The Legacy of Lucy Harte

by Emma Heatherington

  I feel a tingle shoot up my arm as he holds my hand and pulls me in a step closer to him.

  ‘But I am distracting you,’ I whisper.

  My God, I am flirting so much but I can’t help it.

  ‘Don’t ever stop distracting me. I don’t want you to,’ he says. ‘Can I take you to dinner? Tonight?’

  I look away shyly. My heart is racing and I am hot and sweaty and pink from my run and he is asking me out for dinner. How the hell could I possibly refuse?

  ‘Pick me up at eight,’ I tell him. ‘We’ll know then if we have unfinished business or if I’m just nothing more than an idle distraction.’

  ‘I look forward to it,’ he says and when he lets go of me, I think I might fall at his feet.

  I watch him walk away and then, as his back is turned, I quickly change direction and run again back to the gîte, where I find myself at a loose end and full of va va voom.

  I have a date, Lucy! An actual, proper date with a hunky French man!

  I also have a whole day to kill before that and I also have nothing to wear, so with a deep breath I get into the car and decide to do what Lucy wanted me to.

  I need to see the view from the top of the bridge and see how it feels to be on top of the world, because, right now, I am feeling as high as I ever did in my whole entire life.

  I am excited about tonight with Gerard more than I could have expected. He is unlike anyone I have ever met before. He is deep and moody and exceptionally talented and he has a charm that is making me like him as if I am in some sort of out of control-free fall. I need to use up some of my new-found energy and finally biting the bullet and driving across the bridge is a perfect way to do so.

  I grab Lucy’s diary on my way out of the house and I set it on my knee as I pull the car out of the driveway, into the town and onto the main road that leads to the tallest bridge in the world.

  The drive to the bridge is much shorter than I expected and when I get up there, driving through four lanes of manic traffic as though I am sailing through the French countryside at more than 1,000 feet above ground level, I look down onto the valleys and rivers below and I let the tears flow and flow and flow until I reach the viewing point that allows me to park up and see it in all its glory.

  I step out of the car and feel a gush of wind through my hair and I close my eyes and inhale the feeling of being higher than the clouds.

  This is more than breath-taking. This is more than magnificent. It is more than words could ever describe.

  We are here, Lucy! Please look with me, Lucy! It’s like a movie, Lucy Harte. It’s like I’m flying. It’s like all my cares and troubles are left behind, just like you used to feel on your little stone bridge in Scotland. I hope that it’s all you had hoped it would be, but I think it is even more than that! We are on top of the world now, Lucy, I tell her as I stand tall over the rolling hills and valleys against a crystal-clear blue sky with the wind in my face and the sun on my shoulders.

  You and I are finally here. I can never thank you enough for this moment, for all the wonderful opportunities that I can still experience. I know you are here – I know you can see what I see and feel what I feel because you are part of me and you always will be. You have made the heart we share beat again, only this time it beats faster and it is fuller than I could ever imagined. I am smiling again, Lucy, and it’s all because of you. We did it! We found it! Take it all in and enjoy every moment, Lucy Harte! We are on top of the world!’

  I take a teary-eyed selfie with the view behind me, which I plan to print off and put in Lucy’s diary as a memory and I send the pic to Flo, Simon and one to Sylvia from Power’s Enterprises, which may be a bit too familiar but I have a feeling she may appreciate it. She replies in an instant with a message that reminds me just how important this trip has been for me.

  ‘You are glowing,’ she says. ‘Keep going, girl! Keep spreading your wings!’

  I have a spring in my step and a new energy that makes me want to keep experiencing more and more for Lucy, so I get into the car and I drive and drive away from the Tarn Valley to see what lies on the other side. Lucy always thought of how bridges could take you from one place to another, so I owe it to her to explore more and I soon find myself in the direction of the city of Toulouse, which is just over two hours away.

  La Ville Rose, as it is known, due to its dusky-pink buildings, is simply beautiful and I am delighted to browse in the shops, where I pick up an off-white lace-and-linen strappy dress and a pair of cute wedged sandals to match it for my dinner date tonight.

