Follow Your Star (11 page)

Vanessa was silent, remembering how worried Angela was about the future of the village and its people, how they desperately needed to find a reliable way of sustaining their way of life.

‘There must be another way,’ Vanessa said thoughtfully. ‘Something legal they can do to survive.’

‘If we could think of another option, I’d be only too happy to help them set it up,’ Ralph said quietly, ‘but as far as I can see there is nothing we can do. There’s something else. They want us to leave.’

‘Are we going to?’

‘Not immediately no. I’ve still got a couple of things I’d like to film. But I’ve promised to stay away from the dam – which suits me. The less I know about it the better.’

Vanessa stroked his forehead gently.

‘How much longer do you think we’ll be here?’ she asked quietly.

‘A week, maybe a bit less – depends on how quickly I get better from this little incident,’ Ralph said. ‘Could I have another drink please?’

As she held the water to Ralph’s lips, Vanessa thought about Ralph’s ‘little incident’. It was typical of him to play down the seriousness of the accident but Vanessa knew it could have turned out so differently. She could have been a widow before they’d been married even six months.

She smothered a sigh. Another week and then the trek back out of the jungle, back to civilization and proper doctors.

Ralph was regarding her anxiously.

‘If you want to leave and wait for me in the eco-camp I’m sure Angela could arrange for a guide.’

‘I’m not leaving you,’ Vanessa said fiercely. ‘We came together and we’ll leave together. OK?’

Ralph nodded weakly and closed his eyes. ‘Love you,’ he whispered as he drifted exhausted back into sleep.

Vanessa sat at his side, still holding his hand, and wishing they were already in the comparative safety of the eco-camp.

Nanette took a deep breath, gripped the steering wheel tightly, and gently pressed the accelerator pedal. As the car began to move forward she found herself hardly daring to breathe.

‘Relax,’ Jean-Claude said. ‘Nothing is going to happen.’

It was Sunday mid-morning and the two of them were on their way to Antibes for lunch, when Jean-Claude had taken an unexpected detour before stopping the car and insisting it was time for Nanette to start driving again.

Getting into the driver’s seat was hard but once her seat belt was fastened, Jean-Claude turned the ignition key and waited patiently as Nanette steadied her nerves.

‘Drive to the end of the road and I’ll take over again, if you want me to,’ he said. ‘Just take it slowly.’

By the time she’d steered the car the couple of hundred yards to the end of the road without any mishaps, Nanette had managed to take a couple of deep breaths. As she stopped at the T-junction and pulled the handbrake on she glanced across at Jean-Claude.

‘Can I go a bit further?’ she asked. ‘It actually feels good to be behind the wheel again.’

‘Of course. If you turn left here and then take the next right we’ll be back on the Bord de Mer.’

Nanette eased the car into the stream of traffic and carefully changed gear. By the time she turned on to the Bord de Mer her confidence was returning.

But then a noisy scooter, swerving in and out of the traffic, unnerved her and when the driver clipped her
passenger-door
wing mirror as he passed too close on the wrong side of the road, she abruptly parked in the first parking space she saw.

She was shaking as she pulled on the handbrake and turned off the ignition before turning to Jean-Claude.

‘That wasn’t your fault,’ he said. ‘You must remember how irresponsible the scooter drivers down here are – they cut everyone up from all angles.’

‘I’d forgotten,’ Nanette said, undoing her seat belt and opening her door. ‘But I’ve had enough. You drive the rest of the way please.’

Twenty minutes later the car was parked and they were
strolling along the ancient ramparts in Antibes on their way to one of Jean-Claude’s favourite restaurants. As they settled themselves at a window table Nanette relaxed, she’d been looking forward to spending the day with Jean-Claude from the moment Mathieu had said he was taking the twins out for the day.

‘I’ll be away for most of next week,’ he’d said. ‘So I thought I’d treat them to a day’s sailing in Italy.’

Jean-Claude, who was in the apartment at the time, had immediately insisted Nanette spend the day with him, an invitation she was happy to accept. It would be an ideal opportunity to talk to JC – to ask his advice.

