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The CBB -> Ste Therese's House

#1: A light at the end of the tunnel Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 7:01 pm
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This got lost in the hacking, and I never got round to reposting, mainly because it's on my dinosaur of a computer and needs to be typed up again. However, the summer is here, and so I thought I'd give it a go. The earlier parts, Once Bitten, Twice Shy and It's not what I expected, can be found in the archives.

As Gill sat by his bed, she prayed for Armand's life to be spared. He had suffered a heart attack whilst they were out for a walk the previous week, and he had been in the San ever since. He looked really ill, his skin positively grey and his face lined with pain. He had had a second heart attack the previous day and now the doctors had admitted that he would not survive a third one. Gill spent every possible moment at his bedside, terrified by the idea of losing him, unable to comprehend what her life could be without him. He had been her best friend, her lover, her husband, her whole world, for the previous twenty years and it did not seem nearly long enough. When people celebrated golden wedding anniversaries, it seemed cruel that he might not live long enough to celebrate their twentieth anniversary, which would be in a few short months time. At a time when it was not uncommon for people to live into their eighties and beyond, it seemed so unfair that Armand would never reach even sixty. He was far too young to die and she was far too weak to go on without him.
Gill thought back over the years they had spent together. They had had some difficult times, but they had also had a lot of happiness together. They had four beautiful children, the twins, Louis and Arminel, now eighteen, and Héloise, who was sixteen, and finally Genevieve, the youngest, who was just eleven. Louis was the image of his father, a reliable and sensible young man, completely without ambition. He had been at school in Interlaken and had excelled at nothing, yet done well enough at everything. He had left school and got a job in a bank. Arminel, clever and determined, was spending a year at St. Mildred's, the Chalet School finishing branch, before heading to the prestigious Paris medical school and, following in her father's footsteps, becoming a doctor. Héloise was still unsure of what she wanted to do when she finished school, but she was much like Gill herself, a steady worker, quiet and reliable and sensible. Genevieve was still little more than a baby, adored by her siblings and involved in all the activities offered by the school, without any thought of the future at all.
Armand squeezed her hand gently and Gill blinked back her tears before leaning over him. "I'm here," she told him unnecessarily.
"Gill," he said softly, for talking tired him, "I just want to tell you...don't be sad after I'm gone."
"You are not going to be gone," she said forcefully.
"You are young," he reminded her. "Enjoy yourself. And tell the children I love them."
The tears spilled over onto Gill's cheeks. "No Armand," she said, her voice breaking.
"I love you," he told her, his voice little more than a whisper.
"I love you," she repeated as he closed his eyes.
She gently touched his face, knowing that he found it soothing, and was rewarded with the ghost of a smile. For a moment it seemed as though he had fallen asleep again, but then Gill realised that the steady rise and fall of his chest had stopped. Somehow he had managed to slip away from her. With a howl, she laid her head on his chest and held him tightly, as if she was scared that someone would try to drag her away from him.
She did not know how long she stayed clinging to Armand, like a drowning sailor clinging to a life belt, but in the end she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw that Jack Maynard had arrived.
"Louis is on his way," he told her gently. "I hope you don't mind that I called him."
"No, I don't mind," she said, almost beyond caring what happened to her. She turned and stumbled from the room, almost blinded by tears. She cannoned into someone in the corridor, unsure of where she was going or what she should be doing.
The man took her arm and steadied her. "Are you all right?" he asked, obviously thinking that he had upset her by barging into her so rudely.
"Yes," she answered distractedly. "No."
"I'm sorry," he told her. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I've just had some bad news."
Gill managed not to blurt out that she really didn't care in the slightest. "My husband has just died," she told him angrily. "I really don't need your apologies."
"My wife died this morning," he told her quietly. "I'm sorry about your husband."
Gill was suddenly filled with compassion for the stranger. After all, she knew only too well just how he would be feeling. He looked white faced and shocked and desperately unhappy, and she guessed she probably looked pretty much the same. "I'm sorry too," she told him, then she turned away and went to sit in the waiting room, although she was not really sure what she would be waiting for. She buried her face in her hands and let her tears run unchecked, wondering if it were possible to die of a broken heart. And she knew that this was only the beginning of the misery and grief and sorrow. Now she had to get through an endless succession of long, dark days and even longer, darker nights, without the comfort of Armand's presence. It had seemed empty at home while he had been in the hospital, but at least she had been able to visit him. She had known that she would be able to take the short walk to the San and then she would be able to sit with him and gaze upon his beloved face. Now, though, she was deprived even of that. He would never speak to her again, never touch her again, never look at her in that way he had, which made her feel as though she were the most special person in the whole world.
"They told me that it does get better," the stranger said, awkwardly patting her shoulder. "I can't imagine how, though."
"Neither can I," she sobbed. "What do you do when you lose everything?"
"I don't know," he said, sounding just as helpless as she felt. "I guess you just struggle on from day to day. Maybe even from minute to minute. She's been gone for two hours and twenty-six minutes now. I can still hear her voice in my mind, and I'm scared to stop thinking about her in case it goes. What will I do when I can't hear her any more?"
"Mum!"
Gill looked up and saw Armand coming towards her. She leaped to her feet then realised that it was not Armand but Louis, her strong and dependable son. Although she had been a firm believer in keeping a stiff upper lip in front of the children, she just could not manage to check her tears. Louis did not seem bothered by her show of emotion, however, for he put his arms around her and patted her back comfortingly.
"They told me about Papa," he said at last, his voice reminding her of how young he really was.
Gill recalled that she was the parent, the strong one, and she hugged him closely. "Oh, Louis, I'm so glad you are here," she said. "I think we need to be together now. Shall we go and collect the girls from school?"
"I nearly went to fetch Arminel," Louis told her, "but I wondered if you wanted to tell her."
Gill released Louis and turned to the man to whom she had been talking, but he had gone. She put an arm through Louis' arm and together they left the San, heading off to St. Mildred's in Louis' little car. Miss Grantley, the head of St. Mildred's, had obviously already heard the news, and agreed that Arminel could be excused indefinitely. A maid was dispatched to summon Arminel to the office, and Miss Grantley tactfully withdrew, so that Gill could break the news to her daughter privately.

Last edited by Fatima on Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:01 pm; edited 20 times in total

#2: Author: Becky, Location: Newport, South Wales, UK

Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 8:02 pm
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Enjoyed this first time round, even though it was so sad! Good to read it again, Becky.

#3: Author: Alex, Location: Cambs, UK

Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 10:25 am
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Thank you Very Happy

#4: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 2:13 pm
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There was a knock at the door, and then it opened to admit a slight, auburn haired girl.
"It's Papa, isn't it?" said Arminel as she walked into the room. She looked from her mother to her brother and they had no need to tell her what had happened. All Arminel's self assurance crumbled and she flung herself into Gill's arms, reducing Gill to tears again, too.
Louis dug his hands deeper into his pockets, biting his lip so that the tears that were threatening to flow down his cheeks would not materialise. "Shall we go?" he asked them in a gruff voice.
"We have to collect Heloise and Genevieve," Gill told Arminel.
"Can I see him?" asked Arminel in the kind of voice she always used when she had no intention of letting anyone stand in her way.
"Yes," agreed Gill, knowing it would be better for them all to have the chance to say goodbye to their father. With an arm around Arminel, Gill followed Louis out to the car and they drove on to the Chalet School. Mrs. Entwhistle also seemed to be expecting them, and again, the girls were promptly called from their lessons. Heloise and Genevieve both looked nervous as they appeared in the Head Mistress' office, then more nervous still as they discovered that Gill and Louis were there. Arminel had elected to remain in the car, not wishing to face anyone until she had had more time to come to terms with her grief.
"Mum!" exclaimed Genevieve. "I didn't know you were here!"
"Hello," said Gill, giving them a watery smile. She hugged Genevieve and held a hand out to Heloise. "I'm sorry," she went on resolutely. "It's Papa. He...he's..." Gill's voice trailed off, for she did not know how to put it into words.
"He died this morning," Louis said softly.
Heloise did not look surprised, for she had realised how ill he had been for the past week, but Genevieve looked genuinely shocked. "But how can he have done?" she demanded. "He's too young."
Gill felt that she could not argue with such reasoning; Armand was far too young to have died. "He wasn't well, Jen," she said quietly. "Come on, let's go home."
They made it out to the car again without encountering anyone, and Louis drove them back to their home. Since Gill had been expecting Genevieve they had moved from their first home to a larger chalet, needing a place with four bedrooms, but it was still close to the school, the San and St. Mildred's. Louis parked outside and they went into the sitting room and sat down, Gill on the settee with Genevieve cuddled tightly against her. Louis sat in an armchair and Heloise perched on the arm beside him; he had always been very protective of her, as Arminel was fiercely independent and did not need him defending her. Arminel herself stood by the window, gazing unseeingly out across the familiar landscape.
"We'll have to take him back to France," said Gill at last. "He wanted to go back."
She gave a shudder at the thought of trying to arrange a flight, of packing all their cases and somehow trying to deal with all the administrative details of transporting Armand's body back to his homeland. She knew, for they had discussed it, that he wished to be buried in the same cemetery as his parents and brother-in-law, Pierre, but gill had no idea how she would go about getting him home. Then she recalled the big funeral that they had held for Pierre, and felt like hiding from it all. How would she be able to cope with a whole host of Armand's friends and relatives coming up and telling her how sorry they were, and recalling tales of his youth for her? It was all just too awful to contemplate.
"Shall I phone Tante Monique for you?" asked Arminel. She had turned from the window and was coming to sit on the arm of the settee, sliding an arm around Gill's shoulders. "I'd like to help, Mum."
"Thank you," said Gill, "but I think I should do that."
"We'll pack," said Louis.
Gill knew that they all wanted to help her, but she could not even think what she ought to do herself, let alone assign tasks for them. She just wanted to sit with them, not talking, just drawing strength from their presence, and definitely not thinking about anything. She could not think what to say, because she just wanted to tell them how much she missed him already and how lonely she felt even though they were there with her.
When the phone rang they were all startled. Arminel got up and went over to answer it, her voice surprisingly steady. "It's Onkel Hans," she told them.
Gill kissed Genevieve's smooth dark hair and gently sat her up, before going over to speak to Hans. "Hello," she said, trying to sound normal and casual.
"Hello Gill," answered Hans. "I'm so sorry my dear. What can I do to help you?"
"I don't know," she said, digging her fingernails into the palm of her hand to stop herself from bursting into tears.
"I'll arrange the flights to France for you. Helene and I will come with you, so that you don't have to do it all alone."
"Thanks you, Hans," she said, her voice breaking.
"Shall I send Helene round to you?" he asked. "You shouldn't be alone now."
"The children are here."
"Helene's here and she says she'll come now if you want her to."
Gill was not sure whether she wanted to see anyone or not, but it was difficult to explain that to Hans. "All right," she said. "Goodbye."

#5: Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock

Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 3:36 pm
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I think I may have missed this the first time round, so thanks for reposting, Becky.

#6: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 4:07 pm
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Helene arrived half an hour later. The children disappeared off upstairs and Gill and Helene went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Gill deliberately made her own tea in Armand's mug, as if it would bring him closer to her. They sat together at the kitchen table and Gill turned to look helplessly at Helene.
"What am I going to do?" she asked sorrowfully. "I just don't know what to do."
Helene reached out and took her hand. The two women had been friends for so many years and had helped and supported each other through good times and bad, but never anything as dreadful as this. "You don't have to do anything yet," Helene said quietly. "You just have to get through the day. Tomorrow we'll go to France and you can be quiet and alone or you can sit and talk, as you like. We'll take it day by day."
Gill felt the tears running down her cheeks again. Helene reached out to take her hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "He wanted to go back home," she said.
"Hans is going to sort it out." Helene passed Gill her handkerchief. "Cry all you want to," she said. "It's far better to cry than to bottle it all up." She moved her chair closer to Gill's and put her arm around her friend's shoulders.
Resting her head on her arms, Gill gave up trying to stop the tears from falling and sobbed broken-heartedly. Helene, who was Armand's cousin, was soon in tears too, and the two women held one another closely and cried until there were no more tears left to shed. Their tea was cold and their heads ached, but somehow they did feel just a tiny bit better. Gill gave her friend a watery smile, seeing Helene's eyes were as red and puffy as she knew her own would be.
Genevieve came back to the kitchen, also looking as if she had been crying, and Gill drew her onto her lap, for Genevieve was as slight as Arminel.
"It's all right to cry," she reassured her daughter, kissing the tear-stained cheeks.
"But it's not fair," said Genevieve, sounding angry. "Why couldn't they make him better? They could have given him medicine and kept him alive. It's not right that they should let him die."
"They did give him medicine," Gill assured her. "They did all they could, but he was very sick. I know it's not fair, but we just have to accept it."
Genevieve buried her head against Gill's shoulder as Helene went to make more tea. Gill held her closely, recalling the delight that Armand had felt when he had discovered that Gill was expecting Genevieve and how happy he had looked the first time he held his third daughter. He had been a wonderful father and it seemed awful that Genevieve had had so few years to spend with him.
As the day crawled by, Arminel and Heloise tried to make sandwiches, but no one felt very hungry. They drank lots of tea but just could not make themselves eat anything. Hans came in the evening with their tickets for the flight the next day and assured them that all the paperwork had been taken care of and that Gill need worry about nothing. All she had to do was get herself and the children packed and then Hans would collect them and take them to Berne to catch the flight. Helene would accompany them, along with their daughter Chantal and Hans would join them in France just before the funeral. He would collect their son Karl from his school in Berne and bring him to France as well. Once Helene had gone home, Gill and the children finished packing and then Genevieve went to bed. Heloise followed not long after, and finally the twins went, leaving Gill to walk slowly upstairs and into her own room. It felt the same as previous evenings, almost as if Armand was still at the San, until she climbed into bed. As she laid her head on the pillow, Gill found herself overwhelmed with grief once more and she cried herself to sleep.

#7: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 9:42 am
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The next day they went to Berne with Hans and caught the flight to Nice. Monique, Armand's sister, and her husband, Andre, met them at the airport and took them back to their lovely home, set high on the cliffs outside Nice. Monique's son Pierre took his cousins off to their rooms and helped them to settle in, while Gill and Helene went to the conservatory with Monique. Monique pulled Gill onto the settee at her side and Gill clung to her friend, knowing from years of experience how comforting Monique's presence was.
"How do you cope with it?" she asked her friend, for Monique's first husband had died tragically young and somehow Monique had survived the heartbreak and gone on to be happy once more.
"It takes a long time," said Monique, knowing that her words would not bring Gill much comfort when her grief was still so raw. "It's really hard in the beginning, but it does get better, honestly. It just doesn't seem like it for such a long time." She knew how close Gill and Armand had been, far closer than she had been with Pierre, and knew that Gill would find it much more difficult to get back on with her life again. She and Armand had been all in all to each other, seldom arguing and always completely happy in each other's company. "He wouldn't want you to fret, Gill," added Monique.
"He told me not to," admitted Gill. "But I just can't stop myself. I just can't imagine getting through a week without seeing him, let alone the rest of my life."
Monique patted Gill's shoulder. "Let's just worry about getting through the next few days," she suggested practically. "I've had the spare room made up for you, if you don't want to sleep in Armand's room."
"No, I'll be better in his room," said Gill. "It might make him feel closer."
The children returned at this point, all rather subdued and not the noisy happy crowd they usually were. Genevieve sat down next to Gill; it was as if she could not bear to let her mother out of her sight for very long in case she was to lose her, too.
Monique made everyone eat their dinner and then dispatched the children off for a long walk along the beach. Gill, who had been looking rather exhausted, she sent to bed with strict instructions to stay there until the next day. Gill went upstairs and into the room that had been Armand's from the time he moved out of the nursery. It was very comfortable and had obviously been tidied since their last visit, for it was immaculately neat. Gill changed for bed and then wandered into the sitting room, thinking back over the years and recalling some of their many visits to the lovely house. She had been very happy there, for Armand's family had welcomed her with open arms and she had loved them dearly in return.
Life in Armand's family home was always unhurried and peaceful. It was a wonderful place to be if you were in need of some solace in your life. Gill recalled her first visit to the house, just after surviving the avalanche that killed Monique's husband. She had been very upset and the tranquility she had found in the house had helped her to recover from that traumatic day. When she had suffered from dreadful post-natal depression following the birth of the twins, Armand had taken her back to his family home and the loving care she had received from Monique had gone a long way to helping her get back on her feet again.
Gill wandered back into the bedroom and climbed between the sheets. She put her head on the pillow and remembered how Armand had come to the Gornetz Platz on the day she was due to marry Hans, and had persuaded her to marry him instead. They had returned to France and they had been so happy together in the beautiful house while they planned their wedding. Gill rolled over and buried her face in the pillow, crying herself to sleep again.

Armand's funeral was held in the same big church where they had held the funeral of his parents and Pierre. Gill felt very miserable as she dressed and pulled on a hat with a black veil, glad that she would be able to hide behind it for the duration of the service. She went downstairs and waited in the hall for the children to join her. Arminel and Chantal arrived together, for they were sharing a room. Gill thought how lovely the two girls looked together. They were both slim and of similar heights. Chantal had long blonde hair and Arminel's hair was just the same length, but was a lovely warm, auburn colour. Gill knew that they both turned heads when they went out together. They came down arm in arm, followed by Genevieve, who looked uncomfortable in her new black dress. Gill held out her hand to her youngest daughter and managed to smile at Genevieve as she took it.
Gradually the members of the family gathered in the hall. Andre, Hans and Louis went to get the cars from the garage, and everyone got in and they drove to the church together. Gill was amazed when they arrived to find the church packed to overflowing. She had not realised just how well respected and liked Armand had been, for he had been a very private sort of person, who preferred to spend time with his family rather than a big circle of friends. However, there were evidently an awful lot of people who wished to pay their last respects to him.
As they walked up the aisle, Gill was grateful to Louis for holding her arm and helping her to the empty front pew. It was very difficult to work out where to go and what to do, for her eyes were fixed on the coffin at the front of the church and she could not concentrate on anything else. Seeing it made the whole dreadful week seem more real somehow, more than just a particularly vivid nightmare from which she would eventually awaken. By the time that they had sat down Monique was sobbing and so were the girls. Chantal and Arminel were still holding onto each other's arms, and Louis had his other arm around Heloise, while Genevieve was clutching Gill's arm so tightly Gill thought she might end up with the marks of her fingers imprinted on her skin. Gill stared at the coffin, hardly noticing what was happening in the church. She heard none of the readings and only a few words of Hans' eulogy. It came as a shock when it was time to leave the church, for Gill had not realised that the service was over. Louis was holding her arm, though, and gently drawing her out of the pew and back down the aisle. They climbed back into the cars and drove slowly along behind the hearse all the way back to the cemetery.
When Armand and Gill had discussed being buried, it all seemed so far in the future, something that it was sensible to plan for but that needn't really be thought about. Armand had wanted to be buried near his family's home, and Gill had wanted to be buried with him. He had arranged for a plot of land in the cemetery to be put aside for them, and Gill had not expected to have to worry about it for many years. The small convoy drove into the cemetery and a short while later the coffin was lowered into the ground. As they began to throw earth into the grave, Monique turned and walked back to the car, clutching her husband's arm and weeping. The others followed them, and Louis turned to Gill. She did not really wish to go, for she knew that once she left Armand it would be for the last time.
"Come on, Mum," said Louis, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I'll bring you back here tomorrow if you like."
Gill nodded, and allowed him to lead her back to the car. She climbed into the back and stared out of the window without actually seeing anything of the countryside through which they were driving. It came as something of a surprise to her when they returned to the house and Louis was opening the door and helping her out of the car. She noticed how many cars were parked around the house and shuddered at the thought of having to meet so many people. She wondered if she could slip away upstairs and avoid them all, for she did not want to hear anyone telling her how sorry they were that Armand was dead and how wonderful he had been. She already knew that and hearing lots of people saying it over and over would not change a thing. He was gone and she was alone.

In the end the wake was not too bad. Monique was well respected and well liked in the neighbourhood, and it was to her that most of the guests came. Gill was not well known, and although she could feel lots of eyes upon her, they mostly left her alone, as if realising that her self-control was very fragile and anyone who spoke to her might inadvertently trigger a flood of tears. The children soon disappeared, going off to the beach together, and once they had gone the party started to break up. Finally Gill was left with Monique and Helene and their husbands, so they sat quietly in the conservatory together, drinking tea and trying not to look at the empty seat that should have been occupied by Armand.
When she had finished her tea, Gill excused herself and disappeared off to bed, feeling even lonelier than she had been feeling all week. Now that the funeral was over there was nothing involving Armand to look forward to. All that lay ahead of her was a long life of missing him. Gill lay awake for a long time, realising that she had somehow managed not to cry all day. She had seen herself in the mirror and she looked deathly pale and wide eyed, but somehow she had contrived to keep a stiff upper lip. Now, though, lying alone in the darkness, the tears came again, and she sobbed into the pillow until her head ached.
Afterwards, she sat up and wiped her eyes, thinking of the offer that Monique had made - she and the children should leave Switzerland and come and live in France with Monique and Andre. They had not discussed it with the children, but Gill already knew what they would think. Louis would tell her that he was going to find some lodgings in Interlaken and remain there, for he was happy at work and would not wish to move to another country and start all over again in his search for employment. Arminel would want to remain at St. Mildred's and would merely say that she would become a boarder and stay there. Heloise and Genevieve could be placed at schools near Monique's house, but they would not necessarily wish to leave the Chalet School. In fact, it would probably be very bad to take them away from the school, as they did not need any more upheaval in their lives. Genevieve had become very clingy and Gill knew that she would find it very difficult to adjust to another big change. She should continue to attend the Chalet School, carrying on as usual in order to help her feel more secure. Gill would have loved to abandon all her responsibilities and move to France and Monique's wonderfully comforting presence, but it would definitely be the wrong thing to do.
Seeing that it was late and that everyone was likely to be sleeping, Gill crept out of bed and went down to the kitchen to make some more tea. Since Armand had died, she had drunk huge quantities of tea, but she really felt that it helped her to feel a little better. She took her cup into the conservatory and settled down in the comfortable armchair, resolutely banishing Armand from her thoughts and concentrating instead on the children. Their best interests would have to be carefully thought about now, so that they could get back on with their lives and adjust to Armand's death as fast as possible. She would have to put her own grief aside and throw herself into making everything as normal as possible for them. How she was to do that she was not certain, but somehow she would need to make sure that she kept herself very busy. If she filled all of her waking moments, she would have no time to think about the long and lonely years that lay ahead of her, and she would fall asleep as soon as she got into bed each night, too. Pleased with her decision, Gill finished her tea and went up to bed.

