Chapter 3

Who can say how deeply the young man felt about the events of the last few days. Had he understood the situation he was manipulated into? No, certainly not. The trial proved that Brian had groomed Julie and Jess to become his playthings. Stephen had been the unwitting vehicle of Brian's lust. He just prepared the girls for the father then, in his turn, to be abused or discarded. He had had a very lucky escape without ever being aware of the risks he faced.

Even so, the next day he felt the loss of his girlfriends as he saw them, and was troubled immensely by the traumas of the last few days. It made him morose and uncommunicative. Jeanne wondered eventually if she had been right to offer him the chance to stay in France.

It was on the third day after the arrests that Josette and Stephen went out on a bike ride together. Marianne was out with older friends. Some thirty minutes after setting out in the early morning sunshine the two stopped for a drink at the shaded valley.The rill still trickled through it even though the summer heat had been in the 30s for weeks.

"I don't understand how this stream continues to run in this weather" Josette said. "No one I know has ever spoken of this little valley to me before, and I was born here. It it is beautiful."

They sat down amongst the verdure and lay back in the dappled sunshine. "If I take my top off will you oil me she asked"

"Of course" he replied and took the bottle of Factor 5 and applied the lotion to her back and neck. That's OK, I can do my front she laughed. I will do you afterwards.

They both lay back under the turquoise sky enjoying the peace of that place. A rustle ran through the trees although there was no wind. A subliminal hum of insects bathed them in a sensual bath. The hurts of the last few days washed out of the boy and girl into the rill and away. They were healed of the trauma that had affected them by the magic of that place.

After a few more minutes of sun Stephen dragged himself vertical and said, "I feel better than I have for days, lets continue with our ride."

Josette also felt much at peace in that place, but also felt it to be time to go on. We must come again soon she said to herself, as the place seemed to offer a silent benediction upon their parting.

The road to the valley was always a little of a mystery to Josette, who thought she knew the hills near her home perfectly. The route home always seemed to be downhill, whenever she found herself in that magical place.

The laughter of boy and girl walking arm in arm from the barn where the bikes were left seemed to lighten the shadows and bring sunlight into the house. Jeanne looked out from cooking in the farmhouse kitchen to share in the joy that emanated from her daughter and Stephen. Their happiness was infectious and healed the house and surrounding gite and barns of the hurt that had had held it in a vice-like grip for more than a week.

Jeanne hugged her daughter and Stephen as the millstone seemed lifted from about their necks. "You are like rays of sunshine. What has happened?".