The Riviera (32 page)

Chapter 33

Lizzie had got an answer and she supposed she should be pleased, but now her fretting had increased. Cal hadn’t seemed at all pleased that she’d made the effort. Neither did he show any enthusiasm for them to speak, let alone reunite. He’d simply agreed to meet her Monday evening at her apartment when he dropped Jack off. So, she figured, Cal and Jack must now be living at Domaine Margot if he was dropping Jack off. And if he was planning to move into Charles’s apartment, would that mean he was going to sell the manor house? Well, it was his to sell, she remembered. She began trembling, her lips starting to quiver, feeling she had destroyed all his dreams. He really had put in everything, settled in France and renovated that beautiful house for them, her and Thierry, to be with him as a family. Why would he ruin that?

He’d given her no clues as to how he felt or what his expectations were. It would be an excruciating weekend waiting now. She tried to focus on her work and think about the day ahead. As the day was warm, she would take Thierry and meet her mother and Michael down at the beach for a few hours and then this evening, she’d arranged for a thank-you drink with the staff from the salon. Of course, she was waiting to hear from Pheely as soon as she and Angela had arrived here safely. Then she could look forward to her mother meeting her cousin for the very first time.

Lizzie couldn’t believe how anxious she felt as she entered the beautiful gardens at La Carmejane. In just two hours, they would finally get to meet Angela and Pheely. As they’d never seen the gardens before, they set off early to explore the grounds before the surprise lunch. Set in a beautiful hillside estate, the 11
^th
century bastide was surrounded by terrace gardens nestled into the cliff. Caroline was first to comment.

‘Darling, this is simply gorgeous. Look at these beautiful iceberg roses,’ she said caressing the petals and inhaling their scent. ‘And these old pots, it’s utterly charming, and, look, these urns, don’t they look gorgeous filled with the white hydrangeas, and the box, so well clipped,’ she sang squeezing Thierry’s little hand.

‘It’s amazing, Mum.’

Michael stared at the view in front of him. ‘I love the way just one or two Italian cypress trees set off the character of the Provençal dwelling there,’ Michael added, ‘and the little fountains splashing away.’

‘So pretty.’ Caroline bent down to Thierry. ‘Isn’t it pretty Thierry?’

‘I want a drink,’ he replied.

‘What’s the magic word, mister?’

‘Please.’

Lizzie dug into her bag bringing out a small cool bag stashed with four little bottles of water. ‘Good boy. Look out for the butterflies and bees for me, Thierry, and somewhere for Mummy to take a photo.’

As they walked on through to another terrace, a canopy of lime-coloured wisteria leaves shaded the arbour. Caroline stopped and lifted her head.

‘I expect this looked spectacular a few weeks ago in bloom. Oh, and look at the iron table and chairs in the courtyard, oh and that view. Oh my goodness, how delightful. This really is heaven, isn’t it, Michael?’

‘Spectacular. And is this where we eat?’

‘It’s a bigger terrace, I believe lower down,’ Lizzie said as they began to scramble down some steps. She hoped Angela would be able to manage to get around all the levels. There was still so much more to see. ‘I’m so glad we came early to take all this in.’

‘Yes, we will certainly have built up an appetite,’ Caroline said.

Every little area gave them such a unique sense of space and the benefit of some designer’s fertile imagination. As they descended the steps of a newly-built tower, even a swimming pool graced a terrace with deck chairs to sit and admire the enchanting views of the Luberon hills and Mont Ventoux. Lizzie spotted the lunch terrace, laid out under cherry trees, its tables covered with red-chequered cloths. Her pulse doubling with anticipation. They continued a little longer and Lizzie felt she had to get them seated. She wanted to arrive at the table before their secret guests.

‘OK, follow me,’ she ordered.

They followed her to one of the lower shaded terraces where the table was set for their picnic lunch with rosé wine cooling in two ice buckets. Lizzie handed Thierry his bag of toys and allowed him to play on the terrace floor.

‘This table is rather large for just us isn’t it?’ Caroline said as she sat down and brushed her beading brow with her hand.

Lizzie smiled. ‘Lovely isn’t it? Maybe we will share it.’

‘Oh, yes, maybe.’

‘Well, that was good exercise.’ Michael stretched out and Lizzie watched him smile.

Lizzie followed his eyes and the owner arrived, Lizzie recognised, carrying pâté and cheese.

‘My husband is bringing some of our own freshly baked bread and some ham along so help yourselves to olives as soon as you’re ready. They are from our own groves,’ she told them. Lizzie then introduced them all.

