Life's a Beach and Then... (The Liberty Sands Trilogy Book 1)

by Roberts, Julia

  Robert woke with a start. It was a sign he was sure. Rosie wanted him to buy the house in Mauritius. Philippe’s year-long tenancy would soon be up so he would have to move quickly if he was to prevent anyone else from stealing it from under his nose. He lifted the lid on his laptop and found the address of the estate agent. His email simply said:

  I would like to go ahead with the purchase of Sunset Cottage as I believe the tenant has now vacated. Please confirm it is still available. And do you by chance have a forwarding address for the tenant?

  Robert looked down at where the letter had landed a foot or so away from him. Why didn’t I think of that before, he thought, already planning to type a new envelope so that Philippe would not know the letter had been opened. As he reached for it, two words towards the bottom of the sheet jumped out at him... your baby.

  He stared in shock as he read the final few sentences of Rosemary’s letter to Philippe.

  I don’t know the full story of your break-up with Holly and of course it is none of my business, although I must confess it saddened me. I have wrestled with my conscience and come to the conclusion that you have a right to know. Holly is pregnant with your baby.

  Chapter 74

  It feels strange to be sitting in the passenger seat of my own car, thought Philippe, glancing across at his friend Billy behind the wheel of the BMW. He noticed the speedometer was showing 30 mph and allowed himself a smile. He wasn’t sure if Billy was driving slowly to minimise the bumps in the road for his invalid passenger, or whether he wanted to demonstrate to Philippe how well he intended to look after his new car. Either way, the journey from the hospital had taken considerably longer than it should have done and Philippe was relieved to finally be turning into the driveway of the house in Tamarina Bay.

  As the car came to a halt outside Sunset Cottage, the front door opened and a beaming Delphine rushed to help him out of the car and into the house. Billy carried the small bag that contained the toiletries that Delphine had taken into the hospital for him and also the laundered clothes he had been wearing on that fateful day three weeks previously.

  ‘Was the traffic bad?’ Delphine asked, ushering him inside out of the fierce heat.

  ‘No, Billy was just being thoughtful and driving slowly.’

  Delphine raised her eyebrows in Billy’s direction and muttered, ‘Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything.’

  Billy looked aggrieved. He and Delphine had known each other since their school days but had only become friendly through Philippe.

  ‘Where shall I put this?’ he asked, indicating the bag he was carrying.

  ‘Just put it in the bedroom for now,’ Delphine said.

  Billy looked at Philippe for confirmation. Philippe smiled and nodded.

  ‘Thanks for the ride, Billy,’ Philippe said, when he emerged from the bedroom. ‘I expect you need to be getting off now?’

  ‘Yes I’m taking some people out on the boat this afternoon. Let me know if you need driving anywhere. I’ll be your taxi until you’re ready to leave.’

  The door closed behind him. Delphine muttered, ‘I should think so too considering he’s driving around in your car.’

  ‘It’s his car now, Delphine, I gave it to him.’

  Philippe could see that Delphine had cleaned the house ready for his arrival. He reached for his wallet, took out some notes and held them out for Delphine. ‘This is for the cleaning and all the running around after me you have been doing.’

  There was a moment’s hesitation.

  ‘I know you didn’t do it for money but I don’t want you to be short because of me. I really appreciate all you’ve done, you’ve been an angel.’

  Delphine reluctantly took the money avoiding eye contact with him. ‘I have always looked after you in Mauritius,’ she said. ‘Can I get you something now? There’s some lunch I’ve prepared in the fridge.’

  ‘That’s very kind, Delphine but I’m not hungry yet. I’ll have a lie down and then have something later. I’m sure you’ve got a million things to do?’

  She nodded. ‘Shall I call in later?’

  ‘No I’ll be fine. Go and spend some time with your family, they can’t have seen much of you in the last three weeks.’

  ‘True,’ she said, ‘but you must call me if you need anything.’

