Chapter 26
Beryl’s suggested change of plan went down surprisingly well with the rest of the party.
The older members in particular were all exhausted by the time they met for dinner and were more than ready to opt for a peaceful few days.
It was a matter of moments for her to ring the owner of Pension Simone and change their arrangement, and a quick call to Yolanda followed.
Vee had very mixed feelings about all this.
On the one hand, she was also feeling tired.
The long, gruelling hours that she and Rick had been putting in on the house renovation were catching up with her and she’d seen Rick stifling yawns too, even as she was driving them down to Dover.
But then there was the looming prospect of seeing her aunt.
She’d managed to put this out of her head for most of the time since they’d set off, concentrating on the fun of new scenery and amenable company. Now it was getting far too real.
‘Well, that’s settled, we’ll head south tomorrow morning,’ said Rick, as they finished a leisurely dinner. Beryl’s suggestion had sparked a mood of relaxation in everyone, and when the last of the wine had been drunk, they all headed for their beds quite happily.
The next day, a new sense of excitement altered the atmosphere in the minibus as Rick started the engine.
‘Lot-et-Garonne, here we come!’ shouted Sid as they wove their way through the already busy streets and out towards the road that would take them south and east. ‘What kind of place is this village? I hope there’s a good bakery.
I’m addicted to those pain au chocolat things now. I’m still going to need my fix.’
‘I’m sure there will be,’ said Beryl. ‘And hopefully a lovely bustling market in the square… if there is a square in Brugnac d’Agenais, of course.’
They all fell silent, thinking about their destination. Vee’s reservations about her own welcome grew bigger with every mile they travelled and by the time they’d reached the quieter roads, some hours and a couple of comfort stops later, her stomach was in knots.
‘This is beautiful countryside, darling,’ said Anthea to Vee.
‘It’s so rolling and green. Your aunt’s chosen well.
I wouldn’t mind living here. What do you say, Maurice?
Shall we sell up and buy a rambling old chateau?
They might do a TV programme about us. I’ve always fancied being the mistress of a magnificent estate in the country. ’
She laughed when she saw the look on Maurice’s face. ‘I’m joking, don’t look so panic-stricken. I know you’ll never leave Willowbrook. I don’t think any of us would.’
Vee noticed that Beryl and Frank had chosen the back seats of the bus and were whispering to each other. ‘What’s going on with you two?’ she said. ‘You’re looking really furtive. Have you been up to mischief? Did you rob a bank in La Rochelle?’
‘N… nothing,’ stuttered Frank. ‘We were… ah… talking about…’
‘…Talking about whether we should have bought a gift to take for Yolanda,’ finished Beryl. Her cheeks were very pink, and she didn’t meet Vee’s eyes.
‘Oh dear, we ought to have thought of that sooner,’ said Winnie. ‘Can we stop somewhere, Rick? What about a nice bunch of flowers?’
Rick muttered something under his breath.
He was yawning now and tapping his fingers on the wheel.
Vee could sense the tension mounting inside the minibus.
It was as if her own jittery feelings had spread themselves amongst everyone else.
She supposed it wasn’t surprising because the closeness that was developing between the eight of them was more noticeable with every mile they travelled and every meal they ate together.
Luckily, at this point they entered a small town, and Winnie spotted a stall selling flowers and plants by the roadside. ‘Look! Can you stop, Rick?’ she said. ‘I think we’d be okay to pull up for five minutes. I’ll go in.’
Rick screeched to a halt behind a delivery van and sat back in his seat. He stretched both arms above his head. ‘Go for it, Winnie,’ he said. ‘But don’t be long. I don’t know what the parking rules are in France. We don’t want to be landed with a massive fine.’
Winnie scrambled out of the bus with a groan as her stiff legs met the concrete, followed by Sid and Beryl, who couldn’t resist being in on the action.
They were soon back with a magnificent chrysanthemum plant covered in yellow flowers.
Vee gasped. ‘Oh, no, I should have warned you. We can’t take that.
Chrysanths are the plants they put on graves over here.
They’re used especially around All Saints’ Day but nobody gives them as gifts. Yolanda would be really offended.’
Winnie sighed. ‘We’ll just have to find a nice grave to put it on when we get there, in that case. Back inside, gang.’
Eventually, the three returned with two large bunches of assorted flowers in different colours. ‘We have no idea what she likes so we hedged our bets, and we bought one for the lady who owns the pension too so she doesn’t feel left out,’ said Beryl. ‘Drive on, Rick. We’re on the last lap now.’
The final part of their journey took them through more gently hilly countryside, ever greener and more verdant.
Every now and again the road passed alongside or through the middle of woods of graceful birch trees, tall and slender.
The warm breeze coming through the open windows was energising, and everyone began to perk up.
In some places row upon row of twisted vines marched across the fields and further on they were replaced by small fruit trees.
‘Plums,’ said Frank. ‘I’ve been reading up about the area. This is the prune capital of Europe, you know.’
‘My mother would have approved of this place,’ said Sid, pulling a face. ‘She was always feeding us prunes. She was obsessed with our bowels. She used to say—’
‘I think that’s quite enough of that,’ said Beryl. ‘We don’t need to know more. How much further, Rick?’
