‘Here’s what we’re reading!’ she announced. ‘And here’s a horse that was broken. Alexandra mended it. I want her to stay!’
Alexandra was touched.
‘So do I!’ said Henri.
Félicité, naturally, was less eager to express her enthusiasm for Alexandra. ‘Her cooking is OK. And she can drive,’ she added.
Grand-mère became thoughtful. ‘Show me the horse please. Hmm,’ she said thoughtfully, having spent a long time examining it, holding it up to the light and squinting. ‘You’ve done quite a good job. I have a piece – a soup bowl, sentimental value only – I’d like repaired.’
‘Alexandra will do that for you, Grand-mère,’ said Stéphie. ‘But only if you don’t send her away.’
‘Let me hear you read, chérie,’ she said.
Stéphie did very well, Alexandra thought, pleased that the early-morning sessions had proved so productive.
‘That’s very good, Stéphanie,’ said Grand-mère, a little surprised.
‘Does that mean you won’t come to live with us?’ asked Stéphanie.
Grand-mère got to her feet and her friend did likewise. Alexandra had the strangest impression that Grand-mère was amused and possibly a little relieved, although her features didn’t move very much.
‘You say you know someone who can teach Shakespeare and other classic texts?’ she asked.
Alexandra nodded. ‘As I said, he is an excellent teacher and he could certainly provide references.’
‘And this person would be willing to come here and teach my grandchildren?’
Alexandra nodded again. ‘It would only be a temporary measure, until the children’s education can be more formally arranged.’
Grand-mère shrugged. ‘It would be better than nothing, I suppose.’
‘Do you think’, Alexandra asked hurriedly, ‘that the Comte would be happy with the arrangement?’
‘If you can vouch for this person, as I said before, it would be better than nothing. I will of course be keeping a very close eye on the arrangement. Hortense? On y va?’
‘That was nerve-racking,’ said Alexandra after she’d closed the door politely behind the two grandes dames.
‘You don’t want to leave early, do you?’ asked Henri.
‘Certainly not,’ said Alexandra. ‘I love it here.’ She had been very touched by her charges’ insistence that they wanted her to stay. She also thought of the life in Switzerland she was anticipating – living with formal relatives who told her what to do or a finishing school teaching her things she either knew already or had no interest in learning. Discovering how to support children without their parents along with living in France was an adventure. And she’d quickly become fond of prickly Félicité, Henri, helpful and stoic, and little Stéphie, young for her age but affectionate and loving. What she really liked, she realised, was the fact that they needed her.
‘Really?’ asked Félicité, incredulously. She was surprised and possibly disappointed; she’d tried so hard to make Alexandra’s life difficult.
Alexandra nodded. ‘Now I’m going to telephone my friend to see if he can come and teach you Shakespeare. Maybe we could put on a little bit of a play for your grandmother?’ A thought occurred to her. ‘Your grandmother seems very French but she speaks perfect English. Has she ever lived in England?’
‘She is English,’ said Henri, ‘but she prefers the French way of life. And maybe the weather.’
This made sense. And of course, she remembered now, the children’s mother was English. ‘And who’s her friend?’
Henri shrugged. ‘Mme Sologne. They go everywhere together.’
‘OK,’ said Alexandra. ‘I’ll go and telephone my friend David, then let’s take some bread and cheese and some fruit into the garden and have lunch.’
Chapter Seven
A routine had quickly developed. Stéphie would come into Alexandra’s bed early in the morning and they’d read together. Then they’d get up, see to Milou and let out the hens, light the stove and cook breakfast. Félicité and Henri would appear when they were hungry. As this was at about eight o’clock, Alexandra didn’t think it was necessary to wake them. Stéphie’s reading was coming along nicely and she seemed to appreciate having Alexandra to herself first thing.
Alexandra had also learnt to love the hens and surprised herself when she found she could pick one up while it was sitting and retrieve the eggs.
