Henri arrived home from a very boring art gallery soirée. He poured himself a glass of whisky and checked his messages. One from Mimi. He called her number. A male voice answered, not Patrick.

“Can I speak to Mimi?” Asked Henri

“Who is this?” Said the man

“It’s Henri, a friend of Mimi and Patrick” Said Henri

“Aah OK. Hello Henri, Mimi has mentioned you often. This is her father, Raymond. We’ve been trying to contact Patrick since the accident but he’s not answering his phone”

“What accident. What happened? Is she OK?” Asked Henri, shocked.

“A lorry hit her car just as she was entering the main road from the Chateau. They’re still carrying out tests” said Raymond, his voice trembling.

“I’ll try to get hold of Patrick – please send me the details of the hospital” said Henri

Henri finished the call and starting phoning around for Patrick. He had several numbers for him, not just the one that Mimi used. After a few attempts, a woman answered.

“Can I speak to Patrick?”Asked Henri

He heard the woman call Patrick to the phone

“Hello – who’s this?” said Patrick

“It’s me, Henri”

“Why are you calling me on this number?” Said Patrick, obviously annoyed.

“Because your fiancée is in hospital after someone hit her car!!” Said Henri angrily.

Patrick was silent and Henri could hear the sound of waves lapping in the background.

“Are you going to answer Patrick? Where the hell are you?” Henri could hear Patrick talking to the woman in the background.

“Yes, yes. Look Henri can you get to the hospital – I’m tied up here for a while?” Said Patrick

“Obviously”. Said Henri, furious. He ended the call.

Henri threw some clothes into a case. He checked the address that Raymond had sent him and headed out of Paris.

Mimi’s parents were sitting in the corridor when Henri arrived at the hospital in the early hours of the morning. He introduced himself and asked how Mimi was.

“She’s in surgery now. All we can do is wait. Did you reach Patrick?” Said Raymond

Henri lied and said he hadn’t been able to reach Patrick. Mimi’s parents had enough to worry about.

They sat and waited for several hours, drinking coffee and making small talk. Mimi’s mother Genevieve asked again if Henri had managed to contact Patrick. Henri offered some excuse about bad signals and changed the subject.

As dawn was breaking, the surgeon came out of the operating theatre and told them that Mimi had come through the operation successfully but she would need to stay in hospital for another few weeks.

Genevieve burst into tears and Raymond looked shaken. Henri put his arms around them both and held back his tears. The surgeon allowed them a few minutes to see Mimi. Henri waited outside and tried to contact Patrick again, without success.

“How is she?” Henri asked when they came out.

“She’s still sleeping. They said to come back later today” said Raymond

Henri was relieved. He said he would find an hotel but Mimi’s parents insisted he came back to the Chateau. They headed back there and Genevieve made them something to eat and poured them a drink.

“Let’s eat and we’ll go back to the hospital as soon as we’ve had some rest”. Said Raymond.

Still no response from Patrick.

The story starts with Mimi receiving a phone call and then a diamond ring in the post. As she studies the ring, she thinks about her past life in Paris, where she met Henri and his friend, Patrick. After a short and exciting relationship, Patrick asks Mimi to marry him. Mimi accepts, the story continues …….

Mimi couldn’t wait to tell her friends the news of the proposal. As soon as she arrived at work, she phoned Chantelle to arrange a lunchtime catch up. Then she went in to see Henri. For some reason she felt very nervous. She entered his office and sat down. When she told him that Patrick had proposed, Henri looked at her and nodded slowly.

‘And you said yes?” He asked

‘Of course “ replied Mimi “why not?”

“ It’s your life – now excuse me, I’m very busy” he said.

Mimi was shocked. Henri was her mentor and a good friend. He was also a close friend of Patrick. Why was he acting like this?

She met Chantelle later and told him about Henri’s reaction

“Jealous maybe?”said Chantelle

“Of what?” Said Mimi

“Patrick of course! Henri always had a thing for you!”

“Really? I always felt he was a father figure to me – or a brother” said Mimi.

They finished their meal and went back to work. Mimi thought she’d mention Henri’s reaction to Patrick later that night.

