Solitaire - Chapter One - As she got down from the small country bus

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by nayy☆

Marty Langton arrives in Les Sables des Pins in France after a long, hot journey, stepping into an almost deserted square at lunchtime. She came seeking refuge at her uncle Jim’s home, but the place is now occupied by Luc Dumarais, a hard and distrustful stranger. Although Luc offers her work to get through her difficulties, Marty recognizes she cannot stay safely and must find her way forward. Chapter One begins with her first uneasy moments and her reliance on Jim’s letter.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages308

Reading Time7 h 54 min

AccessFree to download

Chapter One

Arrival in Les Sables des Pins

The bus driver’s friendly exchange

Marty’s isolation and Jim’s letter

西 # MAINE STATE LIBRARY LIBRARY SERVICES T0 THE HANDICAPPEDSTATE HOUSE STATION 64AUGUSTA,MAINE 04333TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE 1-800-452-8793 # VJTHDRAWN # SOLITAIRE Solitaire,her kindly Uncle Jim's house inFrance,represented a welcoming haven afteryears of unhappiness—but Marty arrived tofind her uncle gone and in his place a hard,unwelcoming stranger—Luc Dumarais.Therewould be no haven at Solitaire now,sherealised.For although Luc offered her a jobto tide her over her difficulties it was obviousthat he didn't trust her an inch and could notbe rid of her soon enough.And the soonershe got away the better,for Luc was right outof her league,and to let him become impor-tant to her would mean nothing but disaster.. # Solitaire ySara Craven MAGNA PRINT BOOKSLong Preston,North Yorkshire,England. JUN 151987 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. Craven,SaraSolitaire I.Title823’.914(F) PR6053.R3/ ISBN 1-85057-095-7 ISBN 1-85057-096-5 Pbk First Published in Great Britain by Mills &Boon Ltd 1979 Copyright ◎1979 by Sara Craven. Published in Large Print 1987 by arrangement with HarlequinEnterprises BV,Switzerland. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be re-produced,stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in anyform or by any means,electronic,mechanical photocopyingrecording or otherwise,without the prior permission of theCopyright owner. Printed and bound in Great Britain byRedwood Burn Limited,Trowbridge,Wiltshire. All the characters in this book have no existenceoutside the imagination of the Author,and haveno relation whatsoever to anyone bearing thesame name or names.They are not evendistantly inspired by any individual known orunknown to the Author,and all the incidentsare pure invention. CHAPTER ONE As she got down from the small country bus,the heat seemed to strike her like a blow.Aglance at her watch told Marty Langton thatit was already past noon,and that,of course,explained why the small square seemed almostdeserted.She had been in France for less thana week,but already she had become accus-tomed to the way everything seemed to grindto a complete halt at lunchtime so that theFrench could give le déjeuner their full andserious attention. She put her case down at her feet,flexing hershoulder muscles wearily.In spite of the breezefrom the open window she had managed tostation herself beside,it had been a long hotjourney,but now it was over at last.She hadfinally arrived in Les Sables des Pins. Behind her the bus,having discharged theremainder of its passengers,started on its wayagain with a roar and a whiff of exhaust fumes.As it passed Marty,the driver leaned out of his seat and called something to her.She didn’tcatch the words—at school she'd always beenconsidered good at French,but her experiencesso far had soon disabused her of that notion;no one had told her about regional accents orthat people spoke so fast—but the tone wasfriendly and encouraging as if he had discernedthere was something a little forlorn about theslender figure standing looking round thesquare,with all her worldly goods packed intothe elderly leather suitcase at her feet.Shesmiled rather shyly and lifted a hand inresponse as the battered vehicle clattered andswayed over the cobbles and around the cor-ner out of sight. When it had finally disappeared altogether,and even the raucous note of its engine wasbecoming a memory,Marty felt a faint quiverof apprehension run through her.She had beenlonely before many times during her short life,but she had never felt so completely alone asshe did at that moment.And all she had to sus-tain her was the promise of Uncle Jim's letter,reposing safely in her handbag. 'You're not alone,'she told herself fiercelyand silently.'Uncle Jim is waiting for you ashe said he would be all those years ago.There'snothing to worry about.You're going to have

FAQs

Why does Marty feel unwelcomed after arriving at her uncle’s place?

Marty realizes her uncle is gone and replaced by Luc Dumarais, who offers work but shows he does not trust her and wants her gone as soon as possible.

How does Marty cope with her loneliness on her arrival day?

She tries to reassure herself that she is not alone because Uncle Jim’s letter is with her, and she reminds herself he is waiting as he promised years ago.

What does Chapter One establish about Marty’s situation?

It introduces Marty’s arrival in Les Sables des Pins, the immediate discomfort of being alone, and the central problem of finding security when the expected haven at Solitaire no longer exists.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by nayy☆