#8: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:55 pm
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So sad. Crying or Very sad

Thank goodness for the title.

Thank you, Fatima.

#9: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:51 am
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They travelled back to the Platz with Hans and Helene just two days after the funeral. The children had been out of school for ten days, and really needed to go back, or they would begin to fall too far behind with their work. Gill had found it very difficult returning to the chalet, as she found all of Armand's possessions exactly as they had been before he had had his heart attack, and she was left with the dreadful choice of leaving them for the time being and still feeling as if he might come home at any moment, or getting rid of them and thereby feeling as if he really was gone. She did not know which was more painful; constant reminders of him or nothing to remind her of him.
Arminel and Heloise, both pale and quiet, returned to school the following day. All three girls had attended the Chalet School as day pupils, for Gill had been adamant that she would not send her children away for even a week at a time. She wished to be involved in their lives on a daily basis, and had never liked the idea of packing them off to school for weeks on end. Louis had been a weekly boarder when he had started school in Interlaken, and Gill had missed him dreadfully. As there was no suitable establishment for older boys on the Platz, though, she had had no choice other than to let him go, but she did not intend to let the girls go.
Genevieve got up in the morning and appeared for breakfast still in her pyjamas. "I don't feel well," she told Gill, sounding very poorly and looking pale. "I have a stomach ache."
Anxiously Gill felt Genevieve's forehead and wished that Armand was there to advise her. He had been a pediatrician, and no one had ever tried feigning illness with him around. In fact, Arminel had frequently bemoaned the unfairness of having such a father, as it meant that one really had to be ill before one could skip school, and if one was ill, it was no fun staying at home anyhow. "You do look sick," Gill finally agreed. "Perhaps you'd better go back to bed."
Genevieve fled upstairs before her mother could change her mind. Gill sent the other two off and then went up to see Genevieve. She found her snuggled under the covers with a book, and just for a moment Gill wondered if Genevieve was only pretending to be ill. She sat down on the edge of the bed and gently smoothed Genevieve's glossy hair.
Genevieve smiled at Gill. "I'm sure I shall feel better if I lie quietly," she said. "Maybe I will even fancy some dinner."
"I hope you will," said Gill, with an answering smile. "I'm going to make your favourite chicken casserole. Do you think you'll feel well enough to walk to the shop with me in a while?"
Genevieve flung back the covers. "Yes, I think so," she said, sounding pleased.
Gill leaned down and kissed her, knowing that Genevieve should be sent to school, but feeling that it would be pleasant to have her company for just one more day. "We can go when I've got the washing out," she said.
An hour later they were walking to the shop, Genevieve skipping along in a manner that suggested there was very little wrong with her. "So why didn't you want to go to school today?" asked Gill suddenly.
Genevieve stopped skipping and slipped her hand through Gill's arm. "I was worried they would all want to talk about Papa," she admitted at once. "I don't want to talk about it with anyone."
"Why not?" Gill inquired.
"Because I might cry," she answered. "I don't want to cry like a baby in school."
"You can't hide away from everyone forever," said Gill. "You are going to have to face them soon, Jen. Just tell them that you don't want to talk about it, and I'm sure they will respect that."
Genevieve sighed. "Or I could just stay at home with you for another week or two," she suggested hopefully.
"No, darling, you can't do that," said Gill. "You will have to go back to school tomorrow."
Genevieve said nothing, but Gill guessed that she was thinking about pretending to be ill the next day, too. She realised that it would not be easy to deal with her youngest daughter, and she knew that she would have to brace herself for a difficult morning with Genevieve.
The next day Arminel and Heloise came down for breakfast and Heloise informed Gill that Genevieve was still in bed. Gill poured coffee for the two elder girls and set off upstairs to see what Genevieve was planning. She found her youngest child still in bed, huddled under the covers and looking very miserable.
"I'm not going to school," said Genevieve decisively.
"Yes, you are," answered Gill with equal firmness. "Get up and come down for breakfast," she added, pulling back the covers.
"I can't go back," said Genevieve pitifully. "I have a dreadful pain in my stomach and a headache, too."
Gill wished that she was possessed of Matey's wonderful way of dealing with recalcitrant girls. Surely she should be able to give Genevieve a certain 'look' and the result would be Genevieve leaping out of bed and going happily off to school. Gill sat down on the edge of the bed and drew Genevieve into her arms, feeling very sorry for the little girl. Gill herself had lost both parents young, and she knew how dreadful it was, but she also knew that children were resilient and would recover from the experience, perhaps better than one might expect.
"Jen, you have to go to school," she said gently. "I'll walk you there if you like."
"I'm not going," said Genevieve, clinging to Gill more tightly.
Gill kissed her dark hair. "You can get dressed and come with me, or I shall call Mrs. Entwhistle and she will send Matron over to collect you." She gently extricated herself from Genevieve's grip and stood up. "I shall see you downstairs in five minutes," she told her.
Arminel and Heloise were finishing their breakfast when she got downstairs. "Have some coffee, Mum," said Arminel, passing Gill a steaming cup. "Genevieve's being dreadful, isn't she? Is she coming to school?"
"Yes," said Gill, answering with more certainty than she felt. She sat down and gratefully sipped the coffee, wondering what she would do if Genevieve did not put in an appearance soon.
Fortunately Genevieve arrived amost exactly five minutes later, looking mutinous, but dressed in her school uniform. Gill gave her some milky coffee and croissants, which Genevieve ate without comment. Arminel and Heloise were ready to leave, waiting by the door with their bags by the time that Genevieve had finished her breakfast.
"Come on," said Arminel impatiently, for she had further to go than the other two girls and did not want to be late.
With very bad grace, Genevieve snatched up her school bag and flung it over her shoulder. "I'm ready," she growled.
Gill wondered if she should walk the girls to school after all, but she quickly decided against it. She did not want Genevieve to feel that she was being taken to school like a naughty little girl. She contented herself with kissing Genevieve with special warmth and wishing them all a good day, then watching as they set off down the path and along the road. Arminel and Heloise walked together, obviously deep in discussion about something, while Genevieve trailed behind them, still looking as if she was at odds with the world. With a sigh, Gill closed the door and went off to clear up the breakfast things.

As May became June, Genevieve seemed no more resigned to going to school than she had done on their return from France. She had to be coaxed out of bed almost every morning, and regularly told Gill that she had a stomach ache or a headache, or some other debilitating illness that meant she would be unable to go to school. Gill heard from Heloise that Genevieve had been in trouble several times for being cheeky to the mistresses and was also called before a prefects' meeting because she had been so rude to the games prefect at one of the tennis practices. As Genevieve herself had said nothing, Gill felt it was better to feign ignorance and hope that the school could sort it out without Gill being involved.
When Mrs. Entwhistle phoned Gill towards the end of term and asked her to come into the school to discuss Genevieve, Gill began to feel cross with Armand for leaving her to deal with the children alone. She missed him dreadfully, and cried herself to sleep every night, and still found herself thinking 'I must tell Armand about that' whenever something amusing or worrying happened. During the day she was able to put on a brave face, chatting with Helene or the children, visiting friends or talking to people she met around the Platz, but once she was alone at night, she invariably found herself missing Armand as much as ever. They had been so close for so long, sharing every part of each other'slives, that Gill was finding it incredibly difficult to adjust to being alone. If he had been there, she would have been able to discuss Genevieve with him, and he would have helped her come up with a solution to Genevieve's problems. They would have dealt with it together, as they did everything, and it would have been so much easier for them all.
Gill went to meet Mrs. Entwhistle a week before the end of term. She strolled along, enjoying the lovely sunny morning and the breathtaking view of the mountains that surrounded the Platz. She was unsure of exactly what Mrs. Entwhistle was planning to discuss with her, so she tried to keep an open mind. Genevieve had been finding it very difficult to adjust to life without Armand, and allowances should be made for her. Gill took a deep breath and turned into the drive of the Chalet School. She was soon outside Mrs. Entwhistle's office, being warmly greeted by Rosalie Dene.
"Hello Gill," she said, coming round the desk to shake Gill's hand. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," Gill lied with a smile. "How are you, Rosalie? Do you have any idea what this is about?"
Before Rosalie could answer, the door of the Head's office opened and Len Entwhistle appeared. "Hello Gill," she said, standing aside so that Gill could go in. "Thank you for coming. Rosalie, could you bring us some coffee, please?"
Gill smiled at Rosalie, recalling the days when she had done similar things for the Head of St. Mildred's. Rosalie grimaced back, once she was sure Len had turned away, leaving Gill to precede the Head into the office whilst trying not to laugh. Len waved Gill into the chair opposite her desk and sat down in her own seat. She smiled at Gill, obviously trying to put her at her ease.
"How are things going now?" Len asked.
"Fine," said Gill again. SHe had lost count of how many times a week she told everyone that she was fine, and that everything was all right, but saying that certainly did not convince her that she was coping well. She could only hope that they were all taken in by her lies. "What did you you want to tell me about Genevieve, Len?"
"I'm sorry," said Len, "But she has failed all her end of year exams. She hardly bothered to answer most of them, and she really doesn't seem interested in being at school at all."
Gill was rather taken aback to hear that. She knew that Genevieve had developed a rather negative attitude to school, but she had not realised how bad things were. At home Genevieve had continued to do her homework, and whenever Gill had checked it, it had been done well enough. "Heloise told me that Genevieve has been in trouble with both the staff and the prefects," admitted Gill. "I didn't get involved, though, because Genevieve didn't say anything about it to me. She doesn't like to come to school since...any more." Gill sighed, wondering why she was seldom able to mention Armand's name in conversation. Perhaps Gill's own problems in coming to terms with her grief were responsible for Genevieve's obvious difficulty in coping with her own feelings following the death of her father.
"I don't want to keep Genevieve down next year," Len went on, realising that Gill was getting upset. "I know that she is capable of the work if we promote her, but she really needs to have passed most of the exams first."
Rosalie arrived with the coffee at that point, and Gill gratefully put a big spoonful of sugar into her cup and stirred it vigorously. She sipped the steaming brew, hardly noticing that it burnt her tongue, only knowing that she had to get a grip on herself. After all, Armand had been gone for almost two months now, and she really should be coping better with it all. Suddenly she recalled the stranger she had met at the San on the day that Armand had died, and wondered if he still knew exactly how many days and hours and minutes ago his wife had died. Gill also knew exactly how many days ago it was that Armand had died, but she never told anyone that.
"Perhaps Genevieve could retake the most important exams," suggested Len. "If she will agree to make more of an effort with them, that is."
"Thank you," replied Gill, now that the immediate danger of tears had passed. "I hope that wouldn't be too inconvenient for you all. I know how busy everyone is at this time of year."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Len told her at once. "I feel so sorry for Genevieve, struggling to come to terms wiht everything and still being expected to carry on as normal."
Gill entirely sympathised with that, as she always felt as though she had to carry on as normal, not just for the children, but for all of her friends and aquaintances, nearly all of whom seemed to have almost forgotten that Gill had ever been married at all. Thinking back to her own childhood, Gill knew that it had been difficult to come to terms with the loss of her parents, and that she and her brothers and sisters continued to talk about them; on the rare occasions that she met up with them, they still did. Louis, Arminel and Heloise also talked about Armand, but Genevieve was generally silent.
Gill drank some more of her coffee, wondering when things would get easier for her. "It's just so difficult," she found herself saying. "We miss him so much and it just doesn't get any better."
Len looked across at her, her eyes full of sympathy. "I remember when my father died," she said softly. "It took so long for us to even begin to deal with it and we were far older than Genevieve is."
"I'm sorry," said Gill, pulling out her hanky and feeling somewhat embarrassed. When she first met Len, that dignified lady had been a tiny person of about three years old; it did not seem appropriate to break down and cry in front of her, however kind she might be.
"You don't need to apologise," Len said at once. "Here, have some more coffee."
Gill accepted more coffee and managed to compose herself again.
"I think we should send for Genevieve and hear what she has to say for herself," said Len, seeing that Gill was back in control of herself again.
"Yes," Gill agreed.
Len pressed the intercom on her desk and asked Rosalie to have Genevieve sent to the office. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Genevieve appeared, dropping the regulation curtsey and then noticing her mother sitting opposite the Head Mistress.
"Mum!" she exclaimed, rather forgetting that the Head Mistress was there. "What are you doing here?"
"Genevieve," said Len, every inch the formidable Head of a large school.
Despite her recent cheek to all and sundry, Genevieve was sufficiently in awe of Mrs. Entwhistle to be polite. "Sorry," she muttered, her cheeks pink.
"We called for you to tell you that your exam results were far from satisfactory," continued Mrs. Entwhistle.
Genevieve looked down at the carpet and Gill felt really sorry for her.
"We can't promote you into Lower Third if you haven't passed your exams," Len went on.
Gill, who was watching her youngest daughter carefully, thought she saw a flicker of hope flash across her face and wondered exactly what was going on in Genevieve's mind.
"So we have two choices," said Len. "We can keep you in Upper Second for next year, or you can re-sit your exams and actually make the effort to pass them."
"You aren't going to expel me?" asked Genevieve, finally abandoning her examination of her shoes. Gill noticed that she sounded rather disappointed to hear that.
"No," Len told her. "We haven't considered that at all."
Genevieve burst into tears and threw herself at Gill. "I only did it because I wanted to be expelled," she wept.
"Why on earth would you want to be expelled?" asked Gill, rather surprised by the way things were going.
"Then I could stay at home with you all the time," answered Genevieve, her voice somewhat muffled by Gill's shoulder. "I hate leaving you every day."
"Why?" asked Gill.
"I'm worried that you will get sick and die just like Papa did," said Genevieve, sobbing so much now that it was difficult to make out exactly what she was saying.
As the tears started rolling down Gill's face, Len stood up and tactfully left the room. Gill cuddled Genevieve more closely and kissed her, wondering what she could say to comfort the unhappy child. For a while they just held each other and cried until Gill felt that it would make Genevieve ill if she carried on for much longer. Gill gently sat her up and looked seriously at her.
"I think it's quite unlikely that I will get sick and die," she told Genevieve seriously.
"But Papa did," said Genevieve. "I miss him so much, Mum."
Gill wiped away the tears that were still rolling down Genevieve's pale cheeks. "So do I," she said softly. "All the time."
Genevieve flung her arms around Gill's neck and kissed her. "But you still have us," she said consolingly.
"I know, and it's a big comfort to me," Gill assured her. "Now, what about those exams? Will you re-sit them or will you stay in Upper Second next term."
"Can I re-sit them?" asked Genevieve doubtfully. "Isn't Mrs. Entwhistle fearfully angry with me?"
"I think you mean 'may I re-sit them'," Gill suggested, which got a smile from Genevieve. "And yes, you may. Mrs. Entwhistle has alread said that you could, if you promised to do them properly."
"I will do them properly," Genevieve promised solemnly. "I want to go to Lower Third. Unless you will let me stay at home with you, that is," she added hopefully. "I'd help you with the housework and the cooking if you would let me."
Gill smiled. "I won't be letting you stay at home, Jen. You need to have a good education, darling, and I think you would soon be bored at home. But any time you want to help me with the housework you only have to say. I can always find some cleaning or ironing or something for you to do."
Genevieve finally managed a chuckle. She threw her arms around Gill again and hugged her. "I do love you, Mum," she said, "and I'm sorry I've been such a beast."

#10: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 8:21 pm
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I'm not sure if anyone's actually reading this, but here's the next part.

Genevieve re-sat her exams and passed most of them with flying colours. Arminel passed her exams, too, and was due to start her course at medical school in September. She was thrilled about it, and a little nervous about going so far from home, but Gill knew that she would be fine. She would work hard and enjoy herself, but not go completely wild with all the unaccustomed freedom. Louis promised that he would visit her some weekends, and assured Gill that he would check out all her friends and make sure she was behaving herself.
Once school finished, the children spent a fortnight enjoying themselves on the Platz. They lay in bed in the morning, helped Gill with the housework and went off with their friends, walking and talking, drinking coffee in the cafes and sometimes going to Interlaken in Louis' car to visit the cinema or to go shopping. The weather was lovely and Gill thought how much better they all looked, with their tanned skin and smiling faces. She knew they were still grieving, for they often sought her out for quiet conversations about their father, but they were beginning to come to terms with their grief.
They travelled to France in mid-July, for their usual summer holiday with Monique and Andre. Hans was busy at the San, but Helene, Chantal and Kurt came with them, and they continued their relaxed holiday lifestyle when they reached Nice. Gill was actually quite relieved that Hans did not manage to come to France to join them, for it meant that Armand's absence was not quite as noticeable. Monique and Helene were as wonderful as ever, arranging shopping expeditions and quiet dinner parties for Gill, and livelier beach parties for the children, so that everyone was able to enjoy the summer holiday.
In quieter moments, Monique and Gill walked in the garden and talked about Armand, and Gill was relieved when she found that Monique still missed Armand terribly, even though she had not seen him all that often in recent years. They had been very close, though, and Monique admitted that she still felt as though she had lost part of herself.
"That's just how I feel," said Gill, slipping her hand through Monique's arm. "It's like he's taken a piece of me with him and I shall never be whole again."
"I know you will be," said Monique with certainty. "It's going to take time, but in the end you will be just fine. You are very strong, Gill."
Gill sighed. "I don't feel very strong," she said. "I feel old and sad and weak most of the time."
Monique laughed at that, for Gill certainly did not look old; she was still slim and attractive and looked hardly a day older than when Armand had first brought her to their home so many years ago. "That's how I felt after Pierre died," she said, becoming serious again. "If it hadn't been for Sophie, I think I could have lain down beside him and died, too. But now I am glad I didn't, because I'm happy with Andre. He's not Pierre, but I'm still happy." Monique could tell that Gill was not convinced, so she let the subject drop, talking instead about her plans to hold a beach party at the weekend for the children and their friends.

They returned to the Platz in August, so that they would have time to get Arminel ready to go to Paris. They shopped in Interlaken and even had a trip to Berne to buy some new clothes for her, and by the time term was due to start, Arminel was all set to head off to Paris and a new life at college. Héloise and Genevieve were back at school, so Gill arranged for them to spend the night in school while she took Arminel to Paris and got her settled there. They flew to Paris and Arminel was very excited as they reached her lodgings, in a big building owned by a friend of Monique's. Other medical students were also lodging there, so Arminel would be near people she would be studying with, and Monique's friend would be able to keep an eye on her, so Gill would not need to worry about her too much.
As she left Paris, Gill felt surprisingly emotional. Arminel had been confident that she would settle down happily and get on well on her own, but when they had said goodbye, Gill noticed that Arminel hugged her extra tightly and that her eyes had been glistening with tears. Gazing out of the window of the plane, Gill could not stop the tears from rolling down her own cheeks as she thought how small her family would feel now that Arminel was gone, too. Resolutely she told herself that Arminel would be very happy in Paris, following her dream of becoming a doctor, and she was sensible enough to look after herself. Besides, Monique's friend would be there to keep an eye on her, and she would call Monique if Arminel needed anything.
Genevieve, promoted to Lower Third with her friends, seemed much happier. She and Héloise missed Arminel, but soon got used to organising themselves rather than letting Arminel decide what they would do with their free time. In school, Héloise reported that Genevieve was behaving well and only got into trouble when her desk was so untidy that she could not find her homework on the day it was due to be handed in.
"Just like Papa," Héloise had said with a chuckle, and Gill had laughed too, talking about Armand for the first time without wanting to weep.

#11: Author: PaulineS, Location: West Midlands

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 8:34 pm
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Of course it is being read. I am enjoying it in a sad way, if that is not too confused.

#12: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:04 pm
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Nice that they had a good holiday -- and that Gill is starting to be able to remember without tears. They all need time....

Thank you, Fatima.

#13: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:24 pm
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Thank you for pandering to my insecurities!

The weather changed, autumn became winter and the snow fell. Before they knew it, December had arrived and Gill started making preparations for Christmas. She shopped in Interlaken and wrapped everything up and hid it in her bedroom while the girls were still at school. Term ended in Paris, and Arminel came home, looking just the same, yet seeming so grown up. She was delighted with her course and doing very well, but still finding time to go out with a big group of friends and have fun in the lovely French capital. Louis had arranged his holiday to include a whole week off, which he planned to spend at home, relaxing with his mother and sisters. Everyone was looking forward to the festive season, but at the back of her mind Gill could not escape a feeling of painful sadness, knowing how she would miss Armand even more over Christmas.
Christmas cards arrived from England, from Gill's family, along with lengthy letters telling her about her nieces and nephews. To Gill's surprise there was a card from Scotland, too, addressed to her care of the San; opening it she found a simple message neatly written inside. It merely said: 'Thinking of you at this time' and was signed Alex Fraser. Gill was completely puzzled by the card. She had absolutely no idea who Alex Fraser was, so she put the card up on the shelf with the others and forgot all about it.
As Christmas day approached, the children seemed excited, even Arminel and Louis, who would celebrate their nineteenth birthdays on that day. Genevieve seemed to be just about back to her old self, dancing around excitedly, getting in everyone's way and singing carols at the top of her voice. Gill was glad that she was so cheerful, and did her best to make them all believe that she was just as happy as they were, even though she had started to dread Christmas day. With Armand, they had always gone to church early and then come home for breakfast. He had helped her prepare the lunch and they had opened their Christmas presents. After dinner they generally turned the focus to the twins and celebrated their birthdays, winding up with a birthday tea held so late in the day it was more like supper. It was a busy day, but always fun, and Armand always found time to play games with the children or take them out for a run in the snow, making sure that the day was as enjoyable as he could possibly make it.
Louis did his best to take Armand's place, bringing Gill an early morning cup of coffee and carving the turkey in rather uneven slices. He looked so much like Armand that Gill found it almost painful to see him with Genevieve, their heads bent over a book she had received about ancient Egypt. Otherwise the day went well. The children were thrilled with their presents and had made a big effort to spoil Gill, giving her a box of her favourite chocolates and a bottle of perfume, and a book she had mentioned several weeks earlier, but had never got around to buying for herself. Finally, just before he went to bed, Louis put another parcel into his mother's hands.
"I hope you'll like this," he said and he gave her a big hug. "I hope it makes you feel happy, not sad." He kissed her and then disappeared off upstairs, leaving Gill alone in the sitting room.
Gill sipped the tea that Arminel had made for her before she had gone up to bed and opened the parcel that Louis had given her. Inside she found a pretty silver photograph frame and in the frame a photograph of Armand. It had obviously been taken some years earlier, for he looked much younger, just the way she always thought of him. She could not think how Louis had managed to get hold of such a picture, for Gill had often wished that she had more photos of Armand, and she wondered if Monique had had anything to do with it. As she gazed down at his beloved face, she found herself thinking back over the years they had spent together, remembering the good times they had had and actually feeling happy to think about him.
With a shock, Gill heard the clock striking midnight. She had spent almost an hour gazing at the picture, lost in memories of the past. Yawning, she took her cup into the kitchen and carefully carried the photo upstairs, putting it on the bedside cabinet so that it would be the first thing she saw each morning and the last thing that she saw each night. Contrary to her expectations, Gill fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow, and she did not even have time to shed a few tears for Armand.

