Chapter 6When I arrive with my colleagues, we take our place at the table which has been set up for lunch. I see that the members of the Commune Committee are already seated. I'm disappointed to discover my seat is opposite Madame Gambil's, as she's both an interfering busybody and a close friend of my mother's. I always try to avoid her if I can, and today I've hardly had time to sit down before she starts.
“I was speaking to your mother in church, Danielle,” she begins. “She says she doesn't see much of you since you bought that house with your girlfriend. You know, she's not getting any younger and a daughter can be such a comfort to her mother.”
In the space of ten seconds this old cow has upset me and, although I shouldn't rise to the bait, I find I cannot help myself. “Firstly, Mad
