Hope passed her the box and she turned it over, back and forth, in her hands. Her fingers glided over the wood, and she found herself rubbing her fingertips across the top of it. She could tell how well it had been made, and she could already imagine her daughter being given the box when she was older, eyes wide as she realised she’d been given something from the past.
‘I think it’s a beautiful idea, Hope, truly I do,’ Evelina said. ‘Do you mind if I keep this one? I’d like to hold it and think about what to put inside.’
‘Of course, consider it yours.’
Hope smiled at her then, and she smiled back. Because just like that, Hope had given her something to focus on other than her pregnancy. This was something she could do for the future, and perhaps if she was thoughtful enough about what she put in the box, her daughter might one day be able to find her.
She began to think of all the things she could leave for her, things small enough to fit in the little box. If she were brave enough to explain her decision, perhaps it could be a letter, but she knew that even if she had months in which to prepare, she could never put into words the reasons for her choice.
Evelina’s fingers closed again over the smooth edges of the box. They had to be clues that told her story, that showed who she was and what was important to her. And that was when she stilled, a small smile touching her lips as she gently rubbed her stomach and realised precisely what she should leave behind.
26
PRESENT DAY
Blake checked her room one last time, before zipping up her suitcase. It was the day following their argument, and she couldn’t believe she was leaving, that her trip was almost over and she’d be back in London before the end of the day. After her row with Henri, she’d booked the next flight available, not wanting to drag out her goodbye any longer than it needed to be. She’d done what she came to do, she had enough material to finish her series of articles, and it was abundantly clear that Henri no longer wanted her there. He’d barely spoken to her since he’d returned from wherever he’d driven off to the following day. And besides, he was leaving in the morning to return to Paris for work, and there was no way he was going to leave her there with his mother.
There was a knock at her door, and when she turned to look, Henri was standing there. He had one hand in his pocket, the other arm braced against the door as he looked at her. His expression was sombre, and she wished she’d been able to see the sparkle in his bright blue eyes one last time.
‘It’s almost time to go,’ he said.
Blake nodded. A few days earlier, Henri would have come into her room and stood behind her, caressing her back orkissing her shoulder as she got ready in the mirror, but now, they were barely speaking, let alone touching. She craved his skin against hers, the whisper of his lips against her ear as they lay in bed, and part of her wondered if she’d ever stop yearning for him.
‘Thank you, I’ll be out soon.’
He stood for a moment longer, watching her, and she tried to busy herself by checking her handbag so she didn’t have to make eye contact. If there was something she could say, she would have, but she’d said everything to him the day before and she couldn’t imagine what she could possibly tell him that would make him believe her.
‘Blake, about what I said yesterday,’ he began.
‘Please, you don’t have to apologise,’ she replied, wondering why she’d said the words the moment they left her mouth.Of course he needed to apologise!‘I’ll be gone soon, and you’ll never have to worry about my intentions ever again.’
‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.’ He looked like he was about to say something else, but instead he turned his back on her and walked away, leaving her alone again.
Tears welled in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. Not here. She could cry all she wanted when she got home, but here she was going to hold her head high and do her best to enjoy her final moments. Things might have fallen apart with Henri, but without him she would never have travelled to Provins and discovered what she had about her family’s heritage, or be in possession of one of Evelina’s dresses, now packed safely in her luggage.
They were the memories she was going to hold on to. That was the Henri she would choose to remember, before he’d broken her heart.
Blake picked up her bags and walked out of the room, stopping to glance back one last time and make sure she had itcommitted to memory. Then she made her way down the hall, encountering Louis, who was sprawled out on the rug, as if knowing that lying there would stop her from being able to leave.
‘Goodbye, Louis,’ she said, pausing to give him a belly rub. The dog looked up at her as if to ask where she was going, and she bent lower to kiss him on the head, leaving behind a trace of pink lipstick.
She stepped over the dog and lifted her luggage with her, taking a deep breath as she neared the door. What she hadn’t been expecting was to find not just Henri waiting to say goodbye to her outside the enormous front doors of the chateau, but his parents, too.
Benoit was wearing his classic chinos and shirt, looking cool despite the heat, and he smiled when he saw her.
‘Au revoir, Blake,’ he said, kissing both of her cheeks. ‘It’s been so lovely to have you here. Please tell me we’ll see you again soon?’
‘It’s been the most wonderful experience staying here,’ she said, returning his kisses. ‘Thank you for welcoming me into your home.’
‘Any time,’ he replied, with such warmth and sincerity that she knew he meant it. ‘You are always welcome, whenever you’re in France.’
‘Blake,’ Céline said, opening her arms. She smelt of flowers and sunshine, and she kissed Blake on each cheek, too, and pulled her into a hug. ‘I wish you could stay longer.’
‘So do I,’ she murmured. ‘I think this might just be my most favourite place in the world.’
‘Then stay!’ she said. ‘The job offer still stands. I think you’re exactly who and what I’m looking for. I only hope my son has apologised for the rude way he reacted to my offer yesterday.’
‘Thank you,’ Blake replied, knowing now that the only reason he’d come to say sorry was because it was at his mother’s insistence. ‘That means so much to me, but Henri?—’
