"Ja… Jacques? What are you doing here?" said a very startled and surprised Vivienne after they'd almost bumped into each other on 'The Strand'.

He smiled back at her. Any worries that she might have had just disappeared in an instant. His smile did that to her. Again!

"Meeting you," he replied.

"But…?"

"You were supposed to be meeting Maxine, weren't you?"

"Yes but?"

"Vivienne, there is so much that I want to tell you but…"

"You can't?"

"Not at the moment I can't. Shall we go somewhere a little less public and talk?"

"I was supposed to meet Maxine at a Coffee Shop just up the road," said Vivienne desperately trying to get her mind back into some sort of order.

Jacques smiled back at her.

There was that smile again. Vivienne was really glad that she was wearing a jacket with sleeves. The goosebumps on her arms were an obvious giveaway. Just a smile from him had a really unnerving effect on her again.

"I know of a much nicer and far quieter place just around the corner. Shall we go?"

He offered his arm to her. She put hers in his without even thinking that it might be a bad idea.

Together they walked about 150 yards along 'The Strand' and then turned left. A few doors along the street was a small Bistro. Jacques opened the door for her to go inside before him.

The place was empty apart from one waiter who was drying glasses behind the bar. He looked up and saw Jacques. The waiter smiled. Vivienne could see that it was a smile of friendship.

"Monsieur Jacques! It has been a long time Oui?"

"Bonjour Mathieu. It has been a while."

"Are you back in town now?"

"Sorry, Mathieu. Tomorrow is my last day then it is back to the country. Can we have two coffee's, please? Not too string if you understand?"

"Coming right up!"

Then Jacques turned to Vivienne.

"Mathieu is an old friend of mine from France. Please take a seat. He'll bring us our drinks."

Vivienne just sat down and let him take total control of the situation. She knew she shouldn't but as in their first meeting, she just felt like putty in his hands. This was a new experience for her. She'd been in control of her life for so long that she actually felt uncomfortable for all of one second.

Jacques sat down opposite her and smiled.

That shiver ran through Vivienne's body again.

"Where's Maxine?" She asked in a very croaky voice.

"Part of the things that I have to tell you is that Maxine and I have worked together several times over the past few years. She has been helping me with something and we were watching our work come to fruition when your text arrived last night."

"What sort of work? Her business, as far as I know, has nothing to do with your smallholding?"

"I'll come to that later. She showed me your text. Then she said and I quote, 'Don't you think that it is time to put the poor woman out of her misery. It is obvious that she's smitten by you. So?'"

"And that's why you are here instead of her?"

"I am and…"

Michel arrived with two coffees. When he'd returned to the bar, Jacques carried on.

"I'm here because I want to be here. Maxine made it abundantly clear to me that have a lot of explaining to do but it was her that put me on the spot last night. She is one hell of a woman and if she was interested in men then who knows eh? But she isn't and that is why we work so well together. After she'd set up the meeting this afternoon, she told me straight that if I didn't get to know you a lot, lot better then, I was an absolute fool. Well, words to that effect but that woman can match any Frenchman when it comes to swearing in French. She let me have it right between the eyes in my own language which believe me, hurts right to the core. As a result of her haranguing of me, I spent a lot of the night thinking and the more I thought, the clearer it became that she was right. I called her earlier and said that I would meet you instead of her. You could almost hear her going 'Yessssssss!' down the phone."

"But what business do you do together? You run a smallholding and she runs an investment company?"

Jacques looked down at the table for a second. Then he looked me in the eyes.

"I'm sort of retired, but like you, I used to work for the Government. Officially, I work for the Ministry of Supply."

"Ministry of Supply?"
Vivienne racker her brains for some reference to that department. Then it came to her.

"Wasn't that the name of a Government Department that controlled production in WW2?"

"It was and it has never really gone away. These days, it has just around a hundred people working for it in one way or another."

"But you said that you had to leave London due to illness? Asthma or something?"

"That's my cover story and most people accept it. But, yes, I did become ill. I had a total mental meltdown back in 2008. The combination of the financial crash, my wife dying in a diving accident and a host of other things all came together and I lost it big time. I even tried to end my life but thankfully someone came to my rescue and put me back on the right track. After that, I spent nearly a year undergoing treatment. Even then it was obvious that I could not resume my old job on a full-time basis. The stress was too much. My Doctors told me to get away from London and chill out or else. You can guess what the else was so, I came to a deal with my bosses that I'd be kept on the payroll in return for dealing with cases that were causing problems to the rest of the team or where someone was needed to go undercover."

Jacques paused to take a sip from his coffee.
"Are you with me so far?"

"Sort of," said Vivienne in as convincing a voice as she could muster.

