too. Turns out that was the first lie. He doesn’t like children. Didn’t intend to ever have any. But he didn’t say any of this in the beginning. We agreed to wait for a couple of years before trying for a family, which I was fine with at the time. When I finally said we’d waited long enough and I wanted to try for a baby, he laughed in my face. Because at sometime during those years, he’d had a vasectomy without my knowledge.’
Briony was silent for several seconds.
‘I was devastated on several counts, the fact that he’d lied, the fact that he’d gone behind my back for the operation and the fact that if I stayed with him, I would never have the child – children – I wanted. I hadn’t been particularly happy in the marriage before all this blew up, Marcus was a bit of a verbal bully and difficult to live with. So I finally plucked up the courage and left him. I probably won’t be able to have the children I wanted as I’m getting on a bit – a geriatric in the maternal world.’ Briony gave a short laugh. ‘But at least I’m not living with false hope eating away at me any more.’