As the new year arrived, Gill resolved to make more of an effort to get on with her life. She applied for a job at the San, and by the beginning of March she was working three mornings a week at the reception there. She did wonder if it would be difficult, going to Armand's workplace each day, but she enjoyed her job there, answering the phone and making appointments for the doctors and keeping up with the huge amount of filing that had to be done. As many of her friends and aquaintances worked at the San, including Hans and Helene, Gill soon felt at home there, and was very glad that she had decided to take the plunge and go back to work.
Arminel continued to send letters from Paris telling Gill how happy she was, both with her course and her new friends. Gill also heard from Monique that Arminel was very popular with the other students and Monique's landlady friend found her to be charmingly polite and responsible. Louis often went to Paris for the weekend to visit Arminel, and Arminel hinted that he was very taken with one of her new friends, although Louis himself remained silent on the subject.
With each passing day, Gill found that Monique had been correct; she was still conscious of a dreadful longing to see Armand, but she was increasingly able to continue with her life and enjoy herself. Some evenings she missed him terribly, and would retire to bed as early as possible and indulge in a flood of tears, but these evenings were not happening quite as often as they had been before Christmas. She still missed him with an almost tangible pain, but it was possible to enjoy life even so.
Gill was relieved to find that the first anniversary of Armand's death fell on a day that she was not working. She knew that she would find that particular day difficult, and so arranged to spend it quietly, by herself. In the end it was not as bad as she feared. She did find that the memories came flooding back, but most of them were good ones. She also cried a little, but by the time that the girls came home from school she had composed herself and they all went along to the little Catholic chapel on the Platz to light a candle for Armand in a quietly thoughtful manner, rather than the anguished and distressed one that Gill had been expecting. Genevieve was sobbing quietly into her pillow when Gill went to say good night to her, but she was soon comforted. All in all, Gill was relieved when the day came to an end, and pleased that she had got through it so successfully.

#14: Author: linda, Location: Leeds

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 9:50 pm
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Fatima, I've just started reading this from the beginning tonight. It's lovely, but very sad. I am glad to see that Gill is beginning to cope with her intense grief now, though

Looking forward to the next post.

Thank you.

#15: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 5:29 pm
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The next day Gill returned to work. Helene, who was a nurse at the San, sought Gill out early in the morning, just to check that she was all right.
"Yes," said Gill with a smile. "Actually, I am."
"Good," said Helene, patting Gill's shoulder. "Well, I suppose I'd better get off to the ward."
"See you later," said Gill as she headed towards the reception desk. She had not been there long when a man came over and looked interrogatively at her. "Good morning," she said. "May I help you?"
"Mrs. Laroche?" the man asked, looking surprised.
"Yes," she said, feeling that he looked familiar, yet unable to work out who he was.
"How are you?" the man asked. Then, seeing her puzzlement he explained, "We met a year ago. I'm Alex Fraser."
"I'm sorry, it's been a bit of a difficult year," Gill began, then she suddenly realised why the man looked vaguely familiar. "Yes, I do remember," she said. "How are you?"
"I'm ok," he said, sounding surprised. "What about you?"
"The same," she told him with a grin.
"I'm here for a week," he told her. "Could we meet up for some coffee? It would be nice to talk to someone who knows what it's like. All my friends and family seem to feel that I was never married, and they never want to talk about Penny with me."
"Yes, I know exactly what you mean," said Gill. "Now that a year's passed it's as if they all feel that I should be quite over it, but it's not that simple, is it?"
"When do you finish work?" he asked her. "I've often wondered how you were getting on; it was such a coincidence that we should both lose our partners on the same day."
Gill did not like to admit that she had all but forgotten him, so she said, "I finish at two. I usually have lunch in the cafeteria here, if you would like to join me."
"I'll come back at two then," he said.
Gill was prevented from answering by the telephone ringing, and by the time that she had dealt with the call, he was gone. She turned her attention to the appointments for the morning, did another mountain of filing and met Helene in the cafeteria for morning coffee. If they had the opportunity, they enjoyed meeting up for coffee, taking pleasure in the chance to spend some time together without the distraction of the children. By two o'clock Gill had been very busy and was looking forward to finishing work. She enjoyed her job, but some days she was glad to leave the San and head home to her quiet house.
As she left the reception desk, she found Alex Fraser coming towards her. "Hello Mr. Fraser," she said.
"Hello Mrs. Laroche. I wondered if you'd rather go to the Gornetz Cafe," he said. "I've just walked past it and it looks very nice there."
"Yes, they serve very good food there," agreed Gill. "I'm happy to go wherever you like."
They set off to the Gornetz Cafe, and were soon sitting outside, sipping coffee as they waited for their sandwiches to arrive. Gill recalled the times she had sat there with Armand, especially in the early days of their relationship. "We often came here," she told Alex. "My husband, Armand, always enjoyed sitting out here in the sunshine."
"Penny and I came to Switzerland when she was very sick," he said. "We never had the chance to leave the San together."
"Where did you live?" Gill asked. "In Scotland?"
"No, London," he replied. "My family is originally from Scotland and I spent Christmas there with them."
"Did you find Christmas difficult?" wondered Gill.
"Not as difficult as I thought I would," he answered. "They all did their best to keep me busy. What did you do?"
Gill told him about the day she had spent with her children and they discussed other milestones they had passed painfully over the year. "It's so nice to talk about Armand with someone who understands," said Gill as she pushed her empty plate away. "It's as if no one remembers him any more, other than family, that is."
"I know just what you mean," he agreed. "My friends always look uncomfortable if I mention Penny. Even now, when it's unlikely that I will weep and wail at the sound of her name, they still don't like to talk about her."
Gill glanced at her watch and saw that they had been sitting there for just over an hour. "I'm sorry, but I shall have to go soon," she said. "My daughters will be home from school and I have to make a start on the dinner."
"That's all right," he assured her. "I'm sorry I waffled on for so long."
"You certainly didn't waffle on any more than I did," she told him. "Thank you, Mr. Fraser, it's been a pleasure to talk to you."
"How about having lunch later in the week, just before I go back home?" he suggested. "If you have time, that is."
"Yes, I shall have time," she told him. "I don't work on Fridays."
"Then shall we say twelve o'clock, back here?" he suggested. Gill agreed, and they both stood up. Alex settled the bill and then they shook hands. "Goodbye, Mrs. Laroche," he said.
Gill bade him farewell and set off down the road to her chalet, leaving him to return to his hotel.

They met up again on Friday. They managed to find the same table in the garden and were soon sitting with big cups of the delicious coffee served in the cafe.
"I didn't realise you worked in the San," Alex said. "I knew your husband was a doctor, because everyone was talking about him last year. He was obviously very well respected."
"I used to be the secretary at St. Mildred's," Gill explained. "That's the finishing school here. I didn't work after I had Genevieve - she's my youngest child - but after Christmas I decided that I needed something to fill my time, so I applied to the San."
"How many children do you have?"
Gill told him about the children, and Alex told her that Penny had been too delicate to have any children of her own. He seemed quite resigned to that, for he had obviously adored his wife and not having children had seemed unimportant beside spending his time with her. Although she said nothing, Gill wondered how anyone could feel like that. She had adored Armand, but could not imagine her life without the children. Although they were so different from each other and from their parents, there was some part of Armand so plainly visible in each one of them and it was comforting to find him alive in them. However, it struck her that she would have married Armand anyhow, and if they had never had any children she would not have left him; she had married him because she loved him, not because she wanted to have children.
Gill nibbled her sandwich as Alex told her some more about Penny. He obviously had few people with whom he could talk about his wife, whereas she had the children and Helene and Hans, and Monique too. Her other acquaintances skirted the topic very carefully, presumably thinking that she would prefer not to remember Armand. She did not want to talk about him all the time, though she thought of him innumerable times each day, but it would have been nice to know that she could mention his name in any conversation without people looking uncomfortable. She said as much to Alex, and he agreed wholeheartedly with her.
They talked easily for almost two hours, before Gill felt that she really ought to go and start preparing the evening meal. As it was Friday, Louis would be coming up from Interlaken, and she liked to have a good dinner waiting for him.
"I'm leaving tomorrow," Alex told her. "I just wanted to be here for a week, to see if it made me feel better."
"And did it?" she asked.
"Yes," he admitted. "It's so lovely here. I went for a really long walk yesterday and spent hours thinking; it's difficult to think in London."
"The Platz is a wonderful place for thinking," Gill agreed. "I'm sure it has something to do with the peacefulness of the scenery."
Alex called the waiter over and paid for their lunch, despite Gill's protests that it really ought to have been her turn to pay. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Laroche," he said, holding out his hand again.
Gill shook his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Fraser," she said with a smile. "It's been very therapeutic to meet you."
Alex laughed. "Take care of yourself," he told her. "Perhaps I shall see you next year!"
"I'm sure I shall be here next year," she answered. "Goodbye."
Gill walked off down the road, heading back to the chalet to prepare dinner for the children. Alex watched her disappear round the corner before returning to the hotel where he had been staying, and packing his belongings ready for his flight the next day. He was amazed by how much better he felt having had the chance to talk naturally about Penny, and he hoped that Mrs. Laroche felt the same.

#16: Author: linda, Location: Leeds

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 9:34 pm
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Fatima, this is really lovely. Very Happy

How much easier it is for Alex to talk to Gill than to his friends. Of course, she understand how he feels, and he, poor man, hasn't even got any children who share his memories and his loss. I hope we see more of Alex.

Is he the light at the end of the tunnel?

#17: Author: Chris, Location: Nottingham

Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 10:13 pm
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I've been reading this too - very emotional, but beautifully written.

#18: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 1:30 pm
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Sorry, this bit's turned out rather long.
Arminel returned to Paris for the summer, bringing her new best friend Marianne with her. Marianne was studying English language and literature at the Sorbonne and was as charming a friend for Arminel as Gill could wish for. She was typically French looking; dark haired and dainty, with a trick of using her hands a lot when she was speaking. As soon as Louis appeared for the weekend, Gill could see that he was smitten with her. He took great pleasure in taking Arminel and Marianne to Interlaken and other places of interest and managed to come to the Platz almost daily during Marianne's visit.
Héloise and Genevieve had passed their exams at school and Héloise was to be the Second Prefect on her return in September. Looking at the children as they sat around the table one Sunday lunchtime, Gill was aware of a feeling of contentment that she had not felt since the day she had lost Armand. She had four lovely children, all of whom seemed to have recovered very well from losing their father so young. Louis was a thoughtful young man, obviously enjoying being in love for the first time. Arminel was still very determined, but seemed to be learning to pay more attention to what the others wanted to do rather than bending everyone to her will as she had always tried to do when younger. Héloise seemed to be gaining confidence and forming opinions that she was increasingly happy to express, while Genevieve was growing up so fast, and had admitted to Gill that she thought Karl Schmidt, Helene and Hans' son, was very handsome.
They all travelled to France in August, and were greeted with delight by Monique. One of the first things that Monique did was to notice how well Gill looked, and once she had seen that, a series of dinner parties followed, to which Monique invited all the unattached men of her acquaintance. Gill guessed at once what Monique was trying to do, and although she went along with it all with good grace, she knew that she would never find anyone to take Armand's place. Some of the men were very nice, and Gill enjoyed talking to them and she liked the relaxed atmosphere of Monique's dinners, but she was not at all attracted to any of them. Armand had been perfect, and she could not imagine sharing her life with any other man. He had been the love of her life, her soul mate, and he was irreplaceable. She still missed him more than anyone guessed, and she knew that there was no chance that anyone else could make her feel the way she still felt about him.
Finally, after a wonderful meal during which Gill was sandwiched between Thibaud, a confirmed bachelor, and Pascal, a widower, Gill took Monique to one side and said, "I know you mean well, Monique, but I really can't imagine wanting to be involved with anyone else."
"Armand would want you to be happy," said Monique. "He would not like to think of you pining for him forever."
"But I could never feel for anyone else even a fraction of what I feel for Armand," Gill told her.
"It's different second time round," said Monique, with the voice of experience. "Loving Andre doesn't make me love Pierre less."
"But I just can't imagine wanting to love anyone else," said Gill with a smile. "I'm content with the memory of Armand. Besides which, I have the children. I'm happy with my life, Monique, really I am."
"I thought that, too," said Monique, tucking her arm through Gill's and taking her back to the conservatory, where the guests were sipping coffee. "Until I met Andre, that is."
Gill enjoyed the far-ranging conversations but knew that Monique was wrong in this instance. She would never be able to fall in love with anyone else. How could anyone ever compare with Armand? He had been strong and yet gentle, caring and passionate, a solid lump of comfort in every sense of the word. Measured against Armand, every other man would fall short, and having had the most perfect husband, Gill knew that she would not wish to settle for second best. It was far better to remember him and enjoy her life with her children and her friends, than to look for another man and end up bitterly disappointed.

Going back to the Platz was not nearly as difficult as it had been the previous year. Arminel was excited about returning to Paris, and Louis had agreed to accompany her there, presumably to catch up with Marianne. Gill had noticed that letters came from Paris for both of the twins and that Louis usually disappeared up to his room to read his letters. Thinking about Louis falling in love led Gill onto thoughts of the children getting married, which did make her shed a few tears, knowing that the girls would not have their father to give them away, but other than that slight set-back, she found herself slipping back into her life on the Platz very easily.
Not long after she had returned to work, Hans met Gill in the cafeteria at lunch time. "Hello," he said, putting his tray down opposite her and sitting down. "How was your summer?"
"Lovely, thank you," she answered. "How was yours?" Hans and Helene had taken the children to visit his family in northern Germany, and Genevieve had not been amused to find that Karl was to be absent during the summer.
"It was good," replied Hans. "My parents send their regards to you and the children."
"How are they?" Gill enquired.
"Both very well," Hans assured her. "Helene told me to invite you over at the weekend," he went on. "We're having a little dinner party."
"I hope you aren't match-making," said Gill, rolling her eyes at him. "I've had Monique trying to fix me up with all the single men she knows all summer long."
"No, we are not match-making," Hans assured her with a chuckle. "We are just having a few friends over to welcome a new colleague. Will you come?"
"Yes, I'd love to," agreed Gill.
They talked on for a while, until it was time for Gill to go back to the reception desk. As she filed a large pile of papers, Gill thought about going to Hans and Helene's house for dinner. She had not been to a dinner party at their house since Armand had died, although she had been there plenty of times either alone or with the children. However, there were usually plenty of 'spare' doctors around, so it would not be so obvious as to who was being provided for her entertainment; perhaps Helene would have invited some of the growing number of women doctors to make up the numbers.
Gill told Héloise and Genevieve of her plans for the weekend, and they were a little put out to discover that they were not invited to keep Chantal and Karl company while the adults enjoyed their dinner. Héloise agreed to keep an eye on her sister, though, while Gill was out, and on Saturday evening both girls eagerly helped their mother get ready to go out.
"You haven't been out like this for so long," said Genevieve as she poked around in gill's jewellery box. "What about these earrings? They would look nice with that dress."
"No!" Héloise exclaimed, holding out a second pair. "These are much prettier, Mum!"
"But these are blue!" Genevieve pointed out. "They will look so beautiful."
"I think you are right, Jen," said Gill, clipping on the blue earrings. She brushed out her hair and deftly fastened it up.
"Why don't you get your hair cut?" suggested Genevieve. "It would be so much easier to look after if it was shorter."
"And then I could take you to get yours cut, too?" said Gill with a smile. Genevieve had long ago expressed a desire to have her hair cut, but she had such beautiful hair that Gill could not quite bring herself to agree to Genevieve's request.
"Well, yes," said Genevieve with an answering smile.
Gill stood up and pulled on her cardigan, in case it was chilly walking home after the meal. She kissed both girls warmly. "You have the number if you need me," she reminded them, walking downstairs with them. "Don't answer the door to anyone. Be sensible."
"We are," Héloise protested.
"Yes, I know you are," agreed Gill with a smile. "Don't wait up for me."
Genevieve gave Gill a big hug and kissed her. "You look lovely, Mum," she said. "Have a really nice time, won't you."
"Thank you, darlings," said Gill, and she left them waving from the doorstep. She walked the short distance to Helene and Hans' home feeling a little nervous and telling herself that she was foolish to be worried about spending an evening with friends. She had often visited friends with Armand, though, and they had usually spent the whole evening together, talking with mutual friends. On the way home they often chuckled about it, wondering why they seldom drifted apart as other couples usually did, the men ending up at one end of the room and the women at the other. They had generally finished up in the middle, side by side on the settee. Gill smiled as she remembered several occasions when they had discretely switched name cards on dining tables so that they could sit together. Armand had been her closest friend and there had been no greater pleasure than spending the evening with him.
Gill rang the doorbell and Helene came to answer it. Gill handed her friend a box of chocolates she had bought for her and followed Helene into the sitting room. Several of Hans' colleagues were already there, most of whom Gill already knew, so no introductions were necessary. Gill perched on the edge of a chair and accepted a glass of sherry from Hans, and made an effort to join in with the conversation, glad that most of those there were unmarried. It would have been far worse, she realised, to be asked to dinner with a group of couples, for that would have emphasised how alone Gill felt without Armand. Biting her lip to keep from giggling, Gill realised that she had discovered a preference for match-making parties over the more traditional dinner parties she had always enjoyed so much.
As the doorbell rang again, Helene dispatched Hans to answer it, while she disappeared into the kitchen. Seeing that everyone else had stayed put, Gill stood up and followed her friend out of the room. "Can I help you?" she asked, putting her sherry on the worktop.
"No, of course you can't," said Helene at once. "I have everything under control. Go back and enjoy the small talk."
Gill leaned against the worktop. "It's dull doctor small talk," she said with a smile. "I always thought that teachers were boring when it came to discussing work, but doctors beat them hands down!"
Helene chuckled. "Yes, they can get pretty tedious," she agreed. "Dinner's nearly ready, though, so you can take the dishes in when I've filled them with vegetables."
They took in the food and then Helene went to call everyone to the table. Gill finished her sherry and rinsed out the glass, before following the guests through into the dining room. Helene waved her to to the seat next to Hans, and Gill looked at the other guests as they seated themselves. To her surprise, a tall, brown-haired man was sitting a the other end of the table, next to Helene, and Gill recognised him at once as Alex Fraser. He was too far away to talk politely to, so Gill gave her attention to Hans. She had known him for so many years and he was always easy to talk to, and Gill enjoyed herself very much more than she had expected to.
Gill helped Helene clear away after the meal and then went into the sitting room with her cup of coffee. She found Alex sitting on the settee and he patted the seat next to him as an invitation for her to sit there. "Hello," she said, sitting down beside him. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"I am the new colleague that Hans told you about," said Alex. "Just after I got home I found an advert for a lab technician at the San, and so I applied. I've been here about a month now."
"And how do you like it?" Gill asked him.
"Very much," he told her. "I still wake in the morning and have to pinch myself just to be sure it's all true!"
"Yes, I remember feeling like that," said Gill, thinking back to her arrival on the Platz so many years before.
Helene finished dispensing coffee and squeezed onto the settee beside Gill. "I didn't realise that you two had met," she said.
"Oh, we're old friends," Alex told her with a smile.
"How have you settled down?" Helene asked him. "Do you feel quite at home her now?"
"Yes, very much at home," he assured her. "I have one of those little chalets behind the San," he told Gill. "It's tiny, but very comfortable. And after travelling through London each day to get to work, it's so handy. I just get out of bed five minutes before I'm due to start work and walk through the back gate and I'm there! It's so relaxing."
Gill and Helene chuckled. "Yes, it's very nice to live near one's workplace," Helene agreed.
"I do enjoy the walk to work," said Gill, for she lived a little further from the San and so had a pleasant walk most mornings. "It's not quite as much fun if it's raining, but otherwise it's lovely."
Alex told them a little about commuting in the dreadful London traffic, and they told him about the winter months, when the Platz became a wonderful place for skiing. Alex had never been skiing, and admitted that although he would like to learn, he also felt a little nervous about putting on skis at his age. He was very active, for he had played tennis and squash in England, and enjoyed walking, but winter sports were rather a long way from what he was used to.
Eventually the party began to break up, and Alex turned to Gill. "May I walk you home?" he asked her.
"You really don't need to," she said, pulling on her cardigan. "I've lived here for so long that I think I could get there with my eyes closed. However, as you are new, perhaps I should walk you home!"
They thanked Helene for a lovely evening and set off together down the path. It was a lovely evening, though with a decidedly autumnal nip in the air, and the sky was clear and full of sparkling stars. Gill found herself missing Armand with an almost physical pain; how many times had they strolled hand in hand along the same roads, returning home after a pleasant evening in the company of friends? Gill sighed heavily, making Alex look at her in surprise.
"Are you all right?" he asked with concern.
"Yes, I was just thinking about Armand," she told him, feeling glad that she could talk to Alex about her husband.
Alex slipped his hand through her arm and gently squeezed it. "I came here to get away from all the memories," he told her. "I'm still not sure if I've done the right thing. Is it worse to have constant reminders or none at all?"
"I don't know," she said helplessly. "All I know is that I still miss him all the time, even though it was more than a year ago."
"One year, two months and twenty-five days," he said with a sheepish grin. "Not that I'm counting, of course."
Gill laughed at that. "Is it really?" she asked, for she had not counted the days for quite some time now.
"Yes," he admitted. "Oh, it is so much easier, but there are just times when it all comes flooding back."
"That's how I find it," she agreed wholeheartedly. "Well, this is my place. Thank you for seeing me home." Just for a moment she wondered if she ought to invite him in, but she really could not face the thought of making small talk when all she wanted to do was go to bed and sob quietly into her pillow.
Alex released her arm. "Good night Mrs. Laroche," he said quietly. "See you next week."
Gill managed to smile at him. "Good night Mr. Fraser," she answered. She walked up the path and into the house. It was very quiet there, for Héloise and Genevieve had long since gone to bed,, so Gill locked the door and headed straight up to bed. Once she had washed and changed, she lay in the darkness, wondering how long it would take for every little thing to remind her of Armand. Perhaps Alex had done the right thing, leaving London and seeking a new life in a distant place. Maybe she should let the girls be boarders at the Chalet School and move to France, going to live with Monique in the Laroches lovely house there.
As she recalled Thibaud and Pascal, and several others of a similar ilk, though, Gill realised that perhaps she would not feel any better there. Gill sniffed as the tears began to slide down her cheeks. How could Armand be so cruel as to die and leave her alone she wondered. Why couldn't he have survived the heart attack, as so many people did? Gill rolled over and cried herself to sleep for the first time in a long while.

