“Oh, it’s wonderful. We haven’t had the opportunity to have a good look around, of course, but we will.”
“Will you live here full-time? Or flit between France and the UK?” Pete asked.
“Definitely full-time.”
Swallowing another mouthful of wine, Flick instantly choked.Since when was that decided?This was news to her. Her cheeks reddened as everyone turned. “Sorry. Wrong hole.”
She tried to discreetly wipe herself down, at the same time wondering what her mother was talking about. Too busy getting used to the fact that she actually owned the chateau, they certainly hadn’t discussed where to go from there. She felt a prod, as an even more amused Nate offered her a tissue and scowling in response, she reluctantly accepted when all she wanted to do was ask him what was so funny. It was all right for him, wasn’t it? His life wasn’t being dictated by his mother and a bunch of strangers.
“You’re welcome,” Nate said, reminding her she’d forgotten her manners while clearly trying not to laugh.
As the conversation continued, Flick began to wonder what she was even doing there. Thanks to her mother’s quick-fire responses, she wasn’t exactly needed.
“I think it would make a fabulous wedding venue,” Julia said. Appearing with a silver tray full of canapés, she held it towards the guest of honour.
Flick shook her head; the idea of eating as bad as the host’s suggestion for the chateau.
As Julia moved on, Flick didn’t just feel overwhelmed, she suddenly felt sick, and needing to escape the discussion altogether, subtly stepped away from the group. With the conversation in full flow, surely no one would notice her slipping out into the garden.
9
In desperate need of fresh air, Flick took a seat at a wrought iron table and as she again breathed in the scent of lavender, she wondered how her life could have gone so off-plan. Looking back, she tried to pinpoint when things had started to unravel. It would have been easy to blame Matthew, she wanted to blame Matthew. But if she was honest, she knew her loss of control began well before her husband’s disappearance.
She thought back to when he proposed. Her dad had recently suffered his stroke and although the doctors were cautiously optimistic, no one really knew how well he would or wouldn’t recover. Always so strong and healthy, not to mention fiercely independent, seeing him in a hospital bed, so frail and helpless, broke her heart. Naturally her dad suffered the most, but it was a difficult time for everyone. And scary. In fact, Matthew asking Flick to marry him was the one beacon of light in what had, up until then, been a very dark tunnel. A beacon that she’d grabbed hold of and, just like an Olympic torch, ran with.
Not that his proposal was particularly romantic. There was no getting down on bended knee, no roses, or even an engagement ring. Just a simple statement really. Flick had had a busy day at work, every awkward customer possible had come into the coffee shop. Someone’s drink was too hot; another’s cake was too dry; one individual even had the audacity to complain about the weather in such a way that the rain was somehow her fault.
Ignoring the desire to scream at each and every one of them, she dealt with them all in the same professional manner that she always did. Her positive façade continuing well after closing time when she’d driven straight to her dad’s bedside. It couldn’t last, of course. Emotionally, she knew she was reaching breaking point. No wonder the floodgates opened the second she landed back home.
Matthew did his best at comforting her, insisting everything would be all right as he passed her a tissue and a glass of wine. Flick didn’t believe him though, how could she? The man in the hospital bed resembled nothing of the giant tower of strength she’d called Dad all her life. That’s when Matthew had said it.I think we should get married. Six simple words, just like that. Finally, her tears stopped.
She took a deep breath, bringing herself back to the present. “And where are you now, Matthew?” she asked, looking up to the skies.
“You can get locked up for that, you know. Talking to yourself.”
Flick turned to see Nate. Despite knowing she couldn’t escape for long, she hadn’t expected him to be the one to come and find her. After all, he hadn’t been very hospitable.
“They’re not always like this,” he said, nodding towards Julia and her guests back in the lounge. “You’re the most exciting thing to happen to this village for a while. It’s not every day we get a new chatelaine.”
“And I didn’t know that was me until I got here.” She paused, needing to let the fact that she owned a chateau sink in once more. “So, if you’ve come to find out what I plan to do with the damn thing, you’re asking the wrong person.” She looked back at the house. “You’re probably better talking to my mother.”
Nate laughed, following her gaze. “She is rather enjoying herself in there.”
Catching sight of her mum animatedly chatting, Flick couldn’t help but laugh too. The woman was obviously getting far too carried away. “She doesn’t seriously think I’m going to give up everything in the UK to come here, does she?”
“I don’t see why not.” Nate took the seat next to Flick. “You only have to look at that lot to see that plenty of people do.”
Silence descended and, staring out into the garden, Flick began to feel a little awkward. She could sense Nate’s eyes upon her which made her nervous. “What?”
“You should smile more often. It suits you.”
Flick scoffed. “You can talk. I’ve met you twice now and on both occasions you’ve looked like you’d rather be somewhere else. A girl can start to take it personally, you know.”
“Says the woman who recoiled from a perfectly acceptable embrace.”
“I did not recoil.” Flick sat there indignant. “I’m just not used to kissing strangers.” Not about to admit she fancied the pants off him, as excuses went, it was the best she could come up with.
She suddenly fell quiet again, the enormity of her predicament back to taking centre stage. “None of this is funny really,” she eventually said. “I mean what am I supposed to do with a blooming great, big chateau? And even if I wanted to do something, have you seen how much money it needs throwing at it? Money I don’t have, by the way.”
