Chapter 39
39
The next afternoon, as Lucas drove them in the direction of Carno?t, just over the border from Finistère into C?tes-d’Armor, Penny said, ‘I’m looking forward to seeing this Valley of the Saints. Creating half a dozen monumental granite statues every year seems an amazingly ambitious project to me.’
‘You look it up then,’ an amused Lucas said.
‘Of course. I was intrigued. Have you often been?’
‘Once or twice a year since they open it to the public,’ Lucas said. ‘There’s something super special about the place. Not sure whether it’s the knowledge that it has played a part in Breton culture for hundred of years, or the fact that there is a feudal mound on the chosen site, or…’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t honestly know. But it’s a great spot for walking and thinking. There’s a lovely sixteen century chapel as well.’
After parking the car, the two of them set off to explore the area. With no official footpaths to follow, it was a case of meandering across the grass from one huge granite statue to another; they were all dotted about in the undulating open valley in any direction you looked.
Penny, catching her breath, looked around in amazement. ‘I’ve never been to Easter Island, but I imagine this could be called Brittany’s answer to it. I can’t believe how tall they are.’
‘Four metre,’ Lucas said.
‘There are so many of them,’ Penny remarked. ‘Each different and awe-inspiring, but all representing the founding saints of Brittany, according to the information I read last night.’
After Penny’s initial excitement at seeing the site for the first time died down, the two of them walked slowly and companionably, absorbing the atmosphere around them.
‘Thank you for bringing me here,’ Penny said. ‘I shall make sure every guest I cook breakfast for in the chateau knows to come and visit.’
‘You sound like you are decide to stay here in Brittany,’ Lucas said.
Penny turned to him. ‘I have. I am. Didn’t Alice tell you? I’m going to become a partner in the business, live in La Maison du Jardinier and start my own cookery school. I haven’t decided exactly what that is going to entail yet, but I’m really excited. How about you? Have you made any plans yet?’
Lucas nodded slowly. ‘A bit. This enforced time off make me realise I don’t want to go back down to the Riviera.’
‘What did you do down south?’
‘I work for a private marine company with all sort of interests. My main job was oversee various boat-building projects, and also their small fleet of bulk carriers. Last year, I was going to be offered a bigger role in the company, but then there was a—’ Lucas hesitated, ‘—an environmental problem on another of their projects that I wasn’t involve with then, but I hear about it and I have to speak out. One of their bulk carriers en route from Africa plan to dump a load of toxic waste in the sea. Somehow the press hear about it, which I swear it wasn’t through me, although I would have tell the media if they hadn’t told me they were abandoning the plan. But suddenly I was persona non grata . I obviously didn’t get the promotion – anyway, I didn’t want it anymore – and the person who did suggest it would be a good idea for me to take a sabbatical, accept the redundancy package they propose and leave the industry.’
‘You did the right thing calling them out on their awful plans,’ Penny said. ‘I admire you for that. But what will you do now?’
‘Thank you. I have been thinking a lot about my future. Part of me want to work for me, but another part of me think I like to go back to college and do a degree in land management and conservation and stay in Brittany. I always loved it here.’
‘The degree course sounds interesting.’ Penny smiled.
‘It is – especially now you definitely staying in France,’ Lucas said. ‘We can really get to know each other.’
Penny nodded thoughtfully. ‘We can. We should take it slowly though, I think.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I’m not long out of a relationship, I’d like to take time and enjoy getting to know each other.’
‘Oh, we will, no doubt about that. Any other reason you think we should take it slowly?’ Lucas asked, a grin on his face.
‘Well, I’m going to be busy with catering and renovating La Maison du Jardinier and you’re going to be busy studying, so neither of us will have much time.’
‘I’m excellent at renovating houses, so I can help you with that in between studying.’
Penny burst out laughing. ‘How many houses have you renovated?’
‘I admit I haven’t actually renovate any house, but I’m a quick learner. I’m sure I can help you.’ The smile he gave her made Penny’s pulse race.
‘I might let you paint a wall or two then. Come on, let’s look at some more statues.’
This time as they wandered around, Lucas put his arm around Penny’s shoulders and pulled her close in a hug. ‘My future have definitely improve this afternoon; I hope you feel you too,’ he said, planting a gentle kiss on her temple. ‘I will thank the saints of Brittany when we visit the chapel.’
