‘He’s all stitched up and as comfortable as can be, but he does have concussion so we’re going to keep him in overnight.’ She shook her head. ‘He’s a bit confused. He keeps talking about seeing the sky or not seeing the sky. I’m not sure he realises where he is.’
‘That’s me,’ I said, looking past her towards Nick. ‘I’m Sky, but he probably thought I didn’t want to see him.’
‘Oh, I see,’ the nurse said, opening the door to let me past and clearly not seeing at all.
Philippe laid a hand on Beatrice’s arm as she went to follow Sky.
‘Let them have time alone, Bea,’ he said softly. ‘There are things she needs to say to him.’
Beatrice looked up at him and nodded in agreement. ‘Yes, you are right.’ She called quietly to Sky, ‘We will wait outside, cheri.’
‘Coffee?’ Philippe asked, as they walked down the corridor. ‘I saw a machine by the entrance.’
‘It will be revolting but better than nothing.’ She laughed.
‘I’m not sure that it is better than nothing.’ Philippe gazed into a plastic cup of frothy white liquid a moment later. ‘I asked for black but this is what I got.’ He sat on the chair beside her. ‘It’s turning out to be quite a week.’
‘Mon Dieu, it certainly is,’ she replied with feeling. She took a tentative sip of the coffee then stood up. ‘Actually, Philippe, I think I need some fresh air.’ Neatly depositing her coffee in the nearby bin she grabbed her handbag. ‘I’ll just go and have a wander outside for a while. I won’t go far.’
Philippe got up to join her. ‘I’ll come with you, only I don’t have a light.’
She swung around to face him. He grinned at her. ‘I know you have a packet in your bag.’
‘And where is your packet?’
‘Jacket pocket,’ he said, putting his arm over her shoulders as they wandered through the door. ‘Did you even attempt to give up?’
‘For about a day.’ She chuckled. ‘And you?’
‘Very nearly a week,’ he replied. ‘Emmie said I was the horridest man in the world, Stephanie wouldn’t come near me, even Belle kept her distance and finally Rosa placed a packet in front of me and begged me to light up.’
Beatrice laughed. ‘I’m impressed, Philippe, you certainly tried harder than I did.’ She reached up to give him a kiss.
‘I thought you were dead.’ I wept. ‘I thought you were dead and that you had died thinking that I hated you.’ I was holding Nick’s hand in a vice-like grip.
‘I thought I was a goner too,’ he said sleepily.
‘I saw your life flash past my eyes.’
‘Isn’t that supposed to be me?’ His smile was lopsided.
‘And did you?’ I asked.
‘No.’
‘Well then, you didn’t think you were dying, but I did and I hated myself for letting you think that I hated you.’
‘Know you don’t hate me, Skylark.’ He was having difficulty talking. ‘I’m a part of you, but I wounded you…’ His eyes started closing as the medication took effect. ‘Wounded you, but Miles not right… never right…’ He tailed off. He had stitches running down the side of his face and his lips were cut but I was desperate to hear what he wanted to say.
‘What do you mean, Nicky?’ I leant in closer.
‘You need shomeone different.’ He was starting to slur. ‘Shomeone like…’ But it was no good, he was slowly sliding into oblivion. He needed to sleep, to rest.
I stood up and kissed the top of his head, gazing down at his familiar face, as familiar to me as my own, although the new scar would take some getting used to. I could imagine him telling the story of his bravery, each time with a tiny new embellishment, and I smiled to myself.
Just like the scar, our new relationship would take time to get used to. I wasn’t at all sure what the future held but at least now I was fairly sure we had one.
‘I love you, Nicky,’ I whispered. I didn’t know if he could hear me but I continued. ‘I’ll be here when you wake up.’ I was sure I could see him try to smile.
PART TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Celine stopped at the school gates and waited impatiently for Emmie to get out of the car. They usually drove in silence but Emmie was excited about Philippe coming home and could not stop chatting. Celine was excited about him coming home too but would never admit that to herself, let alone her daughter.
