A French Affair (50 page)

In the end, waiting only for coffee to be over, Jessica managed to excuse herself, saying she was tired after too much sun and wine. Lilian immediately suggested she and Luc should walk her back through the
vineyard, but to Jessica's relief the Schmidts decided to leave with her.

Just after she let herself into the cottage her mobile started to ring, and though she desperately wanted it to be Luc, she knew from the ringtone that it was a message.

‘Darling, it's me,' Charlie said. ‘I'm just saying goodnight, because I know you're up at the
manoir
this evening, and Harry and I are off to bed early – in case you'd forgotten I have to leave at six in the morning. Nikki's going to be here for Harry, so don't worry about that, then he's coming to the studio with me later. Also, I wanted to say that I'm sorry for being short with you earlier. I promise I'll try to get hold of your mother, or Maurice, again tomorrow, but if I don't have any luck, I still have an arrangement to see him on Tuesday. He hasn't cancelled, and obviously I won't either. Anyway, hope you and Lilian are having a great time now she's back. Say hi from me. Love you,' and a moment later the line went dead.

Wishing it weren't too late to call back, Jessica went upstairs and lay down on the bed. This would get easier, she told herself. She would stop wanting Luc, and it would stop hurting, just as long as she kept reminding herself that it really wasn't as serious as she'd feared. She hadn't fallen in love with him, it only felt that way because attractions, or infatuations always did at first. So she really would get past this, and it wouldn't take long provided she could stop herself imagining how powerfully he would make love, how exquisitely he would move into her body, and how right it would feel to be with him that way, when in reality it would be so very, very wrong.

‘
MUM! YOU'LL NEVER
guess where I am,' Harry cried excitedly down the line.

‘Um, let me see,' Jessica replied gamely. ‘Up a tree?'

‘No.'

‘On a camel?'

Harry giggled. ‘No, I'm sitting in Dad's chair in the studio where he reads the news, and there's a camera looking at me.'

‘No! So what are the headlines today?'

‘I don't know. Um, a bus fell off a bridge and floated in the river and everyone got swept out to sea, but they could swim so now they're in America, all wet and worn out.'

Jessica laughed. ‘Where
do
you get your imagination?' she wanted to know.

‘Dad says it's from you.'

She was still smiling as she lay back in her deckchair and gazed out across the front lawn of the château to where Lilian and Luc were playing badminton with Antoine and Elodie. Everyone else was relaxing in the shade, replete from a delicious lunch, sleepy with
wine, and wanting nothing more than to soak up this perfect Sunday afternoon, but as always, children had other ideas. ‘Has Dad finished now?' she asked Harry.

‘Yes, I think so. He's here talking to some people. Shall I put him on?'

‘Not if he's busy.'

Harry didn't answer straight away, but she could hear voices in the background, then Charlie came on the line saying, ‘Hi, how are you?'

‘I'm OK,' she answered. ‘Harry sounds as though he's enjoying himself.'

‘I think he is. We should be out of here soon, though. It's just some things are due to come up at the UN about Syria this week, so they want to talk about the interview I shot with the Opposition Leader while I was in Paris.'

Remembering it was what he'd been doing at the time Natalie died, she felt a jarring in her heart, but she didn't mention it, and nor did he.

‘Where are you now?' he asked.

‘At Claude and Daniella's, having a very lazy day.'

‘Sounds good. How's Lilian? Over the jet lag?'

‘She seems to be, but we haven't had a chance to spend much time together yet. I think she and Luc are enjoying a bit of a second honeymoon.'

There was a wry note in Charlie's voice as he said, ‘Well, let's hope that spending some time apart has the same effect on us.'

‘I'm sure it will,' she said, wishing she could believe it. ‘So what do you and Harry have planned for the rest of the day?'

‘Before we get into that, have you spoken to Nikki since she left for Norfolk?'

‘I had a text about an hour ago letting me know they'd arrived safely. Are you missing her?'

‘I haven't had a chanceyet, but I'm sure I will, especially when Harry leaves tomorrow. The house is going to seem very empty for the next couple of days.'