  As I eat a light prawn salad washed down with sparkling lemon water, I think of Gerard and the way he lit a fire inside of me. A fire that I feared had been dampened, smouldered and then extinguished by Jeff’s rejection and public humiliation. I feel awakened again on a deeper level than the instant gratification I felt that night with Tiernan Quinn, so I know it is not just sexual – hell, the man barely touched me, but I feel like he has opened up my mind and has led me closer to discovering where I want to go next in this life.

  I treat myself to a pink ice-cream with fresh strawberries and sit on the bonnet of the car watching the colourful, vibrant southern city life and drinking it all in like the fascinated tourist that I am before making my way back to the Tarn Valley, where I will get ready for my dinner date with the very intriguing Gerard Florvel.

  Life, Lucy Harte, is very, very fine indeed.

  Chapter 28

  I spray on some perfume and inhale its light floral scent deep into my lungs as I wait for Gerard to come for me. I slip in some dainty earrings and put on my new shoes, rather pleased with how my shorter hairstyle sits on my shoulders against the light tan I have managed to pick up here in France.

  Gerard doesn’t disappoint and arrives just a few minutes before eight and when I answer the door, he is barely recognisable but even more beautiful than before.

  ‘You look like a young Elizabeth Taylor,’ he says in admiration before I can even say hello.

  ‘You sound like my father,’ I reply, and he looks at me puzzled. ‘It’s a joke. My father always compares me to her, but not necessarily for my looks.’

  He steps into the gîte and I notice him looking around at how I have made it my home for the past few days.

  ‘You look very handsome without your beard,’ I tell him, and he nods his head in agreement.

  ‘It’s a better look, I do admit,’ he says, stroking his naked chin. ‘I normally don’t shave until I finish my exhibition, but since I keep on being interrupted by this beautiful Irish girl, I made an exception this time.’

  ‘Interrupted?’ I laugh. ‘You –’

  ‘I know, I know,’ he says. ‘I am very much chasing you. You smell very nice too. Are you hungry?’

  ‘I am very hungry,’ I reply, feeling the innuendo linger in the air. ‘We should probably go and eat?’

  ‘Yes, yes,’ he says in agreement but the electricity between us is mighty. ‘I have a very special place to take you to. I think you might like it. Do you have swimwear?’

  ‘Swimwear for dinner?’ I am truly puzzled now.

  ‘No, not for dinner. But for after,’ he says with a smile. ‘Trust me.’

  Well, this is a first… I quickly pack a bag and soon we are in his car and he is driving with the windows down and music turned up and I feel like I am not in the real world right now. I do feel like Elizabeth Taylor and for the first time in years I am actually experiencing life and it has awakened me and brought me to a place where I finally belong.

  I lean my head back and listen to the beat of the music as the warm evening French sunshine warms my face and fills my soul.

  ‘Are you okay, Maggie?’ he asks me. ‘You are smiling. Are you happy?’

  I raise an eyebrow and look towards him.

  ‘I am very happy, thank you, Gerard.’

  What feels like only minutes later, we arrive at our destination and my jaw drops as we go in through the gates of an ivy-clad twelft
h-century castle hotel, which the sign tells me is called Château de Creissels. I gasp at its grandeur and Gerard laughs.

  ‘C’est bien, oui?’

  I can only nod in response, but when we go inside I am even more impressed than before. The medieval-style restaurant has stone walls with matching stone arches as ceilings and low lighting and is truly enigmatic, but the waiter leads us out onto a balcony which overlooks an outdoor heated swimming pool and an almighty view of the Millau Viaduct bridge in the distance.

  The waiter pulls out my chair and invites me to sit and I am too overwhelmed to speak.

  ‘I thought you would like the view,’ says Gerard as he takes his seat opposite me. ‘For your friend.’

  Wow. I feel my eyes well up at his effort and the thought he has put into our evening together.

  ‘I’m… I’m pretty speechless right now,’ I say to him. ‘Lucy would love this. Oh my God, this is just perfect, Gerard. It’s so, so perfect.’