"As I said, the Docs basically told me to get the hell out of town so… I ended up in Devon and bought my place in with the proceeds from the sale of our flat in Hackney and the life insurance from my Wife's death. I've been down there ever since but three or four times a year, I return to London to work like I have been this past week. It was one of those jobs where I met Maxine for the first time. She is a real magician when it comes to company books. She sees things that others would miss. Most forensic accountants can't come anywhere close to her skills. That's probably because she isn't one. She looks beyond the figures."

He looked down at the table again.

"Then I met you. When Maxine introduced us that day you visited my home, I felt something that I thought that I'd never experience again. I tried to tell myself that I was being silly and everything else but it just would not go away. Then there is the fact that you are a lot older than me but still, I felt attracted to you in a way that I have not been since I met my late wife. Am I making any sense or am I rambling like an old fool? The day after you came back to London, Maxine called me and told me that you had told her that you felt something towards me. I can tell you, that one phone call turned my life upside down, inside out."

Vivienne smiled back at Jacques.

"I sort of understand but why you didn't go back to France once you got back on your feet."

"There is nothing really left for me in France. My parents went to live on the Island of Reunion and won't move back. I never liked it there and left to go to University in Paris as soon as I could. I annoyed them by studying English then I came to work here and have pretty well burned my bridges with them or at least that is what they seem to be saying when I speak to them on the phone. To them, I have let 'La Republic' down."

"What about BREXIT? Won't you have to leave or do something?"

Jacques laughed.

"Working for the Ministry required me to become a British Citizen. I have dual nationality which can be useful at times when I'm working for the Ministry. That was over twenty-five years ago so no, I won't have to leave. Don't you want me to stay?"

'Oh shit!' Vivienne thought to herself. 'He has really put me on the spot now'.

"No, I don't. Besides, you seem very happy living the simple life down in Devon."

"I do but… it does get lonely at times.

Vivienne knew exactly what he meant.

"I know just what you mean. Betty was always there for me…"

"You really miss her, don't you?"

"I do miss that mad, crazy dog. I'll probably get another one when I'm settled in Devon."

He smiled back at her. She drank some more of the excellent Coffee to try to steady her nerves.

"What did you think of my email?"

Vivienne chuckled.

"Most of it has been overtaken by events hasn't it?"

He nodded.
"But I'd like to look into this property," added Vivienne.

He grinned.

"It is just through the wood at the back of my Polytunnel."

"It must be well hidden then?"

"It is. Sylvia has been wanting to sell for some time but only to someone who will look after the place. She built it herself over twenty years ago but she's getting on a bit now. She is the one looking after my place while I'm away."

That sounded ideal to her.

"I'll let you introduce me to her when I'm down in Devon again."

"I hope that you didn't feel offended by me visiting your home?" said Jacques changing the subject.

Vivienne smiled.

"I was at first but once I'd calmed down, I realised that it didn't really matter. By putting it on the market, I am inviting people to see it warts and all."
Then she added,
"You are right about the price but I want a quick sale. My daughters are still angry with me. One or other of them keeps removing the 'For Sale' sign so the sooner that I've sold the place and can move out the better."

"Is there anything stopping you from just moving out?"

She laughed.
"Only the little matter of all my things."

Jacques looked Vivienne in the eye and then leaned over and gently kissed her on the lips. If she'd been wearing one of those smartwatches that monitors heart rates it would have been showing all sorts of alarms. That one little kiss sealed her fate.

"Sorry about that. I hope you didn't mind?"

"There is no need to be sorry about anything and no, I didn't mind," she replied once she'd engaged her brain and her mouth. Then she added,
"We aren't teenagers, are we? But for some reason I feel like one again. That first kiss with your first serious boyfriend all over again."

He laughed.

"That is sort of how I feel right now. It has been a long time since…"

Vivienne reached over and took his hand.

"Don't worry. It has been just as long for me too, if not longer."
Then she said,
"I have some people who specialise in Downsizing coming around on Wednesday," changing the subject before things got awkward.

"Then engage the best and tell them that you are moving into a one-bed flat in Docklands."

"They aren't cheap by any means."

"So? If I know Sylvia, she'll want about five hundred for her place. That leaves you over two million just sitting around waiting for someone to spend it."

Vivienne sat back. She hadn't really thought about it like that.

"But," said Jacques,
"I don't think that it will burn a hole in your pocket judging by what I saw in your home. You are pretty frugal with spending. Much like me really."

It hurt her to hear that but only for a second or so. He was right. Her house was 'tired' according to the Estate Agent. It really did need a top to bottom redecoration which meant that any buyer could leave their mark on it without feeling guilty.

"I've always been pretty frugal, unlike my daughters."

Jacques laughed.
"They do seem to be rather different from you."

"They take after their father. He's the spendthrift of the family."

There was a pause. The only sound was the hum of traffic from outside.