‘Speaking of empty houses, have you managed to get hold of anyone at Maurice's yet? Or don't tell me, you haven't had the time to try.'

‘Actually, I did earlier, but there was still no reply from either number, Maurice's or your mother's, so I rang the next-door neighbour, what's-his-name Keane. Apparently they called Keane yesterday to check on things there, but he didn't ask where they were, and the only number he has is the same as the one I have.'

‘Does she know I've spoken to the paramedic?'

‘I can't think how, when neither of us has been in touch with her since then. Have you mentioned it to Lilian, by the way? What does she say about it?'

‘We haven't had a chance to go into it, but there's not very much she can say. It's my mother who has the answers.'

‘Of course, I just wondered if it might have prompted someone over there into remembering something.'

‘Luc was the only one around at the time,' she reminded him, ‘and all he saw was the so-called tourist's car. Anyway, it's looking as though we'll have to wait until Tuesday now, when you're due to see Maurice.'

‘I think so. Listen, I have to go, they're calling me into the meeting. I'll talk to you later.'

Relieved that he hadn't become irritable while talking about her mother, Jessica rang off and let the phone drop into her lap. A few minutes later she found
herself becoming aware of the heat in a way she hadn't before. It felt fierce and biting, as though it were trying to scorch her limbs, while the air seemed languid and thick, like a storm might be brewing. She closed her eyes and after a while the sounds of the game seemed to come and go as a relaxing heaviness descended over her. Then a shout of triumph from the makeshift badminton court made her look up.

Elodie was bouncing up and down with her arms in the air, while Luc was rolling on the ground with Antoine in some kind of dispute about who was to blame for their defeat.

Smiling, Jessica watched them, then her eyes followed Lilian as she left them to it and wandered over to a nearby lounger. As she flopped into it she was still panting slightly from the effort of the game, then the fight lost momentum and everything went quiet again as Luc and the children lay spreadeagled in the grass in the shade of a giant cedar tree.

Long minutes ticked by with just the rasping of crickets and the occasional bird to break the silence. A phone started to ring inside the château, and groaning, Claude got up to answer it. He was back a few minutes later, and once again the stillness resumed, only to be broken by the wonderfully dreamy sound of a jazz piano that Yves put on the CD player before coming out to join them.

From behind her sunglasses Jessica looked at Luc, prone on the grass, and possibly sleeping. Then she turned away, trying not to think of how much she'd like to go and lie there with him. What for a while had been the sweet torment of holding back and waiting was now becoming an agony of longing. Though she tried to stop her mind going in directions that would
only make it worse, she all too often found herself in a world where there was no Lilian, or Charlie, there was only the beauty of what they'd known, and the passion that still needed to be shared.

Close by, Fernand gave a snore, and then a bee started to buzz noisily around the lavender bed. Her eyes drifted closed again, then she was aware of Luc getting up and going into the house.

‘Jessica?' a voice beside her said.

She turned to see Antoine looking down at her. ‘Yes?' she answered, smiling up at him.

‘Can I come to the airport when you pick up Harry tomorrow?'

‘Of course,' she murmured, lifting a hand to smooth his cheek. ‘Provided Maman says it's OK.'

‘I'll go and ask her,' he said.

When he'd gone she watched Lilian get up from her lounger and come to sit on the grass beside her.

‘It's so perfect here, isn't it?' Lilian sighed, leaning back on her hands and gazing around.

‘Mm,' Jessica responded sleepily.

After a pause Lilian said, ‘What time are you collecting Harry tomorrow? I thought we could have lunch, or breakfast, or at least a couple of hours together before he arrives.'

‘Just after two, so breakfast would work, if you two lovebirds can drag yourselves out of bed.'

Lilian laughed, but there was a ring to it that made Jessica open her eyes.

Lilian's face was tilted up to the sun, making her expression difficult to see.

‘Is everything all right?' Jessica asked.

Lilian seemed surprised. ‘Yes, perfectly,' she answered. Then after a pause, ‘And with you?'

‘Absolutely,' Jessica replied.

A few more seconds went by. ‘Actually, you've seemed a little . . .' Lilian began. ‘I'm not sure, maybe distant, since I got back.'

