David was right: Donna was thrilled to hear from her, and insisted she came to stay. David had also given her quite a lot of cash in exchange for a cheque so Alexandra didn’t hesitate to get a taxi from the station to Donna’s apartment when the train finally pulled into Paris. Her ankle, although improving, wasn’t up to all the walking that somehow the Métro always required. It was a little bit of a struggle getting up the stairs but once she’d rung the bell, Donna flung it open.
‘Oh, honey!’ said Donna. ‘What has happened to you? Come in! Let’s have champagne!’
To her huge embarrassment, Alexandra burst into tears.
‘Alexandra! What’s wrong? Have a brandy.’
‘I’m never drinking brandy again,’ said Alexandra through her sobs.
‘Do you want to tell me?’
Alexandra found that she did. She had been very happy living in the chateau and was disappointed at the thought of missing Jack and Penelope’s wedding, but she had missed female company she could confide in.
The two of them sat at the small kitchen table nibbling potato crisps. After her first glass of champagne Alexandra sipped Perrier water; alcohol could get you into serious trouble.
When Alexandra got to the bit where she asked Antoine to make love to her, Donna gasped in shock. ‘That was brave,’ she said.
Her look of absolute horror made Alexandra feel even worse. ‘It was the brandy. I must have drunk far more than I thought.’
‘I don’t blame you for wanting to sleep with him,’ said Donna. ‘Antoine is so gorgeous. But to ask him! If I want to have sex with Bob I just undress in a way that makes him want it. I would never, ever come straight out with it. Not that I think it’s wrong for women to do that; I just never would myself.’
‘So you don’t think I was mad to run away, then?’
‘I do not! But now, why don’t you have a hot bath, to make up for the cold one you had last night, and get dressed in your best clothes and we’ll go out to eat? There’s a darling little bistrot around the corner, where the waiters are friendly and we can comfort ourselves by eating steak frites. I do hope you can stay at least for a few days. I want a girlfriend to go shopping with!’
‘If you have a constant supply of hot water, I think I probably can stay! Oh, Donna, one more big, big favour? Could you ring my friend David at the chateau and tell him I got here safely? I should have done it sooner really.’
It was good to be going out, Alexandra told herself firmly, dressed up, with make-up on. She’d spent a lot of time recently wearing a boiler suit doing manual work. Now she was back to being a girl again.
Donna approved her appearance. ‘You look great!’ she said. ‘You’ve obviously decided to get back on the horse.’
Alexandra smiled. Inside she thought she’d be heartbroken forever but felt she had to put a brave face on it. Donna was obviously so pleased to have her to stay. ‘Well, maybe I’m not ready to get back in the saddle, but I am willing to put a foot in a stirrup.’
Donna had been a country girl back in the States and appreciated this analogy.
The following morning, after breakfast with Bob, who was very kind and welcoming, Donna decided that Alexandra needed to go shopping. ‘There’s nothing that cheers a girl up more than a new hat – as my mother used to say. I’d prefer a new dress myself,’ she said, wiping breadcrumbs on to her napkin.
‘Well, I could certainly do with some new clothes. I only seem to have bought things from a stall for farmers or a brocante since I’ve been in France. Maybe it’s time to try the fashionable shops of Paris!’
Alexandra had a bit of money saved up, having hardly spent anything while at the chateau. And something pretty to wear would cheer her. It would also disguise her inner feelings quite well. No one would believe a girl in a new dress could be heartbroken. She put her hair up into a chignon, to give her new look a start.
Yet in spite of Donna’s helpful suggestions, Alexandra found it difficult to find anything she really liked. Paris had such lovely shops, even if many of them were quite outside her budget. But her ankle was hurting and she wasn’t in the right frame of mind for shopping.
They had just decided to give up finding things to wear and take up finding somewhere for lunch when Donna suddenly disappeared into a tiny shop Alexandra had missed. She shot out again almost immediately.
‘Come in here! They’ve got lovely things. And so reasonable!’
Alexandra was aware that Donna’s idea of what was reasonable was different to hers, even though she had set out intending to spend money, but she followed her into the boutique anyway. They might have a chair she could sit on for a while and rest her ankle, she told herself.
The vendeuse came forward and spoke in English. ‘Can I help you, madame?’
‘My friend needs something lovely but not too expensive,’ said Donna. ‘She needs to look gorgeous.’
The sales assistant nodded and addressed herself to Alexandra. ‘You have a very elegant figure, lovely hair – although it does seem to need some attention – and perfect skin. You will look enchanting in anything. But for now, something very simple, I think.’ She put her arm into a rack of clothes without apparently looking and produced a sleeveless dress in the most heavenly shade.
‘I love the colour!’ said Alexandra,
‘I would describe this as Schiaparelli pink,’ said the assistant. ‘It is a strong colour, not one for a little girl but for a woman. Although I’m sure many would argue with me exactly what that colour is. It has a matching coat.’
Before she quite knew what had happened, Alexandra found herself in a changing room.
‘Please put the scarf over your head,’ she was told, ‘so as not to get lipstick on the dress.’
Before she could even attempt to zip the dress the assistant was with her, doing it up. ‘Now come out and show your friend.’
‘You need heels!’ said the assistant next, producing a pair. ‘And here is the coat.’
It was a simple, sleeveless dress that ended an inch above her knee. The coat was fractionally longer and had a stand-up collar and large gold trimmed buttons.
‘There is a hat, also,’ said the assistant, putting a straw hat with a rim that went downwards on her head.
Donna gasped. ‘You look wonderful!’ she said.
The assistant tweaked the collar of the coat, adjusted the angle of the hat. ‘Voilà! You look like a model.’
‘Buy it!’ said Donna.
Alexandra laughed. It was good to see herself looking glamorous and sophisticated, to remind herself who she had been before she went to Provence. She loved the hat.
The vendeuse mentioned a figure that was more than double everything Alexandra had spent on clothes since she’d last been in Paris.
She shrugged. ‘Why not? But I won’t take the hat. I’ll never get it to Switzerland in one piece.’
Donna flapped a dismissive hand. ‘Oh, you’ll manage somehow. It sets off the outfit perfectly. Now, settle up and then let’s have lunch. I’m starving!’
Both girls got the impression that the vendeuse didn’t approve of such open admission of hunger.
The following morning Alexandra was in the salon, writing postcards, having been sent there by Donna. Donna, Alexandra and Bob had enjoyed a very pleasant evening but it couldn’t last forever. Alexandra felt it was time to tell her relations in Switzerland that her return was imminent. She had chosen a postcard to tell them so as to avoid having to go into too much detail.
She was wearing her new dress because Donna wanted to do more shopping shortly (Alexandra wasn’t sure her ankle could cope), and then Donna wanted to take her to a new restaurant which had become the favourite of the ex-pat community.
She heard the front door click open but kept writing as she was fitting in her cousin’s address on a space too small for it. Then she looked up. Antoine stood there. He seemed unusually diffident, not sure of his welcome. For an unending moment, he said nothing.
Then he held open his arms. ‘My darling, the family have thrown me out of the house and won’t let me back unless I have you with me. I’ve come to take you home.’