‘And I has put Luc’s name on the banner coz he’s coming home today too,’ Emmie was explaining. ‘Rosa’s made a cake and we got balloons what we is going to put everywhere.’ She paused for a moment. ‘Is Luc my cousin?’
‘Something like that, Emmaline. Now time to get out of the car.’ She leant over and opened the door. Emmie turned to kiss her but Celine was already looking in the rear view mirror.
Her daughter had barely got out of the car before Celine sped away. As she swerved at speed around the sharp bend something fell off the seat onto the floor. It was Emmie’s lunch box. Celine swore. The girl was clueless. She glanced at her watch. She was cutting it fine for her appointment at the hair salon. Someone would make sure Emmie got something to eat. She could always come by after her appointment; it would probably be finished by the time the school stopped for lunch.
Two hours later Celine emerged from the salon. Her blonde bob had been cut shorter than normal, accentuating her sharp cheek bones. Usually a lady who favoured pale pinks, she had most unusually chosen a vibrant red for her nails. Adele had applied some dramatic make-up and the result was striking.
Dark eyeliner emphasised her pale blue eyes and the vibrant lipstick matched her nails. Celine felt good. She headed towards the little café, walking past the patisserie, deliberately oblivious to Madame Granet’s desperate attempts to catch her attention. She stood at the corner for a moment deliberating whether to stop at the café or go further afield. A young man wolf-whistled from across the street and that decided her. Turning on her heel she headed towards her car.
Fifteen minutes later she was pulling into the driveway of the Hotel de Paris.
‘Pretentious name for a hotel near Bordeaux,’ Philippe had murmured when they had all been invited to the opening night a year ago.
‘And pretentious prices,’ his sister had murmured back.
Normally discreet, Celine rarely went into the foyer, opting instead for the side entrance, but today she was feeling cavalier and reckless.
A young man chatting to the receptionist did a double-take, it boosted her ego but she didn’t condescend to turn in his direction. Lifting her head high she headed for the bar where, as she had suspected, Arnaud was chatting politely to the customers. As ever he was impeccably dressed in dark trousers, cashmere jumper and suede moccasins and Celine looked on appreciatively.
Arnaud walked towards her.
‘Celine, how lovely to see you.’ He went to kiss her on both cheeks, inhaling her seductive, musky perfume, whispering as he did so, ‘Did we have a rendez-vous?’
‘No, this is spontaneous,’ she whispered back, and stepping away she said out loud, ‘I wondered if I could steal some of your time, there are a few things I would like to discuss.’
One glass of champagne led to another, which inevitably led to other activities and suddenly she was running horribly late.
‘Merde, I’ll be late for Emmaline.’ She leapt out of bed and headed for the bathroom.
‘Phone Claude,’ Arnaud replied lazily. ‘Tell him you have been delayed, come back and let’s try that last position one more time.’
‘I’ll text Claude,’ she replied, dressing with care even in her haste.
‘Then come back to bed.’
‘I can’t, we have a party tonight. Philippe is coming home, and Luc,’ she added as an afterthought.
‘Royalty returns.’ Arnaud reached over for the last of the champagne. ‘Do send the king my greetings.’
Emmie stood by the school gates, half hidden by the large, spreading plane tree. She was wai
ting for an opportunity to slip out unseen. The pupils were supposed to stay inside the gates until they were collected but Celine hated coming in and chatting to the teacher so Emmie had become adept at sneaking out. She knew it was wrong to disobey her teachers but she feared the wrath of Celine if she didn’t. She called Celine ‘Maman’ to her face but never thought of her as anything but Celine in her head.
She peered around the tree. Madame Clement was occupied by a talkative parent; this was her chance. She darted quickly out of the gate and hugging the hedge turned left, scuttling around the corner where she could remain hidden until Celine picked her up. When her beloved form teacher Madame Martinez was on duty Emmie never stood a chance. Madame Martinez kept Emmie close to her side, but Madame Martinez was often involved in after-school classes so playground duty usually fell upon Madame Clement. She was scatty and much older than her sharp-eyed younger colleague, and therefore much easier to escape from.
