Sixteen
Y esterday afternoon, after work finished, Arielle had taken the children straight home. To her relief, they seemed okay—ensconced in the storage room, they had not heard the confrontation with the Grandiers. But she was far from okay. She kept replaying the moment in her mind, and it made her shudder. Only Daniel’s intervention had stopped things from escalating further, and she was immensely grateful to him for it.
Back home, Pauline had been furious when she’d heard what had happened. She was keen to file a harassment complaint against the Grandiers, because, as she said, ‘they came to your place of work, they insulted you in front of the children and in front of an adult witness, they made not-so-veiled threats, and that’s definitely grounds for a complaint, the law provides for that.’
Arielle had shaken her head. ‘I don’t want the law involved, I don’t want the children or Daniel dragged into it.’
‘But they are already!’ Pauline snapped. ‘And next time, Daniel might not be there to send Virginie and Thierry packing.’
Arielle knew that her sister was right on one level, but wrong on another. ‘This is something I have to work out, okay?’
Pauline shrugged. ‘If they turn up here again, I won’t be responsible for my actions.’ She looked so very fierce that Arielle could not help smiling. She gave her sister a hug. ‘I’m sure they will not dare to face you again,’ she said. ‘Not if you pull that fearsome face!’
Pauline held her sister at arm’s length and looked seriously at her. ‘Even if you don’t want to involve the law, you will need to do something to stop them. They have a lot more money than us and they are better connected—I wouldn’t put it past them to fabricate some story that puts you in a bad light.’
‘Please, Pauline, don’t let’s talk any more about it. I don’t want to worry the children. And I have to think.’
The rest of the afternoon and evening had passed quietly enough, but Arielle lay awake for ages that night, thoughts of what on earth she could do whirling round and round in her head, without any real solution. Fighting the Grandiers directly would only bring more turmoil for the children and herself.
All her life, she’d hated confrontation, and perhaps that had been a mistake when it came to people like the Grandiers. If she’d fought them earlier, when Ludo was still alive, then maybe they wouldn’t be trying to strongarm her now.
As she tossed and turned, the despondent thought came to her that maybe she was also hesitating because she felt they had a point. She couldn’t give the children everything she wished she could. Like the things she and Pauline had experienced in their childhood—space to run around in, and nature close by, fields, and woods, and the sea. Had she been selfish keeping them here in Paris just because that’s where she loved to be, where she’d met Ludo, where they’d had the twins and made their home? She was not about to capitulate to the Grandiers’ wish that the family move to Champagne, and she certainly couldn’t afford a place with a garden in central Paris, but if they moved further out, into the sprawling suburbs around Paris, or the countryside close by, she might be able to find a suitable place. And that would take the wind right out of the Grandiers’ sails.
But that was panic speaking. Her children were happy here. She saw that every day. They loved their school. They loved the flat. They loved the neighbourhood, where they had lots of friends, and where there were many little parks they could play in. They didn’t miss what they didn’t have. And she wouldn’t be driven from her home. Their home. Besides, she knew that moving wouldn’t stop the Grandiers. They would find something else to harass her about. She would have to stand up to them, permanently.
She managed to fall asleep then, but at breakfast Pauline had seen the shadows under her eyes and offered to take the children out so Arielle could stay home and rest. But that was the last thing she wanted. ‘I told Daniel we’d go and visit his garden,’ she said, ‘and I don’t want to let him down, especially not after what he did for me yesterday. And I’ve always wanted to see a shared garden.’
‘I see,’ Pauline had said, raising an eyebrow, but she’d made no more comment.
Now, Arielle sat on a bench in the sun, one eye on the bees working in the flowers of a nearby thyme bush, the other on the twins who were happily digging with the miniature trowels that Daniel had found for them. He was over in the corner in animated conversation with the diminutive, bright-eyed older woman whom he’d introduced earlier as Maeva and who seemed to be in charge.
