Chapter 23
The following morning, they met in the restaurant of the hotel for an inviting buffet breakfast laid out over several tables which consisted of colourful fresh fruit, pastries, different kinds of breads, continental cheeses, ham and yogurts.
They didn’t have long to linger though because Suzy, true to her secretarial background, had organised a full schedule for the day.
‘So what are we going to do first?’ Tess ventured, happy to relinquish control to her friend.
‘I thought we’d go and explore. There’s a market on this morning in town which I thought might be good to mooch around, then we can follow a walking trail along the river and by the lake.
It will give us chance to walk off some of this food,’ Suzy said, looking at her plate of delights.
‘Then after grabbing a light lunch, we can go and visit the museum in the castle.’
‘Or else we could have an afternoon nap,’ suggested Gina, who wasn’t terribly excited by the prospect of a dose of culture.
Suzy laughed. ‘Don’t be like that. It will only take an hour at the most, and then we can go and get some cocktails. There’s a few different bars we can try.’
‘Well that sounds more like it,’ said Gina, laughing.
Tess was more laid-back about the plans and was happy to go along with everything that was suggested, although the promise of cocktails later was especially appealing.
As they wandered around the market, Tess marvelled at the unfamiliar scenery, soaking up the atmosphere, relishing the sensation of the warm sun on her skin and hearing the convivial chatter around her.
She had always been a people watcher and here there were plenty of stylish and flamboyant characters to observe.
The market was abuzz with activity, the individual stalls selling a variety of foodstuffs, including local specialities of Reblochon cheese, charcuterie and a vast array of colourful fruits and vegetables that were a feast for the eyes.
They then wandered along the cobbled streets of the old town, finding a specialist chocolate shop where the three friends stood outside making appreciative noises as they eyed the trays of sweet delights in the window, deciding they would pop back on their final day to buy some as gifts.
As they left the busy town centre, they headed for the Pont des Amours, a renowned beauty spot.
The pedestrian iron footbridge gave outstanding views over the lake, the moored rowing boats bobbing on the water creating a scene that Tess could easily imagine in a painting by a French impressionist artist.
‘It says here that the Pont des Amours or “Lovers’ Bridge”, to give it its English name, is so called because if you kiss your partner here, in the middle of the bridge, then it means that you’ll stay together forever.
Isn’t that lovely and romantic?’ Suzy was poring over her visitor map and guidebook.
‘Lovely,’ said Gina with a sigh. ‘Perhaps I should have brought Ryan here after all,’ she added with a wry chuckle.
‘Well, what were we saying about men the other day? Our lives are full enough without them and we certainly don’t need them to appreciate the beauty of our surroundings.
’ Tess looked all around her. There were plenty of couples making the most of the photo opportunity, snuggling up together in romantic clinches, exchanging kisses as the local folklore encouraged them to do.
It was funny to think she had barely given Charles a second thought since she’d been here and she certainly couldn’t imagine sharing a romantic moment with him here or anywhere else to be fair.
‘I think it’s a lovely sentiment to include friends as well as romantic partners in the legend of the Pont des Amours.
Come on.’ Tess opened her arms wide, urging her friends into an embrace and kissing them on the cheek in turn.
Then the phones came out and they took several photos to capture the magic of the moment.
It was as Tess was looking at her screen to make sure that she captured the perfect shot that she saw several notifications of missed calls and messages from Charles and Rob.
Immediately, she felt a pang of alarm in her chest, her thoughts transported back to Lower Leaping.
She hoped there wasn’t an emergency of some kind.
‘Everything okay?’ asked Suzy, sensing Tess’s change in mood.
‘I’m not sure. I’ve got some messages I need to see to. One moment.’
There were two missed calls and three texts from Charles and one message from Rob.
She pressed on her inbox, her heart beating in her chest, as she pulled up Charles’s messages.
Where are you? I’ve been trying to contact you.
You could have told me you were going away! Where have you gone? And who with?
Who has Barney?
Tess sighed, hearing Charles’s irritating voice resounding in her ear which was the last thing she needed in the beautiful surroundings of the pretty alpine town.
She’d always been there for Charles at his every beck and call, but he couldn’t expect that any longer.
What a blooming cheek! How dare he make demands of her?
She fired off a message, keeping it short and sweet.
Away. Barney’s fine – not your concern. Back Tuesday.
She shrugged and smiled, knowing that her response would only enrage Charles further, which thrilled her no end.
There was no way she would allow him to spoil her trip.
Then she turned her attention to Rob’s message, hoping Charles hadn’t been giving him a hard time too, but relief washed over her as soon as she read the message.
Hey, hope you’re having a great time. Barney is missing you terribly, but I’m doing my best to console him. See you soon. x
The accompanying photo showed Barney legs akimbo, head thrown backwards with his eyes closed, lying on what looked to be Rob’s denim-clad lap, on the daybed in the garden room. Tess couldn’t help a big smile from spreading across her face, immediately reassured.
She scrolled through her phone, appraising the photos she’d recently taken, thinking she would send one back to Rob.
There were some picturesque shots of the lake with the mountains rising above in the distance, similar to photos you might find in a travel brochure.
Beautiful, but boring and impersonal. Instead, she plumped for a selfie that had her grinning wildly into the camera, her hand held up wide to the sky, in a gesture of complete joy, her eyes squinting against the bright sunshine.
It’s hell here, having a terrible time, but I’m sure I’ll pull through. See you soon.
And following Rob’s lead, she signed off with a couple of kisses, sending it off with a flourish.
‘All okay then, I’m gathering,’ said Gina with a quizzical look, noting Tess’s satisfied smile.
‘Yes, it’s fine. Just Charles being an idiot,’ she said breezily, as though she hadn’t expected anything different. ‘Oh, and Rob’s sent me a photo of Barney. He doesn’t seem to be missing me in the slightest, which is good news. Means I’ll be able to come again.’
‘Ah, but what about Rob?’ said Gina, with an air of mischievousness to her question. ‘Do you think he might be missing you…?’
‘Don’t be daft! He knows how much I was worrying about leaving Barney behind, so he’s just putting my mind at rest. It’s good to know everything’s fine at home.’
The truth was despite her worries about coming away, she hadn’t really given Lower Leaping a second thought, not since checking with the care home that her mum was doing okay.
She’d heard from Hannah too, who sounded back to her usually chatty and positive self and why she was ever worried about Barney, she didn’t know.
As for Charles, he really wasn’t her problem any more.
There was so much to see and do here that she wanted to cram in as much as she possibly could, which didn’t leave a lot of time for fretting about home.
In fact, it was a bit of revelation that she could leave her old self behind and simply enjoy being this new version of herself, the one even she was still getting to know, relishing in the precious time she had with her closest friends.
That’s not to say that she wasn’t looking forward to going back to Hollyhocks Cottage and giving Barney the biggest hug ever. She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that it would be good to see Rob again too.