‘Thank you, this is a very beautiful and special place,’ Lizzie finished and picked up her phone.

The owner smiled. ‘I’m so pleased you like it. Enjoy your lunch.’

Lizzie’s phone told her there was ten minutes to go. ‘OK. Shall we just start with a lovely refreshing glass of wine?’ She could feel her voice jarring.

‘This is very private.’ Caroline held her glass as her daughter poured.

‘Yes. We’re very lucky. I told you it was special.’

This time Lizzie followed Caroline’s eyes as she peered and smiled at two ladies approaching.

Lizzie jumped up.

‘Are you Lizzie?’ The younger lady asked. She was possibly early to mid-thirties, Lizzie guessed, of medium build, with long brown hair and wearing a white and purple print dress.

Lizzie stepped towards her. ‘That’s right. Pheely?’

The younger woman nodded and emitted a wide smile. ‘I am. Lovely to meet you,’ she said air-kissing Lizzie. ‘And this is my mother, Angela.’ Pheely stood clutching the arm of a sprightly-looking seventy-five-year old with short grey hair but well presented in a sage-green A-line dress matching in fabric with a cream jacket.

Lizzie turned to her mother who was looking perplexed. ‘Mum, not only is it a special place, but we have two very special guests, meet your long-lost cousin Angela.’

Struggling for breath, Caroline stood, unable to take her eyes off her cousin. ‘God.’ She covered her mouth with her hand, which was shaking, as she ambled towards her. ‘She found you. Oh, my goodness, I can’t believe it. How on earth?’ Caroline held out both arms and took her hands. Both looked one another up and down. ‘Emily’s baby. Well I…’ She wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. Angela couldn’t speak.

Both women had height and slenderness, Lizzie observed, and their noses were very much a family thread.

Caroline stood back, pressing her hand on her décolletage with dark smears of make-up rolling down her face. ‘I am delightfully shocked. Darling, I don’t know how you did this but…phew, I don’t know what to say.’

Angela dabbed her cheeks with her tissue, then wiped her nose. ‘I’ve known a few weeks now and I have been so excited. I could hardly wait. I thought I might die waiting for this moment.’

‘Oh,’ Caroline tilted her head. ‘Oh, do come and sit down, we must hear all about you. Lizzie darling, I can’t begin to thank you enough,’ she said holding Lizzie briefly. ‘And am I guessing you are Angela’s daughter?’

‘Ah, yes, so sorry. Pheely. Yes, it’s Pheely, short for Ophelia.’

‘What a beautiful name.’ Caroline kissed her cheek then hugged her too. ‘And this is Michael, my partner. I lost my husband fourteen years ago. But this little one here is Thierry, Lizzie’s child, I was going to say baby, but he’s a proper toddler now, he’s three and a half.’

‘Aww, hello, Thierry. You are a handsome chappy,’ Angela told him gazing down.

Pheely leaned to one side. ‘He certainly is. Aww, how adorable.’

As everyone sat down Lizzie poured drinks and they devoured the tasty feast, the chatter about Caroline’s mother and family whiling away the time. Lizzie was so relieved the initial meeting had all gone so smoothly. They both seemed really lovely people.

Lizzie explained to Caroline and Michael, who was now on the floor with Thierry, how, after several weeks, she had received a response from the internet, the neighbour who Angela had no recollection of on account of being so young.

‘Wow, you would think it would be far more complicated. I thought you had scoured adoption agencies and orphanages,’ Caroline said.

Lizzie laughed. ‘Well, yes. I must have explored every avenue I could think of but, hey presto, the magic of a forum on the internet did it for us. It was via an East London forum. I had actually read about others on there, successfully finding relatives, which made me think it was worth a gamble.’

‘Brilliant,’ Caroline said. ‘What would we do without our daughters?’ She peered at Angela.

‘She’s been my rock has Pheely, bless her. Especially since I lost David seven years ago. She spends too much time with me. I keep telling her she needs to find herself a man but will she listen?’

Pheely took her mother’s hand. ‘And I keep telling this old dear, I haven’t got time for a man. I wouldn’t mind but she won’t retire yet so she rarely comes to see me in London. If she retired she could.’

‘Really? Surely you don’t still work full time?’ Caroline said.

‘No. Just three days a week now. I only sit at a desk in a solicitors.’ Angela pulled a face at her daughter.

‘That’s still tiring I should think.’

