Page 67 of Summer at the Château

‘I like you a lot,’ Justine said. ‘Probably even more than Ferdie does,’ she confessed with a smile.

Charlie’s face lit up. ‘That’s it then. We are definitely going to mix business with pleasure in a wonderful way. Everything will work out and I promise you that I will never hurt either of you.’ And Charlie leant forward and placed a fleeting kiss on her lips. ‘Right, let’s get this picnic underway. Ferdie, come and eat,’ he called.

Sitting there with Ferdie between her and Charlie, Trouble sitting in front of them all watching every mouthful they took, Justine realised she was happy and looking forward to the future. She watched as Ferdie leaned in closer to Charlie to whisper something.

‘Charlie, if you married Mummy would you be my daddy?’

‘Ferdie!’

Charlie smiled and whispered back. ‘Yes, I would be.’

‘So we would be a proper family?’ Ferdie asked, looking at Charlie seriously. ‘You’d live with us in the cottage and everything? Read me bedtime stories?’

Charlie nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘That would be cool. So when will you ask Mummy to marry you?’

Charlie looked at Justine over the top of Ferdie’s head, smiling. ‘I plan on doing that when the time is right, but it may be sooner than you think.’

Justine, sitting there in a state of peaceful happiness, knowing what her answer would be when he did ask her, returned his smile and sighed contentedly. Life was good.

43

Pixie sat out on the terrace, deep in thought, watching Charlie, Justine and Ferdie down by the lake enjoying their picnic. Already it seemed to her that they were forging themselves into a family unit. Ferdie would be a lucky little boy if that was to happen officially and she had a funny feeling it was well on the way to happening. Charlie had grown into a good man and she was looking forward to him playing a part in the future of Château Quiltu. Justine too, was a lovely young woman and a good mother who deserved to be happy. Now she’d recovered from the initial shock of learning Justine was Frank’s daughter, she felt that the two of them were forging a close and loving friendship. As for little Ferdie, he’d already crept into her heart and she was looking forward to having him in her life.

‘There you are,’ Jean-Yves said, coming around the side of the château.

Pixie jumped up. ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear you arrive, I was miles away.’

‘Pas de probléme,’ Jean-Yves said, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. ‘But I do ’ave a slight problem. I must return to the office earlier than I expect. I do not ’ave the time to drive to the restaurant I wanted in Huelgoat.’ He looked at her, a worried expression on his face, unsure of her reaction. ‘We could eat at the bar in the village if you like?’

‘If you don’t mind what I call a thrown-together fridge lunch, we could eat here,’ Pixie offered.

‘That would be wonderful, if it’s not a bother,’ Jean-Yves said, visibly relaxing.

‘Come on then, let’s see what we can find in the kitchen.’

Pixie quickly scrubbed a few new potatoes and put them on to boil, took lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and hard-boiled eggs out of the fridge, cut them up and tossed them together, opened a jar of tuna chunks and added them into the mix.

‘There, that’s my version of a Niçoise salad,’ she said, laughing. ‘Should really have anchovies, but I’m not a fan. Now, I know Charlie always has a decent dressing somewhere in the fridge – ah, here it is. We’re good to go. I’ll just toss the potatoes in some butter.’

While she’d made the salad, Jean-Yves had taken plates, cutlery, glasses, water and wine out to the terrace.

‘So, tell me what were you thinking about when I arrived?’ he asked as they sat companionably together eating.

‘Mainly I was hoping that Charlie, Justine and Ferdie would become a family,’ Pixie said. ‘A lot has happened in the last few days, including my mother disappearing off to live in Roscoff with an old boyfriend.’ She glanced at Jean-Yves. ‘I know you offered to help with the official things regarding Château Quiltu retreats, but there is something else I need your help with. A private matter.’

Jean-Yves looked at her and waited.

‘I want to make sure Justine and Ferdie are secure. I know Frank would have made provision for them if he’d lived. I was thinking maybe some sort of trust fund for Ferdie when he’s eighteen and some money for Justine now.’

‘There’s a lot to discuss there. I think it best for my secretary to ring you and make a rendezvous for you to come to the office,’ Jean-Yves said.

‘Thank you.’

‘Pixie,’ he hesitated. ‘When my wife died unexpectedly, I was blown off course and it took me a long time to recover. In fact, it’s really only been in the last year or so that things ’ave improved. Your loss is so much more recent, but you will come through the grief eventually, and when that ’appens, I hope our friendship can grow.’

Pixie smiled at him. ‘I already value our friendship, but you’re right, it is going to take time to get used to being without Frank in my life. I still miss him terribly. But I’m looking forward to building a future with my new family,’ she said, looking down towards the lake, from where laughter was drifting up on the breeze. ‘One thing I’m sure of though, is the next few months are going to be busy ones.’

Jean-Yves glanced at his watch and stood up. ‘I am sorry, but I ’ave to leave. Thank you for a delicious lunch. Next time, I promise we will get to Huelgoat. And remember, I’m always on the end of the phone if you need me for anything.’ He leant in and kissed her cheek in farewell before getting into his car.

‘See you soon.’ Pixie watched him drive away before clearing the table and wandering into the château. Whether he would ever become more than a good friend, only time would tell, but she did like Jean-Yves. For the moment though, she intended to focus on her family and turning Château Quiltu into the retreat she and Frank had dreamed of running.

Walking slowly through the château, she climbed the stairs to her writing den. She’d promised herself earlier that today would be the day she sent the synopsis and the first three chapters of her new book to her editor. The book she’d had the germ of an idea for all those weeks ago had somehow taken off in an unexpected direction. She could only hope her editor would like and approve it.

Pixie opened her email program where the letter to her editor sat together with the attached manuscript ready to be sent. Her finger hovered over the send button as she read the title again, ‘Life at the Château’. With a smile, she pressed the button and heard the whoosh as the email went on its way.

Thoughtfully, she closed the laptop down. Nobody ever knew what the future held. The only certainty she could hold on to at the moment was the fact that she had two new people in her life, courtesy of Frank; a family she already loved and wanted to be a part of. Whatever had happened in the past, Pixie knew she was ready to move on and enjoy the rest of her life here in France with her ready-made family in Château Quiltu.