Page 21 of A French Inheritance

Briony was sitting out on the terrace sipping a mug of tea and feeling happy to be back, but it also felt a little weird being there on her own.

She guessed that was something she was going to have to get used to until her mum arrived.

Life was going to be pretty full on anyway when Gerry arrived with the van full of their belongings.

Briony couldn’t help worrying where everything was going to go; she definitely needed to make space for her and Jeannie’s things.

Before the van arrived, she wanted to try to give the cottage a bit of a makeover, nothing drastic but start to put her own mark on it.

Lucy had invited her for supper that evening and suggested if she wandered up to the farmhouse early evening they could talk about the Girl Friday job before they ate.

Briefly, Briony wondered whether she’d been a tad impulsive volunteering her services without knowing what the job would actually involve.

Running the farmhouse and several g?tes, as well as filming for the YouTube channel and putting food on the table regularly, was a lot for one person, although Lucy seemed to thrive on it.

Thoughtfully, Briony sipped her tea. She was looking forward to working with Lucy and didn’t really mind what she did to help.

Being busy for the next few months would be good and allow her to settle into her new life before she had to start making decisions about a future proper job.

She glanced at her watch. Just time for a reviving shower before she walked up to the farm.

The dining-room door was open and as she walked past, Briony saw the boxes from the attic still on the table. Maybe tonight when she got back she’d have another quick look.

* * *

Briony walked up the field track to the farm, carefully closing gates behind her. Lucy was setting the table under the loggia ready for supper and gave her a welcoming hug. ‘You’re back. All go well in the UK?’

‘Yes, thanks. Mum’s house is listed with an estate agent and a van will soon be trundling its way down through France with our belongings. Adam still working?’

Lucy pulled a face. ‘I’m in his bad books. He and Elliot are down in the Stables currently cursing me. We had a big delivery of beds and sofas recently for the new g?tes there and they are, umm, putting the final pieces together.’

Briony smiled. ‘Rather them than me. I either lose screws and fittings or have some left over. Never sure which is worse. Either way not ideal.’

‘They should be up soon. I’ve made a big batch of spaghetti Bolognese to help placate them. But, meanwhile, it gives us a chance to talk. Are you still happy to come and help me?’

‘Yes.’

‘I need another pair of hands to help me run the farmhouse and the g?tes. So basically it’s housework on changeover day, which is usually Saturday, and helping me in the kitchen occasionally, but I was also wondering about your computer skills?

I never seem to catch up with marketing the g?tes so I could do with a hand there too. ’

‘I’m not a total computer expert, but I know enough to more than get by. I’m familiar with websites like Canva for making adverts, et cetera. I’m good at editing videos. And I quite like spreadsheets.’

Lucy’s mouth fell open. ‘You like spreadsheets? Are you mad? They are the work of the devil!’

Briony shrugged. ‘I like things to be organised.’

‘We’ll have to have a session together on the computer, but first are you okay to work this Saturday for a couple of hours?

I want to make the beds up in both No.1 and No.

2 The Stables and dress the rooms. Put a few pictures up.

Place cushions. You know the kind of thing.

Also need to get some photos up on the website and start advertising them. ’

‘Sure. How many hours are you likely to want me every week? Regular or ad hoc when you’re snowed under?’

‘I was thinking about Saturday being a fixed day because it’s normally changeover day and then one day in the week, Thursday perhaps, for some admin, but there may be more once the season gets under way, if guests want dinner or breakfast, so maybe a couple of hours some mornings – but if that’s too much, just say. ’

‘Saturdays and Thursdays are fine right now. There is one thing. I haven’t registered as a resident yet, so technically I don’t think I’m supposed to work.

So can I just be a friend helping you out occasionally until I’ve got my visa sorted out?

The notaire is helping with that and setting up a bank account, so I’m hoping it won’t be too long a drawn-out process. ’

‘Of course. Ah, here come the men. Time for supper.’

‘Can I help carry food out?’

‘That would be great.’

‘Welcome back,’ Adam said as he walked into the kitchen.

Elliot simply said. ‘Hi,’ before smiling at her.

Supper was delicious and Briony smiled as she listened to the banter between the brothers.

‘Do you have a brother?’ Lucy asked. ‘I don’t and when I first met these two, I couldn’t believe how they sparred with each other, but I quickly realised most of the time it wasn’t serious.’

‘No brothers or sisters for me,’ Briony said. ‘I would have loved a sister.’

‘Our daughters are as thick as thieves, always have been. Personally I’m waiting for when one of them meets the love of their life,’ Adam said, smiling. ‘They’re so close, I wouldn’t want to be the mister – as the old song says – who comes between them.’