The shared garden was lovely—a sheltered, sunny green refuge, walled off from the nondescript grey buildings around it by simple wicker structures. It had two sections: one which contained long rectangular plots with herbs, vegetables and strawberries, while raspberry canes and blackberry bushes separated the other part of the garden, devoted to flowers and other non-edible plants. And down one end, straddling the two parts of the garden, were tall wooden compost bins. There was a shed for tools and a small greenhouse, a metal water tank covered in climbing plants, and shady spots where you could sit and contemplate. Such as the spot where Arielle sat, grateful to be resting quietly in the sun after her disturbed night. She hadn’t protested when Daniel declined her offer of help this morning and waved her over to the bench. ‘You look exhausted,’ he said. ‘Relax and let me take care of the children. I’ll come and sit with you soon, but I just need to talk to Maeva about planting schedules.’ He’d pointed the children in the direction of a patch of dirt which he said they could help prepare for tomato seedlings. ‘Will we be allowed to eat some tomatoes?’ Alice asked, and Daniel smiled and said, ‘When they’re ready.’ And then Louis said, ‘That won’t be till the summer,’ and Daniel nodded. ‘You’re quite right. Bravo,’ he said, making Louis beam with pride.
Daniel looked different today. The faded blue floppy hat he wore should have looked ridiculous but instead softened the angular planes of his face and brightened the deep blue of his eyes. He was dressed in a loose black T-shirt over olive-green cargo pants and lace-up boots, when she had only ever seen him before in a tailored shirt and pants, sometimes with a jacket or coat, sometimes without. Now she could see the strength in his tanned arms and the confident flex of his long fingers as he demonstrated something to the children. A smile crept over her face.
Arielle had been aware for some time that he was attracted to her, but she had not thought of Daniel like that, no matter what Virginie had implied. But over the last few days, things had changed, and now she looked at him and knew there was something more than friendship there. Something had been growing, slowly, out of sight, like a deep-buried seed getting ready for spring. And she was glad to be here now because he was here. And that meant …
‘Maman! Maman, come and see!’ The children’s shouts scattered her thoughts. Going over to where they were standing proudly beside their patch of earth, she saw they had smoothed it out beautifully, and made holes where the seedlings might go. ‘Do you think they’ll be happy here?’ Louis asked. ‘Do you think they’ll give us the best tomatoes ever?’ said Alice.
Arielle took a grubby little hand in each of hers. ‘They will be bursting with happiness and juicy fruit, I am sure.’
‘You two must come and plant the seedlings with us,’ said Maeva, approaching with Daniel.
‘Can we, Maman, please?’ shouted the twins, and Arielle nodded, smiling. Over their heads, she caught Daniel’s eye and her heart gave a lurch as his cheery expression changed to one of such wonder that his whole face seemed lit up from within. And she knew that he had understood.
‘Well,’ Maeva said, her shrewd glance noting their expressions, ‘I think it’s time for Louis and Alice and I to inspect the seedlings and see if they’re ready to be planted soon.’
The children eagerly followed Maeva to the greenhouse.
Arielle and Daniel looked at each other before he said quietly, ‘Shall we sit down?’
‘Yes,’ whispered Arielle, ‘let’s.’
Back on the bench, they fussed around unnecessarily for an instant, Daniel taking off his hat and Arielle smoothing her skirt. Neither of them spoke until Arielle said, ‘Daniel, I …’
He looked at her, and her breath caught. He is so beautiful, and I never saw it till now. But now I’ve seen it, I can’t look away . She took his hand, brought it to her lips, and softly kissed it.
‘Oh, Arielle,’ he said, and his voice was full of delight, as well as a kind of steadiness. ‘Beautiful Arielle.’ And he took one of her hands, turned it palm upwards, and kissed it too. He put an arm around her, and she nestled into him. They stayed like that for a moment, before Arielle looked up at him and said, ‘Daniel, I don’t know how we are going to do this—we lead such different lives—but I want to try, anyway.’
‘I am so very glad,’ he said, ‘because that is the thing I most want in all the world.’ Bending down to her, he kissed her again, on the lips this time, deliberately, and she kissed him back, giving herself up to the delight of it, the taste of him on her lips, the warmth of him against her, and that expression in his eyes. It felt like the kiss went on for a long time, but it was less than a second before they drew apart, looking at each other and laughing in shared surprise, as if they couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Arielle heard the children coming back, and sat up straight, pushing back her curls. ‘Will you be working here all day?’
He shook his head, smiling at her. ‘I am free whenever you want.’
‘Then come back with us to the apartment for lunch. It would only be simple, a few cold things and salad, but we are close by, and—’
‘You don’t need to persuade me,’ he said, his smile teasing now. ‘It will be an honour.’ And he sketched a little bow.
Laughter bubbled in her throat. ‘Just wait till you see the chaos in our house, you’ll soon change your mind about honour!’