Blake jumped when she heard someone speaking behind them—she’d thought they were very much alone. When she turned, she found an old lady standing there, her hair a wispy shock of white around her face.
‘Yes,’ Blake said. ‘I’ve been led to believe that I might have a personal connection to one of the daughters.’
‘To our Evelina?’
Blake nodded. ‘Yes. I believe she may have been my great-grandmother.’
The lady chuckled. ‘You must be mistaken. Evelina didn’t have any children, but there’ve been plenty over the years who’ve tried to lay claim to this place and the rest of her fortune.’
‘Her fortune?’ Blake repeated. ‘I can assure you that I’m here searching for answers, not money.’
‘Evelina didn’t have children, that’s one thing I can tell you. She came back here after her mother and father died, a little while after the war ended, but no one ever saw her, unless she needed groceries and came into town,’ the woman said, coming to stand closer to the fence. Blake wondered if it was so that she could keep her balance. ‘She turned this place around and returned it to its former glory when she came home, and she started making her perfume here. Ma Fille, it was called.’
‘My daughter?’ Henri asked. ‘The perfume was calledmy daughter?’
The woman frowned, as though not approving of his tone. ‘I suppose that was the start of the rumours. There were whispers, as there always are in small towns, that there might have been a child born out of wedlock, but that’s all they ever were. Whispers. There was certainly never any proof that she’d had a daughter.’
‘Where was the perfume sold?’ Blake asked. ‘Was it ever available here, in Provins?’
‘It was only available in Paris, at some fancy stores, I expect. Although she did give me a bottle for Christmas once.’
Blake suddenly had a feeling that this lady knew more than she was letting on; she wasn’t just another villager. It was the reason she’d sought them out after hearing they’d been asking questions—Evelina had meant something to her.
‘I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your name,’ Blake said.
‘Félicité,’ the lady replied.
‘And who exactly were you, to Evelina? What was your connection?’
Félicité paused, looking past Evelina to the gravestone. ‘I worked for her, in the gardens here. I helped her to collect the very best roses for her perfume.’
‘You were close to her?’ Henri asked.
‘She was a very reserved woman, liked to keep to herself, but there was something about her. I don’t even know how to explain it, but it was as if she had a fire burning inside of her, and other times there was also a great sadness about her. Nothing was going to stop her from making her perfume.’ She paused. ‘Evelina also had great empathy towards other women, especially young women. She paid for some local girls to travel to Paris to attend university, although she wanted no thanks for it. If she could have made the donations anonymously, she would have.’
‘Did she ever mention her life in Paris?’ Blake asked, intrigued to hear what Evelina had done for young women and whether she’d ever returned to Paris herself. ‘Specifically, when she was designing clothes?’
Félicité shook her head. ‘She never spoke of it, not to me, and I would never have asked. It was none of my business what she’d been doing while she was away.’
‘Do you have any idea where we could buy a bottle of her perfume?’ Blake asked. ‘Was it only the one fragrance, or were there more?’
‘There was only the one. Evelina became unwell soon after the perfume was unveiled, and although she fought her illness for many, many years, she never created another scent,’ Félicité said. ‘As for where you could find a bottle? I wouldn’t think there would be any left in circulation. It’s been many years now since it’s been for sale.’
‘Well, thank you for all the information, it’s been fascinating,’ Blake said. ‘I came here hoping to find out as much as possible about Evelina, and you’ve been a great help.’
The older woman narrowed her eyes. ‘You’re not here to cause trouble, are you? Because Miss Evelina, she wanted to leave this estate to the village, and we don’t need anyone makinga fuss. She might have kept to herself, but she was a good woman. A kind-hearted woman.’
Blake stifled a laugh. She very much doubted that she and Henri looked as if they were going to cause any trouble anywhere, although she was pleased to hear that Evelina had been so highly thought of.
‘We’re staying the night in the village, and then we’ll be on our way,’ Henri replied. ‘I can promise you that we don’t intend to cause any trouble.’
‘Oh, before you go,’ Blake said. ‘You’re certain you have the name of her perfume correct?’
‘Ma Fille,’ Félicité replied. ‘It was called Ma Fille.’
‘And you didn’t think that was strange?’ Henri asked. ‘That she didn’t have a daughter, yet chose that name?’
The woman gave Henri a sharp stare. ‘It wouldn’t do anyone any good to have those rumours starting again. Evelina has been gone a long time, and everyone around these parts is very protective of her legacy.’
