‘Le salon.’
‘OK, bon.’ He disappeared back into the house and Lily got up to follow him.
‘You actually let him bring a karaoke machine?’ Sam said quietly, grinning.
‘I know,’ Lily said. ‘But it could be fun.’
‘Perhaps it’s finally time for that serenade?’
‘Don’t encourage him!’
Lily entered the kitchen and walked through to the living room where Frédérique was in the process of plugging the speaker into the wall. ‘Let’s leave it for now,’ she said. ‘We can set it up later, when people are here?’
‘As you want, mon coeur,’ he said, turning and smiling dazzlingly at her. He took her in his arms and planted a soft kiss on her lips, leaving them tingling as always. She leaned in for another, pressing her body against his. What was it about this man?
‘Ah, I ’ave missed you, non?’ Frédérique said as they moved apart. ‘I ’av been thinking about what you said – about how you need to be old-fashion… how you want to be slow. But I miss you.’
’I missed you, too,’ she said.
There was a knock at the door and she jumped slightly out of his arms as if she were a character in a soap opera caught in a clinch with someone else’s husband. ‘I’d better get that,’ she said, rushing to the door.
‘’ello love!’ Dawn and Clive stood there, clutching a bottle of red.
‘Oh hello!’ she said, exchanging slightly awkward kisses with the couple before standing back to let them into the hall. ‘If you want to go through, and out the back, there are drinks and nibbles waiting.’
‘Thanks, love.’
More people began to arrive, and after a while she drifted through to the back, leaving the front door open for any latecomers.
It was a good turnout. Claude and his wife – who was stunningly beautiful, with long black hair caught up in a casual chignon – a few expats she recognised from the party, as well as Dawn and Clive; Chloé, Chris the translator and his wife, who was just as fluent in French as her husband and was soon nattering away to Chloé with such a flawless accent that Lily resolved to book up some lessons as soon as the party was over. All in all, there were nearly twenty people there; most of whom she knew and many of whom had helped her in some way.
She flitted from group to group, making sure wine was topped up, nobody was left out, and felt a little like a bride at a small wedding – surrounded by people who wished her well, who had already become part of her life, or might well be in her life moving forward.
She’d made up a party tunes playlist on her phone and streamed it through a speaker she’d brought out into the garden. Derek and Claudine danced, swinging each other around in a way that looked a bit precarious to Lily, but that didn’t seem to bother Sam a bit. Even Gabriel turned up – tall, but with a slightly awkward stoop. He was clearly a little uncomfortable, but greeted Lily warmly. ‘So this is the woman who steal my wife!’ he joked. ‘It is nice to meet you at last, Lily!’
An hour in, and the only fly in the champagne was the fact that Emily still hadn’t appeared. But she’d checked the flight times from Limoges and seen there’d been a half hour delay. Her friend would arrive soon, she reassured herself. And probably, any minute, she’d get a call telling her to open some red wine in readiness. It would be fine.
Frédérique was behaving himself, almost too well, and had spent some time speaking to Claude, then Chloé, periodically appearing at her side to make sure she was happy and didn’t need anything. It was almost too good to be true.
And, of course, the moment she had this thought, the music suddenly went off.
People glanced around vaguely, not particularly bothered, and went on with their conversations as Lily walked to her phone to check it hadn’t drained its battery. But before she could reach it, she heard a noise that made her stiffen.
‘Madame Buttercup!’ it boomed. ‘Mesdames et Messieurs, ladees et gentlemens, may I ’ave your attention, please!’ All heads turned in the direction of the terrace, where Frédérique stood, holding a microphone. His speaker had been propped in the living room window and was booming his words out across the garden, and probably to everyone on the beach and beyond.
Lily shook her head and tried to catch his eye. Sam had been right he was going to serenade her! But surely Frédérique realised that it wasn’t something she wanted him to do – particularly here?