#19: Author: Alex, Location: Cambs, UK

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:31 pm
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Am still reading avidly (when not at weddings) and enjoying very much. Thanks for reposting.

#20: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:53 am
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It was towards the end of the next week that Gill got to see Alex again. She had just gone off for her mid-morning coffee break and was sitting by the window, gazing out across at the mountains, wondering how she could ever have considered leaving the Platz. It was so beautiful there all year round; the snow in winter made it seem like a magical fairy land, the sunny days of summer were filled with flowers and whatever season it was, the mountains never looked anything other than awe-inspiringly majestic.
Alex brought his coffee and biscuits over to Gill's table and sat down opposite her. "Do you mind if I join you?" he asked.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Fraser," she replied, startled out of her reverie.
"My name's Alex," he told her. "Perhaps we could be a little less formal now that we've known each other for so long."
"I'm Gill," she answered with a smile. "And I have no objections to you joining me."
"How are you doing today?" he inquired once he had sipped his coffee.
"Oh, fine," she assured him. "That was just a momentary lapse at the weekend. How about you?"
"I'm so busy I don't have time to be anything other than fine," he told her. "But I'm quite unpacked now and I'm hoping to have a few people over on Saturday, for a housewarming. Would you like to come?"
"My son will be home for the weekend," Gill told him, "So I'm afraid I won't be able to make it. I'm sorry Alex."
"Hans and Helene are going to be bringing their children with them," said Alex, "and I've asked Dieter and Wanda to come, and they have a little boy. Your children would be very welcome."
"I'll ask them," Gill promised. "Thank you. I must be off now, or Marie will be late for her coffee break. See you later." Gill stood up and disappeared off to the reception desk again, where she was promptly swamped by enough filing to keep her busy for a long time. Once she had finished, she tidied up the desk and allowed her thoughts to wander. She was not sure she wished to take the children to Alex's housewarming; it was nicer to spend her time with them, especially as they were growing up so fast and before she knew it they would be going off to university as Arminel had done, or getting married, leaving her alone.

In the end, Genevieve agreed to accompany Gill to Alex's housewarming, while Louis and Héloise went to Interlaken to the cinema. Genevieve was excited to have been invited to a 'grown-up' party and she walked along very properly at Gill's side all the way to Alex's house. When they arrived, Helene and her family were already there, as were Dieter and Wanda. Kurt, their little boy, was just two and he was very fair haired and angelic looking. Genevieve went straight over to him, delighted at the opportunity of playing with him for the evening. She had taken very little notice of Karl, which made Gill smile; presumably Genevieve had got over her brief infatuation with him.
Wanda and Helene were busy helping Alex with the food. He had worked hard that day, preparing some simple finger foods for a buffet, and Helene had provided some more complicated dishes, too. Hans was deep in conversation with Dieter, who was also a surgeon, so Gill stood by the window and enjoyed the view across a very well-tended garden towards the San. Chantal came to join her, reminding Gill of Arminel so far away in Paris.
"How are you enjoying St. Mildred's?" Gill asked her.
"Oh, it's wonderful," Chantal replied with enthusiasm. "Did Louis come home this weekend?"
"Yes, but he and Héloise wanted to see that new film," answered Gill.
"If they want to, we thought we might have a picnic tomorrow," said Chantal. "We're going after church."
"I'll tell them," promised Gill.
"And Genevieve too, if she'd like to come."
"I'm sure she would love to," said Gill.
Chantal drifted away, and Alex came to take her place. "Hello Gill," he said. "What do you think of my new home?"
"It's very nice," she told him. "I love the garden."
"I would like to pretend that I had spent hours out there making it look that good," said Alex with a smile, "but that wouldn't be quite true!"
"This was Dr. Brown's house," Gill told him. "He always enjoyed gardening and he only moved out a short time ago. You are reaping the rewards of all his efforts."
Genevieve came up at that point, holding Kurt in her arms. "He's gorgeous, isn't he," she said to Gill.
"Yes," agreed Gill with a smile. "Jen, this is Mr. Fraser. Alex, this is Genevieve, my youngest daughter."
Alex smiled at Genevieve. "Nice to meet you, Miss Laroche," he said politely, offering her his hand.
Genevieve smiled back, but said, "I can't let go of Kurt, Mr. Fraser, or I might drop him."
"Oh, that's all right," said Alex. "Now, let's go and have something to eat."
Genevieve returned Kurt to his mother and followed Gill to collect a plate and some food. She sat on the settee beside Gill and they ate and chatted easily with Helene and Wanda. Helene had provided a wonderful chocolate dessert, and once they had eaten that they leaned back in their seats feeling decidedly full.
"I'd better go and help with the washing up," Gill decided at last. She collected up some of the abandoned plates and headed off to the small kitchen. Alex was already there, up to his elbows in bubbles, and a large pile of dirty dishes beside him. Gill found a tea towel and began to dry the plates he had washed.
"I was wondering," Alex began, but before he could tell Gill what he was wondering, Genevieve appeared.
"Here are some more plates for you," she said, setting a pile of plates down on the draining board. "Let me help you, Mum." She took another tea towel and gave a hand with the drying up.
From then on, Alex noticed that Genevieve did not leave Gill's side. It was as if she was protecting her mother from him, not letting him have the opportunity of talking to Gill again that evening. And as they were the first to leave, he could not even offer to walk them back to their own home. Feeling unreasonably irritated with Genevieve, although he did understand her attitude, Alex bade them farewell and watched as they walked off together.
Gill, though, had not noticed anything amiss. She linked arms with Genevieve and they strolled home, arriving just minutes before Louis and Héloise. They had very much enjoyed their film, and suggested that another time, Gill and Genevieve should accompany them to Interlaken to go to the cinema. As Gill made them mugs of cocoa, she smiled to herself, thinking how nice it was to have grown up children, especially ones as thoughtful and pleasant to be with as hers were. Of course that led to a certain degree of sadness that Armand had not lived to see the adults they had become, but she resolutely squashed the thought, and went in to listen to Héloise and Louis debating the cinematic merits of the film.

Alex sought Gill out at the reception desk on Tuesday morning, as she did not work on Mondays. He found her on the telephone to a patient, so he leaned nonchalantly against the desk and waited patiently until she had finished. Gill rolled her eyes and grimaced, obviously having problems in getting the patient to grasp the fact that she would have to wait until the next morning for an appointment with Dr. O'Brien, as he was fully booked up for that morning. Finally she replaced the receiver and turned to Alex. "Sorry about that," she said. "Frau Gruber can't understand why Dr. O'Brien can't drop everything and come and see her right now."
"Yes, some patients can be rather hard to deal with, can't they," he agreed. He looked at Gill, suddenly realising how attractive she was, with her glorious chestnut hair twisted carelessly up and her delicately pale skin. "Gill," he went on, "I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me this week. One evening, I mean. If you like, we could go to Interlaken. I've heard there are some really nice restaurants there." Aware that he was babbling, Alex stopped and drew breath.
"That would be very nice," she told him. "Thank you."
"Which night would be best for you?" he asked.
"I really don't mind," she replied. "I'll just have to feed the children and then I will be free to leave them. Héloise is quite old enough to look after Genevieve for a few hours."
"Then shall we say Thursday?" he suggested, relieved that she had not turned him down. "I'll come and collect you at about seven, if that's all right."
"That sounds fine," answered Gill with a smile. "Thank you, Alex."
Alex grinned at her. "No, thank you Gill," he said. "I'd better go, as I have lots to do today. Maybe I will see you in the canteen later."

#21: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 11:21 am
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That evening Gill told Héloise and Genevieve of her plans for Thursday evening, and they seemed pleased to hear that she would be enjoying herself. Héloise was more than happy to look after Genevieve, not that she would need much looking after, as she was generally sensible and well behaved. On Thursday afternoon, however, Genevieve appeared home earlier than usual, escorted by Matron. She looked very pale and Gill was immediately concerned about her.
"Genevieve's not too well," Matron explained to Gill. "She's been sick twice today, so I thought it was best if she came home early. I've given her some medicine, and she should just have something light for supper. I'm sure she'll be all right by tomorrow."
"Thank you Matron," said Gill, sliding her arm around Genevieve's shoulders. Matron headed off to the school once more and Gill settled Genevieve down on the settee with a hot water bottle. She brought her a cup of tea and perched on the edge of the settee, placing her hand on Genevieve's forehead. "What's brought this on?" she asked anxiously. "What have you been eating?"
"Nothing unusual," said Genevieve, sounding listless. "I'll be fine, Mum, you don't need to worry about me."
"Of course I'm worried, darling," said Gill with a smile. "You are seldom ill, thank goodness. What else can I get you?"
"Nothing, thank you," Genevieve replied. "I'll just lie here for a while."
Gill kissed her and stood up. "I'll call Alex and tell him I can't come tonight," she said, "then I'll make a start on dinner. Do you think you could manage an omelette?"
"I think I could," Genevieve replied, lying back and closing her eyes.
Gill phoned the San, as she had no idea of Alex's home number. She was lucky enough to find him still at work and he sounded surprised to hear her voice. She quickly explained that Genevieve was ill and that she would not be able to go to dinner with him that evening, and was surprised to hear the disappointment in Alex's voice as he asked if there was anything he could do for them.
"No, she'll be fine, thank you," Gill answered.
"Perhaps we could just postpone dinner," he suggested. "How about at the weekend instead? Saturday night perhaps?"
"Next week would be better," said Gill, "Just so I can be sure she's all right."
"Next week it is," he agreed. "I'll see you at work on Tuesday, then."
"Goodbye," said Gill, and she replaced the receiver.

Genevieve felt better the next day and returned to school. They had a lovely weekend, spending it quietly at home, and by Monday morning, Genevieve declared that she had completely recovered. Gill spent Monday doing her housework, and returned to work on Tuesday. She met up with Alex in the cafeteria for morning coffee, and she got the impression that he had been waiting around for her to appear. He had an empty cup on the table in front of him, and he kept on looking towards the door. When he saw Gill, he smiled and stood up and came to help her with her tray.
Although he knew that he should be patient, Alex found himself eagerly trying to sort out his dinner date with Gill. "How about tomorrow night?" he asked impatiently, then he added, "And how's Genevieve?"
"Oh, she's fine now, thank you," Gill answered with a smile. "And tomorrow night sounds fine, too."
"Then I shall pick you up at seven," said Alex. "I'm sorry to rush off, Gill, but I should get back to the lab."
"That's all right," she assured him. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Alex gave her a final smile and headed off to the lab again, leaving Gill to enjoy her coffee. She found the day flew past, as it usually did when she was busy. She went home and prepared the evening meal for the children and Héloise and Genevieve came home laughing together over something that had happened in school. Gill served the meal and when they were all sitting round the table she told them of her plans to go to dinner in Interlaken the following evening. As she mentioned it, she watched Genevieve carefully, for she had suddenly wondered about the rather convenient manner in which her youngest daughter had fallen ill on the very day that she had planned to go out with Alex. Genevieve, however, looked very composed, although Gill noticed that she said nothing in response to her mother's news. Héloise assured Gill that they would be more than happy to look after each other if she was out, and Gill thought nothing more about it. She had obviously misjudged Genevieve and should not be looking for problems from that direction.

#22: Author: PaulineS, Location: West Midlands

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:03 pm
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A cliff I think. Gill should be worried! Sad

#23: Author: Elbee, Location: Surrey

Posted: Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:29 pm
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I've just started reading the first part of this in the archives and am enjoying it very much, thanks Fatima.

#24: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Jul 18, 2007 8:47 am
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On Wednesday evening, just as Gill was getting ready to go out, there was a terrific crash from the hall. Gill threw her hairbrush onto the bed and dashed out onto the landing. To her horror, she found Genevieve in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. Gill ran down and bent over Genevieve, who was just sitting up and rubbing her elbow. Héloise's dark head appeared over the bannisters and she watched as Gill reached out a hand to Genevieve.
"Whatever happened?" Gill demanded, helping her to her feet.
"I slipped," said Genevieve, looking shaken.
Gill put an arm around her and guided her into the sitting room, where she made her sit in an armchair. "Show me your arm," she instructed.
Genevieve extended her arm, which did look rather red. "Ow!" she exclaimed as Gill gently prodded it.
"I don't think it's broken," said Gill, rubbing it. "Have you hurt yourself anywhere else?"
"I bumped my head," said Genevieve, giving the back of her head a rub.
Before Gill could say anything else, the doorbell rang, and they heard Héloise run lightly down to answer it. She opened the door to the sitting room and Alex came in, looking rather nervous.
"Hello," he said.
"You aren't going to leave me, are you?" asked Genevieve pietously.
"What's happened?" Alex asked.
"Genevieve fell down the stairs," Gill explained. She looked thoughtfully at Genevieve, trying to decide how much of her request was because Genevieve had hurt herself and how much was to prevent Gill from going out to dinner with Alex. Again she found herself missing Armand; it had been impossible for the children to pull the wool over his eyes and if Genevieve had been embellishing her injuries he would have discovered her deception at once.
"I'll look after her," Héloise offered. "And if she doesn't feel well we can call Onkel Hans."
Gill smiled at Héloise - she really was a very sensible and reliable girl and Gill knew that she could be trusted to take proper care of Genevieve. However, she was still young and if Genevieve really had hurt herself, it would be a greater responsibility than Héloise should be left to shoulder. "It's all right," she said. "I will stay here." She turned to Alex and added, "I'm sorry Alex. Why don't you stay for coffee? I can make some spaghetti or something if you are hungry."
Alex glanced at Genevieve again; she was looking mutinous. He really wanted to spend some time with Gill though, so he decided to risk the young girl's wrath. "Thank you," he said, smiling at Gill. "Coffee sounds good." He followed Gill into the kitchen, and watched as she boiled the kettle and spooned the coffee into cups.
"Shall I cook some dinner?" she asked him. "You must be starving." She saw the look on his face and added, "It's not too much trouble, Alex, honestly."
"Thank you," he said again. "That would be nice." He took the cup that Gill offered him and sat down at the kitchen table. He watched as she located her ingredients and soon she had the most delicious aromas pervading the house. Genevieve called her a couple of times, but Gill would not let her get up and sit in the kitchen to watch the cooking, for which Alex was grateful. He did not yet feel ready to deal with any resentful teenagers. Finally, he could hear Gill telling Genevieve that it was time for bed, and although Genevieve protested, she finally disappeared upstairs and they were left alone.
"I'm sorry about Genevieve," said Gill on her return to the kitchen. "She's found it really difficult to adjust to losing her father."
"That's all right," Alex assured her. "It must be dreadfully hard for her."
"It's impossible to know if she's putting all this on, just to stop me from seeing you," Gill went on. "I really wish Armand was here. He would sort it all out so quickly."
Alex realised that he was actually quite glad that Armand was not there. If he was, then he, Alex, would not be there, and he had come to rely heavily on his quiet conversations with Armand's widow. Quite how he would be able to add Penny to the equation he was not yet sure, but somehow he knew that she would be cheering him on in his attempts to rebuild his life. He would never forget her, or the years of happiness that they had shared, but he could not spend the rest of his life mourning her. He had to find a way to be happy again, and hopefully that way would involve Gill.
Gill served a really delicious meal, much to her relief, for her cooking was still liable to be rather hit and miss even after so many years spent cooking for her family. They sat together at the kitchen table to eat, and made desultory conversation about Switzerland as they enjoyed their food. Héloise popped in to say good night, and to say that Genevieve appeared to be sleeping, for which Gill was grateful. The last thing she needed was some sort of scene from Genevieve to spoil a pleasant evening.
Alex helped Gill with the washing up, then he took his jacket from the back of the chair. "I had better be off," he said. "Thank you for a lovely evening."
"I'm just so sorry that our plans fell apart again," she told him, following him towards the front door.
"Shall we try again next week?" he suggested with a smile. "How about Monday? We could go to Interlaken for lunch - it's my day off and I know you don't work on Mondays."
"Yes, all right," agreed Gill. "Just as long as I can be back in time for the girls coming home from school."
"I'm sure that can be arranged. I'll pick you up at ten, unless that's too early."
"That's fine," said Gill.
Alex looked down at her, his brown eyes meeting and holding hers. Just for a moment Gill wondered if he was going to lean down and kiss her, but before she could decide if she would like him to or not, Genevieve's voice broke across their moment of intimacy and spoilt it.
"Mum!" she called, appearing at the top of the stairs. "I feel so thirsty."
Alex stepped quickly back from Gill and turned away to open the door. "I'd better go," he said. "Good night, Gill. I hope you feel better soon Genevieve."
"Good night, Alex," said Gill, and she closed the door behind him before turning to Genevieve. "Come into the kitchen and have a drink of water," she said, sliding her arm around Genevieve's shoulders. "Are you feeling all right?"
"Yes, thank you," said Genevieve. "I'm just thirsty."
Gill watched as Genevieve had a glass of water and then she sent her off to bed once more. As they had already done the washing up, she decided that she might as well have an early night, too, so she followed Genevieve up the stairs and got ready for bed.
As she lay in the darkness, Gill was conscious of the memory of a pair of dark eyes, and she realised that, for the first time, they were not Armand's eyes. She could still see the way that Alex had looked at her, and she knew that if Genevieve had not interrupted them, he would probably have tried to kiss her. What Gill could not decide, however, was whether she would have been glad if he had done so, or upset by it. Without doubt, Alex was a very nice man. He was kind and very easy to talk to, but he was not Armand. Armand had been almost like the other half of Gill - they hd complemented each other perfectly - and it was difficult to imagine being with someone else. She had shared so much history with Armand, and Alex knew very little about her life with him. He had his own history, with Penny, and Gill knew very little about that. How could they possibly leave all that in the past and take up some new life together when they were so old?
Gill sighed and rolled over, closing her eyes. She recalled Armand telling her that he wanted her to enjoy herself after he died, but surely he just meant with the children. He would not have wanted her to find another man and get involved with him, any more than she could ever imagine telling Armand that it was all right for him to get involved with another woman. And yet it would be very lonely for her once the children had grown up and left home. Gill would be spending evening after evening by herself, reading, listening to the radio, writing letters, perhaps well occupied with some hobby or other, but definitely alone. Gill sighed, wondering if she would ever be able to stop comparing every man with Armand, for it would not be possible to get involved with anyone as long as she measured them all by Armand's standards and found them lacking.

#25: Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock

Posted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:59 pm
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Thanks, Becky. It must be hard for Gill to think romantically about another man after Armand.

#26: Author: Alex, Location: Cambs, UK

Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 7:13 pm
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Thanks very much. I'm really enjoing these lovely long posts. Genevieve is a bit of a minx!

