Mimi enjoyed spending Christmas with her parents. She loved the south west of France and up until she moved to Paris, had lived there all her life. Her parents were wine producers and lived in a beautiful chateau surrounded by vineyards.

As she wandered through the estate, she thought that she would one day like to live back in the area. There were several houses on her parents’ land and she daydreamed about living there one day with Patrick. She shook herself out of her reverie and went back to the chateau for her mother’s delicious home made croissants and strong coffee.

A few days later, Mimi took the train back to Paris. Patrick was there to meet her at the station and gave her a hug.

“I’ve missed you so much”. He said

“And I’ve missed you too”. Replied Mimi.

She told him about her parents’ wonderful wine estate and how much she loved it there. He seemed very interested and agreed that it would be good to meet them on her next visit.

They took a taxi back to his apartment and Mimi stood on the balcony, admiring the views of Paris. As lovely as it was, she could only compare it to her parents vineyards that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Mimi went back to work at the Musée the following week. Henri was pleased to see her and called her in to his office for a coffee and a catch up.

“How was your trip?” He asked.

“It was wonderful Henri. My parents were so pleased to see me and it was great to catch up with friends. Hopefully Patrick will come with me next time as my parents are eager to meet him. They loved my Christmas present from him.”

“What was it?” He asked

“A copy of the little Pink Ballerina”. Mimi replied. Henri’s face changed.

“The pink ballerina by Degas ?” He asked.

Mimi nodded.

“Where is the copy now?” Asked Henri.

“ I left it with my parents. I had too many bags to carry it back here. I’ll bring it next time.” Said Mimi.

Henri’s face changed. He suddenly looked very tired.

“Aah OK that’s probably a good idea, saves it getting damaged.” He said and finished his coffee. He ushered Mimi out of his office.

As she walked back to her desk, Mimi saw Henri pick up the phone. His face was white and he started to talk very quickly. She decided to phone Chantelle and meet her for lunch at a nearby cafe. They arranged a time and Mimi looked forward to discussing all the things that had happened over the last few weeks.