Page 51 of A French Inheritance
CHRISTMAS EVE, SIX MONTHS LATER
‘Hannah. Debs. Hurry up. Briony and Elliot are expecting us at seven o’clock and it’s already quarter-to. You know how I hate being late.’
‘Two minutes, Mum,’ Hannah called out. ‘Debs is having a mini crisis with her hair. You can always go on down without us – we know the way.’
‘Shall we do that?’ Lucy said, turning to Adam, who was in his usual place at the kitchen table looking at his laptop.
He shook his head. ‘No. We’ll walk down en famille with Django.’ He glanced at Lucy. ‘I’ve just been looking through the accounts for the year. It’s been a good one all round. The grape harvest was good and the reports from the co-op indicate that our wine is going to be the best we have produced.’
‘Brilliant news . La vendage was hard work, but that makes it all worthwhile.’
Adam nodded. ‘I think we’ll bite the bullet next year and start to invest in all things necessary to produce the wine on the farm. And then in another year we’ll have our own wine label.’
‘That will please Bruno,’ Lucy said. ‘How about the avocados? I know we unexpectedly harvested some this year but not enough to sell.’
‘Next year will be better,’ Adam said. ‘Have you looked at your accounts for the g?tes yet for the year?’
Lucy laughed. ‘I don’t have to. I know we’ve had a brilliant year.
Briony and her spreadsheets give me a monthly update, profit and loss, and a marketing assessment.
Those advertorials in the glossy magazines really paid their way.
Briony’s been brilliant. Not sure how I’m going to manage without her next year. ’
Adam gave her a horrified look. ‘Why? I thought the arrangement worked well for both of you.’
‘She told me this week that she’s resigning after Christmas because she wants to concentrate on the brocante and other things. I can’t complain because she was only supposed to be my Girl Friday for the summer and now it’s the end of the year.’
‘Can’t you tempt her to do another summer?’
Lucy shook her head. ‘No. And it wouldn’t be fair to her. She’s got a new life to live with Elliot now as well as running the brocante.’
* * *
Yann’s house in the village sold at the end of summer.
Currently, he and Jeannie were renting the nineteenth-century ‘maison de ma?tre’ in the village, which Jeannie absolutely adored.
Jeannie had persuaded Yann that an apartment in Cannes, whilst lovely, wouldn’t have a garden and as they both loved gardening it would be rather silly to buy something like that.
She was rather hoping that he would like the news she heard in the village today.
As she gave her wrists and neck a quick squirt of her favourite perfume, Joy, she smiled at Yann, who was looking at her with the loving expression she saw on his face every day. ‘I am so lucky,’ he said. ‘Sometimes I pinch myself to make sure my life now isn’t a dream.’
‘We are both lucky,’ Jeannie said, giving him a quick kiss. ‘Both our lives are so different, so much better than this time last year.’
‘And to think, in seven days we’re finally getting married,’ Yann said.
‘I can’t wait,’ Jeannie said.
Now as they both got ready to go up to Owls Nest for Christmas Eve aperitifs and stay over and spend Christmas Day itself with Briony and Elliot, Jeannie asked, ‘Do you know what I was told in the village today?’
Yann shook his head. ‘No. Will I like it? Tell me.’
‘We can buy this house if we want to in the New Year.’
She waited for his reaction.
‘I’m guessing that is what we want, n’est pas ?’ Yann asked with a huge smile. ‘The next step. A home we create together.’
‘Oh, I do want it so much,’ Jeannie said.
‘Then it is decided. We buy it.’
‘Thank you,’ Jeannie said reaching up to give him a lingering kiss.
* * *
Briony pulled the last batch of mince pies out of the oven and left them on the side to cool. Taking her apron off, she hung it on the back of the kitchen door out of the way. Time for one last look around the cottage to make sure everything was ready before everyone arrived.
She and Elliot had decorated Owls Nest with all the decorations she remembered from her childhood, as well as some new ones from the big Christmas market down on Cannes quay.
There was a large tree in the sitting room, again decorated with things she remembered from her childhood.
Christmas carols were playing in the background.
Standing by one of the French doors looking out over the garden, she saw Elliot busy winding Christmas lights around some of the trees. Not the owl tree though in case the lights disturbed the owls who had shown themselves several times over the summer and Briony loved watching them.
Elliot saw her watching and gave a wave before disappearing into another part of the garden.
Briony’s thoughts turned to how her life had changed during the last year. Life had slipped into a happy routine – working at the brocante three full days and two days up at the farm. She and Lucy had formed a firm friendship and she knew Lucy was sad that next year wouldn’t be the same.
The summer season had been busy, but there had been a good life/work balance – she and Elliot had made time for getting to know each other properly and she had no doubt that they loved each other.
At the end of the summer season when Jeannie had moved in with Yann, Briony had asked Elliot if he’d like to move into Owls Nest. To her joy, Elliot had been more than happy to accept.
‘Everything ready for our first Christmas party?’ Elliot asked as he walked into the sitting room and put his arms around her.
‘Hope so, everyone will be here soon.’
‘Julian wanted to talk to me today,’ Elliot said quietly.
Briony glanced at him. ‘Nothing serious?’
‘It was actually,’ Elliot said. ‘He wanted to know if I would be interested in becoming a partner in the practice.’
‘What did you say?’ Briony was fairly certain she knew what his answer would have been.
‘I said yes of course. Best Christmas present ever.’
‘Um, I shouldn’t be too sure about that,’ Briony said, wondering whether now would be a good time to tell him the secret she’d been hugging to herself until she’d been one hundred per cent certain.
She had planned to tell him tonight after midnight mass in the village church, but maybe now would be better.
It was a secret which she knew he would be as happy about as she was.
She leant in and whispered in his ear and knew she would never forget the look on Elliot’s face as he heard the two words ‘I’m pregnant’. With a whoop of joy, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight.
This time next year they would be a family. And secretly, if it was a girl, Briony hoped Elliot would like the name Marie-Louise.