A slow-motion bubble enveloped my world.

The colour draining from Alain’s face. His Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he tried to swallow. The whoosh of breath from his body.

My heartbeat stuttering in my chest, trying to catch its rhythm.

Alain turning back to the doorway of the gîte.

Adrien standing stock-still, staring at his wife.

The rush of colour to Sabine’s face as she realised what she had said. Her eyes darting from Adrien to Alain and back again.

My pulse hammering as an image of Gabriel sprang to mind – tall for his age, brown hair, brown eyes. But Adrien had brown eyes, too, and brown hair, a little darker, perhaps. He wasn’t as tall as Alain, but Sabine was tall. Maybe it wasn’t true …

Alain stepped back through the doorway, and somehow I dredged up the presence of mind to close the door behind us.

The slow-motion bubble burst.

‘What the hell are you saying?’ Adrien rounded on Sabine. ‘You’re saying my brother is the father of my son now? After all these years?’

Sabine looked desperately between them. ‘I didn’t mean it. I shouldn’t have said anything.’ Her voice held pure panic.

‘But you did,’ Alain said quietly, his eyes fixed on her. ‘And I want to know. Am I Gabriel’s father?’ When she didn’t answer, he repeated it, grinding it out through his teeth. ‘Am I?’

I could only stand there, my hands trembling with an adrenaline rush, watching as Sabine’s mind raced for a way to backpedal out of it.

There was none. Defeated, she wailed, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know!’

Alain stared at her in disbelief. ‘For God’s sake! How can you not know?’

A little defiance crept back in. ‘I was sleeping with you both, remember? How could I know?’

Alain jerked back, as though she’d slapped his face.

‘Then why didn’t you say?’ Adrien yelled at her. ‘Instead of letting me believe, all that time …’ He jerked a thumb at Alain. ‘You left him for me, Sabine. I assumed that meant the baby was mine. Why did you let me believe that?’

Sabine’s defiance broke. ‘I was scared,’ she whispered. ‘When I found out I was pregnant, I had already told Alain that I was leaving him for you. I convinced myself the baby must be yours. I hoped it was.’ She looked from one to the other of them. ‘But I cannot be sure.’

A long, painful silence stretched between us.

Alain looked across at Adrien. ‘We could get a paternity test done.’

At this, it appeared that Sabine still had a little fight left. ‘But what about Gabriel? What about Chloe? What would you tell them? Why would you do that?’

Adrien looked at her in astonishment. ‘Why the hell do you think? I’ve spent the past six years believing Gabriel is mine! You’re the one who brought this up. Didn’t you think I’d want to know? That Alain would want to know?’

Sabine’s face was streaming with tears now. ‘And I have kept that secret to myself for six years. How do you think I have felt all that time?’

‘Doesn’t make any difference now,’ Alain said, his voice shaking with emotion. ‘We have to decide how we’re going to deal with this.’

Adrien turned on him. ‘This isn’t one of your small-town accountancy meetings, Alain. This is my life. My son. Or the boy I thought was my son. This is still between me and Sabine, for now. I want you out of here.’

Alain stepped closer, and I worried they might come to blows. A movement caught my eye, and I glanced through the window. Mireille was crossing the courtyard.

I spoke for the first time. ‘Your mother’s coming.’

‘Merde.’ Alain looked at Adrien and Sabine. ‘They can’t know about any of this,’ he hissed. ‘Not until or unless they need to. Understood?’ He swallowed hard, then shook his head. ‘You have bloody awful timing, Sabine. I’m supposed to be getting married tomorrow, and now I could be a father?’

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she murmured, ‘I know. I’m sorry.’

I could have put my two penn’orth in at this point and said that sorry wasn’t nearly enough. That this wasn’t how I’d planned to spend the night before my wedding, wondering if my fiancé, the man I planned to have children with in the near future, might already have a child.

But it was too late. Mireille opened the door. ‘What is going on?’

Alain simply brushed past her and stalked across the courtyard with long strides I had no hope of keeping up with.

I broke into a run, catching his arm. ‘Alain.’

He looked at me as though he’d only just realised I’d been there the whole time. That hurt, but I understood.

‘Alain, we need to talk.’

‘What, with a house full of sodding guests?’

A rush of anger flooded my veins. ‘The guests can fend for themselves. They’re friends and family. They already know something’s up. Mireille will fill them in. You and I need to …’

‘The only thing I need is to go.’

