Chapter 43
Chapter Forty-Three
I woke to the gentle warmth of sunlight on my face, a stark contrast to the tumultuous night before. For a moment, I lay still, listening. The chateau was quiet, save for the melodic trilling of birds outside my window. The storm had passed, but the memory of it lingered, along with a gnawing anxiety about what daylight would reveal.
With a deep breath, I pushed myself out of bed. My bare feet met the cool stone as I padded to the window and drew back the heavy curtains. The Proven?al landscape that greeted me was a vision of serenity, almost mockingly so. The vineyards stretched out in neat rows, their leaves glistening with leftover raindrops. Golden hills rolled in the distance.
It was hard to reconcile this peaceful scene with the chaos of the previous night. But as my gaze swept over the grounds, I began to notice signs of the storm’s passing. A large branch had fallen from one of the old oak trees near the driveway. The gravel paths were strewn with leaves and smaller debris. And was that a section of the garden wall that had crumbled?
A knock at the front door startled me from my observations. I quickly threw on a pair of jeans and a light sweater, running a hand through my tangled hair as I hurried downstairs.
I opened the door to find Remi standing there with a look of concern. My heart did a little flip at the sight of him, as it always did.
“ Bonjour ,” he said softly, his tone husky as though maybe he had been up half the night too.
“Hi. Come in.”
“I came to see how you were. That was pretty rough last night, no?” he asked, stepping inside.
I nodded. “It was. We sustained a little damage, but I think we’re alright.”
“But you? How are you ?”
I smiled thinly, suddenly aware of how disheveled I must look. "I'm fine, just a bit shaken. Coffee?"
“Always.”
We walked through the front entry toward the kitchen, and his eyes widened as he took in the state of the foyer. Water stains marked the wall where rain had blown in through an open window, and muddy footprints crisscrossed the carpeted floor.
“Ouch,” he said.
“The library took the worst of it," I said, leading him down the hallway. "I managed to close the doors last night, but not before quite a bit of water got in. Nothing I can’t patch up. Add it to the list. How’s your place?”
“A tree branch took out a fence. One window in the tasting room broke. But we’re fairly unscathed.”
“That’s good. I’m glad.”
“Can I see the library?” he asked.
“Sure.”
As we entered the library, Remi sucked in a sharp breath. In the harsh light of day, the damage looked even worse than it had the night before. The beautiful Aubusson rug was soaked through, its once-vibrant colors now muddy and faded. Books lay scattered across the floor, some with waterlogged pages splayed open.
“Looks like a war zone,” Remi said.
I sighed. “I know. I should have secured the doors better when the rain really started to come down. I knew the locks were old, but I didn’t think about it. I—"
Remi placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Elodie. The storm last night was unlike anything we’ve seen in years. Even well-maintained homes suffered damage."
I sighed. “I know. Anyway, coffee? Let’s have coffee.”
“ Oui , coffee, then I am going to help you clean this up.”
“Remi, you don’t have to—”
He pressed a finger to my lips. I didn’t argue.
After a pot of coffee, we set to work, moving methodically through the library and the rest of the ground floor. Remi helped me mop up water, gather broken glass, and move furniture away from damp walls. As we worked, he regaled me with stories of storms past, of how the village would come together in the aftermath to help one another.
“We work together around here, Elodie. You’ll find that.”
“Even me, the enemy ?”
He chuckled. “In time, they will even come to your aid. Until then, you have me.”
As the morning wore on, we made our way outside to survey the external damage. The fallen branch was larger than I'd initially thought, and it had taken down a section of the fence with it. We walked the perimeter of the chateau, noting loose shutters, missing roof tiles, and the crumbled section of garden wall I'd spotted earlier.
“You definitely took more damage than we did. But still, it could have been much worse,” Remi said as we completed our circuit. “The structure is sound. Everything else can be repaired.”
I nodded, trying to see the situation through his optimistic lens. "You're right. It's just... overwhelming, I suppose. Every time I think I'm making progress, something like this happens."
My phone buzzed then. I glanced down to see a message banner from Evan. My insides started a slow simmer, but I breathed through it. What was one more annoyance this morning?
I swiped open the message.
She’s going through with the lawsuit. We should talk.
I closed my eyes and breathed. In, out, in, out. I hit reply.
I’m not talking to you until I speak with my lawyer.
Evan: Don’t be difficult, El. We need to work together.
“Everything okay?” Remi asked.
I forced a smile and nodded. “Yes. Fine. It’s nothing. Should we take a look at the cellar?”