large flower arrangement on the kitchen table, alongside a box of chocolates and a bottle of champagne when they walked in.
‘Carole sent these for you both. She is so grateful to the two of you. As I am of course, Mami,’ and he gave Anouk a hug before turning to Fern and hugging her too. ‘I have to return the van this evening. If there is nothing else for me to carry, I will go.’
Anouk beckoned him to her, and gave him a long hug. ‘I hope you and Carole are as happy in the house as your grand-père and I were.’
Fabian returned the hug. ‘I ’ope so too. I already have the ’appy memories of the two of you living there.’
As Fabian left, Anouk looked at Fern. ‘He’s a good lad. More like Laurent than he realises sometimes.’
27
In Devon, Belinda was beginning to feel as though her life had been put on hold. Routine hotel work was not enough to keep her mind wandering back and forth over her problems. It was another three days before Nigel phoned and said Molly was much better and they would both love to see her. And she was to stay for lunch this time, Nigel insisted. At least she’d had time to think things through and make a sort of plan to put to them.
They both greeted Belinda warmly when she arrived and she sat chatting to Molly while Nigel made coffee.
‘Good to see you looking better, Molly,’ Belinda said. ‘You had me worried for a while.’
‘Happy to say I’m feeling a lot more like my old self,’ Molly answered. ‘How’s Chloe and the family? I expect the twins are growing.’
‘Yes they are,’ Belinda said. She opened her phone and showed Molly the photos she’d taken over Easter.
‘Oh, doesn’t Aimee take after you and your mum,’ Molly exclaimed. ‘So pretty. You are lucky to have little ones in your life.’
‘Would you like me to bring them to see you when you’re better?’ Belinda offered, knowing how much Molly loved children.
‘Would you?’
Belinda nodded. ‘Of course.’ She hesitated. ‘Max has been given a promotion at work. A marina in the Vendée. They’re going over there to live in a few months.’ She hoped Molly didn’t hear the catch in her voice. ‘They’ve asked me to go with them, but…’ She shrugged.
‘In my experience, things always work out for the best,’ Molly said and patted her arm. ‘This will too. Ah, here’s Nigel with the coffee.’
Belinda was grateful that Molly didn’t pursue the subject in Nigel’s hearing.
Nigel put the coffee on the table next to a pile of files, including one Belinda couldn’t help notice labelled Camping dans La Fôret. He turned to give Belinda a cup of coffee.
‘Everything all right the other side of the river?’
Belinda gave him a brief nod as she took her drink. ‘Yes, the madness of Easter has died back. Everything is ticking over. In fact, now that you’ve sold Moorside and you’re spending more time here, I haven’t really got a lot to do.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I think I’d earn my keep more back in Brittany at the moment.’ She felt bad about not telling them that returning to Brittany had been at the foremost of her mind for days, ever since she’d looked through the box of her mum’s belongings. Now it wasn’t just about getting the campsite fully functional, although that was important too of course.
Nigel regarded her thoughtfully before picking up the campsite file. ‘I think I overreacted asking you to come back and stay. I didn’t think Molly was going to be such a model patient. I was actually going to suggest today over lunch that you returned to Brittany. We’ll take a look through the file and decide which jobs can go on hold and which should be marked urgent.’
Molly stood up. ‘I’m going to leave you two to sort out the details. I’ll be in the conservatory if you need me, with my book.’
‘Alain tells me the campers that have turned up were happy to stay despite the lack of facilities,’ Belinda said, trying not to show her relief that Nigel was all for her returning to Brittany early.
‘He told us that too when he rang yesterday but said there were a couple of things that needed sorting.’
Belinda bit back on a retort about Alain not talking to her, saying instead, ‘Off the top of my head, that would be the old café-cum-restaurant, the cabins still haven’t been refurbished completely,