by Minna Howard
‘Gone where?’ He frowned at her.
‘I don’t know, I just think things aren’t right. I can’t explain. I don’t even know what the boat’s name is, or where they were setting off from, so how can I find out if he’s all right, or they haven’t been blown away, or he’s decided to leave?’ She sounded slightly frantic. ‘Though he has left his best handmade Lobb shoes behind. I don’t think he’d have done that if he was really leaving me.’ She attempted a joke.
He took her hand and held it between his own. ‘Don’t over dramatise. I’m sure he’s fine. We’d have heard if there been a shipwreck or something.’ He hoped he sounded upbeat, though he did begin to wonder why Hugo had not got in touch with her. Had he had some sort of breakdown?
‘We’ll go down to the port, see if anyone has news. I’m sure the two of them are just sailing around enjoying themselves. He’s not due back for a few more days yet, is he?’
‘No. I just wish he’d text me back,’ she said, ‘so I’d know he’s safe.’
‘I’m sure he is, just swept up in it all. Or maybe he dropped his mobile overboard.’
He longed to kiss her, hold her close, but he felt the opportunity was slipping further and further away from them. Was it too late? Flora was married and not like Darcy who saw nothing wrong with the occasional fling. Flora, he guessed, would stay true to Hugo while they were married.
After a while she got up and said she was going to fetch something from her room. Xavier supposed she was going to try to contact Hugo again. Once she’d gone, he went over to Alegria and Laurie.
‘Watch my dive, Dad, watch me,’ Laurie demanded.
‘OK, show me then.’ He sat down next to Alegria who was wearing a wisp of a bikini, her beautiful young skin nicely toasted from the sun. He realised that she was the same age as Flora had been that summer.
Laurie called, ‘Look at me, look at me,’ diving in slightly crookedly.
‘Well done, but try to be straighter,’ Xavier said, watching him swim to the side and haul himself out to try it again.
‘Do you have a girlfriend, Xavier?’ Alegria asked him, her voice teasing, her barely clad body moving a tiny bit closer to him.
‘Maybe. Do you have a boyfriend?’ he countered.
‘No, not really not a serious one. Most of the men I’ve been working with are gay, which is a waste as they are often so attractive.’ She leaned closer to him, her eyes on his mouth.
He stood up and called out to Laurie that his second dive was better.
‘Don’t you think I’m pretty?’ Alegria asked wistfully, pouting like a child.
He must deal with this, he thought, once and for all. He faced her. ‘You are very pretty and very young,’ he said firmly, ‘and you’re wasting your time flirting with me. I’m far too old for you and…’
‘I like older men,’ she said, ‘and to me you don’t seem old at all.’
‘Well, I’m out of bounds,’ he said firmly. ‘I have my son here so all my time is being spent with him. You’ll meet someone nearer your own age. Just be patient.’ He went over to Laurie, miming how he should stand before diving into the water.
Alegria followed him. ‘You have time for Flora,’ she said sulkily.
‘That’s different,’ he said lightly. ‘She’s an old friend from way back. She was your age then and I was two years older. I’m sure it won’t be long before you’ll meet someone younger. Just leave old dogs like me alone.’
To his great relief Susie joined them at this point, perhaps guessing the situation. He understood that Alegria craved love but he was not going to be caught in that trap, especially when there was only one woman he wanted to make love to at this house party.
28
Flora was unsure of how to spend the day. It was lovely here in the garden lazing by the pool, but she felt she wanted to get away for a while and was relieved when Laurie said to his father, ‘I want to see some boats, Dad. You said we could one day.’
‘Of course, why not?’ He smiled at Flora. ‘Why don’t we go down to Port Grimaud? It’s so pretty in the old town and there are lots of boats there. Perhaps other people would like to come too.’ She knew he was thinking it was pretty likely that Hugo and Edmund would have sailed from there, so there might news of them.
She felt her mobile throbbing in her pocket, and she jumped up, full of relief that Hugo had answered her. She moved away towards the side of the garden to answer it. It was her daughter, Isabel.
