‘Vanessa is due back soon, isn’t she? Thought any more about working with me on Vacances au Soleil? We could be a good team again. I’ll even make you a director if you want. I’m hoping Mathieu is going to join the company too, in the near future.’ He moved across to the table and helped himself to a portion of smoked salmon.
Nanette, about to protest that Mathieu definitely wouldn’t be joining him and that she knew Vacances au Soleil was a front for a money-laundering operation, stopped. Zac didn’t yet know the part Mathieu was about to play in his downfall.
‘The answer is still no, Zac. I won’t work for you again.’ She paused. ‘Besides, I’m not entirely convinced you’re not lying to me when you say it’s a legal business.’
Zac regarded her steadily.
‘You lied to me – to everyone – three years ago, about the accident, didn’t you? So what’s to stop you lying to me again?’ she said, watching his face for a reaction to her words. ‘I wasn’t driving that night, was I, Zac? What I don’t understand is why you lied? Why you ruined my life?’
In the silence that followed her words, Zac impassively forked some smoked salmon into his mouth.
Nanette felt her temper rising. How could he be so indifferent to what she was saying, to her feelings? He didn’t care. Had he ever really cared?
‘I remember driving to the restaurant,’ Nanette continued softly. ‘I remember the friends who were there. We all had a lovely meal and the champagne flowed. As it was my birthday, I drove us there and you promised to drive us home, so half a glass of champagne was all you drank.’
Nanette took a deep breath. ‘I also remember coming out of the restaurant and finding it was raining – hard. The kind of wet weather you are renowned to like for pushing your car to the limit. I remember you getting into the driver’s seat when we left the restaurant, a happy smile on your face. And yet, after the accident, you deliberately made it look as though I’d been driving when I was over the limit. When all the time it was you who lost control of the car when it aquaplaned.’ Nanette held her breath, waiting for his reaction.
Zac sighed before finally looking her in the eye. ‘Couldn’t you just see the headlines in the Nice Matin – “Formula 1 Ace charged with dangerous driving”? So, when the pompiers arrived and assumed you were the driver as it was your car, I decided not to enlighten them.’
‘It was very convenient for you then, that I lost my memory for so long, wasn’t it? Couldn’t speak up and set the story straight.’
Zac didn’t reply.
‘Is that why you didn’t come near me again? Why you had me airlifted back to the UK? You were afraid that I would suddenly broadcast to the world that it wasn’t me behind the wheel that night. It was a famous racing driver who had taken the coward’s way out!’
‘I did pull you out of the wreckage before it burst into flames. I deserve some credit for that, don’t I?’ Zac asked quietly.
‘I saw the headlines calling you a hero for saving my life, and I owe you my thanks for that.’ Nanette glared at him. ‘But what you did afterwards was despicable, Zac. I was vilified and ostracised by my friends, sent away like I was contagious. I was labelled a drunken driver, charged with dangerous driving and lost my licence. The world thought I’d nearly killed you, when in fact it was you who nearly killed me.’
‘The media would have crucified me, Nanette. I was at a critical point of my career – just changing teams – I didn’t need the wrong sort of publicity. You, on the other hand’ – he shrugged before giving her a sardonic smile – ‘who was going to really care whether you lost your licence? You were just my girlfriend, no one special in the eyes of the world.’
As he stared her down, defying her to argue with him, Nanette knew that any lingering love she had once felt for Zac Ewart had just been bludgeoned to death by his callous words.
‘Tomorrow I am going to start clearing my name,’ she said defiantly.
‘Why bother after all this time? Besides, who are people going to believe: a world-famous racing driver or a one-time office girl?’ Zac hesitated before adding quietly, ‘I did try once, Nanette, to set the record straight, but by then the police had done their paperwork and it was too late.’
‘If you had any decency left, you’d come with me and make them acknowledge the truth.’ Nanette gazed reflectively at Zac. Life on the race track was a serious business, not to be taken lightly, but away from the circuit, Zac had always had this cavalier attitude to life. It had been one of the things she’d found difficult to accept about him. Jean-Claude, she knew, would never have deserted her in her hour of need. That Jean-Claude would always be there for her, she didn’t doubt for a single second.
