A couple of days later Alexandra and Antoine were on their way back to the South on a train that was unlike any train Alexandra had ever been on.
‘Golly,’ she said to Antoine, in English. ‘I’ve travelled first class from time to time but I’ve never been on a train where it’s all first class. And pale pink carpets and upholstery! So de luxe!’
Antoine smiled at her. ‘It doesn’t go to Saint-Jean-du-Roc but Maxime is meeting us so we don’t have to change trains. He agreed with me, everyone deserves to travel this way sometimes.’
‘It’s lovely. Thank you.’
As she settled into her pink seat with her feet on the pink carpet she reflected how different this journey was from last autumn, when she first travelled to the chateau. Then she had been travelling to a strange place, to do a job she had no qualifications for, all for a man she had barely glimpsed. Now she was travelling at speed through France on a luxurious train with the man of her dreams, who just happened to be the man of her dreams when she had met him all those months ago.
Although it hadn’t been very long since she’d left Provence for Paris, when Alexandra saw Maxime waiting for them next to a very smart car she hadn’t seen before, she felt as if she’d been away for a lifetime.
‘Maxime!’ she said and went into his arms. He felt like a long-lost brother.
‘Alexandra! Antoine! How could you tear yourselves away from Paris?’
‘Me?’ Antoine said. ‘I’d have stayed far longer, but this girl was determined we had to get back.’
‘I wanted to come home,’ she said simply.
Maxime nodded.
Alexandra grew more and more excited as they neared the chateau, but when they arrived and she was out of the car, she put her fingers to her lips. ‘I want to surprise them,’ she whispered.
They tiptoed into the hall and Alexandra realised that the door to the kitchen must be shut or Milou would certainly have come out. Antoine opened the kitchen door so quietly no one heard. And then, suddenly, Stéphie looked up, Milou barked and one of the kittens ran up Alexandra’s coat to her shoulder.
‘You’re here!’ said Stéphie, getting out of her chair and rushing towards them all.
‘Lexi!’ said David, who was nearer, and pulled her into an enormous hug.
‘Papa!’ said Félicité and hugged him.
Henri came over and gave Alexandra an awkward embrace that touched her heart. Then Félicité joined in. ‘Are you engaged?’ she asked. ‘Can I see your ring?’
The ring was inspected and admired by everyone while David tried to get everyone to sit down.
‘When did you last eat? Are you hungry? There’s soup, or bread and cheese. We’ve got plenty of eggs if you want an omelette?’
‘Shall we open champagne, Antoine?’ Maxime asked.
‘I’d just prefer a glass of rosé, from the demijohn,’ said Alexandra. ‘Then I’ll know I’m home.’
‘So,’ said Stéphie when everyone was seated and eating, drinking or both. ‘When are you going to get married?’
‘We haven’t discussed it yet,’ said Alexandra. ‘Quite soon, I hope.’
‘Can I be a bridesmaid?’ asked Stéphie.
‘Of course, but it won’t be a large wedding, I don’t think,’ said Alexandra diffidently. ‘Just close family.’
‘Why?’ demanded Antoine. ‘I think we should invite everyone we know. I want the world to see how proud I am of my beautiful bride, and how much I love her!’
‘You will have to invite your cousins from Switzerland,’ said Maxime. ‘We could use Hubert’s beautiful car to drive you about.’
‘And you can’t get married without Lizzie and Meg from England. It wouldn’t be legal,’ said David. ‘Perhaps they could stay and help you get ready?’
Alexandra began to laugh. ‘I did telephone Lizzie from Donna’s when we first got engaged and although she didn’t say anything I know she’d be disappointed not to come and stay for a bit. I asked her to tell Meg, too. Is that all right, Antoine?’
‘Of course. As long as you can put up with my starchy relations, you can invite as many of your friends as you like. In fact, it’s a good idea, it will dilute the formality of my family.’ He paused. ‘We must keep room for your family too, chérie.’
‘I suppose we must,’ said Alexandra reluctantly. ‘But maybe they’ll prefer the hotel in town. I’ll tell them there is no room in the chateau and that everything is very rustic in the stables. Just the word “stable” might be enough to put them off.’
‘Will you have the wedding here, like Grand-mère and Jack?’ asked Stéphie.
‘Of course,’ said Antoine. ‘Where better? Unless Alexandra prefers somewhere different?’
‘Oh no,’ she said. ‘It has to be here.’ Her voice constricted with emotion. ‘It’s our home.’ She cleared her throat. ‘So, was Grand-mère and Jack’s wedding wonderful?’ she asked.
‘A bit,’ said Stéphie. ‘But it would have been better if you had been there.’
‘My mother took charge,’ said Félicité. ‘She didn’t let me invite Jules.’
‘Or Milou,’ said Stéphie. ‘He and the kittens had to stay locked in a stable all day!’
Antoine looked at Alexandra. ‘I officially invite Milou and the kittens to our wedding. They are a very important part of our lives.’
‘Penelope and Jack looked very happy,’ said David. ‘And they were so thrilled to be celebrating in the orangery. All Jack’s relations were very impressed.’
Later, when Maxime was saying his goodbyes, Antoine took Alexandra aside. ‘I’m going to stay with Maxime,’ he said. ‘For form’s sake.’
Alexandra huffed and sighed but she knew he was doing the right thing. ‘I’m going to see how soon my English friends can come and stay,’ she said. ‘Then they can chaperone me. Lizzie wants to make my dress and Meg will want to do the cake, even if she doesn’t do all the catering.’
Antoine kissed her cheek. ‘We will let her make the cake with pleasure, but not do all the cooking. She will be a bridesmaid, non? She will need to look after you.’
Alexandra laughed. ‘I suppose so.’
She was woken very early the following day by Stéphie, who got into Alexandra’s bed but couldn’t settle. Now Alexandra was awake she found she couldn’t either.