‘Darling, how are you?’ she asked, half in trepidation and half with joy at hearing her again.
‘Great, it’s so good here, lots to do, great sports facilities, lots of fun people. I just thought I’d see how you and Dad were in sexy South of France.’ Isabel giggled.
‘We’re having a lovely time, swimming in the sea, shopping in the market.’ She went on to describe the supper she’d bought.
‘There’s a great set of people staying in Susie and Matt’s villa too.’ Flora hoped she sounded upbeat. ‘So, how’s Ella?’
‘She’s good. Is Dad there, can I have a word with him, too?’
What could she say? Your father has disappeared on a boat with someone we barely know and, for some reason, is not answering his mobile. ‘He’s not here right now, gone sailing for a few days,’ she said at last.
‘Without you? And anyway, he knows nothing about boats, not like you do. He’ll be hopeless.’ Isabel sounded surprised.
‘He met a friend, someone from work who needed a crew, just for a few days. You know I feel a bit queasy on the sea.’ She hoped she sounded calm and cheerful.
‘You spent your whole childhood sailing at Aldeburgh. You wouldn’t have done it if you felt sick,’ Isabel retorted.
‘We hardly ever sailed on the sea then, always the estuary,’ Flora said quickly. ‘Anyway, I didn’t know the other man so I preferred to stay here by the pool, with Susie and Matt. The other people here are so nice, too.’
‘I’ve met someone,’ Isabel said suddenly, and Flora could hear the excitement in her voice.
‘That’s quick. Tell me all about him,’ she said, relieved to change the subject.
‘He’s great at sport and is in all the teams. He’s half Afro-American, with a great sense of humour and so kind. He’s been here a year already and we just hit it off the minute we met.’ Her voice was excited, warm with wonder and Flora envied her. She’d felt like that when she met Xavier. When love hit the first time, it was unforgettable.
With a few more affectionate words, Flora reminded her daughter to be careful and not risk a pregnancy.
Isabel said. ‘Honestly, Mum, I know, we’re not in the dark ages here. Anyway, I’d better go, love you.’
Xavier saw her coming back across the lawn towards him. ‘Was that Hugo telling you all was well?’ His eyes scrutinised her face.
‘No, one of my daughters, telling me she’s fallen in love,’ she said. ‘She wanted to speak to Hugo and I explained where he was but not that I hadn’t heard from him since he left. No point in upsetting her.’
‘Well, come with Laurie and me and Ben. He’d like to get out a bit and he can always wait for us in a café if we want to explore more.’ Xavier touched her arm, his face close to hers. ‘We’ll ask around the port. Someone’s sure to know.’
‘But I don’t know the name of the boat, or even if it was moored there,’ she said, fear gripping her again.
‘Let’s go and see. Leave in ten minutes, OK?’
‘Yes, thanks.’ She went back to her room and collected her money and sunhat before going back to join them. Xavier was carefully helping Ben to the car while Laurie was jumping around them, his misery of the early morning apparently forgotten.
Ben was settled in the front and Flora got in the back with Laurie, who said, ‘We’re going to see lots of boats. I’d like to go on one and Dad says we might another day.’
‘We’ll see how it goes,’ Xavier said.
Ben said. ‘What’s the name of Hugo’s boat, F
lora?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ she said. ‘He didn’t really know the man he was going with. We met him years ago, but never became friends and it’s just fluke he turned up again at the golf club at the same time as Hugo. I don’t even know what sort of boat it is. I keep thinking back to the boats I sailed in before I married but it’s probably not like that at all.’
‘So, it could be a great gin palace.’ Ben laughed. ‘Oh well, maybe someone in the port knows this man and will know his boat. You must ask when Hugo rings, or you could ring him so you know where to look.’
‘Yes, I’ve tried to contact him, but haven’t got through yet.’ Flora hoped she sounded upbeat.
‘P’haps he’s dropped his mobile in the sea and a fish has eaten it,’ Laurie said cheerfully.