As they sat down to dinner, Mimi said that Henri didn’t seem enthused about Patrick’s proposal.

‘What did he say?” asked Patrick, looking nervous

“He said it was my choice” said Mimi. Patrick smiled and said that’s exactly what it was – her choice.

They discussed future plans and decided they would move to the vineyard as soon as possible.

The next few weeks passed in a flurry of packing and arranging deliveries of furniture and antiques to their new home.

Finally they moved. Mimi’s parents made them very welcome and they gradually settled into life in south west France. They chose some beautiful pieces of furniture and scoured many brocantes for decorative pieces. The little pink ballerina painting looked wonderful on the wall in their bedroom.

They received many invitations locally and became part of the chateau and village life. They travelled back and forth to Paris for work and Mimi remained good friends with Henri, although he never visited their home in the country. Mimi occasionally accompanied Patrick across Europe when he was searching for antiques.

One weekend, whilst Patrick was away, Mimi went to see her parents. Over dinner, her mother asked when the wedding was to be held and why hadn’t Mimi received an engagement ring yet?

Mimi said that Patrick was so busy setting up his new business he didn’t have the time.

“How long does it take to choose a ring cherie?” Asked her mother.

Mimi decided that her mother was right and on his return, she asked Patrick about the wedding date.

“But we are so busy, let’s think about it for next year?” He said.

“It’s been a year Patrick and also, you have never bought me an engagement ring!” Said Mimi

“Aah yes, we must look for a ring”. He said, yet again.

Mimi was getting tired of his excuses. She let the matter drop and decided to talk to Henri about it.

Patrick went away the following weekend and Mimi phoned Henri. His line was busy so she left a message. She decided to drive to the village to pick up fresh bread and she would call in to see a friend. She never made it to the village because as she turned on to the main road from the chateau, her car collided with a lorry.

Chantelle was sitting at the cafe, sipping wine when Mimi arrived.

“How was your Christmas?” Asked Chantelle

“Oh wonderful, I love my parents place so much. Just would have been perfect if Patrick had been there too”. Said Mimi.

Mimi told Chantelle about the painting she received from Patrick and Henri’s reaction when she told him about it.

“Why would he have a problem with that?” Asked Chantelle

“I really have no idea” Said Mimi

“I think Henri has always been a little jealous of Patrick” said Chantelle

“Really – why?” Said Mimi

“Because he’s always had a thing for you!” Said Chantelle

“No – I don’t think so. He’s always looked out for me and helped me” said Mimi

“And? Why?” Said Chantelle.

Mimi had never thought of Henri as anything more than a good friend, so she laughed it off. The women finished their lunch and promised to meet up soon.

Mimi and Patrick ate at the apartment that evening, discussing future plans over the delicious food they had prepared. Mimi asked Patrick if he would like to join her on the next trip to her parents. He agreed and they put a date in their diaries for a few weeks’ time. Mimi was excited to finally be able to introduce him to her family.

Three weeks later, Mimi and Patrick took the train down to the south west. Patrick loved the Chateau and the surrounding countryside. He took several walks with Mimi’s father and they discussed ideas for enlarging and improving various aspects of the Estate.

During the weekend, Mimi asked Patrick to help her hang the painting he had given her as a present. He seemed reluctant to hang it, asking her to wait until their next visit, when they would have more time. Mimi agreed and left the painting in her bedroom.

After a wonderful weekend, they went back to Paris. On the journey, Patrick told Mimi he adored her parents’ place and would consider moving there. Mimi said her father had already offered her a house on the estate. A house she had loved for years. The perfect house to hang her painting, she thought.

“But there’s just one proviso, ma Cherie” he said.

“Which is?” Asked Mimi

“That you marry me” said Patrick

Mimi was shocked. She hadn’t expected this so soon into their relationship. She hesitated before answering him.

“But what about your work and my work. And all our friends in Paris?” She said

“We can still work here. We can keep the apartment and commute when we need to” said Patrick

She thought about it. She loved Patrick and she loved the idea of living on her parents’ estate. She smiled at him and replied.

