I find myself wondering if Grandma Viv stayed in a little place like this back in 1961. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if I could find where she lived during that year and trace her journey? I smile to myself as thoughts of her begin to fill my head.
As I lean across the bath to swing open the window, aside from a very low hum of traffic in the background, all I can hear are two birds in one of the trees in the courtyard. They are singing their hearts out and taking it in turns, as if in conversation. The birdsong soars and dips quite magically and it makes my heart skip a beat. It’s full of hope, excitement and promise. This is my destiny, I’m sure of it. Being here, in Versailles, fulfilling a long-held dream, I can already feel the history of this city pulling at me from all directions. Is this what Grandma Viv felt when she first arrived here? And why did she never speak about it?
‘Hey, Lexie, how’re you doing? I’m here at last. Are you all settled in?’
It’s Elliot and it is a bit of a relief to know he’s arrived safely, too.
‘Yes. It’s a brilliant little place and a gentle stroll up to the palace.’
‘Great. Sounds perfect. How’s the hire car?’
I can hear a teasing smile coming through in his question.
‘My brand-new soft-top is a great little drive actually. I’ve already taken her around the block and thank goodness I didn’t get anything bigger, as the garage is tiny. How’s your apartment?’
Elliot does a lot of work for a French company whose offices are in Paris. It’s only the fact that he has contacts from a video shoot he did inside the Palace of Versailles two years ago that persuaded them to get on board with our own project. They are so notoriously reluctant to let cameras in that I’m still keeping everything crossed nothing goes wrong and no one changes their mind.
‘It’s splendid. I’m probably ten minutes away from you. It’s a new complex off the Avenue de Sceaux. It has a huge TV and surround sound, so I’m happy.’ Suddenly, there’s a loud, ear-shattering sneeze.
‘Sorry, this damn cold is a real pain,’ he adds.
I laugh.
‘Well, let’s hope the sunshine clears it up quickly. At least it’s warmer here than in the UK and nowhere near as damp. We can’t have you sneezing while filming. No news from anyone?’ I ask tentatively.
‘News?’
‘I mean anything from your contact at the palace.’
‘No. I wasn’t expecting to hear anything. They’re awaiting our draft schedule for approval prior to our first meeting though, so you and I need to sit down and thrash that out as quickly as possible. I’ve been in contact with Cameron and confirmed the dates that he’s available, too.’
Screwing up my eyes triumphantly, I silently fist-pump the air. Cameron Davis is our sound man and, although I don’t know him very well, he’s worked with Elliot several times in the past. It’s all looking so promising, but I won’t believe it until I’m standing on the terrace at the rear of the Palace of Versailles and gazing out over the famous Grand Canal – a folly only King Louis XIV would have been bold enough to commission.
‘Right, dinner is on me tonight,’ he adds.
I can hardly hear him over the excitement buzzing in my head. There are so many reasons this could be life-changing. Firstly, if this project takes off, I transition from simply being a presenter to becoming a producer making programmes about topics I find truly inspiring. Secondly, I get to savour the delights of Versailles in springtime. And last, but not least, I might discover what Grandma Viv did while she was here.
As she always said, life should be lived to the full. My father’s success tended to overshadow everything in our family, although as the years passed it became very apparent that Jake intended to make his mark in a big way. But Grandma Viv was the one who kept drumming into us girls that we should chase our dreams, too. Fearing, I think, that with two very strong, and at times warring, males in the house our successes wouldn’t get a chance to shine.
‘Success comes when it comes, but only after an enormous amount of hard work and application,’ she explained. ‘If it comes easily, then it usually doesn’t last very long. In my experience women often have a harder battle to prove themselves, but then times have changed for the most part,’ she reflected once, rather wistfully I thought at the time. It made me wonder if she had fought and lost a battle of her own at some point.
‘When your chance comes just grab it, Lexie.’ I remember her words so clearly. It was the summer of my final exams before I was hopefully starting college, and I was filled with anxiety and self-doubt.
‘Like you did, Grandma?’ I asked her, eager to hear more about her own experiences.
She smiled at me then.
‘I don’t regret one single second of my life. The good, or the bad. I was true to myself, Lexie, and that’s the key to happiness. Sometimes we’re not sure what it is we want, but the most important thing of all is not to have any regrets. Promise me you won’t settle for anything less than a life spent in pursuit of your dreams, because you and I are very similar. I had my adventure and it allowed me to come home and find true happiness with your granddad. Without that, my life might have been full of what ifs and they don’t make for a happy life.’
Well, I’m doing the best I can, Grandma, and I’m determined to take your advice.
3
The Team Is Complete
Elliot stands up as I approach the table for our working dinner.
‘This is rather nice,’ I comment as he leans in to kiss my cheek. ‘How’s the cold?’
‘Better, thanks. It’s left me with an annoying cough though, but I’m sneeze-free now, thank goodness.’
A waiter appears at my side to seat me at the cosy little table for two, before Elliot even has time to step forward to pull out my chair.
Turning my head to give the incredibly handsome young Frenchman a warm smile, I settle myself down. ‘Merci.’
Elliot can see I’m a little puzzled at the choice of such a smart restaurant, and I’m glad I made a bit of an effort, choosing a simple, but pretty, dress to wear. He’s wearing a pale blue shirt, and navy trousers, looking very man about town. But then he is very handsome, very talented and very engaged to the vivacious Mia.
‘We deserve this,’ he informs me. ‘I wanted to kick off our time here with a bit of a celebration. This project was a great idea of yours, Lexie. I think our new business venture is going to snowball once we succeed in selling this first series. Ah, and here comes the waiter with a rather nice bottle of red wine I’ve ordered, ready for the toast.’
‘Lovely,’ I reply, trying hard to contain the growing smile on my face. If Elliot has a good feeling about this, then I’m not kidding myself in thinking we really have a shot.
Elliot nods to the waiter for me to have the honour of tasting the wine and he pours a little of the ruby-red liquid into my glass. I rather self-consciously pick it up and gently swirl it around before drawing it up to my nose. Savouring the richness of warm blackberries and a curious hint of – honestly – chocolate; that first sip is comforting, welcoming and rich.