  ‘I will, I promise.’

  Philippe had no idea how he would have coped had it not been for Delphine. She had brought him clothes and toiletries and even a new mobile phone after the search for his old one had drawn a blank. He knew he owed her a lot more than a few hundred rupees. Maybe I’ll treat her to a trip to England if my new book is a success, he thought, as he watched her climb into her rusty old Peugeot before closing his front door.

  He intended to head towards his bedroom for a nap but his gaze rested on the half open lid of his laptop on the desk by the window. Maybe I should just check my emails first, he thought. He knew it was a long shot but he was hoping that Holly might have had a change of heart. He pressed the button to bring his computer out of ‘sleep’ mode, then the refresh button and then tapped his fingers impatiently while the machine whirred into life.

  He stared at the screen, his heart missing a beat, there, below an email from the estate agency from whom he rented the house, was an email from Holly. He could hardly believe his eyes. He was beyond excited. She had relented and sent him an email. Did that mean there was still a chance for them to work things out? But as quickly as the flame of hope had flickered into life it was extinguished as he read the subject line and cold fear took its place. He opened the email with dread and a sense of foreboding.

  Philippe was utterly devastated after reading Holly’s email and the three emails from Robert. He couldn’t believe that he would never see beautiful, vibrant, caring Rosemary again. Just weeks ago he had been flirting with her as he always did. What the hell had happened? Neither Robert nor Holly had elaborated, they had just said she had died.

  He had immediately emailed them both asking for their phone numbers. The email to Holly was unable to be delivered so she had obviously blocked him again after he didn’t respond to her. Damn, he thought, recognising the missed opportunity to re-establish some form of communication with her.

  After fifteen minutes he had still had no response from Robert either and he felt he couldn’t just sit around waiting, he had to do something. He reached into his pocket for his new mobile phone and dialled one of the few numbers he had committed to memory.

  ‘Good afternoon, Plantation House hotel, Raj speaking. How may I help?’

  Philippe was relieved it was a member of staff he knew well. ‘Raj, it’s Philippe.’

  ‘Mr Philippe, how are you? We haven’t seen you in a number of weeks. I trust all is well?’

  Philippe didn’t have time for pleasantries but he knew if he was to have a chance of getting the information he was after he had to play along.

  ‘I’ve been busy finishing my latest book so I haven’t had time to come out and socialise. I’ve missed the excellent food and wine so I’ll have to pay a visit soon. Listen, Raj, I wonder if you could do me a favour? I mislaid my mobile phone a couple of weeks ago so I’ve lost all my friends’ contact details. I know it’s not normal practice but I wondered if you would let me have a phone number for my great friends the Forresters?’

  There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

  ‘I need to speak to Mr Robert as a matter of extreme urgency,’ Philippe persisted, ‘and you know we are close friends.’

  ‘I know, Mr Philippe, but I can’t divulge that information. We were recently the subject of a secret travel blogger and it has made the hotel management very nervous about sticking to the rules. For all I know this may be a test and I can’t afford to lose my job.’

  Philippe could feel himself starting to get angry. ‘I can understand that Raj but you’ve known me for over a year and I’m only asking you because it’s imperative I speak to Mr Robert today.’

&nb
sp; ‘I’m so sorry, Mr Philippe but I’m afraid I can’t help.’

  Philippe knew he had to end the call before he started shouting at Raj in frustration.

  ‘Don’t worry Raj, I understand,’ he said tightly, before pressing the red button to terminate the call.

  What the hell do I do now? he wondered, staring with unseeing eyes at his computer screen. The email from the estate agents he rented the house from, that he hadn’t yet read, came into focus. It started, ‘Please call us to discuss.....’

  Of course.

  Ten minutes later he was dialling Robert’s number in England with trembling hands. On the sixth ring a groggy sounding Robert answered.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Robert it’s Philippe. I’m so so sorry to hear your dreadful news. I only saw your emails thirty minutes ago. What on earth happened Robert?’