The restaurant, popular with both locals and tourists, was busy but the staff were attentive and within minutes Nanette and Jean-Claude had aperitifs and the bread basket in front of them and the waiter had disappeared to fetch the bottle of wine Jean-Claude had chosen to accompany their main courses.

‘Has the private detective discovered anything?’ Nanette asked as she broke off a piece of bread.

‘
Non
. Nothing new anyway. Mathieu has had dinner several times at the Automobile Club. Boris was there on one occasion. Zac on another. But my detective wasn’t the only one surveying things. He recognized an ex-gendarmerie colleague who now runs an agency in Nice.’

‘Was he watching Mathieu as well?’

‘Apparently not. He followed Boris when he left. Which makes me wonder, who was paying him to do that?’

‘Your man can’t ask his ex-colleague?’

‘He can ask but he can’t tell me. Client confidentiality and all that,’ Jean-Claude said, shaking his head.

‘Mathieu knows he’s being followed, you know,’ Nanette said. ‘He doesn’t know who’s arranged it, though,’ she added quickly.

Jean-Claude was silent for a few seconds, thoughtfully fingering the stem of his wine glass.

‘What a mess,’ he sighed. ‘If only he’d tell me what was going on I could help. I’m not without connections. I know people in the right places as they say.’ He shrugged and looked at Nanette helplessly.

‘Mathieu thinks I could help,’ she said slowly.

Jean-Claude was instantly alert.

‘How? Has he asked you to do something?’

‘Zac has – and Mathieu thinks it would be a good idea for me to do it. I think I’ve already decided what I’m going to do, but I wanted to talk to you about it first.’

Quickly she explained about
Vacances au Soleil
and the job offer that Zac had made her.

As she finished speaking, Jean-Claude reached out for her hand and held it tightly.

‘Nanette, listen to me. I can’t forbid you to work for Zac, but please don’t. I don’t care what Mathieu says about it helping him – he is so wrong to try and involve you.’ He looked at her intently. ‘Promise me you won’t even think about it. I don’t want you in any sort of danger. I’d never forgive myself.’

Shocked by the intensity of his words, and the look in his eyes, Nanette could only whisper, ‘I promise, JC,’ as the waiter arrived with their meal.

The news of Zac’s victory in the British Grand Prix was on the car radio late Sunday afternoon as they returned to Monaco.

‘It is possible he makes champion this year,’ Jean-Claude said thoughtfully. ‘He’s driving really well.’

Nanette nodded.

‘He’ll be on a real high when he gets back on Tuesday,’ she said. ‘Making him accept no for an answer to his proposal will be difficult.’

‘Would you like me to tell him for you?’ Jean-Claude asked.

Nanette smiled at him gratefully.

‘Thanks for the offer but I think it’s something I must do myself.’

As Jean-Claude stopped the car outside the apartment, Nanette leant across and kissed him gently on the cheek.

‘I’ve really enjoyed today, JC. Thank you.’

Jean-Claude looked at her steadily before unexpectedly placing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her towards him. His kiss was gentle and undemanding and a surprised Nanette was totally unprepared for the emotions it unleashed within her.

As they drew apart she stared at him.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Jean-Claude said, eventually releasing her. Wordlessly Nanette got out and closed the car door. Jean-Claude gave her an enigmatic smile before turning the steering wheel and driving away.

Nanette, her thoughts in turmoil, watched as the car disappeared. Had that kiss meant the same to him as it had to her? Or was she over-reacting to a gesture that was maybe just a gesture of loving friendship from an older man?

The following morning Mathieu left on his business trip and Nanette’s day slipped into its normal routine imposed by the twin’s school timetable.

With the memory of Jean-Claude’s kiss fresh in her mind, Nanette felt strangely shy when she took the twins up to his villa for their routine after-school swim. But she needn’t have worried. Jean-Claude, always the perfect gentleman, greeted her and the twins in his normal manner.

It was only when they were alone for a few minutes as the twins dried and dressed themselves, that he took her in his arms and gently kissed her.

‘How are you today,
ma chérie
?’ he asked. Nanette smiled at him shyly, as her heart skipped a beat at his use of the endearment. She hadn’t imagined it; the kiss had meant something to him as well.

‘Do you have any plans for tomorrow evening?’ he asked. ‘I thought maybe you’d like some company after the twins are in bed,’ he added.

