The Book of Pearl by Fombelle Timothee de

Author:Fombelle, Timothee de [Fombelle, Timothee de]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
ISBN: 9781406370515
Goodreads: 30531757
Publisher: Walker
Published: 2014-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

19

UNDER THE ALMOND TREES

JOSHUA ILIÅN PEARL DIDN’T RETURN TO PARIS straight away.

He spent his first six months in a village in Provence, in the free zone of southern France, avoiding the occupied territories to the north of the country: he was afraid that the German secret police would be waiting for him outside Maison Pearl, so he needed to lie low following his escape.

Joshua arrived at the home of Thérèse Pilon on the first Sunday in March. As he walked up the wide path that led to the house, he felt as if the almond trees were bursting into blossom before his very eyes. The weather was glorious, and the trunks seemed to be twisting in every direction, straining to reach the sun.

He had only been here once before: between two overnight train journeys, during his first winter in this world.

The Pilon farm had been Maison Pearl’s sole supplier of almonds going as far back as the 1890s. The marshmallows with almond flakes had been all the rage in Paris for decades: it was said that the cook of a famous politician bought a kilo at the beginning of each month, and Madame Pearl swore she’d seen the legendary actor Jean Gabin come in for a whole batch, disguised as a chauffeur so as not to be recognized.

From that day on, Monsieur Pearl liked to tease his wife about all the customers who crossed their threshold, joking that they were the ghost of Queen Victoria masquerading as a cobbler or a kitchen maid. But that only made Esther Pearl all the more adamant about the time she’d seen Gabin larger than life on the silver screen.

“I watched him at the Louxor-Pathé. You’re just jealous! You should have more faith in us ladies when it comes to remembering the face of a handsome gentleman…”

So it was that one winter’s day, Jacques Pearl had sent Joshua south to fetch an extra crate of almonds, just in case they fell short ahead of the Christmas rush.

It had been Joshua’s first trip out of Paris. Racing through the countryside, he had discovered the magic of travelling by train and the beauty of the almond trees on the snow-covered hillsides.

Now, two years later in February 1942, on crossing the border back into France after his time in captivity, the farm had immediately sprung to mind as a place of refuge.

Through her window, Thérèse Pilon recognized the visitor striding up through the cloud of blossom. She put the kettle on the stove and went to stand in the sunshine by the door.

“If you’ve come for almonds, you’ll have to wait a while yet.”

The young man was twenty metres from her, by the well. She spoke loudly, gesturing towards the fields of almond trees: it was early March, and the flowers would not be bearing their fruit until summer.

But Madame Pilon could tell instantly that the boy hadn’t come for almonds. She motioned at him to sit on the stone step; then she disappeared, returning with two cups of chicory coffee.

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