Belinda laughed. ‘It is a bit full on, I admit. But it saved me from going loopy after my divorce. I’m just hoping Nigel and Molly manage to keep on top of everything while I’m over here to sort out their latest acquisition.’
Fern looked at her, puzzled. ‘And where is that? The nearest hotel is at least fifteen kilometres away.’
‘They’ve branched out,’ Belinda said. ‘Not sure now I’ve seen the place, which is just the other side of the village, whether they are completely in their right minds, but,’ she shrugged, ‘they’re very determined.’
‘They’ve bought the campsite, haven’t they?’ Fern said as the truth dawned on her. ‘I knew it was up for sale. You’ll have your work cut out with that place.’
‘I know.’ Belinda nodded ruefully. ‘And I’ve got approximately two, possibly three, months to get it up and running.’ She swirled the wine round in her glass. ‘A task I wasn’t sure I wanted or was even up to before I arrived. Now, having seen the site and met the resident attitude-riddled Frenchman currently employed as an on-site manager, I know for sure. I wish I was still in Devon.’ She fell silent for several seconds. ‘But, hey, I’m a troubleshooter. Alain Salvin is trouble, so I could always shoot him, couldn’t I? End of problem.’ She drained her glass and replaced it on the table and saw the look on Fern’s face. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t really shoot him, as much as I’d like to,’ she muttered under her breath. ‘Haven’t got a gun handy.’
‘But Alain is a lovely man,’ Fern said. ‘I’ve met him once or twice since he returned. Lady adores him. I didn’t realise he was still involved with the site.’
Belinda stared at her. She was the second person this evening to defend Alain. As if a dog liking him was proof of a good human being!
‘Hmm. The jury is out on that, I’m afraid.’ She looked at Fern expectantly. ‘What do you mean, though, still involved with the site?’
‘Your Nigel would have bought the place from Alain’s parents.’
‘He did say something about old friends being involved.’ Belinda nodded thoughtfully. No wonder Nigel was reluctant to sack him. ‘Right, enough about me. How did you end up here in deepest Brittany?’
‘Long story short: I got married, had two children, got divorced and became a single mum for about ten years. Once the girls were independent, I knew I needed to do something for me, so I enrolled on a Prue Leith catering course, thinking I’d open a seaside B&B or a café somewhere in the West Country when I qualified.’ Fern smiled. ‘Fate decreed otherwise. I met a sexy Frenchman on the course and plans changed. I got married again instead.’
‘Gosh, that sounds romantic,’ Belinda said.
Fern nodded. ‘It was and totally unexpected. I wasn’t looking for a new relationship but…’ Fern shrugged. ‘Laurent was very persuasive, with his tales of how much I’d love living in Brittany with him. We’d been married three years when he inherited this place from his grandmother, which gave him the opportunity to open his own place.’ Fern took a sip of her wine. ‘Mind you, I couldn’t believe it the first time I saw it. Talk about back in the dark ages, and that was just the furniture. Electrics, plumbing, decorating – so much had to be redone.’
‘How long did it take you to renovate?’
‘Fourteen months of hard work,’ Fern said. ‘It’s five years now since we opened.’
‘When do I get to meet your husband?’
Fern bit her bottom lip and blinked hard before she answered. ‘Eighteen months ago, a drunk driver on the N164 near Châteauneuf-du-Faou changed my life again.’
Belinda looked at her, stunned. ‘I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how you must feel.’
Fern shook her head. ‘Numb is the only way to describe it. Some days the numbness lifts a fraction, other days…’ She shrugged. ‘Other days it doesn’t. C’est la vie – or rather it’s not,’ she added with a break in her voice.
8
The next morning, Belinda refused breakfast but enjoyed a cup of coffee with Fern before leaving for the campsite and her early meeting with Alain.
‘Wish me luck,’ she said. ‘I’ve got a feeling your “lovely” Mr Salvin is going to try and make my life as difficult as possible.’
‘Kitchen supper again tonight,’ Fern said. ‘And you can tell me all about it.’
‘Thanks – already looking forward to it,’ and Belinda, with BB at her heels, headed down the front steps to her