I stared at him, disbelieving. ‘How dare you? How dare you assume this hasn’t upset me too? You don’t think I feel sick over what Sabine said? You don’t think I need to discuss with the man I’m marrying tomorrow that he might have a child?’

He seemed to focus on what I was saying. ‘Emmy …’

But Christopher had appeared, storming over to the gîte to deal with his family.

‘Not here,’ Alain growled.

Steering him around the house to my room, I practically pushed him through the doorway. Ignoring him for a moment, I rummaged in my dressing table for the miniature whiskies that had sat there, an unwanted Christmas present, for months.

I handed one to him. He screwed off the top and downed it in one.

I did the same. I hate whisky.

With the liquid still burning my throat, I asked him, ‘What did you mean, “supposed to be”?’

‘What?’

‘You told Sabine you’re supposed to be getting married tomorrow. What the hell did that mean?’

He shook his head dismissively. ‘It didn’t mean anything. It was a figure of speech. I’m not interested in semantics, Emmy. There are bigger things to worry about here.’

I let it lie as I tried to get my swirling thoughts into some sort of order. ‘How could you not know, Alain? How could you not suspect? When Sabine left you and had a baby however many months later, did you not think that Gabriel could be yours?’

Alain’s hands flew into the air in exasperation. ‘Of course I did! I’m no fool.’ Realising he was shouting, he took a deep breath and spoke more calmly. ‘They announced the pregnancy a couple of months after she left me, and naturally I was worried. I phoned her and asked outright whether there was any chance the baby was mine.’ His chest heaved as he fought the painful memories. ‘She laughed and told me not to be so bloody stupid. To press her point home, she reminded me that she’d been having an affair with Adrien for weeks before she left me. She also pointed out that during that time, she’d had sex with him many more times than with me.’ The lamp highlighted the shadows on his face. ‘I can’t account for my brother’s activities. But as for my own? Sabine and I had indeed … slowed in frequency.’

I’d never wanted to delve into this painful chapter of Alain’s past so deeply. He’d got over it and he was marrying me – there was no need to pry open old wounds. Until now.

‘So at the time, she made it clear that Gabriel had nothing to do with you?’ I pressed him.

‘Yes. And I took her word for it. Everything she said made sense. I knew she wanted children, so once she’d decided who she wanted to be with, I wasn’t surprised they started a family so soon. They went on to have Chloe, and I let it go. I loved the kids as an uncle. I couldn’t let lingering doubts plague me and affect my relationship with them – treating Gabriel as a favourite over Chloe or some such nonsense. I thought I was doing the right thing.’

‘And now? How do you feel about the fact that Gabriel might be your son?’

He looked at me, the impact of the notion written across his face. ‘Gabriel is a lovely child. I love him very much. I’m proud of him as a nephew, and I would be proud if he was my son. But for now, I don’t have the luxury of knowing.’

‘So you do want a test?’

‘Yes. I … I have to know.’

I nodded understanding, but I felt sick. This could change our about-to-be-married life in a very big way.

‘It’ll take time,’ I pointed out. ‘Finding out about the test, getting it done, waiting for the results.’

Alain’s brown eyes were earnest. ‘Yes. But it’s been six years. I can wait a little longer.’

I blurted out my thoughts before I could stop myself. ‘If you’re Gabriel’s father, will you still want to have a family with me?’

Alain looked at me in shock, then drew in a shaky breath. ‘Why would you say that? I love you. I said I want children with you. The outcome of this test won’t change that.’

‘Won’t it?’ My voice came out small.

He paced the room. ‘Well, it would change our situation, I guess.’

Trepidation made me ask, ‘In what way?’

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. ‘I have no idea! I … I suppose I’d want to see Gabriel more. Sabine’s talking about bringing them to France. If she moves to Rouen, that’s maybe three or four hours away. I’d have to consider moving nearer, if I want more of an input.’

I couldn’t believe my ears. ‘You’d have to consider moving nearer? You mean we’d have to consider moving nearer. Alain, I’ve built my new life here. I work here. My business is based here. All my friends are here. And you’re asking me to move with you?’

‘If Gabriel is my son, then yes. Maybe. Oh, God, I don’t know. There’s so much to consider.’

My heart was heavy. ‘Yes. There is.’

Alain stared at me, his eyes filled with turmoil. ‘Don’t look at me like that. This is a lot to come to terms with.’

