‘This morning we will go into the woods and collect sticks and logs for the fires, and then we will go out to lunch!’ He clapped his hands. ‘Hurry, children!’ He looked at Alexandra, definitely including her in the ‘children’.
As everyone ran upstairs to change into more suitable clothes, Henri said, ‘Papa used to take us into the woods often, before he had to go away so much for work.’
Even Félicité forgot to be detached and adolescent at the prospect of the trip. Alexandra was excited too, telling herself it was just because she needed fresh air and exercise.
There was a big, battered basket attached to a trolley on large wheels that they dragged behind them. When they got to the edge of the woods everyone separated, competing with each other to find the biggest logs. The basket was soon full and Henri volunteered to take it to the house and then bring it back for refilling. Antoine had a small saw with him and soon there was another pile of logs and bits of wood for burning, waiting for the trolley.
Alexandra pulled it back the next time and saw the untidy pile that Henri had left, and added her load to it. When she returned to the others she found them all inspecting boar tracks.
‘You see here? The marks are quite clear in the mud,’ Antoine was saying. ‘Several animals and quite big.’
‘I don’t like boars,’ said Stéphie. ‘Can we go up behind the chateau? Away from them?’
‘Most people shoot them,’ said Henri. ‘Why can’t we?’
‘I prefer to let them live until they do serious damage,’ said Antoine. ‘Besides, I haven’t had time to do any shooting for pleasure although next time I do, I will take you, Henri, and show you how to be safe with guns.’
‘Can we go and see the lake?’ asked Félicité. ‘It’s so cold. I wonder if it’s freezing yet?’
They walked through the forest that curved round the chateau to the lake. Alexandra was surprised. ‘I didn’t know this was here!’
‘We’ve kept you far too busy indoors,’ said Antoine. ‘You haven’t had time to explore the grounds properly. Do you like being in the woods? Or do you prefer cities?’
‘I like both,’ Alexandra said firmly. ‘I’ve lived in London most of my life but I’ve always enjoyed the countryside when I’ve been in it.’ She was certainly enjoying herself now, but that might not have been because of the fresh air and the beautiful forest.
Antoine was very knowledgeable about nature, showing them more than just boar tracks. ‘I don’t get out enough these days. I love the forest and the trees and yet I only seem to see them when I’m driving away.’
‘Don’t worry, Papa,’ said Stéphie, putting her hand in his. ‘You won’t always have to go away to work. David said you could rent our outbuildings for people to have holidays in. The English will pay a lot to stay in a real French chateau.’
‘Is this true, Alexandra?’ Henri asked.
‘If the buildings were converted into places where people can stay comfortably, of course,’ she said. ‘They’d pay extra for the aristocratic surroundings, I’m sure.’
‘Let’s explore the buildings,’ said Henri. ‘You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Stéphie?’
As her brother made it sound like a huge treat, Stéphie instantly agreed. Alexandra was keen on the plan, too.
They found their way into a disused coach house, a wash house and a pigeonnier. They fought past veils of dusty cobwebs, climbed rickety wooden ladders and opened long-closed stable doors.
‘Look at the view from here!’ said Alexandra, having peered through a crack in the stonework.
‘You’re looking at a wall, Alexandra. You can’t see anything,’ said Antoine.
‘You could put in a big window! Maybe double doors. These places could be charming,’ said Alexandra, who didn’t understand why Antoine didn’t see the potential of it all. ‘It’s not very long since these buildings were full of farm vehicles and pigeons. Perhaps that’s why you can’t picture them being used for anything else.’
Antoine shrugged. ‘All the animals have been over at the farm for some years now, which is probably why I haven’t given these buildings any thought. Having a holiday in a place still full of pigeon droppings and cobwebs doesn’t seem very attractive to me.’ In spite of his snooty words, Antoine smiled at Stéphie to show that he was joking.
‘Well, please give them some thought now, Papa,’ said Stéphie sternly. ‘Then you can stay at home more.’
Antoine looked at his watch. ‘It is time to go back and make ourselves presentable. We’re going out for lunch.’
‘I thought you said you could cook!’ said Alexandra without thinking. ‘Did you really mean you know how to get us to a restaurant so we can eat?’ Then she saw his expression and her mouth went dry. He was a man whose honour had been questioned and he wasn’t taking it well.
‘Come on, children! Race you back!’ she said and set off for the chateau as fast as she could. She felt as if she had been playing with a kitten and it had suddenly turned into a tiger; she needed to get away quickly.
Back in her room, while she twisted her hair into a knot and found her oversized pearls, she instructed herself to remember she was the nanny, and shouldn’t tease her boss. It wasn’t (as Véronique would say) suitable.
The restaurant wasn’t smart on the outside. It seemed to be behind a butcher’s shop which was currently closed. But there were cars parked haphazardly around the building and far up the road which indicated it was popular. Antoine wriggled the car into a spot between two others and then led the way round the building.