‘Nanette, what are you thinking? You’re miles away. I remember you getting that dreamy look when we were together. Are you thinking about us?’
Nanette shook her head. ‘Oh no, Zac. I’m not taking a trip down memory lane with you. I’m thinking about my future and you are staying firmly in the past.’
‘Have you met someone else?’
‘Yes,’ Nanette said simply. ‘Someone very special. Someone who truly loves me.’
Nanette didn’t understand the pained look that crossed Zac’s face, but she did realise that he clearly hadn’t been expecting that answer from her.
There was a short silence, before he said slowly, ‘I hope things work out for you.’ He drained his glass of champagne before continuing quietly, ‘My life changed after the accident too. The last three years have been difficult for me. There are different things at stake these days – that’s why I can’t suddenly announce I was responsible for the accident.’
‘Things like your business deals with that criminal Boris Takyanov? You know, Zac,’ Nanette said thoughtfully, ‘I never had you down as a common criminal. How did that happen?’
Zac was silent for several seconds before saying, ‘I stupidly got myself involved in something I shouldn’t have. The next thing I knew, Takyanov made me an offer I couldn’t refuse – didn’t dare refuse,’ he added quietly. ‘Now I’m in too deep for him to let me go.’
‘He’s blackmailing you? Oh Zac, what a mess,’ Nanette said sadly. ‘Well, I can’t see him doing much in the way of business from Monaco jail,’ she added.
Zac spun round from the table where he was helping himself to yet more champagne. ‘Takyanov’s been arrested?’
‘Hadn’t you heard? Along with several of his so-called business associates. And his son in Brazil too.’
Zac pushed past her and opened the cabin door. ‘Phil, turn around and take us back to harbour now,’ he shouted.
Nanette heard the skipper’s answering ‘Will do’, felt Pole Position change course and closed her eyes as her body relaxed. This nightmare would soon be over.
Unexpectedly, Zac grabbed her hand. ‘I need some air. Come on, let’s go out on deck and watch the lights.’
As Zac pulled her towards the yacht’s bow, Nanette was struck by an irrational fear. Could he possibly be planning to push her overboard and claim it was an accident?
40
Dawn was breaking over a sleeping Monaco as Pole Position sailed towards the harbour entrance. Nanette, standing in the cockpit, felt an overwhelming sense of relief sweep through her body. She would soon be back on dry land.
A tense Zac had insisted they spent the entire return journey up on deck and now Nanette watched the harbour walls getting closer with unconcealed pleasure.
As Phil carefully positioned the yacht to motor slowly into her allocated berth and the crew tied the large navy fenders in place, Zac turned to her.
‘I guess you and I are all washed up now. No chance of even remaining friends?’
‘We were all washed up, as you put it, when you decided to lie about the accident,’ Nanette said, watching Phil press the button to lower the gangway. ‘I can never forgive you for that.’
Zac suddenly turned her to face him, gripping both her arms tightly.
‘Stop it, Zac, you
’re hurting me.’
The pressure increased on her arms as Zac ignored her words and squeezed harder.
Nanette closed her eyes, willing him to stop inflicting pain, and waiting for him to release her.
‘You think this hurts? Be warned, Nanette – it’s nothing to what could happen. I made a mistake letting you take the blame for the accident and I’m sorry. Do one last thing for me: walk away from whatever you think is going on. Other people don’t have my scruples – or share a past with you.’
The grip on her arms lessened and Nanette opened her eyes to see Zac staring at her intently.
‘Goodbye, Zac,’ she said. Trembling, she moved away from him towards the gangway, desperate to put as much space between her and Zac Ewart as possible.
Blinded by the tears that had started to run down her cheeks, she didn’t see Jean-Claude standing on the quay until it was too late and she’d run into him.
‘Doucement, ma chérie,’ he said, gently enveloping her in his arms. ‘Doucement. I’m here now to take care of you.’
The gentle kiss he placed on her forehead wasn’t enough for Nanette. She turned and looked at him before hesitantly kissing him on the lips. As she surrendered herself to Jean-Claude’s passionate embrace, she was conscious of a statue-like Zac watching them with an unfathomable look on his face.
