Chapter 34
At last, finishing up with the French driver, Theo said his goodbyes and joining me, jumped in the driving seat. He placed a hand on my knee. ‘You okay?’ he asked.
I smiled and nodded. ‘They’ve found a dog.’
Theo looked at me confused. ‘Who has?’
I let out a laugh and gestured to my phone. ‘Who do you think?’
Behind us, the French driver started his car and once he’d turned in the road, Theo followed suit.
‘They were at some service station.’
Theo’s interest piqued. ‘Did they say where?’
‘Nope. They didn’t even give a clue. Anyway, this dog was abandoned by all accounts.’
The French driver took a left and so did we.
Theo smiled. ‘Jackson’s always wanted a dog.’
‘You should see the way they’d wrapped it in a blanket. I honestly thought it was a baby. Although for Mum it probably is a substitute grandchild. It is cute though. It’s got these massive brown eyes and a big bushy tail. They’ve called it Roma.’
‘Maybe they’ll share custody. Fifty-fifty.’
The French driver turned right with us close behind.
‘The poor thing probably doesn’t understand a word they’re saying. I imagine it’s only ever heard French.’ I looked at Theo. ‘Speaking of which, why didn’t you tell me about your linguistic ability?’
Theo smiled, no doubt, recalling my efforts with the hunter. ‘I tried, but you told me you were handling the situation, remember.’ He laughed. ‘If I didn’t have eyes, I’d have sworn it was Maeve in the car.’
I gave his knee a playful tap. ‘Cheeky.’
‘I worked in Paris for a year,’ Theo said. ‘Back in the day when I was training to be a chef. I wouldn’t have survived if I hadn’t learnt the lingo. Maybe that’s why it’s stuck.’
Thanks to menopausal brain fog, half the time I couldn’t recall words in English. I’d be knackered remembering a foreign language.
The French driver pulled up at a junction and as he indicated right, Theo flipped his indicator too.
I frowned. ‘Are we following him?’
‘Who, Lucas?’
At least I now knew the driver’s name.
Theo nodded. ‘We are, yes.’
‘Why? Shouldn’t we be going south?’
‘Because he’s offered us somewhere to sleep.’
‘Really?’ I looked down at my filthy jeans. Giddy at the prospect of having a hot shower and putting on my pyjamas, the last thing I’d looked forward to was a night in the car. ‘You don’t know how happy that makes me.’
‘It gets better.’ Theo’s eyes lit up. ‘He’s putting us in his stable.’
My smile vanished. ‘He’s what?’
‘He doesn’t have room anywhere else. It’s either that or we’re in here.’ He gestured to the car interior.
I scratched behind my ear, struggling to understand the man’s enthusiasm. I didn’t want to be ungrateful, but unlike Theo, neither did I relish the prospect of spending the night in an outbuilding.
‘We’re gonna be like Mary and Joseph on the first ever Christmas Eve. How cool is that?’
That wasn’t quite the descriptive I’d have used. ‘Today is turning out to be quite the day,’ I said.
Theo’s smile turned into a grin. ‘I know. Great, isn’t it?’
We followed Lucas as he turned onto a long sweeping drive and my eyes widened as a huge manor house came into view. ‘Wow!’ Forgetting all about the stable, I couldn’t fail to be impressed. Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t that.
I took in the smooth pinkish render that covered the house’s facade.
Oohed over the countless tall, white-shuttered windows, and aahed at the wide stone steps that led up to a huge front door.
At the corner of the building stood a majestic turret.
Almost swooning, the estate agent in me was desperate to see inside.
We drove to the back of the house and onto a huge, gravelled courtyard where a wooden pergola connected the main property to a converted outbuilding.
It had little wooden shutters to match its little wooden-framed windows through one of which a lamp glowed inside.
I crossed my fingers daring to hope. Please let that be the stable.
As Lucas climbed out of his car, a woman around the same age appeared from the house.
Unlike me in my mucky supermarket clothes, she looked effortlessly chic.
She wore a cream turtleneck under a cashmere cardigan, and burgundy tailored trousers that were teamed with loafers in a similar shade.
She wore her hair in a wavy bob that she’d tucked behind one ear. The woman screamed French elegance.
‘Shall we?’ Theo indicated we join our hosts.
Nodding, I wished we’d taken the time to stop at mine so I could properly pack for our trip.
If we had, I wouldn’t have felt quite as out of place.
I fixed a smile on my face, consoling myself in the knowledge things could’ve been worse.
Had Theo not insisted we stop for supplies I’d be introducing myself in Mum’s slacks and anti-slip boots.
‘Bonsoir, madame et monsieur,’ the woman said. Stepping forward, she kissed mine and Theo’s cheeks. ‘Welcome.’
‘This is my wife, Sophia,’ Lucas said.
‘Erin,’ I said, introducing myself. ‘And this is Theo.’
‘You need to go and change,’ Sophia said to her husband. ‘Everyone is arriving soon.’
Lucas turned to Theo and me. ‘I will see you later? Pour le Réveillon de Noel?’
Le Réveillon de Noel was obviously Christmas related and considering it involved guests, the last thing I thought we should do was intrude.
‘Of course,’ Sophia said, before either of us could answer. She shooed her husband away. ‘Now go.’
As Lucas did as instructed, Sophia turned to me, her expression sympathetic.
‘Lucas told me about the tree.’ She rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air.
‘The internet is impossible around here. One minute it works, in the next it doesn’t.