‘Ten minutes at the most,’ he said. ‘Are you going to ring Yolanda to warn her we’re nearly at her village?’
Beryl made the call and disconnected. ‘Yolanda’s going to meet us in the marketplace to show us where to park,’ she said. ‘Apparently there’s nowhere closer to our accommodation. We can have a coffee or a beer in the bar there before we unload, if you like?’
This suggestion met with cheers of approval and soon Rick was slowing down to make his way into the little village.
All around were old stone houses, some shuttered as if already preparing for the winter.
There was a post office and a boucherie near the square and above the roofs of the houses could just be seen the towers of what looked like a small chateau.
The autumn sunshine was still plenty warm enough for them to sit outside, and the tables set outside the café in the market square seemed an ideal spot to bask and take in the ambience of Brugnac d’Agenais. There was no sign of Yolanda.
‘This place is gorgeous,’ breathed Anthea. ‘I can see why your aunt chose to stay put when she got here, darling. Why have you never visited her before? I’d have been down here like a shot.’
Vee shrugged. It was hard to explain the restraints that had held her back for all this time, and even now she was very unsure of what her welcome would be like.
Rick parked the van in the shade of what looked like an uninhabited house and got out, coming round to the back to help everyone climb down.
They were all somewhat creaky after their journey but once their legs had got going again, they began to look around with interest.
‘Shall we sit down and order a beer? Maybe we should call Yolanda again?’ said Frank. ‘We could be in the wrong place.’
Just as Vee was about to snap that there couldn’t be more than one marketplace in a village this size, a small, round figure came bustling out of an alleyway and headed their way, calling, ‘Coooeeee!’
‘Is this your Aunty Yolanda, Vee?’ asked Maurice, somewhat unnecessarily as by this time the woman was nearly with them and was beaming widely.
Her grey hair was wild, and she was wearing a faded garment that was a cross between a caftan and an overall.
On her feet were ancient wellington boots of the green variety favoured by the hunting set.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ she said, breathlessly.
‘I was about to leave the house when one of my chickens came into the kitchen and I noticed she was limping. It was Bella,’ she added.
‘She’s an old girl now, and I wanted to make sure she wasn’t in pain before I came to meet you. Anyway, she rallied and here I am now.’
She came to a standstill in front of Vee, and they eyed each other warily. Yolanda’s smile faltered slightly but she held out both hands to her niece. ‘Venetia,’ was all she said.
Vee took her aunt’s hands in both of hers.
She couldn’t speak for a moment. Memories came flooding back of this warm, friendly lady who had been such an important part of her childhood.
Yolanda was the one who’d taught Vee to make iced lemon biscuits and bonfire toffee.
She had helped Vee with her homework, especially when she’d struggled to learn her spellings.
It was only when Vee reached her teens that the two of them had clashed, sometimes spectacularly.
‘It’s… it’s good to see you,’ Vee managed to say, before tears spilled down her cheeks.
Yolanda reached out and pulled her niece close.
Vee was a lot taller than the older woman and her chin rested comfortably on the top of Yolanda’s head as they clung together.
She inhaled a fragrance that was so familiar that she wondered how she’d gone so long without seeing this dear person.
It was a mixture of vanilla and garlic, with a hint of herbs fresh from the garden.
Yolanda had always loved to cook. Something had gone badly wrong between them over the years and it was high time they fixed it.
‘Let’s get you organised,’ said Yolanda, letting Vee go and beaming round at the others. ‘We can do introductions later. Beryl and Winnie are old friends of mine, I’m not sure about the rest of you though. Once I moved over here, I was only in Willowbrook for visits so we might not have met.’
‘Would I be able to drive to the place we’re staying and drop off the luggage to save them all carrying their stuff?’ asked Rick. ‘I can come straight back here and park. We were going to have a drink, but I think we’d be better to get ourselves sorted first.’
‘Of course, just follow along behind us in the van and I’ll escort the rest of you to Pension Simone. I think you’re going to be very comfortable.’ Yolanda set off, and the rest of the party tried to match her pace. She certainly wasn’t hanging around.
‘Is she training for a marathon or summat?’ Frank muttered to Sid as they turned a corner. Sid didn’t answer. He’d stopped to offer an arm to Winnie who definitely wasn’t built for speed.
‘Come on, ducky,’ he said to her. ‘Hang on to me and I’ll get you there.’
‘This place had better be worth the hike,’ said Winnie. ‘My feet are killing me and I’m dying to spend a penny.’
Luckily, after only a few more metres, Yolanda came to a halt outside a three-storey, traditionally built house. Its shutters were open and outside the front door sat a large tabby cat.
‘Hello, Chantelle,’ said Yolanda to the cat. ‘These are your new visitors. If you’re nice to them, they might sneak you a prawn or two at dinner time. I hope you all like seafood? Simone’s cooking her famous paella tonight and she doesn’t care for picky eaters.’
‘Are you saying we don’t get a choice of menu?’ asked Anthea, pursing her lips.
‘Oh, yes, you get a choice. Eat it or don’t eat it,’ said Yolanda, laughing merrily as she pushed open the heavy wooden door.