  All Philippe could hear on the other end of the phone was muffled sobs.

  ‘Robert are you ok?’ Stupid question, Philippe thought to himself, the man has just lost the love of his life. ‘Speak to me Robert, what happened?’

  ‘Where have you been Philippe? Rosie wanted you to be at her funeral,’ Robert managed to say.

  ‘I’ve been in the hospital in Port Louis. I just got out today.’

  ‘Thank God. I knew there must have been a reason. I knew you wouldn’t simply ignore me when I needed you. I told Holly there must be a reason,’ Robert babbled.

  ‘Is Holly with you now?’

  ‘No she had to go home yesterday. She had to go to work. She’s been my rock since... since...’

  ‘What happened Robert? Was it a road accident?’

  ‘Rosie wrote you a letter telling you all about it but we didn’t know where to send it. We thought you had left Mauritius. Why were you in hospital?’

  ‘I had an accident but I’m nearly recovered now. Tell me what happened to Rosemary.’

  ‘She had cancer. She’s been sick for a long time Philippe but we kept it between the two of us. She didn’t want to see sympathy in people’s eyes every time they looked at her. She wanted to live her life to the full however little time she had left and however sick she felt. She adored you Philippe. You made her feel attractive...’

  ‘I can’t believe this Robert. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me she was sick. I had no idea. I could have spent more time with her instead of writing that stupid book. You must be devastated. As soon as I can travel I’m coming to see you. It’s just such a shock, I can’t believe it. Did Holly know?’

  ‘I think Rosemary may have told her the day we were on Billy’s boat together. She never said, but I think Holly must have known. She has been so calm about it all, I could never have got through this without her. What happened between you two Philippe? It was all going so well.’

  ‘I don’t really know. I just got an email from her telling me never to try and contact her again. She blocked me and I’ve never had a contact number for her. You must have one Robert.’

  ‘Of course I do but I can’t give it to you without Holly’s permission, it wouldn’t be right. I’m going to ring and tell her that you’ve been in touch and that you’ve been in the hospital. I feel sure she will want to speak to you, particularly as she’s ......’

  Robert stopped speaking abruptly. He had been about to tell Philippe about the pregnancy but he realised that it shouldn’t be down to him or his beloved Rosemary. He wouldn’t be able to give Philippe his letter unless Holly told him about the baby. It had to be Holly’s decision.

  ‘Sorry Robert, lost you for a moment. What were you saying about Holly?’

  ‘Just that I’ll speak to her for you. When will you be well enough to travel?’

  ‘I’m going to book a flight for next week whatever the doctors say and I’ll come to see you.’ Then he added, almost as an afterthought, ‘I’m so pleased you’re buying Sunset Cottage. That’s what Rosemary would have wanted.’

  ‘I know, she told me,’ Robert said before ending the call.

  He immediately punched in Holly’s mobile number, but it went straight to voicemail. Damn, he thought, glancing at the clock on the bedside table, Holly will have to wait a little while longer before I can give her the news about Philippe. Right now she’ll be somewhere over the Indian Ocean.

  Chapter 75

  The distinct aroma of cooked breakfast wafting through the cabin was making Holly feel nauseous as she pushed the light fleece blanket away from her and stretched her arms above her head to ease the tension in her back. As a seasoned long-haul traveller she knew that very shortly the cabin crew would be blocking the aisles with their trolleys while they served breakfast and then there would be a long queue for the wash-rooms. The woman occupying the seat next to Holly, who had been sleeping for most of the journey, a fact verified by the occasional snore, had gone for a walk to stretch her legs, so Holly took advantage of the freedom to escape from her window seat and use the toilets before the rush.

  She slid back the folding door to the cubicle and closed it behind her activating the unforgiving light over the mirror. The reflection staring back at her looked pale and tired and quite different from the one who had done exactly the same thing on a flight to Mauritius just three months earlier.