Emmie sat down on the dusty pavement. She was used to waiting, Celine was often late and it normally never bothered her, but today she was desperate to get home to help Henri put up her banner. Her stomach rumbled, she hadn’t wanted to tell anyone that she had forgotten her lunch box. She hated making a fuss so had instead filled up on water from the drinking fountain.
Half an hour later a car drove past, stopped and then reversed. A young man got out. He checked up and down the road before approaching Emmie.
‘Hello, cheri.’ He smiled.
‘Hello.’ She got up from the pavement. He saw that she had been crying.
‘Are you on your own?’ he asked very gently.
She nodded.
‘Are you waiting for Maman?’
Once again she nodded and then her lip started to tremble. ‘I got a banner what I wants to put up,’ she whispered. ‘For Uncle Philly and Luc, but now I is late.’
‘Hop into my car, princess, and we’ll get you home in no time.’ He squatted down beside her. ‘Do you remember me?’
Emmie looked uncertain.
‘My name is Michel.’ He held out his hands. ‘I think, cherie, that maybe Maman has forgotten to come.’ He smiled at her. ‘I’ll put the roof down, you’ll like that won’t you? I promise we’ll be back in time for you to put up the banner for Uncle Philly.’
That sealed the deal.
Celine pulled into her driveway thirty minutes later, having broken every speed limit in sight during the journey. She had driven past the school but there had been no sign of Emmie so she assumed that Claude had received her text. Maybe they had stopped at the chateau, Emmie had been going on about some banner. She would give them a ring but first she would take a quick shower.
She was just getting dressed when she heard the car pull up. She smiled smugly to herself, what perfect timing, she was fresh and spotless, admittedly her head throbbed a little due to the champagne but no one would guess what a debauched afternoon she had spent. She would tell Claude that she had been spending time with Lysette, a friend of hers who was unwell.
‘Salut, mon coeur.’ Claude stood in the doorway. Celine hated that term of endearment. ‘Stephanie just rang me.’ He paused looking her up and down in admiration. ‘She tried here but got no answer.’
‘I was in the shower,’ Celine replied. ‘I didn’t hear the phone.’
‘Well she was wondering where Emmie was, she thought you were going to drop her straight off after school, she’s supposed to be helping Henri put up a banner.’ He smiled at her. ‘You look absolutely stunning, by the way. Anyway I said I’d drop her down there. Where is she?’
Celine stared at him stupidly. ‘What do you mean where is she? She’s with you.’
It was Claude’s turn to stare. ‘Of course she’s not with me, why would she be with me?’
‘I sent you a text, I said I was delayed, I asked you to pick her up.’ Celine was trying to quell the feeling of panic.
‘I never got it. I’ve had my phone switched off all afternoon.’
‘Why?’ she yelled. ‘Why have you had your bloody phone switched off?’
‘I’ve been in the hospital all afternoon. You knew that.’
Celine reeled. How could she have forgotten his appointment? Of course he’d been in the hospital. How careless of her. So where the hell was Emmaline? Mon Dieu, this was turning into a nightmare. She started to shake.
‘Where the hell is Emmie?’ Claude echoed her thoughts. They stared at each other.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Stephanie put the phone back on the receiver. She looked puzzled. Claude had sounded panicked. Surely if no one had collected Emmie then her teacher would still be waiting with her? But why hadn’t they phoned the house? Maybe they had, after all she had tried and got no answer. Trying to remain calm, she went in search of Rosa.
Claude sped towards the school. Emmie must be inside with a teacher. They weren’t allowed outside the school gates. But then why hadn’t they phoned Celine? And where had Celine been?