#27: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2007 8:52 pm
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Thank you for your comments Very Happy

On Monday morning Gill sent Héloise and Genevieve off to school and then she got ready to go out with Alex. She had carefully avoided telling the girls of her plans for the day, just in case Genevieve really was deliberately making herself ill so that Gill could not spend time with Alex. By the time they got back from school she would be back from Interlaken and no one would be any the wiser.
As she got ready, Gill thought about Alex. He had been often on her mind over the weekend, and she was still unsure of her feelings about him. He was very nice and she enjoyed talking to him, and she was very much looking forward to spending some time with him, but he just wasn't Armand. She was aware of butterflies in her stomach as she thought of going out with him and chuckled at how ridiculous it was to feel like a girl going out on her first date. Even though she suspected that he had wanted to kiss her, it was more than likely that he just wanted to talk to her. Perhaps she was reading the signs all wrong, thinking he was looking for something more than friendship when it was probably the last thing on his mind. Gill put her hair up and laid the brush on the dressing table, before going downstairs to wait for Alex to arrive. She tidied up the kitchen and as she was hanging up the tea towel the doorbell rang. She went to answer it and found Alex standing on the doorstep, looking as nervous as she felt.
"Any disasters?" he asked with a rather diffident smile.
"None at all," she assured him. "I'll just get my bag." Once she had collected her handbag, she locked the front door and followed him to his car. He held the door open for her and she clambered into the passenger's seat, then he banged the door and got in beside her. "I'm sorry about Genevieve," she said as he pulled away.
"You don't have to apologise," he assured her. "It's only natural that she should resent you spending time with someone else."
"I didn't tell them that I was going to see you today," she admitted. "Héloise is fine - she's very well adjusted, all things considered, but I didn't want to upset Genevieve. I'm not convinced that she is making trouble, but I thought it was just as well if she didn't have the chance to play up."
Alex chuckled. "Very sensible," he said approvingly. "I have a little shopping to do," he went on, "and then I thought we could have lunch in the fish restaurant there. I've not been to it before, but Hans says it's wonderful."
Gill agreed that the fish restaurant would be very pleasant, but inwardly she felt a little nervous about visiting it. Armand had loved eating there and they had often escaped to Interlaken just to eat at that restaurant. The last time she had visited it had been to celebrate the twins' eighteenth birthday, and the whole family had enjoyed a wonderful meal and taken a lot of pleasure from being there together. Gill could not help but wonder if it would feel strange visiting the restaurant with Alex, and whether it would stir up a whole load of memories for her and make her feel miserable again.
Alex seemed to sense what she was thinking, for he turned the conversation to other things and by the time that they had parked the car in Interlaken, Gill was feeling much more positive about spending time with Alex. They strolled along the main street and into a big departmenet store, as Alex had admitted to needing some new socks. After that they went to Gill's favourite bookshop, where she showed Alex the well stocked shelves of English books, and he happily pounced on a new Agatha Christie novel that he had not previously read.
They browsed in some other shops before heading off to the restaurant for lunch. They were shown to a pleasant table in the middle of the room and presented with the menu, from which they both ordered the special of the day, some locally caught fish in a creamy sauce. While they waited for it to be prepared, Alex studied his companion across the table. he had spent many evenings thinking about her, wondering if her children would allow him the opportunity of getting close to her. He still missed Penny, but he had finally realised that he would have to move on with his life and not spend the rest of his days in mourning. Penny would never come back and it was useless to live in the past. Gill was as different as Penny as chalk from cheese, but he was drawn to her. Even though they had met at a time of great sorrow for them both, she had made an impression on him, and he had not managed to get her out of his mind since then. He had told himself that he was revisiting the Gornetz Platz as a sign of respect for Penny, but at the back of his mind there had been the hope that he might be able to see Mrs. Laroche while he was there. The advert for a lab technician at the big San on the Platz had seemed like a sign - he had applied at once, knowing that it would be challenging, yet hoping that it would give him the opportunity to rebuild his life and get to know Gill at the same time.
As he thought about Genevieve, and the rebellious look she had worn when he agreed to stay for coffee, Alex gave a wry smile. Gill, who had been pretending to be interested in the view from the window, noticed the smile. "What is so amusing?" she asked him.
Alex, who had been completely lost in thought, grinned across the table at her. "I'm just happy," he told her. "It's true what they say about third time lucky, isn't it?"
"Yes, it does seem to be," she agreed, smiling back at him. "Thank you, Alex, for persevering."
Alex would have reached out and taken her hand, but the waiter appeared at that point and placed big plates down on the table in front of them. He was beginning to think that he was jinxed - every time he tried to get nearer to Gill, someone interrupted them and he missed his chance. With a sigh he picked up his knife and fork and started on his meal. He found that Hans had not exaggerated, as the food was every bit as delicious as he had told him it would be. Gill also seemed to be enjoying her meal, although she had gone very quiet he noticed.
"Is everything all right?" he asked gently.
"We came here a lot," Gill explained, with a rather wistful smile. "The last time was for the twins' eighteenth birthday. It was one of Armand's favourite places."
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Alex, feeling annoyed with himself. He wondered why he had not thought of discretely asking Hans about restaurants that Gill had frequented with Armand, so that he could have chosen to take her somewhere with fewer memories.
Gill reached across the table and patted his hand. "That's all right," she assured him. "I had to come back here some time. And the food is so good, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's lovely," he agreed, wishing that he had seized her hand before she could withdraw it.
They finished their meal and Alex insisted on paying the bill. He reminded her that she had provided their last meal and so it was most definitely his turn to pay. He gathered up the shopping and they left the restaurant, deciding it was time to head back to the Platz, so that Gill would not be late to greet her daughters when they got home from school. Alex decided to drive them back to the Platz via Wengen, a delightfully picturesque little village to which he decided to take Gill another day. It was such a romantic place and maybe he would actually be able to get close to Gill there without anyone appearing to spoil the moment.
They drove through the village and began to go up the mountain road towards the Platz. It was a very steep ascent, and the road was torturous, but Gill had been along that way so many times that she did not think twice about it. Alex did feel a little nervous as he negotiated some of the hairpin bends, but he was a good driver and he soon had them past the worst parts. As they rounded the final tight corner, the car made a strange sound and the engine died. Alex put the brakes on quickly and tried to restart the engine, but nothing happened. Shamefacedly he turned to Gill.
"I know nothing about cars," he admitted. "I have absolutely no idea what to do if it won't start."
"Neither do I," she told him.
He turned the key in the ignition again and still nothing happened. After a couple more futile attempts to restart the engine, Alex turned to Gill once more. "Perhaps we should just wait a couple of minutes," he suggested. "Maybe it will restart then. I'm really sorry about this, Gill."
"I'm sure it's not your fault, Alex," she said with a smile.
"I'm starting to think that the fates are against us," he told her, looking out of the window at the view so that she would not see how upset he felt. All he had wanted to do was take the scenic route home and now they were stranded on the side of a mountain. He knew that the road was a very quiet one, and it was quite likely that no one would come past for a couple of hours. There were still several very steep miles to go and it would be a long walk for them to undertake.
"It's not been as bad as all that," she reassured him. "I've had a lovely day today, and dinner last Wednesday was really nice, too."
He looked doubtfully at her, but she was smiling and he knew then that she was not disappointed with the time she had spent with him. He was still not sure what she felt about him, or what chance he had of persuading her to spend a lot more time with him, but she certainly did not seem put off by their current plight. "Thank you for being so nice," he told her. He tried again to restart the car, but still to no avail. With a sigh he got out and opened the bonnet, deciding that he could at least see if the radiator had overheated or if the oil was all gone.
Gill got out too. "I don't think you should do much while it's so hot," she said, standing beside him and looking into the engine too.
"So we have a choice," he told her, slamming down the bonnet. "We either walk up to the Platz, or down to Wengen, or we sit here and hope that someone else has decided to be foolish and take the scenic route home as well."
Gill glanced at her watch. "I think we'll have to walk up to the Platz," she told him. "Anyone using the road will pass us as we are walking, but if we wait and no one comes, we'll still have to get back home somehow. Should we try to move the car out of the road, do you think?"
"I suppose we should," he agreed. "We can let it run backwards onto that grass there. Get in and steer and I'll push."
"Just as long as you don't push me off the edge," she said with a grin.
"Keep your foot near the brake," he suggested.
Very soon the car was neatly parked beside the road and Alex's purchases were safely locked in the boot. They set off together up the road, and Alex would have set a cracking pace, but Gill tactfully pointed out that the slow, even tread of a mountaineer would be more appropriate. They would be able to keep going far longer if they did not try to go too fast, and were more likely to be able to reach the Platz safely. To save their breath they did not talk much as they walked, but Alex found himself thinking so hard that he would not have been surprised if she could hear him. She was walking steadily at his side, her usually pale cheeks looking faintly pink from the fresh air and the exertion of their uphill struggle. He would have liked to take her arm, but she was obviously so used to walking in the mountains that she would probably have thought he was expecting her to help him along. He could only hope that he would be able to keep up with her and that she would not have to leave him beside the road and go on alone to fetch help.
Gill walked easily, thankful that she had put on comfortable shoes for going shopping rather than impractical ones. It was a fair way up to the Platz, but certainly not beyond either of their capabilities. The one worry she had, though, was whether she could reach home before Héloise and Genevieve got there. They would be very concerned if they arrived home and found her missing, especially as they had no idea of her plans for visiting Interlaken that morning.
She glanced at Alex out of the corner of her eye and saw how glum he was looking. She could understand how he felt that the fates were against them, for they seemed to have some sort of problem every time they tried to meet up. "It's a good day for a walk," she observed, for it was cool and fine. "Imagine doing this in the rain."
"Or the snow," he said, smiling down at her. "I really am sorry, Gill. Next time we'll stick to the Platz. If there is a next time," he added.
"I hope there will be a next time," said Gill, much to her own surprise.
"Then there definitely will be," he promised.
They trudged the last few steep metres and finally made it onto the Platz. Gill stopped and mopped her brow with her hanky. "At least it gets easier from here on," she observed.
At last Alex managed to slip his hand through her arm. "Come on, let's get you home," he said, drawing her into step with him.

#28: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2007 9:35 am
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Thanks, Fatima! Very Happy

Somehow I missed Gill first time around, Embarassed

so I have really enjoyed catching up with her stories in the archives and here.

#29: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:23 am
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They walked across the Platz and finally came to Gill's chalet. She was feeling more tired than she cared to admit, but there was to be no chance of resting, for Héloise and Genevieve were both virtually falling out of the front door to greet her on her return.
"See you tomorrow," said Alex, releasing her arm and watching as the girls fell upon her with cries of consternation. He turned and walked away, hoping that Genevieve would not give Gill too much of a hard time for going out with him.
"Where have you been?" Genevieve was exclaiming as they drew her into the chalet and closed the door.
"We were getting worried about you," said Héloise more calmly.
"I went to Interlaken with Alex," admitted Gill, removing her coat and sinking down onto the settee. "We had a spot of car trouble and had to walk the last few miles home."
"Why do you keep wanting to see him?" Genevieve demanded, sitting down next to Gill.
Gill slid her arm around Genevieve and looked seriously at her. "He's nice," she said honestly. "And since Papa died I've missed having a friend."
"You have us," Genevieve protested at once. "We'll be friends for you."
"It's not that easy, though, is it," said Héloise thoughtfully.
"No, it's not," agreed Gill.
"But you have Tante Helene, and Jacynth, and Tante Monique," said Genevieve, "and plenty of other friends. You don't need him as well."
"I think Mum means that she needs someone of her own," said Héloise. "Tante Helene has Onkel Hans. Tante Monique has Oncle Andre. Mum is too young to spend the rest of her life alone."
"So do you want to marry Alex?" asked Genevieve.
"No, I haven't said that at all," said Gill. "I just want to see him sometimes, maybe for dinner or to go for a walk or something, so that we can talk."
"About what?" asked Genevieve suspiciously.
"All sorts of things," said Gill patiently.
"Oh, grow up, Jen," said Héloise, sounding exactly as Arminel would have sounded.
Genevieve glared at her sister. "And what if we don't like him?" she asked Gill.
"Then they'll get married and put you up for adoption," said Héloise with a wicked grin.
"No, we won't," Gill interposed smoothly. She knew that Genevieve had asked an extremely pertinent question, but it was one to which she had not yet worked out the answer. "You don't know yet if you like him or not," she said. "You have hardly met him."
"Maybe we should meet him," said Héloise, abandoning her efforts at tormenting her sister. "Properly, I mean. Why don't you ask him to come and have dinner with us?"
"Don't you think that would put him off?" asked Gill with a smile.
"But he can't sit in Papa's chair," said Genevieve.
Relieved to hear that Genevieve was accepting of Héloise's plan, Gill agreed at once. "Perhaps you could sit there," she suggested gently.
Genevieve nodded. "Yes, I could," she said happily. "Will you ask him to come at the weekend? Then Louis will be here too."
Gill wondered what Alex would say when she suggested that he come to dinner and meet the children. It was enough to make him want to run a mile, especially conidering all that Genevieve had been up to. Perhaps he would decide it was better to stop seeing her than to get involved with her children, and Gill was surprised to discover how much she was hoping that it would not put him off. "Yes," she agreed, although inwardly she was nervous at the thought of asking him to come over. She had never asked a man out before, even to dinner at her house, and it felt strange to be contemplating it. "I'll ask him at work tomorrow."
"And you will call us at school and tell us what he says?" suggested Genevieve hopefully.
"No, I don't think I will," chuckled Gill. "You will have to wait until you get home." She pulled herself to her feet and looked thoughtfully at her daughters. "Now, I haven't started the dinner yet. What would you say to going to the cafe, just as a treat?"
"Oh, yes please!" the two exclaimed at once. It was a very long time since they had gone to eat dinner in the cafe with their mother, although Louis did sometimes take them there for tea. They dashed off upstairs to get ready and soon Gill was walking along the street, one girl on either side of her, and feeling more positive about their reaction to Alex than she had even dared to hope.

As she walked to work the next morning, Gill kept on thinking about asking Alex to lunch. Genevieve's last words as she left for school had been a cheerful reminder to invite him that weekend, and Gill had promised to do so. She still felt very nervous about it, though, for she was worried that he would not want to come and that she would not see him again. She had come to appreciate his friendship, and to enjoy talking to him, and she knew that she would be saddened if he told her that he didn't want to see her any more. They were just friends, nothing more, but she valued his friendship in the absence of Armand.
Although she worried about talking to Alex for most of the morning, Gill was disappointed when he did not appear at coffee time. She often saw him in the canteen during her coffee break, for he had tried to time his breaks with hers as far as possible. She kept her eyes open for him and if Helene found her rather distracted as they sipped their coffee together, she was too polite to say anything. After psyching herself up to speak to him all morning, Gill now had to keep herself going until lunch time, and hope that she would see him then.
In a state of trepidation, Gill arrived in the canteen for lunch and found Alex already there, deep in conversation with Hans. She collected some soup and a freshly baked roll and headed over to the two men. Hans had almost finished his lunch and he gladly moved up to make room for Gill. Alex smiled up at her as she put her tray on the table, and she suddenly felt a lot more hopeful.
"How is your car?" she asked as she sat down between the two men.
"It's been taken to the garage," he told her, "and I'm hoping it will be back tomorrow."
"So it's not too serious, then?" she said.
"I don't think so. I didn't really understand what they told me, I just asked them to fix it!"
Gill laughed. "I think I would have been the same," she said.
"I had better get back to the theatre," said Hans, standing up. "Come over and have dinner with us, Gill. We haven't seen you for ages."
"Thank you," she said. Hans disappeared, and Gill turned to Alex. "On the subject of dinner," she said, "the girls wondered if you would like to have dinner with us this weekend. Perhaps Sunday lunch?"
Alex looked surprised and Gill wondered if he would refuse to come. "That would be lovely," he answered. "Thank them very much, won't you."
Gill heaved a mental sigh of relief. It had not been so bad after all. "They want to meet you, so you should be prepared to answer a whole host of questions. If you would prefer not to come, I'll understand."
"No, I honestly would love to come," he assured her. "What time do you want me to show up?"
"How about eleven?" she suggested. "Then they have the opportunity to quiz you before lunch, and you should be able to enjoy the meal afterwards. If you come too late they will spend the mealtime firing questions at you, and you won't be able to eat a mouthful!"
Alex laughed. "I'm sure they aren't that bad," he said. "I'm looking forward to it already."

#30: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:47 am
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I think Genevieve could be that bad, but she is too young to understand how Gill misses another adult to talk to.

Thanks for the new post, Fatima! Very Happy

#31: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 11:08 pm
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Good plan. Smile

*tries to remember what happened during Alex's visit*

#32: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:34 pm
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Alex arrived at exactly eleven o'clock on Sunday morning. Gill and the children had just got back from church and the girls were laying the table while Louis was carefully opening a bottle of claret and leaving it to breathe.
"I'll go!" Genevieve screeched as the doorbell rang. She raced off and was soon throwing open the front door. "Hello, Mr. Fraser," she said, sounding very proper.
Having heard her yell, Alex was hard pushed not to laugh at the demure young lady that had greeted him. "Hello, Miss Laroche," he said with equal politeness.
"You don't have to call me that," she told him, standing aside and waving him into the hall. "I'm Genevieve. Can I...er...may I take your coat?"
"Thank you Genevieve," he said and he removed his coat and handed it to her.
"Come on in and meet the others," she said.
Alex followed her through to the sitting room and Gill appeared from the kitchen.
"Hello Alex," she said, giving him a smile that made his heart beat faster.
He thought she looked lovely, wearing a smart blouse and skirt with an apron over them, and her hair just starting to come down. He was still not sure what she felt about him, but he knew that he was most definitely falling in love with her. Giving himself a mental shake, he tried to focus on what she was saying.
"Would you like a glass of sherry before dinner?" she was asking him.
"Yes, please," he agreed, hoping that it would steady his nerves a little.
Louis appeared from the kitchen with a bottle of sherry and he carefully poured a glass for Alex. "I'm Louis," he added, as Alex thanked him for the drink.
Alex shook the tall young man's hand. "I'm Alex," he said with a smile. Louis did not look at all like Gill, so Alex guessed that he was looking at a younger version of Gill's late husband. "It's nice to meet you."
"You too," said Louis, passing a glass of sherry to Gill. "Mum said you work at the San."
"Yes, I'm a lab technician," Alex told him.
"What does that involve?" asked Héloise, coming over to join in the conversation.
Alex sat in the chair that Genevieve drew him over to, and explained about his job to his apparently fascinated audience. Gill went back into the kitchen to sort out the dinner, but she unashamedly eavesdropped on the conversation, so that she could go in and distract them if anyone started to misbehave. She liked the way Alex spoke to the children, talking politely to them and not speaking down at all, even when answering Genevieve's questions. In order to restrain Genevieve, Gill had already explained about Penny, and asked the girls not to discuss Alex's wife with him, unless he brought the subject up. She reminded them of how painful it could be to suddenly be expected to discuss Armand, and Genevieve had immediately understood what Gill meant and promised to be exceedingly tactful and pleasant.
The children kept Alex busy until Gill called them to help her put the dishes of food onto the table. Even Louis went to help, for Armand had insisted that Louis should do his share of the work around the house and learn as much about cooking simple meals and keeping up with his own washing and cleaning as possible. As ever, when she looked at Louis, Gill felt a stab of regret for Armand's life cut so short, but a large wave of pride when she saw the man that he was becoming. He had been forced to grow up quickly, but had risen to the occasion every bit as well as she could have hoped him to, and she knew that one day he would make someone a fine husband.
Alex brought out his empty glass and washed it up for Gill. "What can I do to help?" he asked once he had set it carefully in the draining rack. "Shall I carve the meat?"
Gill was about to tell him that Louis usually had that job, as Armand had done it throughout their marriage, but Louis said, "Yes, please, Alex. I usually do it, but I'm not very good at it."
Alex took Louis to one side and showed him how to hold the meat still and cut reasonably even slices, then watched approvingly as Louis tried his hand at carving. Gill watched them, feeling unreasonably angry with Armand for not being around to teach his son such things, and then guilty for not appreciating how good Alex was being. She handed Héloise a pile of plates and told Genevieve to find the horseradish sauce, and soon they were all seated around the table. Gill smiled at Genevieve, who was happily ensconced in Armand's place, while Alex had been put next to her. Louis gravely said grace and then everyone was offering dishes of vegetables and potatoes to everyone else. Soon they had delicious plates of roast beef with all the trimmings in front of them.
Finally, Genevieve offered the dish of cauliflower cheese to Alex, seeing that he had not yet had any of it. It was a heavy dish, and still a little hot. As she passed it to him, the dish fell from her grasp and the remains of the cauliflower cheese slipped down his shirt and into his lap.
Genevieve leaped to her feet with a scream of, "I didn't mean it! It was an accident!" and almost threw her chair over as she dashed from the room.
Héloise and Louis thrust their serviettes at Alex and Gill dashed off for a cloth. Fortunately they managed to remove most of the food before it burnt him, but as Alex looked ruefully at his clothes, he wondered if they would ever be the same again.
"I can lend you some clothes," Louis offered, having seen how gloomy Alex was looking.
"And I can wash out your clothes so that they won't be stained," added Gill, resigning herself to another spoiled meeting with Alex. Perhaps he was right - the fates really did seem to be conspiring against them. A sudden thought flew into Gill's head - maybe it was Armand and Penny, both envious becuase their partners were off with someone else instead of being faithful to their memories.
Louis took Alex off upstairs and found him some clean trousers and a shirt. While they were gone, Héloise looked across at her mother. "It was an accident," she said gravely. "You do believe her, don't you?"
"I don't know what to believe," said Gill. "Why do you believe her?"
"She told me that she was pleased Alex was going to come over and visit," said Héloise, looking seriously at her mother. "She didn't really fall downstairs that night. She jumped down and shouted a bit and pretended she'd hurt herself. She told me that. It was being sick when you wanted to go out the other time that gave her the idea. And after we talked Jen told me that she was glad Alex was going to come and visit, because she wanted to meet him properly."
"I'd better go and talk to her," said Gill, standing up again and sighing over her ruined dinner. She ran lightly upstairs and tapped on Genevieve's bedroom door. She could hear the sound of sobbing coming from inside, so she opened the door and went in. Genevieve was lying on the bed, face buried in the pillow, her slim frame shaking with sobs. Gill perched on the bed beside her and put a hand on the heaving shoulder nearest her.
As she had been so busy crying, Genevieve had not heard Gill come in and she almost jumped out of her skin when she felt the hand on her shoulder. When she saw her mother, she fell into her arms with another wail. "I really didn't mean it," she sobbed, sounding distraught. "I'm really sorry Mum. It was heavy and it slipped out of my hands."
Gill held Genevieve close and smoothed her hair. "You have to admit that you have given me reason to be suspicious of you," she said gently. "But I do believe you, darling, so stop crying and let's go down and have some dinner."
"Are you sure you believe me?" asked Genevieve hopefully.
"Yes, I'm sure," said Gill, kissing the hot little face turned up to her own.
Genevieve kissed Gill back and scrambled off the bed. "I'll just wash my face," she said, "and then I'll come down."
"Good girl," said Gill, returning to the dining room.
Alex was already back in his seat, wearing Louis' shirt and trousers and smiling again. "Where's Genevieve?" he asked as Gill came back alone.
"She'll be down in a moment," said Gill. She sat down and began her lunch, eager to eat it before any further disaster struck. It was always better to deal with trouble on a full stomach, she reasoned, so she might as well finish her food right away.
Genevieve returned a moment later. She sat down next to Alex and immediately turned to face him. "I'm really sorry," she said contritely. "I hope I didn't hurt you."
"No, I'm fine," he reassured her. "And you are forgiven. The dish is very heavy and it was hot, too. I'm not surprised it was hard for you to hold it."
Genevieve beamed at him, and seeing the look that passed between them, Gill wondered if that particular disaster might be a blessing in disguise. Genevieve was evidently relieved to be forgiven and would be a lot more accepting of Alex now that he had shown such a willingness to believe her. She might actually give him a fair chance instead of seeing him as someone who was trying to take her father's place. And Gill herself was impressed with Alex's attitude towards Genevieve. She had made so many of Alex's dealings with the Laroche family awkward or difficult and yet he appeared not to hold a grudge about it at all. He was being friendly and polite and she was glad that he had taken everything so well.
After that the meal was uneventful. They talked and laughed together and Gill watched with pleasure as all three children obviously warmed to their guest and included him in their conversations more because they wanted to than because it would have been rude not to. Once the meal was over, the three children banished the adults to the living room, promising that they would make some tea and do all the clearing up by themselves.
Alone with Gill, Alex decided that he should seize the moment; so many moments had been snatched from him that he felt every brief interlude should be valued. He sat down on the settee at her side and gently took her hand between his. "Thank you," he said, as her eyes met his. "I've had a lovely time. You have three absolutely gorgeous children." Drawing a deep breath, he leaned forward and gently brushed her lips with his own.
Hearing someone approaching with a tray of tea, Gill pulled her hand from his and tried to look relaxed. "Oh, thank you," she said as Héloise set the tray down on the coffee table.
"Louis wants to go for a walk this afternoon," Héloise informed her. "Is that all right?"
"Yes, of course," said Gill, hoping that she sounded natural. "I think I shall stay here, though," she added. "I had a long enough walk earlier in the week." She looked over at Alex as she said that and he gave her a rather artificial smile.
Héloise disappeared into the kitchen again and Alex looked apologetically at Gill. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I really don't know what came over me. I think I'd better go home."
Hesitantly Gill reached out and took his hand. "Please don't go," she said softly.
Alex looked deeply into her eyes for a long moment and it was all he could do not to seize her and kiss her ardently. As they could be interrupted at any moment, it might not be quite appropriate to do that, so he restrained himself. Furthermore, she looked very uncertain, and he had no desire to confuse her by letting her see how he felt about her. He knew that she still missed Armand almost every moment of every day, and he guessed that she would find it very difficult to move on to any kind of relationship with someone else.