  Was it really only three months ago? she thought. Who would have believed that I could meet two wonderful new friends, fall in love, get pregnant, lose one of my new-found friends to cancer and fall out of love again, all in such a short space of time.

  In a few months I wouldn’t even fit in here, she thought. No wonder they don’t allow pregnant women to fly beyond seven months. When I get back from this trip I’ll have to break the news about the baby not only to Harry but also to the Soleil Group.

  Holly had devised a plan that she hoped Soleil Group would be agreeable to. She would make more frequent trips prior to the seven month deadline but continue to post the blogs a month apart. If she could manage four extra trips in the next four months no one need know that Liberty Sands was on maternity leave.

  Holly rinsed the toothpaste out of her mouth, spitting into the miniature metal sink, and then ran a brush through her unruly hair before returning to her seat. As she was about to push her bag under the seat in front she noticed something white sticking out of the corner of the small pocket on the front of it. Intrigued, she lifted her bag onto her knee then caught her breath as she realised it was a white feather. Holding it against her chest with both hands she gazed out of the window at the expanse of blue sky. It felt like Rosemary was trying to tell her something.

  Breakfast service had started and although she wasn’t hungry Holly knew she had to try and eat. She tried to push the feather back into the pocket she had pulled it from, so that she could return her bag to the floor and lower her tray table. Something was obstructing it. Sliding her finger into the pocket Holly felt the corner of a piece of paper which she thought must be an old train ticket. She pulled it out and was surprised to see it was a slip of paper folded into a small rectangle.

  Holly’s heart started to beat faster.

  The last time she had used this handbag was on the journey to Switzerland with Robert and Rosemary. Hands shaking, she started to unfold the piece of paper and in doing so released the faint but unmistakable fragrance of Giorgio, Beverley Hills.

  There were just a dozen words written in Rosemary’s flowery handwriting:

  We all make mistakes Holly. Find it in your heart to forgive.

  In memory of my friend Stretch

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to Justine Taylor my copy editor for your patience and hand holding through my first attempt at writing a novel. I have learnt so much and hope the sequel will be an easier job for you. Speaking of which, I really appreciate you casting your professional eye over the first few pages of the new book between nappy changes and feeds.

  Thanks to Yvonne Betancourt for making my manuscript into a book and for being patient with me while I tried to reach decisions about fonts and layout. Wh
o knew it could be so complicated?

  I hope you all like the cover as much as I do? A big thank you to Angela Oltmann for transforming the vision that was in my head.

  To everyone at Ripped thank you for your support and belief.

  A massive thank you to the island of Mauritius for the inspiration you gave me.

  Thank you to my friend Denise Kelly for adding ‘and Then…’ to the title. I like it much better and in your honour I’m publishing on your birthday.

  Thank you to three of my colleagues at QVC. To Debbie Flint for your generosity in sharing both your time and your contacts and for being my friend for almost twenty-five years. To Kathy Taylor for agreeing to give me feedback but especially for your comment, ‘It’s like a proper book.’ And to my friend Teresa Bodnar, it was very important to me that you liked it.

  From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank all the cancer charities who do such important work but in particular Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research without whose fundraising efforts into the latest treatments I may not be alive today. Although survival rates are much higher in the UK now than they were ten years ago not everyone survives leukaemia so I would also like to thank Professor Anthony Goldstone at UCLH for the wonderful care he has given me since my diagnosis with CML.

  And so to my family. Thanks to my mum, the first person to read my manuscript, for your encouragement in all I do. To my partner Chris’s mum who will be pleased to hear that the beginning of the next book is at the end of this one… you’ll be able to sleep at night again. To my wonderful children Daniel and Sophie who have embraced growing up with a mum who is a little bit different and last but not least to my long suffering partner Chris – I’m sorry I can’t promise you that I won’t be scribbling notes on our next holiday… and the next… and the next.