“You’re here.” Sven gave Mathieu a hug.
“For God’s sake, keep quiet when the truck is being unloaded. And don’t make a sound if you’re stopped,” Madame Bresson said behind Mathieu before slamming the door.
The truck set off, bumping along the road. The small space was stuffy, but fresh air seeped in through the gaps between the doors. Rain hammered down on the roof, and the interior was damp from where it had found its way in.
“Do you think we’ll make it?” Mathieu whispered to Sven.
“I don’t know. But this is our best option—they’ll come looking again. And again. We have to get away from here.” He put his arm around Mathieu in the darkness.
Mathieu felt safe.
Whatever happened, he was with Sven.
Epilogue
One year later
Bente went down into the wine cellar, selected one of the bottles that had just arrived, and returned to the bar. So far she was the only one in. She’d wanted time to go over what stock they had, and to consider whether to update the wine list with some interesting new wines they would serve by the glass. Her highest hopes concerned one certain special wine from Bordeaux, although she was afraid it might be too young to drink now.
She pulled out the cork and contemplated the numbers on it with a smile. The wine was made from the vines that had belonged to Château de Chênes. Sylvie had liked the idea of putting the longitude and latitude on the cork and had done the same for all her wines—the exact geographic coordinates of each vineyard, to show precisely where the grapes had been grown.
The show was due to premiere tomorrow—The Extraordinary Story of a Wine Bottle. Once she and Didrik had gotten to the truth, recording had been straightforward. They had filmed during the fall. Many of the people they’d met during the course of their research were happy to give more interviews, so they had traveled back to film with Sylvie. They had also gone to Paris to see Camille, and while they were there, Bente had gone on a diving expedition with her, seeking out new shipwreck wines. Interviewing Camille in full diving gear out at sea between France andthe UK had been something very special. Even Frederic had appeared in one segment, to talk about today’s wine producers in Bordeaux. The material Bente and Didrik had filmed themselves over the course of their research added an exciting, slightly more authentic vibe to the show, and Bente had been very pleased when she saw the first episode. She was looking forward to the premiere, to giving more people the opportunity to share in the wine bottle’s story.
Other than that, the wine bar was occupying virtually every waking hour. Regular clients had returned after the reopening, but they also had plenty of new customers. Sometimes she appeared on the morning show on TV24 to present different wines, and she also guested onKrissieoccasionally. She had been offered several TV shows of her own but had turned them all down. She wanted to devote most of her time to the wine bar—this was where she was happy and where she belonged.
She poured the wine into a large glass and swirled it around before sniffing. She could tell immediately that the wine was too closed. It had been stored for only a year—not long enough.
She took a sip; it was harsh on her tongue, but she thought it would be good in a couple of years. Particularly good in five to ten years. Fantastic in fifteen. She would follow the progress of the wine as it developed in the cellar at Rendezvous.
The door opened and Didrik came in, his face beige from his TV makeup. He had just been filming his own new show—The History Lesson—in which he took viewers through major events in history in an educational but entertaining way. “Historical events you ought to know about” was the show’s tagline.
“Did it go well?” she asked.
“Yes, but I couldn’t wait to be here with you.”
He came around the bar and gave her a long, tender kiss. She laughed and wiped off the makeup that had transferred itself to her cheek.
“Mmm—you taste of wine.”
“I do—this one.” She held up the bottle.
“So it’s arrived!”
She handed him the glass. “It’s perfectly okay, but it needs a few more years.”
He tasted, smacked his lips. “I assume you’re right.” Then he kissed her again. “I’ve got something to show you. Elnaz sent me this.” He fished a USB stick out of his briefcase. “The last episode of our show—you haven’t seen the final edit, have you?”
Bente shook her head.
“Have you got time now?”
“Absolutely.”
She poured Didrik a glass of wine as he opened up his laptop and inserted the stick.
The episode began with interviews with the historian in Bordeaux they had gone back to visit, then the material they had filmed themselves: the visit to Château du Boda, and the discovery in the cellar at Château de Chênes. This was followed by a longer interview with Sylvie, in which she talked about the history of Château du Boda, then Didrik’s visit to the art gallery. Bente felt her pulse speed up when the woman took down the painting—it was as if she was hearing it all for the first time.
And finally: the interview with Jérôme.