“Only if we get married at the Chateau” she said, thinking how wonderful a wedding would be if it was held on her parents’ estate. She smiled at Patrick, and agreed to his proposal.

We left the UK on a grey day and took the Eurotunnel over to France. This was a bittersweet journey – our first without our little dog Polly whom we sadly said goodbye to a few weeks ago, at the grand old age of 18. Polly was born in France and we found her at the dog rescue centre, aged just 2 weeks. She spent half her life in France and the other half in the UK. We miss her every day.

We stayed in St Quentin for the first night, a delightful town about two hours from Calais. Ed enjoyed his first French beer in a while.

After St. Quentin, we stopped overnight near Macon and continued the next day on to Roz and Andy’s place in Treziers, near Mirepoix. We had a good journey, taking the autoroute for most of the way. We arrived around lunchtime and had a very pleasant lunch outside with some good rosé. The gardens are looking as splendid as ever with everything green and lush.

The following day we caught up with Olivier and Benedicte at their new restaurant in Camon, about five minutes by car. Olivier had bought this place several years ago and it looked just like a concrete warehouse. He has since transformed the place into a lovely restaurant and bar, right next to the river. There is a seating area out the front and a bar just inside the front door. That leads into the main restaurant and from there you access the magnificent outdoor terrace. It looks like an Austrian chateau and the roof is vast.

we had a lovely meal of veal chops, followed by tarte au citron and Riz au Lait (one of Ed’s favourite desserts). Benedicte updated us with all the local gossip of which there were many tales. Some of them too gory to repeat! Their lovely dogs Biffou and Sammy, kept us company during the meal, apart from running off now and again to bark at the innocent walkers trying have a quiet stroll by the river.

Olivier has six dogs, four white Pyrenean’s and two hunters. They are beautiful animals but massive! The other three dogs stay at their farmhouse and I suspect that nobody would ever want to try breaking in to that house!

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.

Mimi went into work early on Monday. Henri was already in his office. She skirted past his window and went straight to her desk. She spent the morning working on the Little Pink Ballerina. Patrick sent her two texts.

Eventually she decided to talk to Henri. She went in to his office and shut the door behind her. Henri looked up – “what is it Mimi?”

“What was Patrick discussing with you on Saturday in front of the Musée, when he was supposed to be out of Paris?”

“That’s for him to tell you – not me” he replied.

By lunchtime Patrick had sent her two more texts, asking to meet up for lunch. She decided to leave it for that day, telling him she was too busy and would see him tomorrow. She had very little sleep that night but decided she would meet Patrick for lunch at their usual place – a tiny little bistro tucked away behind the Musée.

Patrick was already seated when Mimi arrived. He stood up to greet her and gave her a kiss. She asked him about his trip and he said it had been unsuccessful.

“So unsuccessful you came back early and didn’t think to tell me?”Asked Mimi. Patrick looked shocked.

“It’s complicated.” he replied.

“Obviously- so complicated you were arguing with Henri on Saturday about it and didn’t think to tell me you were back?” She asked him.

“Look darling I can’t explain at the moment but just give me some time please!”

Mimi looked at the man she was in love with and decided to let it go – for the moment. They finished their meal and discussed plans for Christmas. She said she would go to the country to spend it with her parents. Patrick looked relieved and said he too would be spending it with his parents.

They met up again at Montparnasse Station, just before Christmas, where Mimi was taking the train to Toulouse. Patrick handed her a large package.

“Don’t open it until Christmas please.” He said and embraced her as she boarded the train.

She opened the parcel on Christmas Day and gasped. It was a perfect copy of the little pink ballerina. She loved it.

Patrick phoned her after lunch and Mimi thanked him for the gift.

“I love it.” She said.

“And I love you.” said Patrick.

“Merry Christmas darling.”

Over the next few months, life became very exciting for Mimi. Most of her weekends she spent with Patrick, going out to dinner, visiting galleries, searching for antiques. He had a beautiful apartment overlooking the Seine, with a roof top garden. Mimi loved this space and would often sit out there, taking in the beauty of the Paris landscape.

