Deep France (45 page)
Authors: Celia Brayfield
Celia Brayfield
is the author of nine novels, including
Wild Weekend, Mister Fabulous and Friends, Heartswap
and the international bestseller
Pearls
, as wellFV as a non-fiction guide to storytelling in popular fiction,
Bestseller
. She was born in north London and was educated at St Paul’s Girls’ School and
Grenoble University. Before becoming a full-time novelist, she wrote for the
Evening Standard
and
The Times
. She has one daughter, with whom she now lives in West London.
Also by Celia Brayfield
FICTION
Pearls
The Prince
White Ice
Harvest
Getting Home
Sunset
Heartswap
Mister Fabulous and Friends
Wild Weekend
NON-FICTION
Bestseller
Glitter
Whenever I come to write this page of a book, I’m acutely and guiltily aware of how much a writer depends on her friends, who innocently carry on their existence, doing
all the living that she’s too chicken to do, and never really appreciating that their lives will become her raw material. This book more than any I’ve ever written has been inspired and
created by my friends. It is in many ways a celebration of friendship and with all my skill and all my gifts I can’t really express how grateful I am to the people who have made it
possible.
First of all, I have to thank Willow and Tony Schulte, for introducing me to the corner of France which they have made theirs, for inspiring me, going travelling with me, welcoming me into their
home, checking my facts, enlightening my ignorance and in turn introducing me to many of the people, places and experiences that made my year so memorable.
I’m also more grateful than I can say to Annabel and Gerald Marvin, for being the best of all possible neighbours, and for their gaiety, wisdom and generosity, without which the best bits
would have been much less wonderful and the worst bits so much worse.
Without Andrew Downs and Geoffrey Wilkins it wouldn’t have been nearly so exciting; nor would it have been so much fun without Gordon and Fiona Reid, not to mention Cam and Margot. The
kindness of Margaret Grieve and the irrepressible spirit of Roger Hallett were as warm as all the sunshine we didn’t have that summer. I’m also grateful to Mary Graham, the owner of
Maison Bergez, and Alexander and Annie Mill, who introduced us.
Marie-Pierre Moine was kind enough to read my manuscript and save me from looking too much like a complete fool. Denise Spencer accepted the challenge of translating some French rugby songs and
Zoe Gelis cast a critical eye over my attempts to translate French poetry. Michael Barker generously shared his knowledge of art history. At Pan, Nicholas Blake, Senior Desk Editor, was a merciless
exterminator of inaccuracies. For the reprint, I would also like to thank François Coll, Rose Clark and Malcy Lamotte d’Incamps for helpfully pointing out errors in the original text.
Notwithstanding the best efforts of these experts, I accept full responsibility for any errors, misunderstandings, lurid overstatements, sloppy elisions of historical events, excessively free
translations or economies with the actualite which may remain to offend the reader. Short extracts from the text have already appeared in
The Times
and the
New Statesman
, and I am
most grateful to the editors of these publications for permission to reproduce this material.
Sometimes, when my agent, who is Jonathan Lloyd, the Managing Director of Curtis Brown, gives me a ring and I say, ‘How are you?’ he answers, ‘Extraordinary,’ which seems
a fair description, particularly over this demanding year when his client was off doing more enviable things than mere writing. I’m also grateful to Tara Lawrence, my editor at Time Warner
Books, for keeping her meticulous eye on
Mister Fabulous and Friends
and commissioning
Wild Weekend
.
I am immensely grateful to Imogen Taylor, for being clever enough to commission this book and for the continuing faith in my writing, which has been the best inspiration any author could
possibly have. Above all, of course, I would like to thank Chloe, for saying, ‘Go for it, Mum.’
List of Illustrations
1. Maison Bergez, shaded by pollarded catalpa trees
2. The squirly ironwork chairs of my dreams
4. Andrew, out walking with Otto and a guest
5.
Esprit de
Beverly Hills: Margaret by her front gate
6. Poster for Rostand’s instant hit,
Cyrano de Bergerac
7. Hercules fell in love with Pyrène, the shepherdess
8. Saliès-de-Béarn, the bandstand. Watercolour by Glynn Boyd Harte
9. Detail from Roger Hallet’s panorama of Saliès-de-Béarn, showing La Terrasse.
11. Saliès-de-Béarn: townhouses overhanging the River Saleys