Xavier caught her eye in the driving mirror. ‘Well, I suppose that’s one idea, but I think it would give the fish terrible indigestion,’ Ben pointed out.
Laurie giggled before pointing and shouting. ‘I can see the sea. I can see the sea.’
‘We are almost there now,’ Xavier said as they drove down to the port which was surrounded by small shops and painted houses. Xavier happened to know someone who owned one of the houses and so was able to park his car nearby.
There were boats of all shapes and sizes, huge soulless gin palaces, beautiful old wooden boats and slim ones with just one small cabin. A few had sails but most had not.
Quite a collection of people were hanging around the port. Some were crew, mostly quite young and deeply tanned with sun bleached hair, guarding the boats they worked on. Xavier asked a few of them if they knew of a boat with two Englishmen that had set out a few days ago.
‘There were two Englishmen with a woman,’ one of them remembered. ‘They had great difficulty getting out of the harbour.’
‘I see. You didn’t, by any chance, hear their names, or know the name of the boat?’ Xavier asked them.
Ben, leaning on his crutches, turned to Flora, ‘Have you a photo of your husband on your mobile? This man might recognise him,’ he said, pleased with himself for thinking of it.
‘Good idea, let me see.’ She trawled through the many pictures of when they were a happy family of four. There was a good one of Hugo joking with Ella and she showed him that one.
‘No, no they were much younger, hoping to get work on some mega yacht.’ He laughed. ‘Though it’s a bit late now, the season is nearly over and most people are already set up.’
Xavier asked around again, sometimes in English and sometimes in French, but he reached a dead end every time. Laurie wanted to move on so they parked Ben at a café and climbed up the narrow street to the eleventh century chateau. Laurie ran ahead and Xavier took Flora’s arm. They walked slowly up together like a couple in tune with each other. The sun was hot, beating down on them. Flora felt the sweat rise under her clothes and wished they could swim.
‘Without the name of the boat it won’t be easy but you probably heard me ask that old man mending his fishing tackle if there’d been any accidents this week and he said nothing bad, just a few arguments over careless people hitting moored boats as they left the harbour,’ Xavier said.
‘I don’t know how much Edmund knows about boats. Perhaps he is very experienced and they are having a great time.’ Flora said.
‘I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.’ Xavier squeezed her arm, thinking she was afraid that Hugo had come to harm somewhere. ‘I’m sure he’ll turn up in a few days, or at least contact you. Try not to worry.’
‘I just feel I don’t know him any more,’ she said.
Her mobile vibrated in her pocket and she took it out, wondering if it was Hugo at last. It was Kenley, one of her bosses from the art gallery.
‘I’ve come into the gallery and picked up your message. The pictures you’ve sent look interesting. You’re somewhere in the South of France, aren’t you? Well Tom is somewhere there too and I’ll get him to call in. Give me your address.’
29
Xavier, thinking it was Hugo on her mobile, moved discreetly away from Flora. About time, he thought to himself annoyed with her husband for making her worry so much.
She turned to face him, her face radiant. She took a few steps closer to him.
‘OK, great, Kenley,’ she said enthusiastically, ‘if he can make it as soon as that. I’m not sure how long they are staying here, but that would be wonderful.’ She rang off and gave a little jump of excitement, punching the air. ‘Yessss.’
He laughed. ‘So I take it the owner of the gallery is coming here?’ Xavier remembered now how he’d loved the fact that Flora took such joy in life. It was one of the things that had drawn him to her all those years ago and he’d forgotten it until now.
‘Yes.’ Her face shone. ‘Tom, the other partner, amazingly is down here too, not far away. He’s going to call me.’ Then she frowned. ‘I do hope Eadie’s all right about it. I mean it is all rather sudden. But her pictures are truly wonderful and I had to strike straight away or she and Serge might be off on their travels again.’
‘I’m sure she’ll love it. She deserves recognition. They are great paintings, paintings to cheer people up for a change, packed full of her love of people and joy of living,’ Xavier said, linking arms with her. ‘Come on, let’s explore, and don’t worry,’ he squeezed her arm. ‘We’ll all come to the opening night and it will be a triumph.’
