Page 43 of A French Inheritance

Wednesday afternoon and Elliot drove them both down to Antibes to see Meg’s old owner. ‘I feel I should know his name,’ Briony said.

‘It’s Doug. Jill has said she’ll meet us there.’

When Elliot drove into the care home car park, they found a subdued Jill waiting for them anxiously by the main entrance.

‘Briony, it’s lovely to meet you and thank you so much for taking on Meg.

She looks extremely happy – and a little less fat,’ Jill said, bending down to stroke Meg, who clearly remembered her.

‘Dad isn’t too good this afternoon, I’m afraid, but his favourite carer, a lovely Indian lady called Afareen, is with him at the moment. Shall we go in?’

Doug was in a private room on the ground floor with a window overlooking the extensive grounds.

Briony stopped at the entrance to the room and looked at Jill. ‘Your father doesn’t know me, I think it would be better if you take Meg in, so I’ll wait here.’

Jill glanced at her father lying in the bed with his eyes closed and nodded. ‘I think you’re right,’ and taking Meg’s lead she walked into the room, while Briony and Elliot stayed outside and watched.

Afareen, the carer, smiled as she saw Jill and Meg approach the bed.

‘Dad, I’ve brought someone special to see you.

’ Meg moved closer to the bed and Jill went to place her father’s hand on the dog’s head.

But Meg had a different idea. She stood on her hind legs and gently placed both of her front paws on the bed and sniffed Doug’s hand.

Doug’s hand twitched and Meg gave it a lick before placing her head on the bed between her paws.

Jill, seeing her dad’s hand twitch, gently placed it on Meg’s head.

Meg stayed still for thirty seconds or so, before carefully placing her front feet back on the floor and looking up at Jill.

Jill was brushing away tears when she handed Meg back to Briony. ‘I’m certain he registered Meg was in the room. There was a soft smile on his face as we left. Thank you so much for bringing her. Afareen has told me he hasn’t got long now. The rest of the family are coming soon.’

Elliot took Jill in his arms and hugged her gently. ‘Let us know if we can help in any way again.’

‘Thank you, I will.’

Both Elliot and Briony were silent as they walked back to the car.

‘Shall we walk the dogs in Cap d’Antibes woods?’ Elliot said, as he opened the car door, where Luna was waiting patiently and Meg jumped up to join her. ‘Have you ever been to the chapel at the foot of the lighthouse?’

Briony shook her head. ‘No.’

The ten-minute drive to Cap d’Antibes woods was quiet as both Elliot and Briony were lost in their own thoughts.

‘We’ll walk the dogs first. They can stay in the car then whilst we have a look at the chapel,’ Elliot said as he parked the car.

It was cool in the woods and the two dogs were happy on their long leads sniffing their way along the footpath as Briony and Elliot strolled slowly along.

The tranquility of the woods was soothing and all-encompassing, whilst the silence between the two of them felt companionable rather than uncomfortable.

Briony, although sadden by the visit to the care home, breathed deeply and realised how happy she was at that moment.

Elliot had chosen a path that circled back to the car park. After giving the dogs a drink of water, they were happy to jump back in and lay down in the back of the car.

Making their way into the medieval Notre-Dame de la Garoupe chapel, Briony gazed around the walls with their seafaring decorations.

‘Fishermen since the Middle Ages have come up here and prayed for safety at sea,’ Elliot whispered in her ear. ‘And to offer thanks and gifts for safe sailing after storms.’

‘I feel I’d like to light a candle for Doug and also one for Granny,’ Briony said, making her way over to the candles. Elliot joined her and together they lit candles and placed them carefully side by side on the table, before turning and leaving the chapel hand in hand.

* * *

Yann was more than happy to be Jeannie’s driver and helper in the hunt for finding suitable plants for both the brocante and Owls Nest garden. ‘We take a day out and go to the large garden centre the other side of Nice,’ he said.

It was mid-afternoon before they arrived back and, after stopping briefly at Owls Nest to unload two buddleia plants, a white rose and a large bougainvillaea, they carried on up to the farm.

Yann parked the Kangoo in front of the unit and began to unload the rest of their purchases: half a dozen bags of compost, pots of geraniums, cosmos, petunias, pansies.

Adam appeared not long after they’d started and gave them a hand to empty the car. ‘You have an awful lot of plants here,’ he said. ‘Where on earth are they all going to go.’

‘Mostly into the handcart or the bicycle basket and some of the geraniums will go down to the cottage,’ Jeannie replied. ‘Which reminds me. Those agapanthus you have, I’d like to buy those too. You need to do something about the pèpiniére by the way and we have an idea.’

‘Okay. I think you’d better come up to the farm and tell me your idea for the pèpiniére over a cup of tea,’ Adam said.