I’d accept it,’ she snapped. ‘As
it is …’
He made no response to her unfinished sentence though
she stared furiously at him for several minutes. Then,
before she could give herself time to think, she had kicked
his foot from the wall so that he was suddenly ankle-deep in
the fountain. To hell with him, she thought, as she marched
angrily along the cobbled path. Then, hearing the slosh of
water as he drew his foot from the fountain, she started to
grin. She felt even better when she heard his footsteps
behind her, but she didn’t stop until she reached a nearby
lily pound, by which time her shoulders were shaking with
suppressed laughter.
‘I take it,’ he said, as he came to stand beside her, ‘that it is
your childish behaviour that so amuses you.’
‘Actually, no,’ she replied. ‘It’s your pomposity that so
amuses me. And after just these few minutes of knowing
you, I can already understand why Tante Celine dislikes you
so intensely.’
When she looked up into his face she could see that her
words had not succeeded in ruffling him at all, but when he
looked back at her she felt a horrible heat burn across her
cheeks, and turned quickly away.
‘Tell me,’ he said, ‘has Celine ever cared to enlarge upon
why she dislikes me so intensely?’
‘Are you going to tell me?’ she countered.
‘No.’
They lapsed into silence again, and Claudine, assuming
an air of nonchalance, looked about her. They were on the
edge of the forest here, and there were several inviting
pathways leading into the trees.
‘Why are you making this so difficult?’ she asked
eventually.
His answering laugh was more of a sneer. ‘My dear girl,’
he said, ‘if you are expecting protestations of love and
promises of undying devotion, then I am afraid you are
going to be disappointed.’
‘I was expecting nothing of the kind,’ she snapped. But a
small interior voice told her that that wasn’t strictly true. I
Suddenly she had had enough and reaching up to remove
the pin from her hat, she shook out her curls, and started off
into the forest. Should he take it upon himself to come after
her, then maybe she would try again - providing he
apologised first, of course - but as it was, she really didn’t
see why she should put up with his rudeness any longer.
And so, hitching her skirt up over her knees and gripping
the branches to help her up the steep path, she climbed
higher and higher into the woods.
As she reached the brink of the hill the shadows gave way
to bright sunlight, and she found herself in a narrow
meadow from which there was the most magnificent view
over the next valley. Every hillside, for as far as the eye could
see, was covered with row upon row, acre upon acre of leafy
vines, and at the heart of the valley, where the river
shimmered and sparkled in the sunlight, was a cluster of tiny
cottages.
The unexpected and awe-inspiring spectacles of nature
never failed to move Claudine, and by the time Francois
came up behind her she was too delighted to bother about
his earlier unpleasantness, or to feel any satisfaction that he
had followed her again.
‘It’s so beautiful,’ she murmured.
‘I’m glad you like it,’ he said, coming to stand next to her.
‘And these are all your vineyards?’
‘Yes,’ he answered.
Every time he drew near her, she felt a thrill of such
excitement, such recklessness … She should be repulsed
by his ugliness, and yet… She could not make sense of
what she was feeling. Could it be fear? All she knew for
certain was that she found his physical presence deeply
disturbing, and she moved away from him, walking on
across the hilltop and gazing down at the unyielding
symmetry of the vines as the wind swept through her hair.
Far below she saw someone waving. She lifted her hat and waved back. ‘Who is it?’ she called out to Francois.
‘Armand,’ he answered, when he was close enough not to
have to
it is …’
He made no response to her unfinished sentence though
she stared furiously at him for several minutes. Then,
before she could give herself time to think, she had kicked
his foot from the wall so that he was suddenly ankle-deep in
the fountain. To hell with him, she thought, as she marched
angrily along the cobbled path. Then, hearing the slosh of
water as he drew his foot from the fountain, she started to
grin. She felt even better when she heard his footsteps
behind her, but she didn’t stop until she reached a nearby
lily pound, by which time her shoulders were shaking with
suppressed laughter.
‘I take it,’ he said, as he came to stand beside her, ‘that it is
your childish behaviour that so amuses you.’
‘Actually, no,’ she replied. ‘It’s your pomposity that so
amuses me. And after just these few minutes of knowing
you, I can already understand why Tante Celine dislikes you
so intensely.’
When she looked up into his face she could see that her
words had not succeeded in ruffling him at all, but when he
looked back at her she felt a horrible heat burn across her
cheeks, and turned quickly away.
‘Tell me,’ he said, ‘has Celine ever cared to enlarge upon
why she dislikes me so intensely?’
‘Are you going to tell me?’ she countered.
‘No.’
They lapsed into silence again, and Claudine, assuming
an air of nonchalance, looked about her. They were on the
edge of the forest here, and there were several inviting
pathways leading into the trees.
‘Why are you making this so difficult?’ she asked
eventually.
His answering laugh was more of a sneer. ‘My dear girl,’
he said, ‘if you are expecting protestations of love and
promises of undying devotion, then I am afraid you are
going to be disappointed.’
‘I was expecting nothing of the kind,’ she snapped. But a
small interior voice told her that that wasn’t strictly true. I
Suddenly she had had enough and reaching up to remove
the pin from her hat, she shook out her curls, and started off
into the forest. Should he take it upon himself to come after
her, then maybe she would try again - providing he
apologised first, of course - but as it was, she really didn’t
see why she should put up with his rudeness any longer.
And so, hitching her skirt up over her knees and gripping
the branches to help her up the steep path, she climbed
higher and higher into the woods.
As she reached the brink of the hill the shadows gave way
to bright sunlight, and she found herself in a narrow
meadow from which there was the most magnificent view
over the next valley. Every hillside, for as far as the eye could
see, was covered with row upon row, acre upon acre of leafy
vines, and at the heart of the valley, where the river
shimmered and sparkled in the sunlight, was a cluster of tiny
cottages.
The unexpected and awe-inspiring spectacles of nature
never failed to move Claudine, and by the time Francois
came up behind her she was too delighted to bother about
his earlier unpleasantness, or to feel any satisfaction that he
had followed her again.
‘It’s so beautiful,’ she murmured.
‘I’m glad you like it,’ he said, coming to stand next to her.
‘And these are all your vineyards?’
‘Yes,’ he answered.
Every time he drew near her, she felt a thrill of such
excitement, such recklessness … She should be repulsed
by his ugliness, and yet… She could not make sense of
what she was feeling. Could it be fear? All she knew for
certain was that she found his physical presence deeply
disturbing, and she moved away from him, walking on
across the hilltop and gazing down at the unyielding
symmetry of the vines as the wind swept through her hair.
Far below she saw someone waving. She lifted her hat and waved back. ‘Who is it?’ she called out to Francois.
‘Armand,’ he answered, when he was close enough not to
have to
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