‘I know,’ she whispered to Stéphie although no one was in earshot. ‘Let’s get up and make your papa a cake. He is coming early because he said he’d bring bread and croissants, but wouldn’t it be fun to have a cake for him?’
Stéphie got out of bed and jumped up and down. ‘We haven’t made a cake together for simply ages! Let’s go!’
‘What sort of cake shall we make?’ asked Alexandra as she and Stéphie walked through the yard having collected the eggs.
‘His favourite is lemon,’ said Stéphie, ‘but I like chocolate.’
‘He likes chocolate too, I’m sure,’ said Alexandra. The cake-making project was for Stéphie; her papa would be delighted with anything his youngest daughter produced.
It was still only half past eight when they heard a car. Alexandra and Stéphie exchanged excited looks. ‘But the cake isn’t ready!’ said Stéphie.
‘It very nearly is,’ said Alexandra. ‘When it’s cool, we can put on the ganache, but if we do it too soon it will all just fall off.’
They heard the front door open and footsteps travelling across the hall. The kitchen door was opened. But instead of Antoine it was Lucinda.
Alexandra’s beaming smile froze and Stéphie said, ‘Oh!’ her disappointment evident.
‘Good morning, Lucinda,’ said Alexandra. ‘We were expecting you to be Antoine, with breakfast.’
‘Sorry to disappoint you. I am early because I have a car booked to take me to the airport. I have to leave very soon. I have come to say goodbye to my children!’ She said this with a dramatic toss of her head.
‘Oh,’ said Alexandra. ‘I don’t think they’re up yet …’
‘I’ll go and wake them,’ said Stéphie, aware this was what was wanted.
When they were alone, Lucinda said, ‘So you got what you wanted: a ring on your finger, a count and a chateau. Pretty good going for a nanny.’
Alexandra heard the bitterness and decided to ignore it. She was the winner here; she could be magnanimous. ‘Indeed. So where are you off to?’
‘Back to my husband in Argentina. I only left to teach him a lesson, really.’
‘And to see your children?’ suggested Alexandra.
‘Oh yes, that too, of course. I wanted to make sure they were being educated correctly.’ She paused, giving Alexandra a look that would have turned a lesser woman to stone. ‘Which they are not!’
‘I’m sure Antoine is sending them to the school which is best for them.’
‘He could afford to send them to a decent school now he’s marrying money!’
Alexandra wished Félicité and Henri would hurry up. Their mother was being particularly poisonous this morning. ‘Do sit down. Let me make you some coffee.’
‘You want to offer me cake as well, I suppose. You should know by now I don’t share your obsession with confectionery.’ In spite of this, Lucinda pulled out a chair and sat down. ‘You do know he married you for your money? You have very little else to offer him.’
Alexandra decided to bite back. ‘I think he does quite well out of the deal. He has a mother for his children, current and future. He has a chatelaine for his home. He has a bargain even without my fortune.’
‘I do indeed!’ said Antoine, who had appeared in the kitchen from the back door without anyone hearing his approach. His arms were full of baguettes and paper bags, presumably containing croissants and pastries. ‘And Alexandra’s fortune is exactly that, her fortune.’ He put down his packages. ‘Are you planning to stay for breakfast, Lucinda?’
‘No,’ she said, her bitterness apparently fading. ‘I’ve come to say goodbye to the children. I’m going back to Argentina. My husband is desperate to have me back and I have no life here.’
‘Sit down, Antoine,’ said Alexandra. ‘Thank you so much for bringing us breakfast. I’ll have coffee ready very shortly.’
Much to her relief, Félicité and Henri appeared with Stéphie. They were dressed, but looked as if they’d only very recently got out of bed.
‘Maybe you’d like some time alone with Félicité and Henri?’ suggested Alexandra, eager to escape from this painful scene. ‘Stéphie, let’s see what your papa has brought us, and go and eat it on the terrace. It’s a lovely morning.’ She picked up a couple of packets, hoping for Stéphie’s sake that one of them contained a pain au chocolat, and went out through the back door, trusting that Stéphie would follow. Milou and the cats obviously felt it was a good idea.
They stood on the terrace, looking out at the parkland towards the woods. It was going to be a beautiful day.
‘I’m pleased she’s going,’ said Stéphie, blowing crumbs. ‘Is that bad of me?’
‘No. It’s your opinion, and Lucinda has never been very nice to you.’
‘I don’t mind her not being nice, and never buying me any presents, but I don’t like her thinking I’m sweet.’
‘Oh, Stéphie!’ said Alexandra, laughing. ‘I completely understand. It’s really annoying to be thought sweet by someone you don’t like!’
A little while later, Antoine’s family, including Alexandra, stood on the steps of the chateau, waving as Lucinda’s car disappeared down the drive. When she was out of sight, Stéphie ran off and everyone else went inside. Alexandra found herself next to Félicité.
‘I’m sorry. I hope you don’t mind too much about your mother going away again when you were just starting to get to know her.’
Félicité shrugged. ‘It’s OK. She wasn’t like a mother to me, really. She was just a grown-up who thought she had the right to tell me what to do.’
‘We’ll go and visit her in Argentina when we’re older,’ said Henri, marginally more enthusiastic. ‘That might be good.’
‘That will be wonderful!’ said Alexandra. ‘You can gallop over the pampas on beautiful horses and have a lovely time!’
Félicité and Henri looked at her wonderingly. ‘Can you really see our mother doing that?’ Henri said.
Alexandra smiled. ‘Maybe not now, but people change …’
‘If you don’t mind,’ said Henri. ‘I’m going to see if there are any more pains au chocolat left.’
His sister followed him and Alexandra was reassured that Lucinda’s departure was not something that had upset either of them.
