Murder in the Vineyard: A French Countryside Village Mystery (The Maggie Newberry Mystery Series Book 12) by Susan Kiernan-Lewis

Author:Susan Kiernan-Lewis [Kiernan-Lewis, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: San Marco Press
Published: 2018-04-21T04:00:00+00:00

41

Portrait in Blue

The drive to Danielle’s house that afternoon was a blur for Maggie.

She took her time pulling herself together before breaking the news to the children as gently as she could while her heart pounded in her chest in denial.

While Mila cried and the other two sat in mute shock, Maggie called Danielle as she maneuvered the car out of the city and pointed it toward home.

“Danielle,” Maggie said, her eyes filling with tears. “I am so sorry. So desperately sorry. Are you alone? What can I do?”

“I am not alone, chérie,” Danielle said softly, her voice trembling. “Grace is here and also Madame Dulcie.”

“Can I bring the children there?”

“Of course, chérie. I would like that. I must go now.”

Maggie could hear voices in the background.

“We’ll be there soon,” Maggie said. As soon as she disconnected, she took in another long breath. She couldn’t go to pieces. The kids needed to know she was in control.

“It’s going to be okay,” she said to them and then cursed her words.

Was Jean-Luc going to be alive again? Of course it wasn’t going to be okay.

Thankfully, none of the children really heard her. She put the radio on and let them have their separate thoughts—their separate memories—and drove over the speed limit to reach Danielle and Jean-Luc’s house in half the usual time.

Once there, Maggie was surprised to see all the cars. When Danielle had been married to Eduard, she’d socialized very little and had almost no friends in the village. Since marrying Jean-Luc—a confirmed bachelor—her society hadn’t changed that much. It had always just been her and Jean-Luc.

But this was St-Buvard—a village in rural France. You didn’t need to be the head of the village guild for them to gather around when you needed them.

Everybody was there. The postmistress, the butcher, the new baker Antoine and his wife. They filled every square foot of the house and even spilled out onto the front drive, standing, talking, drinking.

“Tante Maggie?” Zouzou asked as Maggie parked in the circular drive out front of the house.

Maggie turned to her. While all the children loved Jean-Luc, Zouzou’s special relationship was with Danielle, the woman who had coached her and taught her to bake. As much as it hurt Zouzou to lose Jean-Luc, whom she loved like a grandfather, it was breaking her heart to imagine her beloved Mémère in such pain.

“Yes, sweetie?” Maggie said as she gathered up her purse and got ready to leave the car.

“Can I bake for Mémère?” Zouzou said, her eyes full of unshed tears.

Maggie rubbed the girl’s arm.

“I think she would like that very much,” Maggie said.

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