Both were lost in their own thoughts as Lucas drove them home later. Penny, thinking about the way they had bonded back in the Valley of the Saints, was happy to sit and let her impressions wash over her. She knew it was early days but taking the decision to stay in France had, it seemed, kick-started a new life for her in several directions. New home, new business and now a new boyfriend. Lucas too, it seemed, was feeling happy and carefree judging by the way he kept giving her quick, almost conspiratorial glances.
As they drove through the village towards the chateau, Penny caught him giving her another sideways happy smile.
‘I can see you,’ she said, laughing. ‘Please stop looking so pleased with yourself. People are going to wonder why you’re grinning like a Cheshire cat.’
‘I not care. I want people to know I got the most beautiful girlfriend,’ Lucas said.
‘Ah. Remember what I said earlier about taking it slowly? Can we keep it to ourselves for a bit?’ Penny said quietly.
‘Why? I want people to know about us. Don’t you?’
‘It’s not that I don’t want people knowing, it’s just that—’ she hesitated, ‘—I like the idea of you and me being a secret with nobody knowing about us for a little while.’
‘Again, why?’
‘I need to get used to the idea of you and me being a couple.’ She didn’t add that part of her was afraid of being hurt by him, even though she knew in her heart that Lucas was a totally different kind of man to Rory.
Lucas sighed as he turned the car onto the chateau drive. ‘Okay, I agree. But do you have any idea how long it will take you to get use to the idea of us?’
Penny shook her head. ‘No. I just—Oh my God.’ She stared, frozen, at the car parked in front of the chateau and at the man gesturing at, and clearly arguing with, her parents.
‘What the matter?’ Lucas asked, his gaze following hers.
‘Please stop the car and let me out, and then you should leave. I don’t want you getting involved in this,’ Penny said.
‘It’s Rory, isn’t it?’
Penny nodded miserably.
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ Lucas said, and deliberately putting his foot down harder on the accelerator, he drew up alongside the parked car in a flurry of flying gravel. ‘Come on. Let’s get rid of him forever.’ Lucas got out and slammed the car door behind him. Penny took a deep breath, tried to stop shaking, failed, and got out slowly.
Rory turned and swore at Lucas. ‘What the hell were you thinking, driving up like that? If that gravel has damaged my car, you’ll pay.’ His eyes widened as Penny appeared at Lucas’s side. ‘Penny – what on earth is going on? What are you doing with this… this… creature?’ and Rory brandished his hand in the air irritably in Lucas’s direction.
‘What are you doing here, Rory?’ Penny said through gritted teeth.
‘I’ve come to see you of course. You are my girlfriend.’
‘No, I’m not. We were finished the night you assaulted me.’
‘But you know I didn’t mean it. I’ve come all this way to apologise and to make things right between us so we can start again. Yes?’ The smile he gave her faltered as Penny stared at him without answering.
‘You heard her – she is no longer your girlfriend,’ Peter said. ‘I’ve already warned you once to stay away from my daughter. I suggest you leave now before I call the gendarmes to have you thrown off my property.’
‘I’m quite happy to do that right now,’ Lucas said, taking a step forward.
Rory glared at him. ‘What’s it got to do with you?’
‘I believe any man who assault a woman is not a nice man,’ Lucas said dispassionately. ‘Beside,’ he continued, his voice taking on a hard tone, ‘I am very fond of Penny and the thought of you hurting her make me extremely angry.’ As he was speaking, he took a couple of steps towards Rory’s car and opened the driver’s door. ‘As Peter say, it is time for you to leave and remember, nobody here ever want to see or hear from you again.’
‘What if I don’t want to go?’
Lucas gave a deep sigh. ‘But you do want to go. Only a very stupid person would stay here and wait for the gendarmes to arrive when Penny she tell them about how you assault her.’
Several seconds passed before Rory finally got in his car and Lucas slammed the door shut and stood back. Nobody expected what happened next. After starting the engine, Rory reversed back until he had enough space to suddenly turn and drive forcibly into the side of Lucas’s car, before accelerating away down the drive with his arm out of the car window and making a rude sign at everyone.
‘Oh, Lucas, I’m so sorry about your car,’ Penny said, nearly in tears.
‘Not as sorry as Rory will be,’ Lucas said, pulling out his phone and quickly pressing a number. A rapid-fire conversation in French followed. ‘ Merci beaucoup, André .’
As the call ended, Peter looked at Lucas. ‘Friends in high places?’
Lucas grinned. ‘Not in very high places, just the local gendarmerie who are going to make a certain Englishman life a little difficult for the next few hours when they stop him on the autoroute.’