Patrick taught Mimi about paintings and antiques. She learned how to spot a fake and what made an antique desirable. Patrick had an excellent knowledge of the antique business and his shop was always busy. He was very often away during the week, searching for that special piece of furniture, or that elusive painting.

One weekend, whilst Patrick was away from Paris, on another hunt for new treasures, Mimi decided to visit the flower market and meet up with her friend, Chantelle, for coffee. The Queen Elizabeth flower market on the Île de la Cite was full of wonderful colourful plants and flowers and Mimi bought far too many blooms. As she was leaving, she spotted a tiny Acer tree and decided that would be a great addition to Patrick’s roof garden. She paid and crossed the Seine, to meet her friend near the Pont Royal.

Mimi spotted Chantelle and sat down to catch up with the latest gossip. Chantelle knew almost as many people in Paris as Patrick, so there was always a new story. As they chatted, Mimi glanced over to the bridge and there was Patrick, talking to Henri. They seemed very intense in their conversation, both looking angry. Mimi stared at them. Patrick had told her he would be away. Why was he in Paris and what were they arguing about? Eventually Henri walked over the bridge towards the Musée d Orsay and Patrick turned the other way. Mimi kept her head down as Henri passed near the café.

Mimi decided not to mention anything to Chantelle. She finished her coffee and they arranged to meet up soon. As she walked back to her apartment in the Marais, her phone pinged. It was a message from Patrick.

“Missing you so much, can’t wait to see you when I get back.”

As she searched through the rentals in Paris, she thought back to when she was living there in her twenties. She rented a tiny apartment on the 5th floor of an apartment block in the Marais. It was a great place to live and only a few stops on the Metro to her work at the Musée D’Orsay. She was trained as an art restorer and was happy to have landed a job at such a prestigious Muséum.

She adored her work although she found it difficult initially, being so young. The other restorers were older and a little resentful of her youth. All except Henri, the head of her department. He took her under his wing from day one and through him she learned so much about the conservation of many beautiful paintings and works of art in the Muséum.

Henri knew many people in Paris and introduced her to his circle of friends. She attended many soirées and exhibitions and gradually began to meet other people. One evening she was invited to the first exhibition of a promising new artist who had produced some incredible work. As she stood admiring one of the paintings, Henri came up to her and introduced one of his many friends.

“This is Patrick” said Henri. Patrick took her hand and kissed it. “Enchanté mademoiselle”. He was an antiques dealer who dealt in valuable pieces of art and furniture. He was charming, handsome and very easy to talk to. They found a seat and sat down. Patrick waved to the waiter who came over and poured them two glasses of champagne. They talked about art and Paris and her work and by the end of the evening, they had exchanged numbers and arranged to meet the following week.

“Just one thing” said Patrick. “What is your name?”

“Mimi” she said. And so it began

She wore the ring all day, constantly staring at it as she carried on with the packing. Why now?

She cut a length of bubble wrap and started wrapping the photos. Each one told their own story. Hand in hand on a beach in Spain, Christmas beside a fireplace in Austria. Then the photos taken in France. Their home. Or hers. Now.

She loved this house, it was in classical French style with long shuttered windows overlooking the magnificent views. Even in the pouring rain it was beautiful. The stone pots on the terrace looked fresh and newly washed and the little tree sat glistening in the middle of them.

The rooms were beautifully decorated with many items from the local brocante. They had chosen almost everything together. They argued about the very expensive mirror that sat above the fireplace. It had come from her parents’ chateau. He thought it too ostentatious but she adored it and won the battle. This would take some packing.

She stopped for another coffee and stood at the window, gazing out at the houses. When he was here, they would be invited to many dinners and celebrations in the village. Happy days.

She finished her coffee and went up to the bedrooms. She started to take the paintings off the wall and remembered where each one had come from. The copy of the little dancer by Degas was particularly special. It was the first gift he had given her in Paris. The thought of the City of Light made her smile. Maybe she would head back there again for a while to think things through. She laid all the paintings on the floor of the bedroom and finished wrapping them up. She went back to the kitchen, opened her laptop and googled apartments in Paris.