‘They’ll be fine,’ Lucy said, standing up. ‘Apple pie anyone?’ she asked, picking up the empty spaghetti Bolognese bowl. Briony stacked the used plates and cutlery and followed Lucy into the kitchen. Lucy handed her small plates and a jug of cream. ‘Thanks.’

Back out under the loggia, Adam had lit a couple of lanterns with citron candles inside to help keep the midges and mosquitoes at bay and placed them on the table and he and Elliot were talking cars.

Briony took the opportunity to ask their advice as she placed the plates and cream on the table.

‘Where is the best place locally to look for a reasonably priced car? Finding one is high on my to-do list.’

‘Both Cannes and Antibes have garages with a big selection of second-hand cars that come with a good warranty,’ Adam said. ‘You shouldn’t have any trouble getting one. Have a look on the internet too. When you find one, if you want either of us to check it out, just ask.’

‘Thanks. I’d appreciate that.’

Twilight had fallen when Briony stood up to leave. ‘Thanks for supper. I’d better get back to the cottage before it gets too dark. Stupidly I didn’t think about bringing a torch.’

Elliot stood up. ‘I’ll walk you back down the track.’

‘No, honestly I’ll be fine. It’s not really dark yet.’

‘It’s not a problem. I haven’t walked Luna yet this evening,’ Elliot said.

‘Okay, if you’re sure, thanks.’

The track was wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side as Luna bounded ahead. ‘How do you feel about being back at the cottage on your own?’

Briony turned to look at Elliot, grateful that he had broken the silence. ‘It feels strange without Granny Giselle and also knowing that it’s mine. I suspect it’s going to take me some time to settle. Trying to decide what to do with Granny’s things is going to be hard and probably upsetting.’

‘That must be difficult. It takes courage to begin a new life in a foreign country without adding in the poignancy of missing a loved one. My new life was thrust upon me unexpectedly too, but I didn’t have to cope with grieving at the same time.

’ He glanced at her. ‘All I can say is that I have discovered there is nowhere quite like France for nourishing a certain joie de vivre – you just have to give it time.’ He gave her a reassuring smile.

‘Thank you, that’s good to hear,’ Briony said.

They were almost at the cottage gate when Briony spoke. ‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Of course.’ Elliot glanced at her and waited.

‘I’ve wanted a pet for years, but it hasn’t been possible until now, so I was wondering if…’

Elliot stopped and glared at her. ‘I hope you’re not going to ask to have Luna as she was your grandmother’s dog. But if you were about to ask that, the answer is a resounding NO.’

Briony gave a startled gasp. ‘No, of course I wasn’t going to ask to have Luna.

That would be cruel to you both. She’s definitely your dog.

I thought as a vet you might sometimes hear of dogs and cats needing to be rehomed, or you could point me in the direction of a local refuge.

I’m not in any rush, it’s something for the future when I’m more settled. ’

She sensed Elliot’s relief as he exhaled.

‘Yes, we do occasionally need to find new homes for animals,’ he said as he opened the gate into the cottage’s garden.

‘I’ll let you know if that happens. Right, safely home,’ and Elliot waited for Briony to walk into the garden before closing the gate.

‘Goodnight.’ And he strode off in the direction of the lake.

‘Goodnight, and thank you,’ Briony called out to his retreating back, wondering where the friendly, approachable man she’d sat at the supper table with had gone.

The kind, chivalrous man who had offered to walk her home had vanished.

She seemed to have this unique, unintentional ability to upset him whenever they were alone together.

It was a good job they were unlikely to be thrown together often and she determined whenever that happened in the future, she’d try to avoid saying anything contentious.

* * *

Elliot trudged his way along the path to the lake, berating himself for being so sharp and cold with Briony and jumping to the wrong conclusion before she’d finished speaking.

The unexpected thought that dropped into his brain that she was going to ask to have Luna had made him speak impulsively out of turn.

He couldn’t bear the idea of not having Luna in his life.

He knew it sounded fanciful to other people, but he and Luna understood each other.

The day he’d arrived to live on the farm, scarred by all the pain and trauma of the past months, Luna had bounded across to his side to greet him.

Instantly becoming his dog. A warm feeling had spread through his body as he stroked her and she leant into him, her gaze never leaving his face.

Seeming to tell him: ‘It’s going to be all right.

You’ve got me now.’ There was no way anybody was going to take her away from him.

As for Briony, he couldn’t help but wonder what it was about her that got under his skin and made him act like he did.

He sensed that she was a very likeable woman – a woman who, in the past, he would have been attracted to.

Even now, when becoming involved with any woman was definitely not on his current agenda, he felt a certain desire to get to know Briony better.

But it wasn’t something he intended to act upon.

Staying away from her as much as possible would be his best bet.