Page 22 of The Little Provence Book Shop
‘Oh.’
‘And some people – when she first came, many years ago – they said she was a witch. It was hard for her.’
‘Yes, she mentioned that. But why did they think that?’
‘Well, they said that she does magic. Perhaps she does. She likes crystals, charms. Nothing terrible. The kind of things perhaps all of our great-grandmothers did. She helps people – or tries to. And heals them too – with the books. Some people felt suspicious of her.’
‘Oh, wow.’
He shrugged. ‘People are often suspicious of new people, of strangers, at first, but after a time, they began to accept her. And they stopped saying she was a witch, and realised that she was a friend.’
‘She could be both, of course,’ Adeline said with a smile.
‘Oui. She has something, some skill we do not understand.But when I asked my mother, she said she does not believe in anything like this. She says that Monique is simply a reader of people.’
‘A reader of people?’ Adeline tried the phrase. ‘I like that. We can read books, can’t we? And some people find more meaning – like reading between the lines. Perhaps Monique does this.’
‘She reads between the lines of people,’ Michel laughed. ‘Yes. I think she would like that description.’
The conversation petered out, a man walked through the door and went to the counter. Adeline glanced at her watch. An hour had passed. ‘Oh!’ she said. ‘It’s almost ten.’
He nodded. ‘Time to go.’
‘Yep. But thank you. It’s been nice. And you won’t mention to Monique about…’
‘That we talked about her magic powers? That you are a sceptic? That you think maybe she goes home on a broom with a cat?’
‘Well, yes.’ She felt herself get hot. ‘Some of it, anyway.’
‘Of course. It is between us. Although she would not mind. Monique, if nothing else, she is a character. And individual. And when we are a little bit different, people talk. She knows that. It is not always a bad thing.’
‘No, I suppose not.’ Adeline put her chair under the table and smiled at Michel again.
‘But your secret is safe with me. As long as you keep my secret too.’
‘Which is?’
‘That I think this book she has given me is terrible!’ he said, looking at the volume again. ‘She may be able to work magic, but I don’t think she will ever give me her love of literature.’
11
Dear Kev,
I’m sorry that I haven’t been in touch. It wasn’t fair of me to just disappear. But I had so much to process and I was SO angry – I just didn’t know what to do.
Finding the papers was hard, but then finding out that you’d known all along felt like a betrayal. But I’ve had a lot of time to think about it since. And I’m starting to understand that you were put in an impossible situation. I know you were just a child when I came along – I honestly can’t blame you. I was just angry and confused and the anger had nowhere else to go. I am really sorry.
I’ve ordered a new mobile phone and I will give you the number as soon as I have it. And I’m going to get back online properly, rather than just on this work PC. I’m actually meant to be looking up books right now, so have to be quick!
Please don’t worry about me. Lili and I are having a lovely time in St Vianne; my French is really starting to feel fluent and we’ve made some new friends.
Thank you for not giving up on me!
Addy
She was going to close the screen down after sending the email, but almost instantly a reply appeared.
Addy! Thank God you’re OK. Hang on a mo… Kev
