‘Never more so,’ Bill said. ‘Life is full of decisions, and we don’t always make the right ones. I should have told Patricia where to stick her father’s money and fought for your mother instead. I will have to live with the regret that I never did so, that I didn’t follow my heart and as a result I missed out on so much. But I’m not missing out on anything else. My offer today is no less than what you deserve and is made in part to encourage you to learn from my mistakes. Follow your heart, Fran. Go for whatever it is you believe will bring you happiness. You’re a strong, independent young woman, but I want you to know I’m also here, now, to support you, no matter what.’
Chapter 35
Johnny took possession of Chateau des Rêves with a week or so in hand before Fran was due to arrive. With finances originally promised by Wilding Holdings, Johnny’s blood had run cold when Fran suddenly called him one day, letting him know the change in plans. It wasn’t until Fran filled him in on the details that his heart resumed a normal pace again.
And now he was here, he couldn’t wait to get cracking on the renovations. Though, he was having to sit on his hands a bit, because he wasn’t prepared to risk disturbing so much as a strip of wallpaper without Fran’s say-so.
While they were aware of the basic living conditions they’d have to endure during the renovations, they’d still both agreed to live on site. The basic plumbing and kitchen essentials worked, and there were plenty of bedrooms to choose from. The excitement of finally being here, of the wheels being metaphorically set in motion, brought an unfiltered grin to Johnny’s face, a grin which only became even broader at the thought of Fran’s imminent arrival.
Breathing the fresh air of the Loire again had restored Johnny’s confidence in his future. His and Fran’s future. Regardless of how much he would like their relationship to develop into something far more than that of business partners, Johnny would settle for being in the same country as her. The same building. Working towards the same shared goal.
There was no escaping the fact he was still dealing with the repercussions of his old life. It was the way he’d come to refer to everything before meeting Fran. All the muddiness of his failed relationship with Natalie, and the ongoing challenging nature ofhis bond with Noel. The lawyers, the divorce, the dissolution of Taylor Made Wine.
The only beacon of light he wanted to bring forward from that mess was Estelle. It was something he and Fran had discussed at length, how his daughter would fit into the picture once the chateau was ready for visitors. Fran knew he wanted Estelle to be one of the chateau’s first guests, and in turn he knew Fran was keen to meet his daughter. He wanted the two of them to make an instant connection and for the three of them to live happily ever after. But he’d settle for the three of them getting on well enough to make their vision of Chateau des Rêves a reality.
In trying to make Fran feel as welcome as possible, Johnny had spent the week attempting to turn the chateau into something that resembled a home – and looked less like the building site it currently was. But as he checked his watch, he realised he was going to have to get a move on if he was going to put the final touches in place before Fran arrived.
There was no way the place was going to be perfect for her arrival, but he hoped this idea, this last-minute excursion, would prove to Fran how committed he was to her and their business.
Climbing into the Citroën van he’d bought after landing back in the country – the days of hiring swanky Mercedes far behind him now and would remain so for the foreseeable – Johnny twisted up the volume on the radio and headed out.
The driver raised his substantial eyebrows a final time at the row of enormous suitcases which now stood on the doorstep of Chateau des Rêves. Fran thanked him, again, for helping her to lug them up the stone steps as she rapped the huge doorknocker against the wooden frame of the door.
As the taxi headed off, and Fran wondered where Johnny was, she allowed herself a final flutter of nerves. A final gut-twisting bout of anxiety. With the flat in Lyme Regis cleared and the tenancy at an end, Chateau des Rêves was now her home. Had she made the right decision coming here?
A volley of car horns, cheerful in their tone, had Fran pivoting towards the driveway. The taxi turned out onto the road and disappeared as a grubby white Citroën van bounced its way towards the chateau. Fran smiled as she clocked who was at the wheel.
With the van parked at a jaunty angle across the driveway, Johnny launched himself from the interior, his smile as broad as her own. Fran’s anxiety melted away.
‘You beat me here,’ he said. ‘How are you? How was the journey?’
‘All good. I’m glad to be here at last.’
‘Me too,’ he said, swinging the car keys in his hand. ‘I’ve done my best to get the place habitable-ish. But I need to check – you did say you enjoyed camping, didn’t you?’
Fran wrinkled her nose. ‘No. You promised me running water and electricity. Otherwise, I’m out of here.’
Johnny laughed. ‘Your wish is my command. But the buildersarestarting on Monday, so I can’t promise anything once they get their teeth into the place. I thought I’d make a start on stripping some of that old wallpaper …’
Fran’s spine rippled hot and cold. ‘You didwhat? Not the stuff in the formal salon, Johnny. Please God, not that room. I told you I thought that was original—’
‘Don’t panic, I’m teasing. I didn’t dare so much as take down a curtain until you got here.’
‘Good, because I’ve managed to find a wonderful local seamstress who is going to renovate any fabrics worth saving.’
‘That’s great. I have to say it’s been so hard to stay hands-off,’ Johnny admitted. ‘I’m itching to get started.’
She smiled. ‘So am I.’
With colour unexpectedly flooding his cheeks, Johnny looked momentarily uncertain, his gaze switching between her and the van.
‘So, before we go in,’ he said. ‘There’s something I need to show you.’
Fran stayed put while Johnny pulled open the back doors of the van, lifting a cardboard wine box from the interior.
‘We’re going to christen the house with wine?’ she asked, a grin edging onto her face. Then she heard it. A noise, emanating from the box, which definitely wasn’t the sound of bottles. A scratching noise. A tiny mew.
The grin dropped from her face at the same moment as Johnny lifted the flaps and peered inside.