‘Yes. It is.’

He walked to the door.

‘Where the hell are you going?’

‘Home. I need time to process this. So do you. Standing here shouting at each other won’t achieve anything, will it?’

‘I guess not.’

‘’Night.’ And he was gone.

I stood there in the middle of my room, staring at the half-open door, wondering if he’d walked out on our argument or whether he might even be walking out of my life.

In the bathroom, I splashed my face with cold water and stared in the mirror. Hardly the image a bride-to-be wanted to see, with strain on every part of her face.

Don’t be an idiot, Emmy. It was a hell of a shock, that’s all. He needs time. You need time. You’re getting married. That means sticking by each other. Married couples hit hitches all the time.

I barked out a bitter laugh and glared at my reflection. ‘Yeah, but they don’t usually find out that their husband’s nephew might be his son the night before their wedding, do they, smart arse?’

Walking back into the bedroom, I lay on the bed for a few moments, the acid in my stomach roiling around with the wine and food I’d had earlier, wondering what I’d – we’d – done to deserve everything going so spectacularly wrong on the eve of our wedding.

I thought about all the fuss tomorrow – hair, make-up, dresses, cars. Trying to look radiant, chatting chirpily to all our guests, with the spectre of Sabine’s revelation hanging around us like a shroud.

My brain simply couldn’t compute it. All it wanted to do was shut down for the night.

But with a jolt, I remembered the rest of the household. I could hardly just close my door and go to bed. People would expect me to say goodnight, even if Mireille or Christopher had already filled them in. And I had no idea what was happening with the children.

With a pang, I thought of the fun Alain and I had with Gabriel and Chloe when they came to stay. The happy chatter, the good-natured bickering. Their excitement over a simple thing like walking a dog. They were so young, oblivious to the fact that their world was about to be turned upside-down. I wished I could save them from it, but it was out of my hands.

I sat up and tried to decide whether my body would see me through ten minutes of pretending everything was okay, or as okay as it could be under the circumstances.

Well, it would have to be.

Almost everyone was gathered in the kitchen with mugs of tea. Good. The opposite end of the house from my room. Nobody could have overheard.

Ellie and Kate were washing up, sorting out leftover food, loading the dishwasher.

‘Emmy. Sit down.’ Rupert pushed me into a chair. ‘Tea?’

The idea of swallowing a mugful of tea was beyond me. And I didn’t want to prolong this. I needed my own sanctuary. ‘No, thanks.’

‘Are you alright?’ Nick asked, concerned. ‘Christopher told us what happened.’

I jumped a little, but realised he only meant the divorce. I couldn’t believe that my brother- and sister-in-law were getting divorced, and I was referring to it as ‘only’.

‘Where’s Alain?’ Dad asked.

‘He went home. He needs an early night. And he’s upset, obviously.’ To say the least. ‘Where are the children?’

‘Mireille and Christopher have taken them to their gîte for a while. They’ll take them to Sabine when she’s calm enough to have them back.’

‘And Mum?’

‘She and Jeanie are in the lounge. Your mum still has a headache.’

I nodded and forced a smile. ‘Thanks, everyone.’

Kate came over and put her arm around me. ‘I’m so sorry, Emmy. For them – and for you and Alain. What a thing to happen, the night before your wedding.’

You don’t know the half of it.

‘It’ll be okay, Emmy,’ Ellie said from the sink, her tone practical. ‘All the high drama is over and done with now. You know – like a volcano or a steam kettle. Now it’s blown, things might be calmer. Mireille and Christopher have a little time to get over the shock. The wedding will take the children’s minds off it for a short while. As for Adrien and Sabine, they’ll manage to be civil for such a special day, surely?’

Nick grimaced. ‘As long as they don’t start throwing punches at each other in the town hall or pouring champagne over each other’s heads at the reception.’

He was only trying to lighten the atmosphere, bless him. I rolled my eyes at him, then stopped as I realised I was subconsciously thinking along the same lines myself. Except I knew there was so much more to throw punches about.

My nerves were at breaking point. I couldn’t do this. I stood. ‘Would you all mind if I have an early night?’

‘Of course not,’ Dad said kindly. ‘You have a big day tomorrow.’

‘Yeah. I’ll say goodnight to Mum.’

In the lounge, Mum and Jeanie were seated on the sofa, and Jeanie was trying to rub the tension out of Mum’s shoulders.

