Page 29 of You Had Me at Chateau
Mandy leans back in her chair, her posture relaxed but still somehow perfect.
‘My children are grown up now, so the burden is on them to make the big day happen. I’ve done my time,’ she explains.
Mandy lost her husband a few years ago. It must be so difficult having someone with you every day, for decades, and then suddenly finding yourself without them. Things like Christmas and birthdays must be so hard, feeling like someone is missing, having that empty seat at the table. Even when she’s being a bit snooty, she’ll always have my sympathy, because that’s rough.
‘Sounds like you’ve all got a good system,’ I say, thinking about the endless lists and last-minute shopping trips that seem to dominate my Decembers. Hopefully doing all of my shopping online, and having it delivered directly to my parents’ house, works out. By the time I get home, and check that it has all arrived, it will probably be too late to do anything about it. I suppose I can always dash out on Christmas Eve, to grab some last-minute bits – a (not at all) wise man once described it as being like dating in your thirties, I believe.
‘It is,’ Mandy replies with a hint of a smile. ‘And it means I can come here and focus on… avoiding work.’
Gina laughs, and Bette joins in, so I chuckle too. Anything to fit in.
It’s interesting that they don’t really want to be around their families in the run-up to the big day. The last thing I want is to avoid my family, and my parents are divorcing.
‘We understand you need to work and we will happily give you advice if you need it,’ Gina says kindly.
Bette smiles and nods in a way that is polite but non-committal.
‘Yes, of course,’ Mandy agrees – not that she sounds like she means it. ‘We’re having dinner in a couple of hours, by the way.’
Swift subject change. Expertly deployed.
‘I might go lie down until it’s dinner time,’ I say.
Honestly, I’m exhausted already. It’s probably from the travelling but a small part of me feels like I’m standing on ceremony when I’m around this lot.
‘We have staff who cook for us and clean up after us – it’s a dream,’ Bette explains. ‘And it’s just us, staying here in the château, so they’re at our disposal.’
That does sound lovely, and it will be nice to be spoiled. This room is so cosy, with the roaring fire, and the thought that Icould just curl up here and have people bring me anything I want sounds glorious.
‘Speaking of delicious, have you seen the Frenchman who takes care of the château?’ Gina asks me. ‘I don’t know if he’s just the caretaker here, or of the whole resort, but he lives here in the château.’
‘I haven’t seen anyone yet,’ I admit.
‘Keep an eye out,’ Gina tells me with a wink. ‘There are other men working here, obviously, but you’ll know him when you see him.’
‘Okay, sure,’ I say with a giggle, as I pull myself to my feet. ‘I’ll go rest up before dinner.’
‘Don’t worry,’ Bette calls after me. ‘We’ll save you some wine.’
It’s hard to imagine this lot saving wine, instead of just drinking it. Then again, we are in France, so presumably, there’s plenty more where that came from.
14
I wake up in my room at the château, groggy and confused. My first thought is that I must have slept for hours, but a quick glance at my phone tells me otherwise. Thirty minutes. Thirty flipping minutes! That doesn’t even count as a nap, does it? Not a good one anyway.
It feels like hours since I was downstairs with the ladies, but apparently not – the seat I was sitting in is probably still warm.
My brief nap has done nothing for me. I still feel exhausted – in fact, if anything, I feel even more tired – but sleeping isn’t going to happen, not if I’m going to join the others for dinner. I guess late afternoon isn’t the best time for a snooze, and dinner is soon, so I may as well try and tough through it.
Maybe I need to wake up instead. A shower, brushing my teeth, a cup of coffee – anything to shake off this grogginess. Perhaps if I go through the motions of morning, it might trick my body into thinking it’s time to be awake.
I sit up and stretch, taking in my surroundings once more. This room is like a scene from a fairy tale, and the four-poster bed, with its soft, creamy linen curtains and all its pillows and blankets, looks like something out of a fantasy novel.
The room has a very distinctive smell, although it’s one that I can’t quite put my finger on. I can smell the fire, obviously, as you can throughout the château, but it has this whiff of… church? More specifically like the incense they use in Catholic churches. It’s a sort of mixture of old wooden furniture and incense. It’s a nice scent, I promise. I wonder if it is the natural smell of the place or if it’s something they pump in on purpose.
Right, time to make a move.
I tear myself out of the bed with a sigh – I miss it already.