#33: Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock

Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:25 pm
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Thanks, Becky. Laughing

#34: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:43 pm
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Once they had finished the washing up, the children returned to the living room and sat with Gill and Alex to have some tea. Louis explained that they planned to call on Chantal and Karl and see if they wanted to go for a long walk and Gill could not help noticing the giggles that greeted the mention of Chantal's name. She also observed the ferocious glare that Louis shot at his sisters and wondered what was going on. She guessed that Genevieve would fill her in on all the details later, for Genevieve was very keen on gossiping and found it rather difficult to keep a secret. Once they had finished their tea, they took the tray out to the kitchen and then they put on their coats and called goodbye before going off on their walk. Gill heard them laughing as they went off down the street and she turned to Alex with a smile.
"I think something's going on," she told him. "They often go out for a walk at the weekend, to catch up with the others, but it doesn't usually spark such hilarity."
"Seeing your children makes me realise how much Penny and I missed out on by not having children," said Alex with regret.
"Oh, they aren't always like this," said Gill, thinking back to what had sometimes seemed like endless bickering, especially between Arminel and Genevieve. Even now that the twins were so grown up, they were not above squabbling with their siblings, with arguments and slamming doors often occurring during the holidays. "Sometimes it's more like a war zone here than anything else!"
Alex laughed. "I suppose children are bound to fight and argue," he said. "I know I certainly did with my brothers."
"Yes, so did I," Gill agreed. "Thank you for being so nice to Genevieve, Alex. You have definitely gone up in her estimation now."
"It was an accident," he reminded her. "And I wasn't hurt, so there was no point in being upset by it."
"You were still so good to her," said Gill.
Alex smiled at her and then he reached out and drew her against him, glad to discover that she did not resist his touch. "Gill, I know I shouldn't say this," he told her, "but I've been thinking about you an awful lot lately."
"I've been thinking of you, too," she admitted. With a sigh she rested her head against his shoulder, reflecting on how pleasant it was to be held by someone after such a long time spent struggling on alone. Alex kissed her hair and held her closer. She had promised him nothing, but he felt suddenly hopeful. She had been thinking about him and she had allowed him to embrace her, which was more than he had ever dared hope for. As she slid an arm around him, Alex wondered when he had last felt as happy. Certainly not for a very long time, for the shadow of Penny's illness had hung over them for many months before her death. Now he was filled with hope for the future, a future in which he also saw Gill and her children. Gill closed her eyes, almost able to imagine that it was Armand holding her. She had not realised just how much she had missed feeling his arms around her, knowing that he would care for her and give her strength or comfort if she needed it. She did not want to ruin the moment for Alex, though, so she resolutely blinked back the tears that threatened to spoil things.
"Gill, I'd like to see you again," Alex said suddenly. "Will you let me cook you dinner one night this week?"
Gill raised her head from his shoulder and smiled at him. "That would be lovely," she said.
They looked at each other for a long moment, and Gill suddenly realised that Alex had been thinking very seriously about her. He was obviously looking for far more than friendship with her, and she knew that she had better start to think rather more seriously about him, too. She would need to decide if she wanted to get involved with him, because it would not be fair for her to lead him on and then discover that she preferred to remain on her own. Friendship was fine, and Alex was the sort of person she could be good friends with, but she had to work out how she felt about a more romantic kind of relationship with him.
Alex leaned closer and kissed her then, and although she had not had time to think, Gill found herself kissing him back. It was not at all like kissing Armand, for which she was grateful, and it was actually a rather enjoyable experience. When he finally released her, she felt unaccountably shy and could hardly bring herself to meet his gaze again.
Alex smiled at her flushed cheeks, thinking how lucky he was to have met her. She was strong and full of character, yet still managed to look as though she needed someone to look after her. Penny had been ill for so long, and although she had always been very determined, her strong will had gone into fighting the disease that was slowly ravaging her body and not into her everyday life. She had been very dependent on Alexand he had always cherished her and protected her. With Gill, Alex felt that he could have a more balanced and equal relationship and he knew that she would be someone who could accept responsibility for decision making, rather than just sitting back and letting him shoulder all the burdens and do all the worrying.
"I really should be getting home," he said, running his hand across her hair and smoothing into place some of the ruffled ends.
"You could stay for tea," she suggested.
"I have some files to look at," he said apologetically. "I have to work tomorrow, even if you don't!"
"I like working part time," she told him. "It's nice to have the chance to clear up after the weekend."
"Which night would you like to come to dinner? How about tomorrow?"
Gill laughed at his enthusiasm. "Yes, all right," she agreed. "Tomorrow would be lovely."
"Good." Alex sounded happy to have arranged things so satisfactorily.
They stood up and Alex pulled on his coat. Gill absolutely refused to let him take his clothes, telling him that she would bring them back the next evening for him and collect Louis' things then, too. Seeing that he would not be able to win that argument, Alex backed down gratefully.
"See you tomorrow," she said.
Alex slid his arms around her and kissed her again. "I can hardly wait," he told her with a grin. "Goodbye. And please thank the children, especially Genevieve, for being so nice to me. Tell them that I'm sorry I had to dash off. Maybe they could come over and visit me next weekend."
"I'll tell them," Gill promised, kissing him back. "Goodbye Alex."

The next day Gill thought about Alex as she did the housework. She had managed to get his clothes completely clean and they were ironed and folded neatly ready for her to take back to him that evening. She had given a lot of careful consideration to Alex, and had finally decided that she would do her best to give him a fair chance. She had no way of knowing if she would ever be able to love anyone else after spending so many years absolutely head over heels in love with Armand, but she really should accept that that part of her life was over and maybe it was time to move on.
Another thing that Gill was pondering was something that Genevieve had eagerly confided the previous evening. Apparently Louis had stopped writing to Marianne and instead was rather taken with Chantal Schmidt. He had arranged to collect her during the week and take her out to dinner in Interlaken. Genevieve had told her that Louis really liked Chantal and that she felt the same about him.
As Gill was getting lunch, the phone rang and she strolled through to the living room to answer it, wondering if it would be Alex calling for a chat. To her surprise she found Monique on the other end of the line.
Monique's voice sounded unbelievably close as she greeted Gill, but somehow Gill felt as though she was preparing to break some bad news.
"There's been an accident," Monique said, her voice shaking. "Gill, Arminel's in hospital."
"What happened?" Gill demanded.
"She was with a friend, driving home from church yesterday. They had an accident. The driver of the car was killed and Arminel is still unconscious. I don't know anything more than that."
Gill hardly noticed the tears pouring down her cheeks. "I shall get the next flight to Paris," she told Monique.
"I'll meet you there," Monique promised. She gave Gill the name of both the hospital where Arminel was and the hotel that she usually stayed in when she visited Paris, and then she rang off.
Gill replaced the receiver and sat down abruptly, hardly able to comprehend what Monique had just told her. Arminel, her brilliantly clever and fiercely determined daughter, was now lying in a hospital bed, presumably hovering perilously close to that fine line between life and death. For a moment Gill felt tempted to give in to the desire to lay her head on the table and cry, but she knew she had to get to Paris as fast as possible. She dashed upstairs and hastily threw a few clothes in a bag, and then she called Mrs. Entwhistle and asked if it would be possible for her to let Héloise and Genevieve leave school for a few days. She explained the situation to Len and the Head willingly agreed that they could travel to Paris with their mother. After all, if anything was to happen to Arminel, the girls would be needed badly. Although Len had not told either of the girls why they were being sent home, they both knew that something was wrong. They walked to the chalet at twice the usual speed and dashed through the door calling frantically for their mother. Gill, who had managed to compose herself after a dreadfully difficult conversation with Louis, caught both girls in her arms, vowing that she was never going to part with either of them, in the hope that she could keep them safe if they remained with her.
"What's wrong Mum?" Héloise demanded anxiously.
"We are going to Paris," said Gill. "Arminel has been in a car accident."
"Is she dead?" asked Genevieve, fear in her voice.
"No, but she's not well," said Gill, hating having to upset Genevieve in this way. "Louis is coming here and then we're going to Berne and flying to Paris. Tante Monique will meet us there."
When Louis arrived they got quickly into his little car and within two hours of Monique's call they were on their way to the beautiful French capital, their hearts as heavy as lead.

#35: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 5:12 pm
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Although Louis had been in favour of going straight to the hospital on their arrival in Paris, Gill had persuaded him that it would be better to reserve some rooms in the hotel first, so that they could then stay with Arminel for as long as they were allowed to. They found Monique in the hotel foyer, and discovered that she had already arranged their rooms, and so they deposited their bags and all set off for the hospital together. They were told that Arminel was in intensive care, and Gill felt positively sick as she was forcibly reminded of the days she had spent sitting beside Armand's bed just before his death. Louis and Héloise were clinging to each other as they passed along the corridor towards the intensive care unit and Genevieve was gripping Gill's hand so tightly that Gill had to gently prise her hand from Genevieve's grasp.
At the reception desk they spoke to a dark haired nurse with a very kind face. She told them all she knew about Arminel and agreed that Gill could go in and sit with her for a moment. She was still unconscious, and badly bruised, but somehow had managed to escape with no broken bones. Gill explained that Louis was Arminel's twin brother and eventually the nurse agreed that he could go in, too, in case the sound of his voice could rouse her young patient.
Leaving Genevieve and Héloise with Monique, Gill and Louis went into the large room and the nurse directed them to a bed at the end. The room was not as silent as Louis had expected it to be - it was filled with the noise of the machines that were keeping the four patients in intensive care alive. They walked down to the end bed and found Arminel lying there, her head bandaged and her face almost as white as the pillow on which she lay. Gill swallowed hard and perched on the solitary chair beside the bed. Louis gave a sob and rushed out of the room, finding the sight of his beloved sister lying so still more than he could bear. Gill reached for Arminel's hand, holding it between her own so carefully as if she was worried that she would hurt it. She recalled people discussing the value of talking to those who were in a coma and she wondered if it would help Arminel to hear her voice. She pulled her chair closer to the bed, leaning over and gently touching her daughter's ashen cheek.
"Arminel," she said softly, "we're here now. Louis and Héloise and Jen, too. We all want you to get well again, darling. Please open your eyes, Arminel, just for a moment."
There was no flicker of movement from the figure on the bed, not even the tiniest sign of her having heard what Gill was saying to her. Gill leaned over and kissed Arminel very tenderly, tears cascading down her cheeks, then she got up and stumbled out of the room and into Monique's waiting arms.

Knowing that he was not the world's greatest chef, Alex prepared a simple meal for Gill. He made shepherd's pie to be served with vegetables, and got some of the lovely eclairs sold on the platz for dessert. He did some cleaning and tidying up and finally everything was ready for his guest. He was aware that he might have a while to wait for her, as he was rather early and she still had to make sure that Héloise and Genevieve were all right before she could come over to his place.
By eight o'clock he was feeling more worried than excited. He could not understand why Gill had not yet arrived and began to wonder if she had changed her mind and decided that she did not wish to see him after all. He wondered whether he dared call her and ask her if she was on her way, but he was concerned that she might think he was pushing her into coming over if he did that. He wandered into the kitchen and turned the oven down low, so that the food would not spoil, and then walked back into the lounge again, staring thoughtfully at the telephone as he passed it. The minutes ticked by and Alex kept crossing to the window to look out and see if she was coming down the street. He resolved to wait until nine o'clock and to call her if she had not arrived by then. He would just say that he was checking that the children were all right, because based on Genevieve's track record, anything could have happened. Then she would not feel obliged to drop everything and come to his house, but he would know whether he was being stood up or not.
Alex paced the living room for a while longer, checking the view down the street every time he reached the window, but there was still no sign of her. He held out until ten to nine, at which time he realised that he absolutely had to know what had happened to her. He picked up the phone and dialled her number, only to find that the phone rang and rang and no one answered it. Surprised, he replaced the receiver and then dialled the number again, checking carefully that he was actually calling the correct number. Again the phone rang and rang. Alex could not understand why Héloise or Genevieve did not answer, for they should be at home even if Gill was on her way to his house.
With a sigh, Alex decided that he had to face the fact that she did not want to come and visit him and that she must have chosen to ignore the phone all evening, in case he should call. He served himself some dinner and picked at it for a while, feeling miserable. He had spent the past twenty-four hours feeling delighted that he was getting his life back on track again, and anticipating a quiet evening spent with Gill. Now he had to abandon his high hopes of happiness and accept that she was not interested in him. She had freely admitted to him that she compared all men with Armand and had found that no one could match up to his standards; how had he dared assume that he could compete with her perfect husband?
Alex scraped the remains of his dinner into the bin and banged the plate into the sink. He slammed a few cupboard doors, too, for good measure, and finally stamped upstairs to bed. Even though he knew he was being childish, he could not stop himself from banging the bedroom door too, just to relieve his frustration a little.

#36: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 7:18 pm
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Ooohh!!! Thanks, Fatima! I hadn't spotted the updates, so I've had the delight of two at once. Poor Alex - it's not really surprising that Gill never even thought about him before rushing off to Paris to see Arminel. I hope she's going to be all right soon, and that Gill remembers to call Alex and tell him what's happened. Any chance of another update soon? Please?

#37: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 12:05 pm
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Of course, Lottie, since you asked so nicely! Very Happy

It was not until Gill was lying in the narrow bed in the hotel that night that she realised she should have been going to Alex's house for dinner. She had forgotten to call him and tell him that she was not coming, and he would have prepared a meal for her and been waiting and waiting for her to arrive. She clicked on the bedside lamp and saw that it was almost midnight. She could not decide if it was too late to call him or not. Was he the sort of person who sat up half the night listening to thought provoking radio programmes, or did he prefer to go to bed early she wondered?
Knowing how upset she would have been feeling if the roles were reversed, Gill decided that it would be better to phone him. He had certainly seemed to be very keen on her and delighted at the prospect of her going to his chalet for dinner that he would, no doubt, be disappointed when she did not turn up. He deserved to receive her humblest apologies for standing him up yet again, even though she did have a really good reason for doing so. She sat up and reached for her handbag, where she still had the little piece of paper on which he had written his phone number for her. It took her a while to find it, during which time she almost resigned herself to the prospect of having to leave him wondering what had happened to her, then she found it in the bottom corner of her bag.
Smoothing out the paper, she lifted the receiver and called the reception desk to ask about dialling codes for Switzerland. They offered to put the call through for her, and so she gave them the number. A moment later she was listening to the phone ringing in Alex's house. When he answered it, sounding very sleepy, she almost regretted having disturbed him.
"Hello Alex," she said. "It's Gill."
"Gill!" he exclaimed, startled into wakefulness. Then, as if he had decided to be interested in her no longer, he said, "Oh, hello," in the most casual of voices.
"I'm so sorry to wake you," she said apologetically. "We're in Paris. Arminel..."
"Paris!" he interrupted her, surprised. He was beginning to wonder if it was a very odd dream he was having, so he surreptitiously pinched himself to see if he was awake or still sleeping.
"Arminel's been in an accident," Gill told him. "She's unconscious still."
"Oh, Gill!" he said, his voice full of sympathy.
"They are just waiting for her to come round," said Gill, her voice breaking as she heard the compassion in his. "They don't know if she has some kind of head injury that may lead to...lead to brain damage." Gill had to stop speaking as she fully realised how different Arminel's future could be from the successful career she had always planned on.
"What else have they said?" he asked. "Gill, do you want me to come to Paris?"
Gill sniffed and tried to make herself answer his question, but words were beyond her. All she could do was sob quietly.
"Try to get some sleep," he advised her, realising that he would not get anything more from her. "And if there's anything I can do, call me again."
"Thank you," she said brokenly.
"Good night," he said and she heard the click of the receiver as he ended the call.
Gill lay down and sobbed into the pillow so as not to disturb Louis, with whom she was sharing the room. He was not asleep, however, and when he realised that she was crying he came over and sat on the bed next to her, tears in his own eyes. How could it be fair for them to lose Arminel just after getting over losing Armand, he wondered. Why should they have to deal with so many awful things in their lives, when everyone else seemed to live so happily? "It's just not fair," he said as Gill sat up and they hugged one another. "Why Arminel so soon after Papa?"
"We haven't lost Arminel yet," Gill reminded him. "We can still hope and pray that she will recover."
"I know, and I do," he told her. "But I still don't see why this keeps on happening to us."
"You can't say that," she told him gently. "I know we lost Papa, which was really difficult for us all, but that was the first awful thing that happened to us. Before that we were always so happy. Lots of families don't have that happiness to look back on when someone they love dies."
Louis smiled at Gill. "You are always right," he told her. "I don't think I can sleep. Can we order coffee and just talk for a while?"
"I dare say you can," she told him with a grin, "but surely the question is whether you may!"
Louis rolled his eyes. "May I?" he dutifully repeated. "There are times when I really loathe the Chalet School."
They called for some coffee and sat in the comfortable armchairs near the window, looking out at the lights of Paris. In the dimly lit room, Louis looked so much like Armand that Gill was reminded of the wonderful honeymoon they had taken in the beautiful city of lights, and how they had stood on the balcony of their room and looked out across the city each evening. Now, though, Armand was gone and they were desperately worried that Arminel might be joining him.

In the end, Gill and Louis got a couple of hours sleep. They went down for breakfast with Héloise and Genevieve, and Monique put in an appearance a little later. None of them looked as though they had slept well, although Héloise assured Gill that she and Genevieve had slept for most of the night. They managed to eat croissants with jam and drink more coffee, each wanting to reassure the others that they were dealing with Arminel's accident better than they really were. Finally, when they could no longer pretend to be hungry, they left the restaurant and planned to go straight to the hospital to see Arminel.
As they crossed the foyer, Gill heard her name being called. She turned and found that Alex was at the reception desk. "Oh Alex!" she cried, and she ran across to him and into his arms. "Whatever are you doing here?" she demanded. "Thank goodness you came."
Alex held her tightly, discovering that the night of frantic phone calls and the long drive to Berne to catch an extremely early flight to Paris had been worth it. "How could I leave you to deal with this on your own?" he asked her. "Is there any news this morning?"
"We're going to the hospital now," she said. "Will you come with us?"
"Of course I will," he promised. "Hello," he added to Gill's children, as they came over to join him. "I'm so sorry to hear about Arminel."
"It's really good of you to come," Louis said, shaking Alex's hand.
"This is Monique, my sister-in-law." Gill introduced Alex feeling a little nervous of Monique's reaction. "Monique, this is Alex. He works at the San."
Monique and Alex shook hands and Monique said, "It's nice to meet you, Alex."
"You too," answered Alex. "I've heard so much about you."
"Then you have an advantage over me," said Monique, squeezing Gill's arm to show that she was not unduly upset by this.
Alex took his overnight bag to his room, which was on the floor below Gill's, and they met again in the foyer a short time later. They took a taxi to the hospital and went straight to the intensive care unit. A different nurse was on duty, but she was obviously glad to see them.
"I have just tried to call the hotel," she told them. "Arminel woke a short while ago and the doctor is with her now."
"How is she?" asked Gill, half scared of the answer.
"I'm not sure, but the doctor will have more information when he comes out. Perhaps you would like to wait a while. I'll call you when the doctor has finished."
They went into the waiting room and sat down. Everyone looked anxious and glum and yet Gill was so glad they were there. Fortunately, they did not have to wait for very long. Shortly after they had gone into the waiting room, the nurse appeared again, followed by a serious-looking middle aged man in a white coat.
"Madame Laroche?" he asked, looking at Gill.
"Yes," said Gill, standing up. "What's the news?"

#38: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 2:07 pm
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I was so pleased to see some more, and Alex is being a proper SLOC, but Fatima, you can't leave me on a cliff like that! Well I suppose you obviously can, since you just have, but please don't make me wait to long to find out how Arminel is.

#39: Author: PaulineS, Location: West Midlands

Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 6:14 pm
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The number of cliffs on this board! No wonder we have to come back so often. It is good to see Arminel has regained consciousness. A good sign even if you have left us wondering if she is confused or has lost some memory.
Hope she is OK.

#40: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 1:22 pm
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This is rather a long bit. Thanks for your comments; it's nice to know that there are still a couple of people reading this!

