Page 62 of A French Inheritance
‘Briony, come here,’ and Elliot pulled her into his arms and held her tight. ‘I’m so sorry for what you’ve gone through, but I promise you I’ll never lie to you about anything, nor ever treat you so horribly. I know it’s early days, but I’ve fallen in love with you.’ He kept her in his arms, before tilting his face towards her and kissing her.
It was only the arrival of two soaking wet dogs they didn’t see or hear coming minutes later who showered them both with cold water that drew them apart. ‘That will teach us to mind the dogs,’ Briony muttered, leaning in again for one last kiss.
48
CHRISTMAS EVE, SIX MONTHS LATER
‘Hannah. Debs. Hurry up. Briony and Elliot are expecting us at seven o’clock and it’s already quarter-to. You know how I hate being late.’
‘Two minutes, Mum,’ Hannah called out. ‘Debs is having a mini crisis with her hair. You can always go on down without us – we know the way.’
‘Shall we do that?’ Lucy said, turning to Adam, who was in his usual place at the kitchen table looking at his laptop.
He shook his head. ‘No. We’ll walk downen famillewith Django.’ He glanced at Lucy. ‘I’ve just been looking through the accounts for the year. It’s been a good one all round. The grape harvest was good and the reports from the co-op indicate that our wine is going to be the best we have produced.’
‘Brilliant news.La vendagewas hard work, but that makes it all worthwhile.’
Adam nodded. ‘I think we’ll bite the bullet next year and start to invest in all things necessary to produce the wine on the farm. And then in another year we’ll have our own wine label.’
‘That will please Bruno,’ Lucy said. ‘How about the avocados? I know we unexpectedly harvested some this year but not enough to sell.’
‘Next year will be better,’ Adam said. ‘Have you looked at your accounts for the gîtes yet for the year?’
Lucy laughed. ‘I don’t have to. I know we’ve had a brilliant year. Briony and her spreadsheets give me a monthly update, profit and loss, and a marketing assessment. Those advertorials in the glossy magazines really paid their way. Briony’s been brilliant. Not sure how I’m going to manage without her next year.’
Adam gave her a horrified look. ‘Why? I thought the arrangement worked well for both of you.’
‘She told me this week that she’s resigning after Christmas because she wants to concentrate on the brocante and other things. I can’t complain because she was only supposed to be my Girl Friday for the summer and now it’s the end of the year.’
‘Can’t you tempt her to do another summer?’
Lucy shook her head. ‘No. And it wouldn’t be fair to her. She’s got a new life to live with Elliot now as well as running the brocante.’
* * *
Yann’s house in the village sold at the end of summer. Currently, he and Jeannie were renting the nineteenth-century ‘maison de maître’ in the village, which Jeannie absolutely adored. Jeannie had persuaded Yann that an apartment in Cannes, whilst lovely, wouldn’t have a garden and as they both loved gardening it would be rather silly to buy something like that. She was rather hoping that he would like the news she heard in the village today.
As she gave her wrists and neck a quick squirt of her favourite perfume, Joy, she smiled at Yann, who was looking at her with the loving expression she saw on his face every day. ‘I am so lucky,’ he said. ‘Sometimes I pinch myself to make sure my life now isn’t a dream.’
‘We are both lucky,’ Jeannie said, giving him a quick kiss. ‘Both our lives are so different, so much better than this time last year.’
‘And to think, in seven days we’re finally getting married,’ Yann said.
‘I can’t wait,’ Jeannie said.
Now as they both got ready to go up to Owls Nest for Christmas Eve aperitifs and stay over and spend Christmas Day itself with Briony and Elliot, Jeannie asked, ‘Do you know what I was told in the village today?’
Yann shook his head. ‘No. Will I like it? Tell me.’
‘We can buy this house if we want to in the New Year.’
She waited for his reaction.
‘I’m guessing that is what we want,n’est pas?’ Yann asked with a huge smile. ‘The next step. A home we create together.’
‘Oh, I do want it so much,’ Jeannie said.
‘Then it is decided. We buy it.’