It was the swish of the curtains that woke Nanette and she blinked as sunlight flooded the bedroom. Jean-Claude had entered the room quietly and placed a tray of coffee and croissants on the bedside table before crossing to the window to open the curtains.
Nanette smiled sleepily to herself as she watched him. He’d been insistent she go to bed after he’d brought her back to the apartment early that morning.
‘I’ll take the twins to school if Mathieu hasn’t returned. You get some sleep. Afterwards, you can explain exactly why you went alone to the yacht,’ he’d said.
Nanette had done as she was told and gone to bed. To her surprise, within minutes she’d fallen into a deep dreamless sleep.
‘What’s the time?’ she asked, sitting up as Jean-Claude placed the tray on her lap.
‘One o’clock. How do you feel?’
‘Fine.’
‘Are you ready to tell me why you went alone to Pole Position?’
Nanette, about to answer flippantly, ‘It seemed a good idea at the time’, looked at his concerned expression and said quietly, ‘I’m sorry, JC.’ She stretched out a hand to gently touch his face. ‘At least he didn’t push me overboard as I thought he might do at one stage,’ she said quietly.
Jean-Claude looked at her, horrified. ‘Mon Dieu. I kill him if he hurt you.’
‘Any hurt Zac inflicted on me is now in the past. I have no intention of going anywhere near him in the future,’ Nanette said, wearily. ‘I’ll tell you all about last night, but first I must get up. Give me ten minutes to shower and dress.’
‘I wait for you in the sitting room,’ Jean-Claude said, kissing her gently on the cheek as he took the tray. ‘Take your time.’
Half an hour later, Nanette joined him on the balcony, where he was reading a newspaper.
‘The charges against Takyanov are getting longer by the day,’ he said, folding the newspaper. ‘With more people being drawn into the net.’
‘Is Mathieu around?’ Nanette asked.
‘No,’ Jean-Claude shook his head. ‘No idea where he’s gone. Vanessa phoned while you were sleeping. She and Ralph arrive back in the UK at the end of the month. She wants you to take the twins over. She said something about her and Ralph taking them on holiday. Anyway, she’s going to phone you this evening to discuss it.’
Nanette looked at Jean-Claude in dismay. She’d forgotten Vanessa’s return would signal the end of her stay in Monaco.
Jean-Claude caught hold of her hands. ‘You leave the twins with Vanessa and come back to me, yes? You will have some holiday due?’
‘Patsy’s baby is due soon. If I’m in England, I’ll have to be there for that. Maybe afterwards? Where would I stay? Mathieu won’t need me in the apartment without the twins.’
‘With me, of course, at the villa, no question. Anneka will prepare the guest suite, and look after us.’ Jean-Claude took her in his arms. ‘It will be wonderful, chérie. Just you and me. Getting to know each other properly. We’ll swim, relax, go to Italy.’
Nanette smiled at him. ‘Sounds wonderful. Maybe by the time I get back, all this business with Mathieu and Takyanov will be resolved. Has Mathieu accepted your offer of help?’
Jean-Claude gave a shrug. ‘Apparently there is not a lot I can do – simply wait in the shadows and be ready to make a move when he asks – if he asks.’
‘Maybe that’s for the best,’ Nanette said. ‘He’s always said you must trust him; he knows what he’s doing.’
‘Which is more than you did last night,’ Jean-Claude said. ‘I couldn’t believe it when Mathieu rang to say that Zac had told him you were spending the night with him.’
‘I couldn’t sleep and it seemed like an ideal opportunity to get rid of the package,’ Nanette said. ‘If I’d known Zac was on board, I certainly wouldn’t have gone.’ She looked anxiously at Jean-Claude. ‘You didn’t believe the implication behind those words, did you?’
‘No. I didn’t believe you’d spend the night with him willingly – I was terrified that he would force you,’ Jean-Claude said quietly.
Hesitantly, she began to tell Jean-Claude about the previous night’s events. She glossed over her terror when she realised they had put to sea. Jean-Claude, she knew, would be furiously protective on her behalf.
