fixed to the wall downstairs and a red wooden front door. The field at the side where she used to ride Lucky was bright yellow with rapeseed flowers and the tall trees in the copse seemed to have been cut down.
Closing her eyes, in her mind she could still visualise the layout inside the cottage. A room on either side of the hallway, her bedroom next to the large kitchen at the back, and stairs leading to the main bedroom and bathroom on the first floor were hidden behind a door in the kitchen. Unbidden, a memory of her and her parents in the kitchen leaped into her mind. It was summer and they’d spent the day collecting and stacking enough bales of hay in the barn to feed their animals through winter and now the three of them were enjoying their supper sitting at the pine table. Belinda couldn’t remember the food they ate but she knew there had been wine and a can of lemonade for her. What she could still remember all these years later though, was that both she and her parents had been a happy family that evening. She wished with all her heart that things had never changed.
Belinda opened her eyes and came to with a small start as Chloe spoke.
‘It looks lovely, Mum,’ Chloe said. ‘Typically French. Which sounds silly, I know, but some of the cottages I’ve seen would look at home in England.’
The rest of the drive passed quickly and once back at the campsite, Chloe had to wake the twins up. Both Aimee and Charlie woke up grumpy, so Chloe said she’d walk them down to the cabin and see if playing with BB and Bernie would cheer them up.
Before Belinda and Alain went to the office to check that all was well, they took the baby seats and the buggy out of the car and took them into the cottage, where Belinda thanked Alain for the day.
‘Lac de Guerlédan was a great idea,’ Belinda said. ‘Just what was needed to lift Chloe’s and my spirits after the hospice.’ Belinda ran her hands through her hair. ‘Seeing my dad for what I know will be the last time was harder than I thought.’
‘Come here,’ and Alain pulled her into his arms for a hug. For several seconds, Belinda stayed there savouring the closeness and knowing Alain felt concerned for her.
‘I could get used to these comfort hugs you keep giving me,’ she said softly.
Alain looked at her wordlessly before giving her a gentle kiss on her head and releasing her.
44
Fern, busy fine tuning things in the café to her satisfaction before the impending dreaded hygiene inspection, hummed happily to herself as she worked. It had felt strange today arriving at the campsite without Belinda or Alain being there to greet her. She hoped that their visit to the hospice was not proving too traumatic for Chloe or Belinda. At least they were in good hands with Alain.
Fern smiled to herself. As much as Belinda might deny it, the telltale signs of their growing closeness were there for all to see. The evening they’d come for supper before Scott left, she’d detected a softness in Alain’s eyes as he’d looked at Belinda. The solicitous way he’d silently watched her, ready to shield her from anything that might upset her when Anouk had mentioned her family, well that spoke volumes. She could only hope that things had progressed between them before Belinda left.
As she cleaned the café windows it struck Fern how much her own life had changed in the last few months since she’d met Belinda. Anouk moving in with her was, she supposed, the biggest change of all so far, closely followed by this job – something which would never have happened she suspected without meeting Belinda. She was so looking forward to summer and earning some extra money. Extra money that she could save towards recuperating the money invested in the auberge. And then there was Scott.
The café door opened at that moment and Fern, expecting it to be a hopeful camper looking for food, opened her mouth to apologise for the café not being open, but it was Fabian. She looked at him in surprise.
‘Hi. What are you doing here? Anouk said she was expecting to see you this morning. Oh,’ her hand flew to her mouth, ‘has something happened to her?’
‘Non. Anouk is fine,’ Fabian quickly reassured her. ‘I wanted to see you. You look well. Are