"Where do we go from here?" She asked.

Jacques thought for a second. Then he reached over and took her hand.

"I've got a load of paperwork to finish then I'm going back to Devon on Wednesday morning."

Vivienne's hopes for a romantic evening disappeared down the drain.

"You have those people coming on Wednesday. Why don't you let them do their thing? Pack what you want to keep and leave the rest to them. Anything that you don't take with you can easily be replaced."

"Then what?"

"Come down to Devon and start your new life. Isn't that what you want to do? Why delay it? What is there left for you in London now that you have burned your bridges with your daughters."

Vivienne really didn't have an answer to that. He was right.

Suddenly, she realised that he was basically telling her to be close to him. No man had been as firm with her for decades. She'd thought that she'd hate anyone telling her what to do because she had been her own mistress for so long but for some reason, she didn't mind at all.

"I'll need to come back to sign things," said Vivienne.

Jacques chuckled.
"I believe that there is this thing called the Royal Mail. I understand that it can be used to carry documents from one part of the country to another…" he said jokingly.

Vivienne looked at him sternly for all of half a second. His smile told her that he was teasing with her but he was right. She didn't need to be here much at all. She could let others sort her house out. She could take her clothes and a few belongings and decamp to Devon.

The question was… was she brave enough to do it.

"Why are you hesitating?" asked Jacques.
"Ten years ago, I knew that I had to get out of town but could not decide how to go about it. In the end, I just left after giving instructions to my Solicitor to sort out everything on my behalf. Yes, it cost me money but I needed to go and leave my pretty torrid recent past behind. I see very much the same situation with you. You know that you want to go but it seems that you want to control things too much. That was the old you from what Maxine has told me about your old life. You controlled and were in control of your life perfectly. You had to because of the responsibility of your job and to care for Betty. You don't have any of that hanging over you now. Everything I see and feel about you is that you want to break free of your old life but something is holding you back."

Vivienne sat there trying to hold back a few tears. What Jacques had said was so true that it hurt. She needed to let go but after nearly 30 years of holding things together, it was hard.

"Are you worried about things not working out with us?"

Through two teary eyes, she nodded.

"Think positive. You will have money in the bank and a nice place to live in a lovely part of the country. What's not to like eh?"

"But…"

"Stop trying to find reasons why you should say no. Look for the reasons to say yes. One of them is sitting on the other side of the table from you."

Vivienne let removed her hand from his grasp and went in search of a handkerchief.

Suddenly there was a perfectly clean one being thrust into her hand.

"Tha… thank you."

Jacques sat there patiently waiting for her to sort herself out. It took her a couple of minutes.

"Sorry about that."

"There is nothing to be sorry about. A large part of me really didn't want to leave London. My wife's ashes are scattered here. I finally accepted that it wasn't good for my health and went. I visit her marker every time I return so she is not forgotten but as time goes by, it is getting harder and harder to stay here even if it is just for a week or so. I really miss waking up to the chorus of birdsong and my animals."

Vivienne knew exactly what he meant. She knew that she'd made the decision to move and was now trying to find reasons not to go. It was clear to her that most of it was down to a deep fear of failing in her relationship with Jacques. Yet, some of the dreams she'd been having about him made a total mockery of that.

"Yes… Yes, you are right. I'll do that."

Jacques took hold of her hands again.

"You know what to do next. Don't rush but get it done sooner or later. Choose the right company to downsize your home and then leave. When I decided to leave, I just packed a rucksack and a single suitcase and took the next long-distance train from Paddington. It happened to be going to Penzance. That's where I bought a ticket to but I liked the scenery in the area so I simply got off at Totnes and stayed. If it had been going to Swansea I might have ended up in Pembrokeshire or if it was going to Hereford… Well, you can guess the rest."

Vivienne nodded her head.

"For you, it will be a bit different. You have your car and also know at least one person in the area. I'm sure that Maxine can arrange a room for you at the hotel that she owns a good chunk of while you get yourself sorted out. But for the sake of your sanity, please cut those ties to this frankly toxic city as soon as you can. From what you have said, those daughters of yours are really the needle tipped with Polonium. They are pure poison."

Vivienne sat upright in her chair. She wiped the last of the tears away from her eyes.

"You are right. Right in just about everything you saw and it is hard for me to be told what to do. I've been the boss for more years than I care to remember. That makes it hard to let go of things but I'm going to do it and see what happens. Yes, it is time for me to walk on the wild side for once in my life."

Then she leaned forward and kissed Jacques. It lasted for well over a minute. Vivienne really didn't want it to end. She didn't want to let him go but common sense prevailed but she made sure that they kissed again before she headed down into the Tube and … home.

All she could think of on her journey was how her heart had reacted to his kiss. It had been a very long time since she'd felt anything remotely like that.

[to be continued]