‘What else would I do? I’m not one to sit around and,’ Angela brushed her wedding and engagement rings with her right hand and caressed them with her fingers, telling them all about her marriage and hobbies. ‘So, I do all David’s part of the garden now. Don’t forget, we didn’t have Pheely until I was forty, so we worked and had a full life before she finally made her entrance. Took her bloody time mind!’

Caroline smiled. ‘Pheely was a shock then?’

‘Yes, you could say that. We’d given up trying years before. And then this little miracle happened.’

Lizzie sighed. ‘What a lovely story.’

‘Yes, we were both over the moon. We couldn’t have been happier. Most of her family were our friends and their children. My brothers and my sister still lived in south London so we didn’t see them much. She’s done me proud though, going to university, and she’s made a good life for herself, her job and friends.’

‘What do you do, Pheely, career wise, I mean?’ Caroline asked.

‘I work for a cosmetic manufacturer formulating new products.’

Caroline turned to Lizzie. ‘Well, well. Another beauty expert. Lizzie has a beauty salon here in Cannes, I was a beauty editor in my younger days. Went freelance writing at the end.’

‘Something in the genes, I’d say.’ Angela chuckled. ‘Must have missed me out. Mum and Dad used to sell fabrics. No, of course, that wouldn’t be right would it?’ They all laughed.

‘Your real mother was a seamstress, I believe, as my mother was.’

There was a silence as Angela gathered herself. ‘Oh, she was only sixteen, a mere child.’

Caroline scooped her hair behind her ears with both hands and dropped her head as if gripping her own tears. ‘When we get back to Kent, you must come to our home. I have a few photos.’

‘Yes,’ Lizzie agreed. ‘That would be nice for you to learn a bit more about your origins and Mum has a very special locket with a photo of you as a baby with your mother.’

Angela gasped. ‘Oh, oh really, how wonderful. I never in a million years thought I would find out about her. My mum and dad only met my grandparents once or twice when they agreed to let them adopt me. They thought I would be happier with a young family moving out of London. And, really, all I knew was I was on a bombsite in my pram. The pram saved my life it seems.’ Droplets spilled from Angela’s eyes.

Lizzie found herself welling up too. ‘Poor Emily, deprived of her child too.’

Angela slowly shook her head from side to side. ‘So tragic. Thank you so much for finding me. I feel…like it’s a miracle at all this has happened. Caroline and Lizzie, you are my blood, like Pheely. And it’s comforting to know Pheely will know her history now. That is such a blessing. With any luck, one day, she’ll have children and maybe even grandchildren she can tell about this moment.’

‘Oh, Angela,’ Caroline reached out for her hand, ‘that’s such a wonderful notion. I’m so thrilled we’ve had this opportunity.’

Tucking her tissue in her sleeve, Pheely said, sniffing, ‘Well, the good thing is, you ladies have all week to get together again. We are visiting some more gardens but you are welcome to come along or we can set some times to meet again.’

‘But it’s your holiday, a treat for your mum,’ Lizzie interrupted. ‘We wouldn’t want to intrude.’

‘We’re not out all week. Mum’s not that fit.’

Giggles circled the table. Lizzie took out her diary and made a note of Pheely and Angela’s schedule so that she could work something out with Caroline and Michael.

‘I’d love to come along and see the salon too if we can fit it in,’ Pheely told her.

‘Of course, and let’s have dinner on Friday evening before you go home. In fact, I’ll do a buffet at the apartment and invite some friends. I want to show you off.’

Just seeing her mother’s reaction had made all the effort and occasion so worthwhile. And, as both Caroline and Angela lived in Kent, they would still be able to visit one another. She decided she was fond of Pheely too, so she would like to stay in touch. It was great to have more family. Now, all she wanted was Cal. After all the emotion spilling in the afternoon, and with her nagging frets about Cal, Lizzie felt drained. Since saying their goodbyes, and leaving Angela and Pheely to continue looking around the gardens, Lizzie drove her mother and Michael back to Cannes through the countryside. Caroline chatted incessantly about what she could gather at home for her cousin to see.

Entering Cannes, just after six o’clock, Lizzie steered through traffic along the busy Croisette to drop Caroline and Michael off. The promenade was heaving with visitors still able to enjoy their weekend in the scorching sunshine. She stopped behind a car at a crossing and several people tramped across. Lizzie, almost day-dreaming with tiredness, turned her head to the crowd wandering aimlessly on the path and jolted. Her jaw dropped.
You bastard!