"I'm Dr. Durand," the doctor said. "I've just spent some time with Arminel and I am happy to tell you that she remembers all about the accident. She can speak clearly and coherantly and I think she will make a full recovery."
"Oh, thank goodness," said Gill, blinking back tears of relief. "May I see her?"
"Yes, of course," the doctor answered promptly. "Please, only one or two of you, for just a couple of minutes. Later, once we move her up to the ward, you can stay longer. Just before you go in," he added, as Gill had turned to go into the intensive care unit, "The baby is fine. She is one very lucky girl."
"What?" Gill demanded. "What baby?"
"Your daughter is almost four months pregnant," the doctor informed them.
"Are you sure?" asked Gill, more than a little shocked by the revelation.
"Completely certain," the doctor assured her. "And no damage was done by the accident. There is no cause for you or Arminel to worry."
Dr. Durand left them then, and Gill turned to see Louis and Monique looking as astounded as she felt. Typically it was Genevieve who broke the stunned silence.
"Arminel's going to have a baby?" she said, sounding pleased. "That means I shall be an auntie!"
"Let's just go and see if she's all right," said Louis. "I think we should pretend we don't know about the baby. She would have told us if she'd wanted us to know."
"I'm not pretending anything," Gill warned him. "Come on, let's go and see her."
Before anyone could say anything further, Gill had taken Louis' arm and hustled him out of the waiting room. They went softly into the intensive care unit and found that the curtains were still drawn around Arminel's bed following the doctor's visit. Gill opened the curtains a little and passed into the small cubicle. Arminel was lying in bed, looking much as she had done the previous evening, pale and still. GIll was relieved that they had talked to the doctor before coming in to see her, for knowing that Arminel was going to be all right made it easier to see her looking so frail.
They crossed to the bed and Gill pushed Louis down onto the solitary chair. "Arminel," she said softly.
Arminel's eyes fluttered open. "Mum," she said, her voice stronger than Gill had expected. "And Louis too. Oh, I am so glad you're here." And tears began to leak from the corners of her eyes.
Gill leaned down and kissed her, feeling Arminel's arms come around her neck. "I'm so glad you are going to be all right," said Gill, feeling rather like crying herself. "What happened, darling?"
"We had just been to Mass," Arminel told her. "Another car came out suddenly, right into Matthieu's side of the car. They told me he died."
"Yes, he did," said Gill. "I'm so sorry darling."
"We wanted to get married," Arminel sobbed. "He didn't deserve to die."
"You never mentioned him before," said Gill, rather surprised by yet another revelation. "We had no idea he was anything more than a friend."
"My head aches," she told them.
Gill gently released her and straightened up. "Why don't you have a sleep?" she suggested, perching carefully on the very edge of the bed and taking Arminel's hand in hers. "I'll stay here with you."
Arminel closed her eyes, but still the tears managed to slip out and roll down her pale cheeks. Gill could not imagine how she was going to help Arminel through the difficult months that lay ahead, but she promised herself that she would never once criticise Arminel for what she had done. After all, she might find some degree of comfort from the baby and Gill would never deny her that.
They sat with Arminel until she had fallen asleep, when they returned to those waiting outside the intensive care unit.
"How is she?" demanded Monique, sliding an arm around Louis, who still looked more than a little upset.
"She's sleeping." Gill sat down beside Alex, grateful for the arm that he unobtrusively slipped around her. "It seems that the father of her baby was killed in the car crash - his name was Matthieu."
"Poor Arminel," said Héloise sadly. "And we never even knew about him."
"Can I see her?" asked Genevieve suddenly. "I promise I'll be quiet."
"I'd like to see her, too," said Héloise.
Louis stood up. "I'll take them in," he told Gill.
"Please don't wake her," said Gill.
Once they had gone, Monique turned to Gill again. "Whatever are you going to do?" she asked. "What about her degree? What about this Matthieu's family?"
Gill rubbed her aching head with a tired hand. "I don't know," she said wearily. "I can't make any decisions until we've discussed it properly with Arminel. She doesn't know that we know yet."
Alex held Gill more closely but refrained from adding anything to the conversation. He was just there for Gill to lean on if things got too much for her to deal with alone. It was her family and her decision and he would not be interfering.
Monique patted Gill's hand. "If there's anything I can do, you only have to say," she told her. "Now, if they would like to, I think I should take Héloise and Genevieve out for some sightseeing, and Louis, too, if he wants to come. They don't need to hang around here all day. It will take their minds off things if I take them up the Eiffel Tower or something. We'll come back again after lunch."
"Are you sure?" Gill asked. "I was actually wishing that I had left the girls in school. But I didn't know if Arminel would...be all right...and I couldn't face coming alone."
"Of course you had to bring them," said Monique. "But they shouldn't feel that they have to stay here. Ah, here they come now."
"She's still asleep," said Héloise, looking subdued.
Gill outlined Monique's plan for the day and Genevieve eagerly agreed. Héloise was harder to convince, but finally Louis said that he would go with them and so Héloise gave way and the three of them set off with Monique, leaving Alex and Gill to return to Arminel's bedside. Alex tried to persuade Gill that he would be happy to sit in the waiting room, but Gill had insisted on him accompanying her to Arminel's bedside. He might not have met her eldest daughter yet, and it was hardly the most auspicious circumstances for their first meeting, but Gill knew that she would welcome his company. He found a second chair and they sat together beside Arminel's bed, where she still seemed to be sleeping peacefully.
A little later the doctor came back to check on his patient again and to tell them that it was best for Arminel to sleep as much as possible over the next few days, so that she could regain her strength. He told them that she could be transferred upstairs to a vacant bed in another ward very shortly and that they would be able to sit with her there, too.
By the time she was settled in her new room, Arminel was awake, so Alex disappeared in search of some lunch while Gill went in to sit with her. She drew the curtains around the bed so that they could attain a certain degree of privacy, then she pulled the chair as close to the bed as she could and sat down. She was not sure if it was her imagination or not, but she felt that Arminel did not look quite as white as she had done earlier.
"How do you feel?" Gill asked anxiously.
Arminel reached for Gill's hand and clutched it tightly. "I just can't believe what happened," she said shakily. "It's like a horrible nightmare."
Gill moved onto the bed and took Arminel in her arms as if she was no older than Genevieve. Arminel clung to her for a long time, weeping quietly while Gill just held her and said nothing. Finally, Arminel kissed Gill's cheek and managed to give her a watery smile. "I love you, Mum," she said. "You have been the best mother a girl could ever have."
"Thank you," said Gill with a smile.
"How did you manage after Papa died?" asked Arminel, sounding completely devoid of hope. "How will I manage?"
Gill gently stroked Arminel's cheek. "It's very difficult," she said quietly. "And although I know you won't believe me just yet, it does get easier. I couldn't believe it when people told me, but now I do feel better. I still miss Papa, but I'm not miserable all the time."
"I really wish I'd let you meet Matthieu," said Arminel sadly. "It's hard to talk about him to people who didn't know him."
"Arminel, the doctor told us that you are pregnant," said Gill, unable to pretend ignorance any longer.
Arminel looked warily at her, as if expecting some sort of angry outburst. All she saw in her mother's face, though, was compassion and understanding and it brought forth a fresh wave of tears. "Matthieu was so happy about it," she sobbed. "He wanted us to get married straight away. I said that I needed time to think about it." Arminel took the hanky that Gill offered her and scrubbed at her eyes. "I can't believe how stupid I was."
"You weren't stupid at all," Gill reassured her. "You were taking time to think about what was best. And it certainly wasn't your fault that the accident happened, before you load yourself up with any more guilt."
"I'll try not to," she said with a feeble attempt at a smile.
"Now, I think we have talked more than enough for the moment," said Gill. "Let me make you more comfortable and then I think you should try to sleep again."
"Oh, I can't sleep any more," she protested, but she let Gill arrange her pillows more comfortably and even managed a brighter smile as Gill sat down on the chair once more. "Where's Louis?" she asked.
"Tante Monique has taken him and Héloise and Genevieve to do some sightseeing. They will be back this afternoon."
"Is he very angry with me?" she asked, sounding nervous.
"I'm not sure he's angry," said Gill thoughtfully. "I think he's a bit surprised, like the rest of us. We weren't really expecting so many complications."
"Hello." They heard Héloise's voice and turned as she appeared through the curtains. "How are you feeling, Arminel?"
Arminel smiled at Héloise and said, "I'm okay now. Where are the others?"
"They are coming," Héloise told her. "Mum, Alex says you need to go and have some lunch. We'll sit with Arminel until you get back. We can't all come in together, there are too many of us."
Arminel looked questioningly at her mother. "Alex?" she asked with interest.
Hoping that she didn't look too embarrassed, Gill said, "He's a friend of mine."
"We'll fill you in on all the details," Héloise promised in a stage whisper. "Off you go, Mum."
Gill leaned down and kissed Arminel again. "I won't be long," she assured her. "Don't let them tire you. Send Genevieve out if she gets noisy." Outside Gill found Genevieve and Louis waiting to go in and sit with their sister. She warned them that they should remember that Arminel had suffered a head injury and that they should be quiet and Genevieve promised to behave herself. They disappeared into the ward and Gill turned to Monique. "Thanks for taking them out," she said gratefully. "I've had a chat with Arminel and I think she's going to be all right."
Monique hugged Gill. "I'm glad," she said simply. "Now go and have something to eat."
Gill slipped her hand into Alex's and he smiled down at her. "Come on," he said. "I've found the cafeteria, so let's go and have a sandwich or something."
He led her down a couple of flights of steps and along a corridor and there they found the canteen. Gill gratefully selected some cheese sandwiches and a pot of tea and they settled themselves at a table in a quiet corner of the big room. After some food and two cups of tea, Gill found that she felt a lot better and more able to talk about Arminel with Alex.
"Do you remember when we met?" Gill asked him suddenly.
"Of course I do," he said, wondering what she was going to say next.
"Well, that's where Arminel is now," said Gill sadly. "Wondering why the one she loved was taken from her."
"And because you've been there, you will be able to help her through it," said Alex gently. "You can understand exactly what she's going through."
"Yes, she asked me how I had managed," Gill recalled. "I'm not sure how I managed, though. It was like living in darkness for the first few months."
Alex reached out and took her hand. "It was exactly like that," he agreed. "It wasn't even living one day at a time, more like a minute or two."
Gill smiled at him, knowing that he understood completely, too. "I'm so lucky to have found you," she told him.
"The feeling's mutual," he told her with an answering smile.
"Come on, then, let's go and make sure Genevieve hasn't driven Arminel crazy with her chatter."
They stood up and walked hand in hand out of the cafeteria. Gill found that Alex was a very comforting sort of person and it felt increasingly natural to turn and find him at her side. He understood all that she had been through over the past months and accepted that she had lost someone irreplaceable and yet still wanted to be with her.

#41: Author: PaulineS, Location: West Midlands

Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 6:03 pm
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Glad she has recovered consciousness normally.
Gill and Alex are lovely in their response. Smile

Of course we are reading it. Smile

#42: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 11:41 pm
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Definitely reading it, and relieved to know that Arminel should be fine, although somewhat surprised about the baby, but I suppose she's not the first and won't be the last.

Thanks, Fatima! Very Happy

#43: Author: linda, Location: Leeds

Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 11:55 pm
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Thanks Fatima, We are definitely reading this. It is lovely, but so sad in places.

How sad for Arminel. But hopefully Gill will be able to help her to understand that life goes on. And there is the baby to consider.

#44: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:15 am
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When they reached the ward, they found poor Monique still waiting outside. "Haven't you been in to see her yet?" asked Gill.
"No," Monique replied with a smile. "I peeped in just now and they are all sitting around, Héloise is holding her hand and Louis has an arm around her. How could I intrude on that?"
Gill felt a warm glow inside as she realised how her children were going to support one another through any difficulties one of them might face. "She will certainly need all the support she can get," said Gill sadly. "Poor child, I would give anything to spare her this heartbreak."
Alex squeezed the hand he held. "She'll be fine with so much love and support," he said.
"You must go in next, Monique," said Gill decisively. "And I think we should let her get some rest after that. The doctor said that she should sleep a lot."
"I suggest that you and Alex go out for dinner tonight," said Monique, who was absolutely delighted to think that Gill had found such a nice man to spend time with. "I'll take the others to a restaurant for pizza or something and you can have a quiet and relaxing dinner somewhere nicer."
"Oh, you don't have to do that," Gill protested.
"No, I don't," agreed Monique, "But I would like to."
"And I'd like to take you out for dinner," Alex put in. "I think it would be easier if you just agreed to go along with us."
Knowing that she was beaten, and actually rather glad about it, Gill smiled at them both. "I give up then," she said. "We'll go to dinner, Alex, and thank you, Monique."
Louis appeared at that point. "Arminel's feeling tired," he said, "but she wants to meet Alex before she goes to sleep."
Gill blushed. "What have you lot been saying?" she asked.
Louis grinned at her. "Not much," he said enigmatically.
Alex laughed. "Let's get this over and done with," he suggested.
Gill followed him into the ward. As they approached, Héloise and Genevieve stood up and left Arminel's bedside, along with Monique, who had scarcely had time even to enquire about Arminel's health. Gill looked anxiously at Arminel, wondering whether the excitement of having so many visitors would be too much for her, but she actually seemed to look a little better than she had done earlier. She was even sitting up a little, against a big pile of pillows. She gave Alex a welcoming smile and held out her hand, seeming just as self-possessed as ever.
"Hello," she said warmly. "You must be Alex."
Alex took the hand she offered him and held it gently. He saw a girl who looked very much like her mother, with her pale, delicate face and auburn hair poking out from under the bandage around her head. "I'm pleased to meet you," he said, "although I would have preferred a more convival place than this."
Arminel nodded in agreement. "Yes," she said, "this isn't exactly the place I would have chosen to meet you in."
"How are you feeling now?" he asked.
"Oh, rather tired," she admitted. "Mum, you have been hanging around all day. Please go and have a rest from the hospital. It's not that I don't want to see you, but I really would like to sleep. And think a little, too."
Gill leaned over and kissed Arminel. "It's all right," she said with a smile. "We thought you should have a sleep. The nurse on duty noted our number at the hotel, so if you need anything she'll call us. Have a good sleep, darling."
Straightening up, Gill saw a single tear run down Arminel's pale cheek and almost said that she would stay with her a little longer. As she remembered how she had felt after Armand's death, though, and how no one would ever leave her alone even for a moment, she knew it would be better to go and let Arminel have a little peace and privacy to get to grips with her grief. She gently wiped the tear away, saying, "We'll be back in the morning. God bless."
Arminel smiled as they left and then turned her face into the pillow and tried to cry quietly so as not to disturb any of the occupants of the nearby beds.

Gill had a lovely dinner with Alex in the restaurant at the hotel. Monique was as good as her word and took the three children off for pizza. They were feeling a lot happier now that they had spent some time with Arminel and seen for themselves that she was not likely to pass away during the night. Gill, too, found that the good news about Arminel helped her to relax and enjoy Alex's company, happy with the knowledge that the other children were with Monique and therefore unlikely to be indulging in any wild pranks. They talked easily about all sorts of things and Gill was more grateful than she could say that he had come to Paris to be with her. She tried to thank him for being there, but he smilingly dismissed her thanks, assuring her that anyone would have done the same.
After their meal they decided to go for a walk, as they had been cooped up in the hospital all day and wanted some fresh air. They strolled arm in arm down the street for a few blocks, then turned and went back to the hotel. Neither of them was familiar with Paris, and they did not wish to get lost in the darkness. Once they had returned, Alex escorted Gill up to the floor where her room was situated. They could hear the murmur of voices from the door of the room that Monique was sharing with Héloise and Genevieve and so knew that the children had returned.
Hoping that they were safely in their rooms for the night, Alex took Gill in his arms and looked down into her eyes. He was aware of a new depth of feeling between them, brought on by his surprise arrival in Paris - she had started to draw comfort from his presence and was obviously very content to be with him. He leaned down and kissed her for a long moment, feeling content himself as she moved up against him and wrapped her arms around him. As he drew away from her, she pulled him back towards her and kissed him again, leaving him feeling so happy he was worried he might burst into song.
When she finally let him go, she smiled up at him, seeing his happiness written plainly on his face. "Good night," she said, her voice soft and low. "Sleep well, Alex. And thank you."
"Good night," he replied, "and sleep well yourself. See you in the morning."
She pulled her key out of her handbag and unlocked the door, glad that she had not knocked, as Louis was already sound asleep. She crept around getting ready for bed and then decided to call the hospital to check on Arminel. She was put straight through to the night nurse on the ward and was relieved to hear that Arminel had eaten a light supper and was sleeping peacefully. With her mind at rest about Arminel, Gill lay down in her own bed and fell fast asleep.

Having slept badly the previous night, Gill slept soundly. When she awoke the next morning she found Louis still snoring softly, so she dressed and crept out, eager for some coffee and breakfast. In the dining room she found Monique and Héloise. They told her that Genevieve was still asleep, too, so they had left her to sleep on.
Gill sat down next to Héloise and reached gratefully for the coffee that Monique had promptly poured for her. "Did you have a good time last night?" she asked them.
"Excellent," said Héloise with a smile. "What about your dinner with Alex?"
Gill managed not to blush. "We had a lovely meal," she said composedly. "I phoned the hospital when I got in and Arminel had eaten some supper and was asleep. As there's no need for you to be here any more, I propose to send you all back to the Platz later today and to school tomorrow."
Héloise's face fell at the prospect. "But we're having so much fun!" she protested.
"You didn't come here to have fun," her mother reminded her. "And Louis can't afford to take too much time off work, or he won't be able to spend so long with us over the summer."
"I'll take them back to the Platz," Monique offered. "I can stay with Héloise and Genevieve until you get back."
"Will you bring Arminel back with you?" asked Héloise. "I suppose she can't stay here now, can she?"
"I haven't asked her what she wants to do," said Gill, who had been wondering that herself. Although she would not put any pressure on Arminel, she was really hoping that Arminel would tell Gill that she wanted to return to the Platz and have the baby there and then perhaps see if she could change from the medical school in Paris to one nearer home. That way Gill would be able to care for her and help her once the baby was born. "Are you sure you don't mind going to the Platz, Monique? I feel so bad for hijacking your life this way."
Monique smiled at the woman who was as dear to her as a sister. "You know that I love to help," she said. "It would be a pleasure to look after the girls for you and to keep them on the straight and narrow until you get home again. Andre is more than capable of looking after things at home for as long as it takes."
Gill smiled gratefully at Monique. "I really would appreciate it," she said.
"Then consider it done," was Monique's prompt reply.
Alex arrived at that point, closely followed by Louis and Genevieve. Genevieve was rather disappointed to discover that she would not be sightseeing in Paris for a few more days, with odd visits to the hospital thrown in amongst dinner at splendid restaurants and visits to the many attractions that Paris held. Going back to school so soon was certainly not something she had anticipated.
After breakfast they got ready to return to the hospital again. Monique had already arranged the flights and they were going to leave Paris at lunchtime, so they all wanted to visit Arminel before they went back home. Gill and Alex planned to stay on a couple more days, although Gill knew that she would probably wish to extend her stay if Arminel needed her for longer.
When they arrived at the hospital, Gill let the children go in to see their sister first, as they would not be staying very long. Monique followed, managing to have a whole ten minutes alone with her niece, during which time she reassured her and promised to give her any help she might need over the coming months. They then bade the patient farewell and set off to collect their belongings and depart for the airport.

#45: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:11 am
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Thanks for another lovely long update, Fatima! I hope things go as smoothly as they are planning.

#46: Author: Elbee, Location: Surrey

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 3:15 pm
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I'm still reading it too! I like the sound of Alex. Thanks Fatima.

#47: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 3:38 pm
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When Gill went in to see Arminel, she was glad to see that her daughter was sitting almost upright. She still looked very pale, but Arminel had never had very much colour, even when she was in the best of health. When she saw Gill she smiled and held out her arms, much as she had done when she was a toddler. Gill sat down on the bed and held her closely, kissing per pale cheek and patting her back.
"How are you today?" she asked, holding Arminel a little away from her and looking carefully at her.
"They found my bag," Arminel answered, looking pleased. "Or perhaps it would be better to say that my bag finally found me." Arminel reached over to the smart black handbag on the bedside table and pulled it onto her lap. "And look," she said, sounding excited.
Gill sat back a little and watched as Arminel opened the bag and handed her a photograph. "Is this Matthieu?" she asked gently, looking at the picture of a serious young man with very light brown hair and a kind face.
Arminel nodded, biting her lip to keep the tears at bay.
"He looks so nice," said Gill sincerely.
"He was," Arminel managed to say. "He was a third year med student. We met just after I arrived last year, and I started to see him at Christmas." Arminel tore her eyes away from the precious picture and looked at Gill. "That's all I have of him," she said so quietly that Gill could scarcely hear her. "That, and this." And she placed her hand on her stomach as her eyes filled with tears.
Gill caught Arminel to her once more and held her tightly. She could remember so well the raw pain of grief and it upset her to think that her young daughter should have to experience it for a second time in as many years. How could it be fair for Arminel to have to lose her father and her lover, and both before her twenty-first birthday? As Gill held her in her arms, she wished there was some way that she could ease Arminel's pain, or at least give her the strength to deal with it. Even as Gill wished that, though, she recalled Arminel's determination; when tiny she had walked long before Louis, as she had seemed determined to get on her feet and walk. She had always done exceptionally well at school, resolutely striving to be the best at everything. Even now, when she discovered that she was only the second student in the year, she had worked even harder, determined to be the top of her class. Nothing had ever stood in Arminel's way for long, and there was little that she had not accomplished once she had put her mind to it. Perhaps she would look upon this loss as something to overcome and would find the strength inside herself to come to terms with it all.
Arminel sat up and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just can't seem to stop crying at the moment."
"You don't have to be sorry," Gill assured her. "It's bound to be difficult, especially being pregnant and recovering from an injury."
"How was your dinner with Alex?" Arminel asked, deftly changing the subject. "Where is he today?"
"He said he'd wait in the waiting room," said Gill.
"Why? He should come in. It doesn't seem fair to leave him out there. I really like him, Mum, and so do the others."
"Yes, he's very nice," said Gill. "I'll get him to come in later. Arminel, what are you planning to do when they let you out of here?"
"Go back to college for the rest of the term," said Arminel promptly, for she had been giving her future some serious thought even before the car accident. "After that, I think they'll let me take a year out."
"When's the baby due?" Gill asked gently.
"We weren't completely sure," replied Arminel. "We haven't been to the doctor's yet. But we thought it must be in early March."
"I'd really like you to come home and have it on the Platz," said Gill. "I don't like to think of you trying to cope on your own."
Arminel gave her a smile. "Thank you," she said, sounding relieved. "I'd love to come home for Christmas and just stay there until I can come back to Paris," she added.
Gill patted Arminel's hand. "You know you are more than welcome to stay whenever you want, and for however long you need to," she said.
"Good morning Arminel," said Dr. Durand, appearing beside Arminel's bed. "Hello Madame Laroche. How is the patient this morning?"
"I'm fine," Arminel replied confidently.
The doctor took her temperature and her blood pressure, both of which he declared to be normal. He then suggested that Gill might like to draw the curtains and wait outside for a moment, while he examined Arminel's injuries and make sure that they were healing. Gill, who had never had the slightest desire to be a nurse, happily left the doctor to make his examination and went off to find Alex.