’ Unlike my butchered attempts at French, her English was excellent and her accent adorable. ‘Please, come with me.’
As she indicated the converted outbuilding, I tried to not show my relief. Theo might not have said we were sleeping on hay bales next to a gallop of horses, but considering events of late, I’d thought it a distinct possibility.
‘You have coffee. The fire is lit. Get warm. Relax.’ She checked her watch. ‘But be ready by eight.’
Still not wanting to impose, I again opened my mouth to protest.
‘Non, non, non,’ Sophia said. ‘It is Christmas Eve. You will not spend it alone.’
Her accompanying expression warned me not to argue and as she left us to it, Theo grabbed our luggage from the car. Ready to explore our accommodation, we entered the stable.
Impressed, I scanned in the open-plan living space.
‘This is beautiful.’ Old solid beams traversed the ceiling and wooden parquet spanned the floor.
Heat emanated from the blue antique wood burner that nestled in a mantled fireplace, above which hung an ornate gold mirror.
A plush cream sofa and a vintage coffee table sat on a patterned Turkish rug.
The room had a timeless elegance and noting how its traditional feel contrasted seamlessly with the sleek white units and modern appliances in the kitchen area, I was in real estate heaven.
There were two doors, the first of which opened into the bathroom. ‘Can you believe this?’ I asked.
Theo popped his head in for a look.
A roll top bath took centre stage and there was a double shower with a clear glass screen in the corner. A circular blue and white floral sink sat on a wooden drawered vanity unit. I ran my fingers across its bronze tap. ‘I want to live here,’ I said.
Checking out the stable’s sleeping quarter, my smile immediately froze.
‘How gorgeous is this?’ As Theo glanced around the room, he clearly didn’t see the obvious.
‘It’s a double bed,’ I said, pointing it out.
‘King-size more like. And look at this wardrobe.’ He stepped towards it for a closer look. ‘How did they get it in here? It’s massive.’
‘There’s always the sofa, I suppose.’
Theo sat on the edge of the mattress. ‘I don’t know what you’re worried about.’ He bounced up and down as if testing its quality. ‘Keep your hands to yourself and we’ll be fine.’
Not in the habit of sharing a bed with strangers, I flashed him a look.
He shrugged. ‘Well you obviously don’t trust yourself.’
* * *
I turned off the taps, undressed and climbed into the bath.
Lowering myself down, I slid right under the water and resurfacing, stared up at the ceiling.
Enjoying the solace, it was the first proper calm I’d experienced since landing at Mum’s house only to find she’d disappeared.
I breathed deep and letting the water warm my body and comfort my soul, it felt good to decompress.
I wondered what Mum was up to in that moment.
Being a day ahead of us in their travels, she and Jackson would have landed at their destination and were, no doubt, enjoying a stay at another fancy boutique hotel.
Like Theo and I, they were probably about to experience their first Réveillon de Noel, except theirs would be with Gisèle’s family.
I tried to imagine Mum’s first meeting with her pen friend.
Knowing Mum, she’d have cried multiple tears of joy and thrown herself into la Bise.
Whereas some people were uncomfortable with all the kissing, Mum was somewhat less reserved.
She’d have greeted Gisèle and her family with open arms and thrown a few bear hugs into the mix.
I sighed, wishing I’d been there to see it.
I wondered if I’d been wrong in my desire to intercept Mum.
If I’d succeeded, I could have robbed her of her only chance to meet Gisèle.
I pictured Mum with her grey hair, storytelling wrinkles and liver-spotted skin.
As much as I hated to think it, time wasn’t on hers or Gisèle’s side.
Just like Dad, they could be alive in one minute and, without warning, dead in the next.
My driving force might have been to save Mum, but from what?
Herself? I scoffed. She wasn’t the one who’d sat on a branch waiting for the cavalry to arrive.
Thinking about the day’s events, I was clearly my mother’s daughter.
Mum jumping behind the wheel of Dad’s old Volvo for the first time in years was no different to my antics climbing that ruddy tree.
I cringed at the thought. Had Theo not been there to guide me down, I’d have either frozen to death or broke my neck from falling as I tried to get down.
I could still feel Theo’s hands on my hips and hear the calmness in his voice as he steered me from one branch to the next until we reached the ground.
Even then there’d been no ridiculing or reprimanding on his part for putting myself in harm’s way.
Recalling the number of times I’d cursed Mum those last few days for her foolishness, I told myself I could learn a lot from Theo.
I pictured his expression; how his eyes bored into my soul when he told me I was safe with him. He wasn’t just talking about our predicament. What was strange was the fact I believed him. My heart didn’t call bullshit and fold in on itself.
Of course, after years of being shut down, hearts don’t suddenly heal.
Knowing there had to be a rational explanation, I recalled a documentary I’d seen about transference, a condition where people develop a crush on their rescuers.
That’s what it is, I told myself. Has to be. My cardiovascular’s a bit confused.
A knock at the door interrupted my musings.
‘Are you okay in there?’ Theo asked.
‘I’m almost done,’ I replied.
‘If you’re tired or don’t fancy it, we can give tonight a miss.’
Tempted as I was to jump at the chance of a relaxing evening, the last thing I wanted to do was throw Lucas’s and Sophia’s invitation back in their faces.
I hauled myself into a seated position. ‘No. I’m happy to go.
’ I grabbed the bar of soap and dunking it under the now cool water, hastily lathered it up. ‘I’ll be out in a minute.’