‘I’m going to bed now,’ I announced.

Jeanie smiled sympathetically.

Mum scrutinised my face, and hers softened a fraction. ‘You need your beauty sleep. I hope you get some, Emmy.’ The concern in her voice was genuine. A tiny glimmer of hope between us.

When I got back to the kitchen, Christopher came through the patio doors. ‘Sabine’s calmer now. She has the children.’ He sighed. ‘It must have been such a strain for them, pretending, knowing their own marriage has ended while someone else is building up to theirs. Seeing Alain and Emmy so happy together.’

I looked at his grey face. I couldn’t imagine what he and Mireille must be going through – both their sons with broken marriages involving the same woman.

He pulled himself together. ‘Any chance of the keys to the spare gîte, Rupert? Adrien needs somewhere to sleep tonight.’

Rupert stood. ‘No problem. They’re in the hall.’

Christopher followed him through.

Kate took me firmly by the arm. ‘I’ll walk you back to your room.’

I waved goodnight to the others and allowed her to steer me away.

When we got there, we stood in the doorway for a moment.

‘I don’t know what’s going on, Emmy, but …’

‘I’m bound to be upset,’ I said defensively, in a desperate attempt to deflect her from probing. Nobody could know about this. ‘Close family have announced their divorce on the eve of my wedding!’

‘There’s more to it than that. I don’t want to leave you like this. Don’t you want to talk about it?’

When I shook my head, she wrapped me in a hug, transmitting a world of love for me. And that was my undoing.

Out poured the tale in all its complexity and ugliness, while Kate patiently listened and tried to piece together my incoherent ramblings, gradually edging me into my room, closing the door and mopping my face with tissues until I was done.

‘Oh, Emmy. I knew something was up, but I never imagined …’

‘Me either.’

‘The timing’s awful. Bloody Sabine.’

‘She was as shaken up as the rest of us, Kate. You could see that it was one of those things that had to come out eventually. She’d held onto it for too long.’

‘And you say Alain walked out?’

‘Yes. Our conversation – if you can call it that – was going nowhere. Maybe he was right to leave. We might have said things we couldn’t take back.’

‘But he’s left you in all kinds of limbo.’

‘Yes.’ My hands twisted in my lap. ‘I don’t know how he feels, Kate, or what will happen. Will he expect us to up sticks and move our entire lives north, so he can be near Gabriel? I’m not sure I could do that. I moved here to be at La Cour des Roses. To be with my friends.’

‘Don’t jump ahead too far, Emmy. Until the paternity test’s done, it’s only fifty–fifty that it’s even a possibility. You’ll have time to discuss it. You’ll be married, after all.’

My chest tightened painfully, making it hard to speak. ‘But I don’t even know if he still wants to.’

‘Emmy, that’s ridiculous!’

‘Is it? If he wants to move to Rouen and I don’t … He might think differently about marrying me now.’

‘He’s had a huge shock, that’s all. When you see him at the town hall tomorrow …’

‘What if he doesn’t turn up?’ I asked her, my voice small.

She took my face in her hands and gave me her best friend glare-stare. ‘He will. I’ve never seen a man so in love. There’s no question he’ll be there. And if he isn’t, he’ll have me and half the Loire valley to answer to!’

I managed a wobbly smile. ‘Kate, you can’t tell anyone about this. Not until we know. If Gabriel is Alain’s son, it’ll probably come out eventually. But if he isn’t, if Adrien is the father, nobody can know there was ever any doubt. For Adrien’s sake. For the children’s. Please.’

‘I won’t say anything, Emmy. I promise.’

‘Thanks.’

‘Time for you to try to get some sleep.’

I only grunted.

‘I didn’t say you would get any. I only said you should try to.’ Another hug, a kiss, a wave, and she left.

And finally, I was alone. How alone, I wasn’t sure.

I undressed and brushed my teeth on automatic pilot, climbing into bed with no hope of sleep.

Gabriel could be Alain’s son.

He was a lovely boy, but I still couldn’t comprehend that he might be my husband’s son … and therefore my stepson. What if Alain really wanted to move? Being with Alain was the most important thing to me, but the idea of leaving La Cour des Roses behind was heartbreaking. As for having our own family, Alain had said he still wanted that – but he’d said a lot of other things, too.

What he hadn’t said was, ‘See you tomorrow’ or ‘See you at the mairie’ or ‘I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life married to you.’