  ‘And now you know why I said to bring swimwear,’ he laughs, referring to the pool in the grounds below. ‘Hardly something we will do straight after dinner, but it is nice under moonlight later if you feel like hanging around. It’s the most romantic location I could think of that has a view of the bridge for you.’

  ‘This is the most romantic place I have ever been to in my whole life,’ I tell him and he takes my hand across the table. ‘I’m totally blown away. You are pretty amazing.’

  ‘You deserve only the very best,’ says Gerard. ‘I am determined to show you the best before you leave me in two days, when I shall be weeping onto my canvas and nursing a very broken heart.’

  I can’t help but giggle at the idea of him doing so but at the same time, the thought of leaving here hits my stomach like a heavy weight.

  ‘Let’s not talk about that just yet,’ I say to him. ‘I don’t want to think about leaving. I just want to savour every single moment of your company tonight.’

  ‘And me yours, Mademoiselle,’ he replies and he lightly kisses my fingertips, making my insides flutter. ‘Now let’s eat.’

  ‘So, tell me more about you, Maggie,’ says Gerard as we eat together comfortably later. The impeccable menu is almost impossible to choose from but with Gerard’s help, I go for a mouth-watering duck dish with roast potatoes and salad and every bite is like an orchestra playing in my mouth.

  ‘Well,’ I reply, scooping up another forkful of food, ‘I am here for a very special reason and you have made it even more special by bringing me here tonight.’

  He looks intrigued.

  ‘Go on,’ he says.

  ‘It’s a long story and I really don’t tell it very often,’ I try to explain, ‘but back when I was just a teenager, a little girl called Lucy Harte died and she gave me the gift of life, so my trip here is a way of trying to give her something back, strange as that may sound.’

  I don’t want to go into any big detail of organ transplants as we eat dinner but I know he wants to know more.

  ‘I can explain in greater detail how she gave me life but will save it for after dinner,’ I assure him and he nods in understanding, ‘but recently I was given her diaries by her brother and one of her wishes in life was to find the tallest bridge in the world, so I thought I’d come here to see it – for her.’

  Gerard hangs on my every word and he looks behind him onto the bridge that stands far away in the distance.

  ‘That’s a pretty powerful reason to be here, Maggie,’ he says. ‘Are you okay with it all? It must be a very emotional experience for you.’

  ‘It is,’ I reply, biting my lip. ‘Every time I look at it I feel a flurry of emotions that range from happiness to sorrow to guilt to delight. The past few months have been the most challenging and rewarding times I have ever lived through as I worked through a series of things she wanted to do, or little pieces of advice she wanted to leave for herself in her later life.’

  I see that Gerard is experiencing a range of emotions as he listens to my recent life with Lucy.

  ‘I’d always hoped that someday I could portray my thanks to her family for keeping me alive and this is the only way I feel I can do so,’ I try to explain. ‘Her brother, Simon, has found my journey a great source of comfort, but I get the feeling that I am also gaining from it in many more ways than I ever thought possible.’

  Gerard dabs his mouth with a napkin and takes a sip of his wine. I do the same. When I hear myself say aloud why I am here it reminds me of just how surreal this all really has been.

  ‘So, when you showed me the bridge the other night, forgive me if I seemed like an emotional wreck,’ I laugh, trying to lighten the mood. ‘I drove across it today and I stopped and had a moment for Lucy, meaning my work here now is done.’

  Gerard nods in understanding.

  ‘And then what?’ he asks. ‘Where do you go from here?’

  He looks a little bit hurt, like I am wasting his time by leading him on or something.

  ‘I don’t honestly know,’ I tell him and it’s the truth. ‘I don’t have any children back home, I don’t have a job I love, I don’t even have my dog any more… I just have an empty apartment that I just moved into but which feels like the coldest place on earth to me, so I don’t know what happens next. I guess I will just have to wait and see.’

  For the first time I am realising that I don’t have an awful lot to go back to. There is nothing to pull me there. Yes, I have my brother’s wedding at the farm to look forward to and I love my friends and my darling parents, but what is there for me? I honestly don’t know.

  ‘Stay,’ he says. ‘Stay here for as long as you want and think about what it is you want to do with your life.’