Despite the warning from the hospital today he was in desperate need of a cigarette, but he was in Celine’s car and it was unlikely that she would have any. She smoked very rarely but nonetheless he fumbled in the glove compartment and found not only a packet of cigarettes but a box of matches too. The cigarettes were not a brand he ever remembered Celine smoking but Claude wasn’t feeling fussy. Pulling a cigarette from the packet he reached over for the matches and noted with surprise that they came from the Hotel de Paris.
The school gates were firmly shut. There was no sign of either a teacher or his young daughter. He ran down the lane shouting Emmie’s name but there was no response.
Should he call the police? Too late he remembered that his phone was in his jacket which was in the bedroom. Throwing himself into the car he slammed the door shut and sped out into the lane. The chateau was nearer than the house, he would ring from there.
He tore into the driveway of the chateau seconds after a bright red sports car. It skidded to a halt in the front courtyard. The roof was down, music was blaring and there in the passenger side sat Emmie. Her hair had blown everywhere and the golden curls framed her face like a halo. She had ice cream in her hands and an awful lot of it on her face. Claude was astounded.
Stephanie and Rosa came running out of the house. Emmie leapt out of the car.
‘I got me an ice cream.’
‘You certainly did,’ Stephanie said, surveying the mess.
‘She wouldn’t stop to eat it, she was desperate to get back here to put up a banner.’ The young man came over to greet them as Claude leapt from his car.
‘What the hell is going on?’ Claude demanded.
The young man raised his eyebrows and nodded in the direction of Emmie.
‘Emmie, run along with Rosa and get cleared up,’ Stephanie said before Claude had time to interrupt. ‘Henri’s waiting to do the banner and then you need to get into your party dress.’ As soon as they had left she turned to Claude. ‘Claude, you remember Michel, don’t you? He is Luc’s best friend.’
The young man stepped forward and Claude nodded vaguely. His heart was hammering at an alarming rate.
‘What happened, Michel?’ Stephanie asked. ‘Why on earth is Emmie with you?’
‘She was sitting on the pavement all alone. The school gates were locked.’ He looked over at Claude. ‘It was hot, she was crying and she’d had no lunch.’
‘On the pavement?’ Claude looked bewildered. ‘Why wasn’t she in the playground?’
‘I have no idea,’ Michel said shortly. ‘She said she was waiting for Maman. She said she had been waiting a long time, she was worried about being late for Philippe.’
‘Anyone could have come along, anyone could have picked her up.’ Stephanie was furious.
‘She didn’t really remember who I was, I haven’t seen her since Luc went away,’ Michel said. ‘I was desperate not to scare her. I scanned the road several times to check no one was coming.’
‘Thank you very much, Mich
el,’ Claude said rather stiffly. ‘We are very much in your debt.’
‘I’m just glad I happened to be there at the right time,’ Michel replied.
Emmie was standing next to Henri with the little piglet as always by her side. They were proudly surveying her banner.
‘Looks good, ma petite.’ Henri smiled down at her. ‘Uncle Philly and Luc will be delighted.’
Emmie beamed with delight.
Minutes later her parents drove into the driveway and Emmie waved hesitantly.
They got out of the car and walked towards her with big smiles on their faces. Emmie sensed immediately that something was wrong.
‘Emmie.’ Celine bent down to her daughter. Emmie backed away and Celine overbalanced in her high heels and lurched forward, pushing Emmie backwards. The little girl and her piglet both squealed in fright.
Claude rushed forward to help Celine, and Henri pulled the scared girl close to him. He could feel the genuine shiver of fear course through her and was concerned. No child should be that frightened of their mother, it wasn’t natural.
‘Nothing to worry about,’ Claude said as Stephanie came running into the courtyard. ‘Celine tripped up and it scared Emmie.’ He laughed too loudly. ‘Come on, Emmie, no need for tears. Maman and I just wanted to say sorry that you had to wait outside the school on your own. I thought Maman was collecting you and she thought I was.’ He turned to the others. ‘Celine was delayed, she left me a message but I never got it.’
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