‘At least Zac has finally acknowledged the truth about the accident,’ she said. ‘He was driving that night. He lied to the pompiers and the gendarmes. My loss of memory was very convenient for him.’ Nanette took a deep breath. ‘I told him I was going to the authorities to clear my name. Although he reckons I’d be wasting my time because people won’t believe me.’ She bit her lip. ‘Until last night I hadn’t realised how deep the scars were – how much the past was damaging my present. I’ve decided not to try to clear my name. I will walk away from it. I need to relegate it to the past and forget it. Move on with my life. Leave Zac to live his.’
Jean-Claude took her in his arms.
‘I can never forgive him for what he did, but it’s not worth dragging it all up again,’ Nanette said, as he bent his head to kiss her. ‘You, Patsy and those who matter will know the truth and that’s all that matters to me now.’
41
As the taxi pulled into the farmyard, the driver, a local man who knew Patsy and Nanette, nodded in the direction of a battered red Mini parked by the hay barn.
‘Reckon you’m an aunty,’ he said sagely. ‘That’s Dr Owen’s car.’
‘Reckon you could be right,’ Nanette said, fishing in her bag for the fare.
Helen came bustling out of the kitchen. ‘It’s a boy,’ she said, seeing Nanette. ‘I’ve got a grandson, imagine!’
‘Can I go up and see them?’ Nanette asked impatiently. After dropping the twins off with Vanessa and Ralph, the journey to the farm had seemed to go on for ever.
‘Doctor’s with Patsy at the moment. Come into the kitchen and I’ll make some tea. You can take a cup up to Patsy.’
It was half an hour before Nanette opened the bedroom door and peered round. ‘Hi, Mum! Congratulations.’
Patsy, cradling her new son, smiled at her sleepily. ‘Hi, Aunty. Didn’t you time your arrival well, missing all the gory bits? Meet your nephew – all seven pounds, two ounces of him.’ Patsy held out the tiny bundle and Nanette tentatively took the precious cargo into her arms.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time to be your birthing partner,’ she said, taking the precious bundle and gently cradling her new nephew in her arms, she gazed at him in wonder. Was this the closest she was going to get to having a baby of her own? ‘But it’s your fault, baby boy, for being impatient and coming a week or two early,’ she said. ‘
He’s gorgeous. So much hair. Helen told me it was very quick. True?’
Patsy pulled a face. ‘Midwife said that too. Most first babies take longer. All I can say is it was a very painful three hours.’
‘Any names yet?’
Patsy shook her head. ‘Helen is all for Hew Trefor.’ She laughed at Nanette’s expression. ‘Apparently they’re very old family names – Bryan’s middle name is Hew. I fancy Dylan Robert.’
‘The new granny is beside herself with joy,’ Nanette said. ‘I don’t suppose she’ll care what you call him, so long as she’s allowed to spoil him. Dylan’s a nice name.’ Nanette smiled down at the baby boy.
‘Bryan and I are hoping you will be a godmother,’ Patsy said.
‘I’d love to.’
‘Good. Any ideas who you’d like to see in the godfather role?’ Patsy asked innocently.
‘I’m sure you and Bryan can choose someone suitable without my input,’ Nanette said, laughing and refusing to be drawn on the question she knew Patsy was really asking. ‘Shall I put Dylan back in his cradle?’
‘Please. How long can you stay?’ Patsy asked, watching as Nanette gently placed a cover over the sleeping baby.
‘A few days. Vanessa and Ralph have taken the twins to Cornwall and I’m officially on holiday for the next fortnight.’
‘Why can’t you stay longer then?’
‘I’ve promised to return to Monaco and spend the time with Jean-Claude,’ Nanette said, blushing.
Patsy looked at her sister speculatively. ‘Are you going to tell me any more?’
Nanette shook her head. ‘Not right now. I’m sure you need your rest. I promise we’ll talk later when you’re up and about. I could do with some sisterly advice.’
It was two days later, sitting companionably under the shade of the horse chestnut tree that dominated the hidden farmhouse garden, sipping cold lemonade, with Dylan asleep in his pram beside them, before Nanette talked to Patsy about her worries for the future.
One Summer in Monte Carlo Page 21