The three of them walked through the old town of Antibes, Laurie running ahead, every so often turning back to remark on something or, Xavier thought, to check they were still there and had not suddenly disappeared without him.
Little shops straggled up the hill beside them selling jewellery, clothes, bags and shoes and there was one which had stunning wooden bowls, cheese boards and wooden platters arranged in the window.
‘Just a moment, let me look in here,’ Flora said, darting in. ‘I love wood.’
‘Of course. Laurie, just a sec, Flora was wants to look in here,’ he called to Laurie who was running on.
‘All just wood things.’ Laurie sounded as if he’d hoped it was a toyshop.
‘But beautiful wood,’ Flora said, caressing a large salad bowl. She looked around a little more. ‘All rather heavy to take home though.’ She was tempted by a beautiful rolling pin with knots scattered in the grain of the honey coloured wood. It was smooth and tactile.
‘Be careful with that.’ Xavier laughed. ‘It’s a right weapon, but I agree it’s beautiful and will be lovely to use – for pastry, I mean. Will you use it, or just have it for show?’
‘No, I’ll use it. I often make my own pastry, biscuits and stuff, and I have a piddling little excuse for a rolling pin and this will be lovely.’ She was holding it while stroking the smooth wood, remembering now that the girls were no longer at home she probably wouldn’t cook as much as she used to.
Reluctantly she put it back on the table. ‘No, it’s quite heavy to carry around in this heat. I won’t buy it after all.’ She smiled at them both; Laurie was fiddling with some salad servers with animals carved on the handles.
‘I like these,’ he said, pretending to eat with one and making Flora laugh.
‘As you wish, but I’ll carry it for you if you want it,’ Xavier said, with Laurie jumping beside him, saying they could roll it down the hill.
‘No, thanks, maybe I’ll come back before we go home.’ She looked sad now and he linked arms with her again.
He attempted to cheer her up. ‘Your daughters will surely be back, with new friends who will appreciate your baking.’
‘Of course they will, but I won’t buy it, it’s so heavy,’ she said.
‘Hugo could carry it for you in his hand luggage.’
She was silent a moment before she said, ‘I can’t help feeling that I might be going home alone. Stupid, I know, but in bed, at night, scary things seem to come at you, don’t they?’ She turned to him and he saw the fear in her face. ‘If Hugo has been in an accident, swept out to sea, surely som
eone would know and would have told us, wouldn’t they? He’s taken his passport in case they get as far as Italy.’
For one nanosecond he wished the blessed man had disappeared into the sea, but he held her close for a moment before saying. ‘I’m sure we’d have heard if anything like that had happened. We are just more nervous today because we are so used to being in constant touch with each other. Think of all those families whose members went off to other countries to war or work and they didn’t hear from them, sometimes for years.’
‘I know, and I’m being silly. Sorry, let’s just enjoy ourselves, it’s so pretty here.’ She dropped a quick kiss on his cheek and moved away.
They wandered on slowly up towards to the castle in the heavy heat with Laurie racing ahead, until they reached the top and surveyed the view stretching out beneath them. The blue sea shimmered in the distance like exotic silk shot with sunlight.
Xavier stood close to her, pointing out landmarks. His body was just touching hers and he remembered how she used to wind her arms round him and kiss him on his lips, a lingering kiss, not a quick kiss like the one she’d just given him. They couldn’t stop touching each other then, kissing on the beach or in the long grass, bodies sated with passion. If Laurie had not been with them he would have folded her back into his embrace.
But was this love, or just lust? The attraction between two people remembering the seductive freedom of having no responsibilities of work, marriage, or children.
He moved away, his hand just stroking her back as he did so. ‘I wish,’ he said quietly, ‘that things were different and you were not married, but while you are, I must control my feelings for you. I feel as if nothing has changed between us, though of course everything has.’
He was not looking at her, but staring out at the view of the little painted houses, the trees and the patchwork of grass and fields and the intense blue of the sea, but he felt her love as if they were in an embrace.