  ‘Are you serious? I have no income here,’ I remind him. ‘I’m on a career break with a minimal salary that my boss granted me out of pity, but I can’t take that forever. I would love to stay here, I really would, but I need to do the usual things like get a job and pay my way.’

  He nods and looks away again towards the bridge.

  ‘I don’t think you will ever leave here, really,’ he says and he looks me right in the eye. ‘No one ever does. You’ll see.’

  ‘I know one thing,’ I tell him. ‘After all of my recent discoveries, thanks to Lucy and her list, I will never look at life in the same way again. I won’t settle for anything that doesn’t fulfil my purpose for being given a second chance at life. I won’t think the world revolves around me either.’

  Gerard seems to enjoy my confession of having been a little bit selfish.

  ‘We can all be guilty of that sometimes,’ he says. ‘And you obviously had been through a lot at such a young age, so maybe you hung onto the attention.’

  ‘I should have passed on my gratitude to others instead of always playing the victim,’ I explain to Gerard. ‘You know, in a pay-it-forward way? I think that might be my plan for the future, no matter where it takes me. To give a little more, you know. Does that make sense?’

  ‘You have given me great joy and great… inspiration,’ says Gerard and I laugh off the compliment.

  ‘Well, that’s a good start, then,’ I tell him. ‘To the future and to paying it forward.’

  I raise my glass and he does the same.

  ‘To the future!’ he says. ‘And I wish you only the very best, Maggie, whatever life brings you after this. Now, speaking of moving forward, do you have room for dessert?’

  Fine food, delicious wine, the most picturesque of evenings under French moonlight and surroundings and the company of an amazing man… can this all be real?

  I am dying to tell someone about all this – someone like Flo or my brother or even my own mother, but I don’t want to leave Gerard’s side, not even for a moment to do so. I want to savour every single part of this perfect evening as we sit under the night sky by the pool sipping cocktails and laughing at each other’s jokes and touching ever so seductively when we are both gasping for more.

  We have laughed and chatted and flirted fo
r a couple of hours now but it feels like only minutes and I don’t think I have ever felt so attracted to anyone without even trying.

  ‘So do you fancy a dip in the pool?’ he asks eventually and, I must admit, now that the food has settled, it does seem like a very romantic thing to do.

  There is light background music, a few other couples and a group of single girls, who are in and out of the water as they enjoy cocktails – and with a merry glow through my veins from the few drinks I have been sipping I think the time is just about right.

  ‘Oui, Monsieur. I’ll just go and find the changing area,’ I tell him and when I stand up, he takes my hand and looks up into my eyes.

  ‘You are beautiful,’ he says to me. ‘I am sure you have heard that many times.’

  ‘You are drunk,’ I say back to him. ‘How are we going to get back to Millau, by the way?’

  ‘I assure you I am not drunk,’ he says, standing up to meet me. ‘I am over the limit, though, so we’ll get a taxi. But the night is only beginning, I feel. Come on. Let’s go and get changed and let me see how good you are at swimming, Miss O’Hara.’

  I am certainly up for that challenge.

  In the changing area, which is just off the hotel lobby, I slip into my favourite aqua-blue swimsuit, which always shows off my figure, though nowhere near perfect, to the best it can be. I have put on some weight during this trip and I am glad as I see it as a good sign of health – away from the dreaded ‘divorce diet’.

  I am just about to go when I notice for the first time in a long time my scar, which is now fully exposed on my chest. It is just a long slither down my breast bone, nothing revolting or scary, just something I always hide with high-cut tops or scarves to avoid questions from strangers who don’t know my history. Besides that, I don’t normally notice as it has become just a part of me that belongs there. But now it glares at me, lightened in colour against my tan, and I try to adjust the top of my swimming costume to hide it as much as I can, but of course it can’t be done.

  I put my hand to my chest and take a deep breath. It is not ugly, I remind myself. It is a mark of life, a mark of Lucy’s gift to me and I will not be ashamed to show it. Without dwelling on it any further I go out to the pool area, where Gerard is waiting for me in the water.