Feeling a beat of alarm, Jessica said, ‘I'm fine, honestly, except my mother's done a vanishing act again, which seems highly convenient when I now know that the paramedic didn't carry Natalie to the sofa.'

Lilian's head came round. ‘You didn't tell me that,' she said. ‘When did you find out?'

‘On Friday. You've had other things on your mind . . .'

‘But that's important,' Lilian interrupted. She seemed genuinely upset not to have been told, and angry with herself for not asking. ‘I knew you were talking to the paramedic, of course,' she said, ‘but I hadn't realised . . . Actually, I should have, but I was so full of myself on Friday . . .'

‘It doesn't matter,' Jessica said gently. ‘We'll get to the bottom of it as soon as we speak to my mother.'

Lilian was about to respond when Antoine returned to inform Jessica that he had permission to come to the airport. Then Daniella was calling over to Lilian, ‘When do we get to see the jewels you've brought from India? I've promised to deck myself out in them for Claude later, to try and put some rev back into his ageing little Renault.'

Everyone laughed as Claude chuckled from under the newspaper that was folded over his face.

‘It's all inside,' Lilian said, getting to her feet. ‘Shall I bring it out? Or perhaps it's better indoors, where it's cooler.'

Jessica held out a hand for Lilian to pull her up, then
arm in arm they strolled across the lawn towards the house.

As they entered the kitchen Luc turned round from where he was washing his hands. He looked at Lilian, but as she went over to the centre table where she'd set out the jewellery, his eyes moved to Jessica and their intensity caught fiercely at her heart. He looked away again quickly, but just that one glance had left her in no doubt he was spending as much time thinking about her as she was about him.

Then Daniella was saying, ‘This is a strictly female affair, Luc, so I'm afraid you have to go.'

With a humorous lift of his eyebrows he planted a kiss on his sister's cheek, and wandered back outside.

Lilian had brought necklaces, bracelets, earrings and even toe rings, all set with onyx, amethyst, turquoise and amber. Daniella chose several pieces, while Jessica held back, unable to accept gifts from Lilian when she was already taking so much more than Lilian would ever want to give.

In the end Lilian laughed and threw out her hands. ‘Please choose something,' she cried, ‘even if it's only earrings or a bracelet.'

‘This necklace is beautiful,' Daniella suggested, holding up a strand of pearls mixed with aquamarines.

Lilian eyed it critically. ‘Maybe it's a little garish,' she said. ‘Jessica usually prefers something more understated, like this,' and picking up a delicate silver bracelet with tiny crystals sparkling between the links she let it drape over her hand. ‘I had you in mind when I chose it,' she told Jessica. ‘Do you like it?'

‘It's beautiful,' Jessica said, because it was, and since she could give no reason to refuse it, she watched as Lilian fastened it around her wrist.

‘It looks even lovelier with your tan,' Lilian said, as they all admired it.

‘But Lily, I can't . . .'

‘Yes, you can.'

‘
Oh là là
,' Daniella murmured as a heavy thud, followed by running footsteps, came from upstairs. ‘Sounds as though Hugo is awake.'

After she'd gone to fetch him Jessica began helping Lilian to pack the jewellery away, and for the first time in all the years they'd known one another they seemed lost for something to say.

‘What is it?' Lilian asked after a while. ‘Have I done something to upset you?'

‘Oh God no,' Jessica cried, pulling her into her arms. ‘How can you even think it?'

‘I don't . . . I mean . . .' Lilian tried to laugh, but too many tears had come into her eyes. ‘I'm sorry. I seem to be very emotional at the moment . . . Jet lag and overwork . . .'

Feeling her heartbeat starting to slow, Jessica looked into her face. The paleness of her skin, how tired she seemed . . . ‘Lily, are you . . .'

Lilian's eyes came to hers, then her mouth trembled as she began to nod. ‘Yes, I am,' she whispered, ‘but please don't say anything. I haven't even told Luc yet.'

Trying to push aside everything else she was feeling, Jessica hugged her again. ‘But why?' she said. ‘He's going to be thrilled.'