Alex accompanied Gill when she returned to Arminel's bedside. The doctor had declared himself satisfied with Arminel's progress and said that if she continued to get on so well she would be able to leave hospital in a couple of days. Arminel was sitting upright by the time they got back, and the dressing on her head had been swapped for a much smaller one. Fortunately they had not needed to cut her hair, so when she left the hospital she would be able to adopt a hairstyle that would cover any marks that she still carried on the side of her head.
Alex and Gill spent most of the rest of the day with Arminel, popping off for some lunch when the patients were brought their meal and leaving her later on, so that she could have a good night's sleep again. They had dinner in the hotel restaurant, lingering over their meal and enjoying their developing friendship.
The next few days followed a similar pattern - days spent at the hospital and evenings spent having companionable dinners. Arminel was finally allowed out on Saturday, on the condition that she took a few more days off of college and then made absolutely certain that she did not overdo it when she started studying again.
Gill had visited Arminel's room the previous day, to check that it was tidy and that Arminel would be comfortable once she got home. She made the bed, put fresh flowers in a vase on the windowsill and sorted out the laundry. Arminel was generally a tidy creature, and so there was not much more that Gill could do for her daughter. The hardest part of that particular visit was the discovery of a pair of man's pyjamas, neatly folded on a chair, and knowing that they must have belonged to Matthieu. Gill would have liked to have quietly taken them away, but she knew that Arminel would remember that they should have been there and might be even more upset if she came home and found them gone.
It was with grave misgivings that Gill finally took Arminel back to her room on Saturday. She and Alex planned to take Arminel out for a quiet lunch and then settle her back into her room before flying back to the Platz the next day. They had a lovely meal in a quiet restaurant and Gill liked the way that Arminel and Alex seemed to be getting on so well. Arminel professed to be pleased to be back in her room, where she had been living so happily before the accident, so Gill knew that there was nothing for it but to leave her and hope that she would be all right.
She and Alex returned to the hotel, after ensuring that Arminel had their number and making her promise that she would call if she felt at all ill or even if she just wanted to talk.
Once her mother had gone, Arminel sank down onto the bed and looked around the little room. She liked living there, for she had all the advantages of living away from home, and yet still had friendly faces around if she needed someone to talk to. Monique's friend, who owned the house, was wonderfully kind and helpful, but only if asked. Otherwise she left the lodgers to themselves and did not interfere with their activities in any way - unless they were persistently being noisy late into the night, or made such a mess in the kitchen that everyone else was inconvenienced by it.
Arminel noticed Matthieu's pyjamas on the chair and reached over to pick them up. She held them to her as she recalled all that she had lost and then threw herself down on the bed and wept bitterly. She still could not believe that she had told Matthieu that she was not sure if she wanted to marry him or not; she knew that she had loved him and that she would have liked nothing more than walking down the aisle on Louis' arm and becoming Matthieu's wife. Maybe if she had agreed, they would not have been in the car that morning, and so would have escaped the accident.
Arminel could not cry for long, because it made her head ache again. Having experienced some dreadful headaches since the accident, she did not intend to suffer such pain again, and so she sniffed and sat up, controlling her tears and drying her eyes. She placed the pyjamas reverentially on her pillow and went over to the small sink in the corner of the room and washed her face. She brewed a cup of tea and then resolutely opened the wardrobe.
In the wardrobe she discovered Matthieu's jeans and the shirt that he had worn the day before the accident. He had dressed in his suit for church, and so left his other clothes hanging in the cupboard. Arminel took them out and folded them neatly, and then she noticed that there was something in one of the pockets. She slipped her hand inside and pulled out a little box and a rather screwed up piece of paper. She smoothed out the paper and then read it.
To her surprise, the writing on it was much crossed out and altered, but it was easy to make sense of it. Matthieu had obviously been planning to ask her to marry him again and had written out various attempts at a proposal as he tried to find just the right words to persuade her. She could not stop herself from smiling at some of the rather corny attempts he had crossed out, but she was overwhelmed by how sweet he had been, to spend his time planning the best way to ask her for her hand in marriage.
Once she had read the crumpled paper, Arminel gingerly opened the little box. Inside was a simple gold ring with a single green stone set into it. It was very plain and yet exactly the sort of thing that she would have chosen for herself. She took it out of the box and slipped it onto her finger, where it fitted so well it was as if it had been made for her. Arminel looked at it with tears rolling down her cheeks, wondering whether it would be wrong to take it and wear it when Matthieu had not actually given it to her.
A knock at the door brought her out of her tearful consideration of the subject, and Arminel went to see who could possibly want to see her so soon after her release from hospital. To her relief it was Marianne, and as Marianne saw the pale, sad face of her friend she stepped forward and took her in her arms.

#48: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:01 pm
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Two updates in one day - you're spoiling us, Fatima! Not that I'm complaining, of course!

Keep the ring, Arminel - I'm sure that's what Matthieu would have wanted.

#49: Author: linda, Location: Leeds

Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 11:58 pm
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Yes, Arminel, you must keep the ring. And how important that piece of crumpled paper will be to her. She knows how much Matthieu loved her and wanted her to marry him.

Thank you for this, it's wonderful, Fatima

#50: Author: Kathy_S, Location: midwestern US

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 2:46 am
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Very sad Sad

, but still, what a lovely thing to find. Obviously Matthieu wasn't discouraged!

Thank you, Fatima.

#51: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:20 pm
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Gill briefly visited Arminel before returning to the Platz. She told Arminel that she did not see any reason why she should not wear the ring, as it was obviously meant for her and presumably Matthieu had planned on giving it to her very soon, which was why he had brought it over with him. Arminel had already told her that Matthieu had no living relatives except an older brother, so the ring could only have value for Arminel herself. After reminding Arminel that she was not to work too hard and that she should call either Monique or Gill herself if she needed anything at all, or was worried about anything, Gill allowed Alex to take her down to the waiting taxi and off to the airport.
Héloise and Genevieve were thrilled to see Gill back, much as they had enjoyed spending time with Monique, and they celebrated her return with a wonderful meal at the finest restaurant on the Platz, before Monique headed back to her home in the south of France.
Gill soon got back into her routines of working and spending time with the children and also seeing plenty of Alex. She had got so used to spending hours with him while they were in Paris that it seemed odd to have just enough time to drink a cup of coffee with him in the cafeteria at the San. She did manage to go out to dinner with him from time to time, and he also came to lunch with them most Sundays, although Gill did not have much opportunity of speaking to him as the children were invariably around with plenty to say for themselves. However, she was so pleased that even Genevieve seemed to accept Alex's presence that she did not mind having to share him with them. At least she usually had the opportunity of seeing him one evening in the week, when she could have him all to herself.
Gill worried a great deal about Arminel, despite the increasingly happy tones of that young lady's letters from Paris. All she could think of was her daughter alone and pregnant, grief-stricken and possibly still suffering headaches as a result of the accident and it worried her. She knew that Arminel needed to be busy, though, and there was no point in asking her to give up her last few months of freedom to come back and live on the Platz. Arminel would appear at Christmas time and would remain under Gill's roof for some months, and with that Gill had to be content.
Another worry that Gill was carrying was about Louis. He had begun to see a lot of Chantal, and Genevieve had told her that they were absolutely crazy about one another. She told Gill that Louis often came up to the Platz for a couple of hours in the evening so that he could spend some time with Chantal, and every weekend they seemed to go somewhere or do something together. Now that Arminel was pregnant, Gill began to worry that Chantal would also fall pregnant and that Louis' days of being young and carefree would be curtailed just as surely as his sister's had been. She tried to mention this to Louis, but he was an intensly private young man and did not like to discuss such things with her. Gill did wonder if she ought to ask Alex to have a man to man conversation with Louis, but she did not want Alex to feel obliged to do that for her. Nor did she want Louis to resent Alex's increasingly prominent role in the life of his family, so in the end she just had to leave Louis to live his own life, yet make him aware that she was always ready to listen to him if he was worried about anything.

Arminel came back to the Platz just before Christmas. She looked very well, her injury from the accident fully healed and just a tiny scar to remind her of all that she had suffered. She habitually wore loose, flowing clothes, so her pregnancy was not too obvious, although she did have the most definite 'bump'. She seemed to be in both good health and good spirits, and once Héloise and Genevieve had disappeared upstairs to finish their homework, she settled down in a comfortable armchair for a long talk with Gill.
"It's so nice to be back at home," she admitted, smiling across at Gill. "I really have missed you these last few months, Mum."
"I'm really glad to have you back," Gill agreed, almost going over to give Arminel a hug.
"There's been so much I've wanted to ask you and talk about with you," Arminel went on. "Marianne has been lovely and kind, but I wanted to talk to you."
"We can talk a lot now you are here," said Gill. "How are you, Arminel? Really, I mean."
Arminel smiled again. "Really? I'm fine. I went to the doctor just last week and she said I was doing really well. Everything's normal and she's very happy. I still miss Matthieu, though, Mum." Arminel got up from her chair and went to sit on the settee next to Gill. Gill put an arm around the slim shoulders and Arminel leaned against her, sighing contentedly.
"It's so difficult in the beginning," agreed Gill, dropping a kiss on the silky auburn hair.
"I'm hoping that it will be better here," Arminel went on. "I had memories of him everywhere in Paris. He's never been here with me, so I shall escape the constant reminders. I don't want to forget him, though."
"You'll never forget him," said Gill comfortingly. "It just gets easier to remember." The doorbell rang, and Arminel would have got up to answer it, but Gill said, "I'll get it. You don't need to rush around any more tonight after all that travelling."
A moment later Gill was followed into the room by Alex. He grinned at Arminel and gave her a bunch of flowers. "Sorry they aren't much," he said, "but it's the wrong time of year. It's nice to see you again."
"It's nice to see you, too," said Arminel with a smile. "And these are beautiful, thank you." She had wondered about Alex while she had been in Paris, but had not really liked to ask her mother about him. Now though, it seemed that he was still around, and she was glad. He was a very nice man, and having lost Matthieu, Arminel realised that Gill must have missed Armand very much over the past couple of years. "How are you?"
"Very well, thank you," he told her, sitting down in an armchair and looking as if he belonged in their comfortable living room.
Arminel realised that he had obviously been there many times and was quite at home there. Gill brought in some tea and a plateful of Arminel's favourite biscuits. She placed the tray on the coffee table and leaned over to touch Alex's arm, saying to him, "It's wonderful to have her back, isn't it?" Arminel could see that they were very comfortable together and she felt suddenly hopeful for herself. After loving and losing Armand, Gill had managed to get on with her life and was obviously building some sort of relationship with Alex despite what she had felt for Armand. Maybe Arminel herself, at some point in the future, could find someone else, too, and be happy with him. She sat with Gill and Alex while they had their tea, enjoying listening to them talking and thinking how well they seemed to get along together. Once she had finished her tea, she stood up and excused herself, claiming that she was tired after her long journey.
"Are you sure you're all right?" asked Gill anxiously, even though she knew that Arminel would probably prefer it if she did not fuss about her.
"Yes, quite sure," said Arminel, leaning over awkwardly and kissing Gill's cheek. "Did I mention how happy I am to be home?"
Gill laughed. "Not more than ten or eleven times," she replied. "Sleep well, darling. See you in the morning."
"Good night," said Arminel, and she disappeared upstairs.
Gill smiled at Alex. "I'm so happy that she's back," she said unnecessarily. "That's one less worry, anyhow. She looks well, doesn't she?"
"Yes, blooming," Alex agreed, mentally comparing Arminel with the pale and miserable specimen he had first encountered in the large Paris hospital.
"The girls finish school next week," Gill went on, "and Louis will be home about five days before Christmas. I love it when they are all back here."
Alex listened happily as she spoke of her children. He liked them all very much; Louis, who was trying so hard to be a man who could fill his father's shoes, Arminel, who was so brave and determined, Héloise, who was quiet and easily overlooked and yet who could see deeper into a situation than a good many adults that Alex knew, and Genevieve, always happy and cheerful and who seemed to accept Alex's presence wholeheartedly. Most of all, though, he loved Gill, for her kindness and common sense and her ability to cheer him up with a single glance. He might not be getting very far with her in the romantic sense of the word, but he knew that she could no longer imagine life without him. He knew that she liked him to pop round for an hour or two if he had nothing better to do, and he enjoyed chatting with her or just sitting quietly, reading the paper or watching television. It was almost like being married to her at those times, except for the fact that he returned to his increasingly lonely chalet each evening.

#52: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:30 pm
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That sounds as though Alex is working himself up to propose to Gill. I wonder if that would upset the applecart, or whether everyone would be fine about it.

Thanks for another lovely long update, Fatima! Very Happy

#53: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:00 pm
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Thanks for your comments. This is the last part of the story, although there is a sequel that got lost in the hacking, which I might type up, too!

Christmas was so much more enjoyable than it had been the previous year. In the morning they all went through the lightly falling snow to church, where they met up with Alex. He had willingly agreed to come to Christmas dinner with them, and had been looking forward to it for some time. As usual, they had all pitched in to help with the meal and once everything in the kitchen was under control, they had settled down in the sitting room to open their Christmas presents. Everyone was thrilled with the gifts given to him or her, and also took a lot of pleasure from seeing how the others had enjoyed the things that had taken so much careful thought to choose.
Christmas dinner was a merry affair, with plenty of laughter and as Gill looked around at her family she felt thankful that they were getting on so well. Each of them had managed to adapt to the loss of their father and although they often spoke of him and obviously still missed him, they were doing very well with only Gill to guide them. One of the things that Gill appreciated most about them was the way that they got on so well with each other. They still argued and shouted at one another, but she knew that they loved each other dearly and always looked out for one another. Since she had been back, Arminel had been spoiled by all three of her siblings - they were constantly offering to make her tea or pushing a stool over so that she could put her feet up, and Héloise was perpetually going on at Genevieve to be quiet because Arminel was resting.
After dinner the twins celebrated their twentieth birthday and Chantal came over to see Louis. She looked very lovely Gill thought, dressed in a vibrantly coloured outfit, her gorgeous hair floating around her. Gill had seldom actually seen Louis and Chantal together, as he usually visited her or took her out somewhere; when Louis was at home Chantal did not often visit. She had been round several times to see Arminel and Gill usually made a point of discussing some of the more unpleasant aspects of pregnancy whilst Chantal was listening. Watching them together, Gill did not feel any less worried about her son and his lovely girl friend. She saw the looks that passed between the pair of them that afternoon and knew that they were very serious about each other. And, just after supper, her worries increased, as she came downstairs and found Louis and Chantal kissing passionately beneath the mistletoe that Arminel had hung in the hallway.
On discovering that his mother had caught him red-handed, Louis did look rather embarrassed, but merely said that he was going to walk Chantal home, and they put on their coats and left. Gill returned to the now quiet sitting room and sank down onto the settee next to Alex. He was sprawling against some cushions in an attitude that suggested he had over-eaten, but he did make more of an effort to sit up as Gill frowned at him.
"What's up?" he asked her, sliding his arm around her.
"The usual worries," she said, resting her hand on his knee. "Let's not think of them tonight. Shall I make some tea?"
"No, thanks," he replied. "I've had so much to eat and drink that I feel as though I might burst. Do you want to watch the film tonight?" As he asked, he flicked the television onto a channel that showed English language films, and then he drew Gill closer to him.
They enjoyed the film, for it was a popular romantic comedy, and when it finished, Alex stood up with reluctance. "I'd better be going," he said.
"Louis isn't back yet," said Gill, looking anxiously up at him.
"He'll be fine," said Alex comfortingly. "You don't have to worry about him - he's so sensible."
"You didn't see them kissing in the hallway," answered Gill.
Alex pulled on his coat. "It's far too cold for them to do more than walk," he said reassuringly. He glanced up to check the position of the mistletoe and then pulled her close against him. "This is handy," he told her with a grin.
"Arminel hoped that it might attract some handsome strangers," said Gill with a chuckle. "Although I think she had planned on attracting them for herself rather than letting Louis and I have all the fun." Alex leant down and kissed her then, making her forget all about her worries for a moment or two. When he finally released her, she reached up and gently touched his cheek. "Dear Alex," she said affectionately. "Thank you so much for spending the day with us. We've really enjoyed ourselves."
"And so have I," he answered, leaning down to kiss her again. Just for a moment he toyed with the idea of swinging her up into his arms and carrying her upstairs, but before he could do more than contemplate that the door opened and then they heard Louis' stammered apologies. Alex released Gill and pulled on his scarf. "Good night," he said giving her a look that gave only the merest hint of the depth of his feelings for her.
She stepped up to him again and lightly kissed his cheek. "If you can face cold turkey, come round for lunch tomorrow," she said.
"I'd like that," he told her, and then he was disappearing into the snowy night.
Gill closed the door behind Alex and turned to find Louis disappearing up the stairs. "Louis," she called softly, "would you like some tea before you sleep?"
Louis stopped on the stairs and then slowly turned to face his mother. "Not really," he admitted, wanting to hide away from her and think about all the kissing that had been observed in the hall that evening. He looked down at Gill, noticing that she seemed anxious, and when the light caught her hair he was sure he could see some silver threads amongst the chestnut. He loved her more than any other person on earth, even more than Arminel, his twin, and Héloise, his favourite sister. "All right," he agreed, coming back down to her. "Go and sit down and I'll make it for you." He draped his arm around her and guided her back into the sitting room, where he sat her on the settee and affectionately patted her shoulder before heading into the kitchen.
Once he had made the tea, he brought her a cup and sat down next to her. "Don't look so worried," he said gently, taking her hand.
"I can't help worrying," she told him seriously. "Louis, I know you prefer not to talk about this, but I just have to say that I want you to be careful with Chantal. It's going to be difficult for Arminel and I really don't want to see you in the same position."
Louis kissed her cheek. "We've already talked about that," he reassured her. "We don't want to have any children for years. We want to enjoy ourselves first. You really don't need to worry about us, Mum."
Gill felt only marginally less worried, mainly because Louis and Chantal were obviously serious enough about one another to actually have spoken so much about having children together. However, Louis was sensible and she knew that she would just have to trust him. "I'll try not to worry," she told him.
"It's been a lovely day," Louis told her. "I've had a wonderful time. I really like Alex."
"I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself," replied Gill, delighted by his final remark. "The girls had a good time, too, they said. And even Arminel seemed to be having fun."
"Yes," agreed Louis. "She told me it was so much better than she had thought it would be. She's going to be all right, isn't she," he added, and it was more of a statement than a question.
"Yes, I think she will," said Gill thoughtfully. Arminel was made of such strong stuff that it was difficult to imagine that she would not cope with whatever life threw at her. "Go on up to bed, Louis. You don't have to wait up with me."
Louis leaned over and kissed her again. "Don't stay up too late," he advised with a grin.
"I won't, you cheeky boy," she answered, kissing him back. "Good night, and sweet dreams."
Louis disappeared upstairs and Gill slowly sipped her tea. She was glad that the children liked Alex, but she was still not sure where she wanted to go with him. As she sat there, the room just lit by the lights on the Christmas tree, she remembered the previous Christmas, when Louis had given her the photo of Armand. She had not been able to imagine then that she might meet someone else and be drawn to him as she was to Alex. She had loved Armand heart and soul and still did, but now she was no longer sure if the memory of him was enough for her. She enjoyed spending time with Alex and hoped that he would be staying on the Platz for a long time so that she could discover whether it was possible to fall in love twice in a lifetime.
Once she had finished her tea, Gill rinsed out her cup and went upstairs to bed. As usual, she gazed at the photo of Armand for a moment and then turned out the light. She lay for a long time in the darkness, thinking back over the years and smiling to herself as she remembered how happy she had been. Now, though, there was a light at the end of the tunnel in which she had found herself after Armand's death, and she knew that she should head towards that light and see where it took her.

#54: Author: PaulineS, Location: West Midlands

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:27 pm
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That was lovely. Very Happy

Do post the sequel soon

#55: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:45 pm
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PaulineS wrote:

That was lovely. Very Happy

Do post the sequel soon

*echoes Pauline*
Yes, please do! There's so much more I want to know - like whether Gill and Alex do get married, and what happens to Arminel and the baby, and how Louis and Chantal get on together and...

Thanks, Fatima, for another wonderful story! Very Happy

#56: Author: linda, Location: Leeds

Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:12 pm
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Lottie wrote:

PaulineS wrote:

That was lovely. Very Happy

Do post the sequel soon

Me too!!!!!!!!! I want to know what happens next.

Thank you Fatima. A sad story with a happy ending - but there is still so much to find out. Very Happy

#57: Author: Elbee, Location: Surrey

Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 9:11 pm
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Thank you Fatima for a lovely story.

I'm looking forward to reading the sequel which I see you've just posted.... Very Happy

#58: Author: Frogize, Location: Perth, Western Australia

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:05 am
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Have just read the whole thing in one long read (No work today!) and it was wonderful Becky! Thanks so much!

And now for the sequel....

#59: Author: Lesley, Location: Allhallows, Kent

Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:52 am
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Also just read the whole thing in one go - so sad for Gill to lose Armand, but so glad she is able to live and love again.

Thank you.

The CBB -> Ste Therese's House

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