Page 79 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
It seemed this was going to be true. France was to be divided into the occupied zone in the north and the free zone in the south. Everyone listening on the radio heaved a sigh of relief. The free zone was to be governed by the new French government—puppets put in place by theGermans. Nobody approved of this, of course. “But they will have the interests of the French people at heart,” was the common sentiment. “They’ll do their best for us.”
Mavis’s wedding happened a few days later at the village church. Mavis not being Catholic had presented a problem, but she had to swear that she would raise any offspring in the Catholic faith. She thought this hilarious. “At my age,” she said. “That would be another miracle.”
Dora and Ellie were her attendants. The church was packed, as Louis was a popular figure and everyone wanted a chance to celebrate. Henri managed to get his hands on a young goat and it was roasted on a spit outside the bar. Everyone brought items for the feast—fruits, cheese, bread and wine. One of the men brought his accordion. There were toasts, ribald comments, much laughter, then singing and dancing. Ellie sat silently, observing as the celebration went on around her. Mavis, her face alight with joy as she danced with Louis, then with one of the fishermen after another. Dora, her eyes sparkling as she clapped to the music. Ellie’s eyes moved to Nico, sitting with his mother in the shade, smiling. As if he sensed his eyes on her, he turned to look. Their eyes met. He winked. For a moment she thought he was going to come over and ask her to dance, but he didn’t. She felt absurdly disappointed.
Ellie saw Dora flagging about ten o’clock and drove her home, but she stood out on the terrace listening to the music and laughter. Dora came out beside her.
“Who would have thought it was our little Mavis who made the whole village forget the tragedy of war?” Dora said.
Ellie continued to stare out into the darkness. “I hope we’re doing the right thing, Dora,” she said. “I hope we won’t regret not going back to England.”
“I think we’re going to be all right,” Dora said. “We’re in the free zone, and if anyone invades us, it will be the Italians. They are so easy-going that I can’t think they’d be brutal invaders. We’d offer them some wine and cheese and be their friends for life.”
Ellie had to laugh. “Oh Dora,” she said. “I hope you are right.” She put a hand on the old woman’s shoulder. “I am glad you’re here.”
Dora placed her own hand over Ellie’s. “You have been a great blessing to me,” she said. “I want you to know that this has been the happiest time of my life for many, many years.”
They remained there, as the gentle breeze blew in from the sea, tinged with salt and seaweed, and the sounds of the wedding floated up towards them.
Mavis and Louis went on honeymoon up to a nearby hill town where a cousin owned an auberge. Ellie lent Louis the Bentley for the occasion. He was embarrassingly grateful. Ellie had no qualms about this—if anyone could mend the car if it broke down, it was Louis. And it was really no inconvenience. She rarely had to drive anywhere, except for taking Dora down to the village now that she couldn’t manage the steps. This didn’t happen often any more. Dora was content to sit in the sun, feasting her eyes on the view, watching passing ships or observing the activities of the village below.
The day after the wedding Ellie received a note, hand-delivered, from the viscount. He had returned. Would she like to come to lunch? She found Dora, already in her favourite chair on the patio, her journal and a book on her lap, unopened.
“You’ll be all right, will you?” she asked Dora. “I’ve put out some pâté and salad for you in the kitchen.”
“I really am quite content, my dear. All is well. Go and enjoy yourself. Give my best wishes to the viscount,” Dora said.
Ellie bent to give her a little kiss on the cheek, then gave herself a final check in the hallway mirror. She realized she didn’t have the convenience of the motor car but decided there must be a shortcut between properties by following the water pipes. She arrived, a little out of breath, and stood in the shade of a large pine tree to collect herselfbefore she came around the swimming pool to the house. Roland was sitting on the terrace facing the swimming pool and looked up, startled to see her coming from the wrong direction.
“Mon Dieu, how did you get here?” he asked. “I did not hear the automobile.”
“I’ve lent it to a friend,” Ellie said. “I came over the hill from my property. It’s more of a hike than I expected.”
“My dear, sit down, please. We’ll have Antoine bring you a citron pressé to revive you.” He rang a bell. His butler appeared almost as if by magic, and the drink was ordered. Ellie sat.
“You’ve come back,” she said. “I’m so glad. I was worried about you when we heard that Paris fell.”
“I was fortunately at my family home in the Loire Valley,” he said. “My mother was dying. The prodigal son went to make his peace.”
“I’m so sorry. Did she die?”
“She did, before the invasion. That would have broken her heart. She was fiercely French and hated the Germans.” He gave a sigh. “I left as soon as I heard they had invaded. And fortunate for me that I did, as our home is now in the occupied zone. I told my father to come with me to my villa, but he is a stubborn fool and insisted on remaining on his property so the Germans don’t take it over. As it is I’ve had to abandon my lovely Paris house. Le Bon Dieu knows what will happen to that. Trashed by the enemy, I suppose. Looted at the very least. I have some fine artwork. I sent a telegram to my notaire before I departed, asking him to go to the house and put my most valuable things in the wine cellar, where there is a big storeroom. They should be safe there, unless the house is ever bombed.”
“But you got away safely,” Ellie said. “I do not imagine it will be easy to leave the occupied zone after this.”
“Of course not. One hears that the place is crawling with Nazis. Tanks everywhere. Brutes with jackboots. And I’m sure they’d love to beat up men like me. But I hope we can remain safe down here. They’ve put a puppet government in place, as no doubt you’ve heard. Men whoare willing to lick the boots of the invaders in return for a little bit of power. I’m sure there are plenty of sadists and homophobes amongst them, so I will lie low here until the situation is resolved.”
“You think the war will end that easily?” Ellie asked. “Look at the last one. We all thought it would be over in weeks, and yet they were dug into those stupid trenches for four years, with all those men dying every day.”
He shrugged. “I don’t think it will be the same sort of war this time. Those old cavalry generals are long dead. Hitler is bent on conquest, that is obvious. I think we will see a repeat of Napoleon—swallowing up Europe and then ultimately meeting his doom—unless someone assassinates him first, which is always a possibility.”
“Napoleon lasted a long while before Waterloo,” Ellie said.
“We’ll ride it out here,” he replied. “My wine cellar is well stocked. That’s all that matters.” He paused, regarding her. “But you—why have you not returned to your homeland? Do you fear that England, too, will be invaded?”
“Oh Roland,” she said. “I have nothing to return to. No family, except my sons, who will both be fighting to protect us. I have no home. This is my home now. I have people like you, like the rest of the inhabitants of Saint-Benet, and I have Dora. She’s certainly not up to travelling in arduous circumstances. Like you, I’m prepared to ride it out.”
A delicious lunch was served on the terrace—a seafood terrine, veal cutlet with a mushroom sauce and then petit fours and cognac.