Realizing that Jean-Claude had remembered that tomorrow was the third anniversary of her accident, Nanette nodded.

‘Please.’

‘I have a business meeting early evening but I should be with you by about nine o’clock,’ Jean-Claude said.

‘The twins have a school play rehearsal. I have to collect them at eight-thirty so by the time we’ve walked back that would be perfect.’

‘Good. I think we have things to talk about,
ma chérie
.’ Jean-Claude said softly.

The streets were quiet as Nanette walked slowly through Monaco to collect the twins the following evening. It would be another half-hour before the rush of people out to enjoy themselves for the evening began to make their way to the restaurants and nightclubs.

The hall where the twins were rehearsing was part of the
modern apartment block where Zac had lived years ago and Nanette found her footsteps dragging the nearer she got to the building.

Having deliberately avoided this particular area of Monte Carlo since her return, Nanette couldn’t help thinking how ironic it was that it should be this evening of all evenings that she was once again having to come to this particular building.

Nanette tried to push thoughts of the past out of her mind and concentrate on present-day aspects of her life – the twins, Jean-Claude, particularly Jean-Claude – but as she crossed the road towards the apartment block, images from her past began to merge with the present-day ones.

The lights were on in various apartments, including No.5 where she and Zac had spent so much time together. As Nanette glanced up, a glamorous woman came to the window, drawing the curtains, shutting Nanette and the world out.

Standing in the middle of the small service road that led to the underground garage, Nanette stared up at the window. Three years ago she and Zac were in that apartment getting ready to go out and celebrate her birthday before he left for the next Grand Prix.

She remembered how happy she’d been as they left the apartment. Stepping hand in hand with Zac into the lift to go down to the garage. Walking across to her new car and driving slowly up out of the underground exit, making for the auto route and their dinner reservation in Mougins.

The start of what had been a perfect evening with the man she loved – and whom she’d thought loved her.

An unexpected shiver racked her body and Nanette took several deep breaths trying to regain her composure. But
images from later on that fateful evening were beginning to crowd into her brain.

Things she’d forgotten until now. The champagne they’d drunk, the friends they’d met up with, the rain that had begun to fall as they left the restaurant. Zac’s insistence—

Nanette jumped as a car horn blared out behind her.

‘Hey, lady, that’s not the best place to stand – unless you want to be run down.’ The man in the expensive sports car leant out of his window and rebuked her.

Nanette smiled weakly and mouthed the word ‘sorry’ in his direction, before moving back on to the narrow pavement, and allowing the man and his car to disappear down the ramp into the depths of the underground garage.

Shaking, she leant against the wall. It was several minutes before she felt strong enough to walk the few remaining yards to the rehearsal hall entrance.

It seemed only a matter of minutes before the twins ran out to join her.

‘Hi, Netty,’ Olivia said, taking hold of her hand as they began to walk, while Pierre ambled along in front.

‘I didn’t forget a single line tonight,’ Olivia said proudly.

‘Well done you,’ Nanette said, struggling to talk normally. ‘And you, Pierre? How did you get on?’

‘OK,’ Pierre said, turning round to look at her. ‘I’ve only got three lines to say anyway. Are you all right? You don’t look very well.’

‘I’ve got a bit of a headache,’ was the only thing she could think of saying. ‘Come on, let’s go home. Shall we have some hot chocolate when we get back?’

Once Nanette had seen the twins into bed she went through to the balcony and looked down at the boats bobbing
around on their moorings.

Lights were shining out from the main cabin on
Pole Position
and as Nanette watched, a crew member came out on deck to check the position of the gangplank. Zac would be arriving on the late flight tonight and the crew knew better than not to have everything just right.

She stared down at the yacht, wondering why her memory had suddenly started to throw pictures of the past at her. Zac’s proposition? Or maybe driving on Sunday had been the trigger? Whatever the catalyst, there appeared to be no stopping the flood of painful reminiscences that were crowding into her mind.

Large droplets of rain blew in unexpectedly under the shelter of the balcony and Nanette grimaced to herself. She gripped the balcony rail tightly as yet another vignette of that evening three years ago flooded into her consciousness.