‘You look très belle,’ he said to her when she answered the door.
‘Oh! Merci,’ she replied. ‘Um… toi aussi?’
‘Ah, yes. I am beautiful, non?’ He grinned.
She smiled – it was hard to tell whether he was simply agreeing with her, which while a touch arrogant was kind of cute, or whether he was laughing at her French.
‘I ’ave brought my vintage voiture,’ he said, nodding behind him to where a light blue 2CV was parked. ‘We can ride in style, huh?’
‘Oh, that’s great,’ she said. Although bearing in mind the state of some of the ‘vintage’ cars she’d seen on the roads since moving here, she couldn’t help wonder if it would be a rattling death trap. Still, it would be impolite to offer to use her hire car instead.
Typically British, she thought, as he opened the passenger side door for her – I’d rather risk life and limb than be thought of as rude.
Luckily, her fears were unfounded. The Citro?n had clearly been well looked after – the interior was immaculate, and while the seats weren’t exactly comfortable, the engine purred smoothly and the ride felt relatively safe.
‘So, where are we going?’ she asked, once she’d clipped herself in and they’d turned onto the slightly wider road that curved around the edge of the lake.
‘Ah, I know a little place – they serve drinks, yes? But food if you want? And it is perfect tonight for the balcony?’
‘Sounds lovely.’
‘You ’ave the date, too, today yes?’
‘Pardon?’
‘The date – I receive the date for signing of the ’ouse?’
‘Oh. Yes.’ She’d received an email earlier arranging the date for final signing – in just a few weeks’ time. ‘It’s all becoming very real.’
‘Sorry, I don’t understand? It is not real?’
‘No, I mean. It feels amazing that it’s happening.’
‘Oh. Well, I am glad.’
‘It must be nice to complete the sale after so long.’
‘Ah, bah, non! It eez not a problem, eh? But I am pleased that I am completing the sale for to you, Lily,’ he said. ‘That you will stay, huh?’
‘Oh. Thank you.’
‘And pleased too of course for my grandmother,’ he said. ‘She is not well, so she worry about things all the time.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘Yes, but this is what ’appen when we get old, non?’ he said, trying to keep his hands on the wheel and shrug at the same time. Which only partially worked.
‘Well, I’m happy about it too,’ she said. ‘It will be nice to feel… Well, that things are falling into place.’
‘But not falling down, uh?’ He grinned.
‘No, hopefully not.’
They arrived in Auphelle, a small village at the far side of the enormous lake, and Frédérique parked his car in an almost-empty car park in front of a grassed area. A small path led down to a restaurant, set right on the waterfront, its balcony extending almost to the water’s edge.
‘This is lovely,’ Lily said, accepting Frédérique’s hand as he helped her negotiate the rather uneven stone steps that led to the entrance. It had been a while since she’d worn heels and she was already regretting it a little. They might make her legs look longer, but the aesthetic was lost when she started to walk – she could barely balance.
‘It izz just a little place that I like to come,’ he said. ‘Zey are very nice ‘ere. And we can sit, in the sun, eh? And look at some of les boats?’
‘Yes, perfect,’ she said.
The waiter showed them to a table on the corner of the balcony that offered uninterrupted views of the water. Despite the parasol over the table, she could feel her shoulders start to heat up in the direct sunlight. She shifted along and tried to shade herself as best she could.
‘You are all right, Lily?’ asked Frédérique.
‘Oh yes. I’m fine.’ She smiled.
They ordered wine and Frédérique spoke quickly to the waiter who came back with a board covered in different cheeses and a basket of bread as well as a carafe of house red. Frédérique poured her a generous glassful and she took a sip, feeling herself start to relax.
‘This,’ she said, ‘is what I came to France for.’
‘You come to the country for wine? Zey don’t have wine in England?’ He grinned.