Authors: Karen Aldous
‘I’ll leave you to take it all in, unless you prefer I stay? But, believe me when I say, I only want to help you both and…much as I hate to admit it, I need…’ he struggled with the right words. ‘It’s a delicate matter but, as her daughter you are the best person to help.’ Lizzie swore she saw his eyes moisten. He continued, ‘Just let me know by the morning. She has a taxi arranged for the hospital at seven thirty in the morning.'
Leaving her speechless, he strode off across the terrace. Lizzie opened her mouth to call him but a nut-sized knot in her throat pulled it too tight. She finally called, ‘Cal, wait. Don’t go.’ She stood to see him turn but her throat constricted once more as he approached.
‘If…If it’s true…I’ll,’ her hands reached up, shielding her face and suddenly she burst into tears. Cal ran to her, like a hero in a dramatic movie, wrapping her in his arms. She fell into his chest, all her grief exploding in a moment; for herself? No, she found, for her mother. The mother she wished she’d had. The regret she might have if she didn’t go to her. This was not really the best way she wanted her son to meet his grandmother. But what if she died before he knew her, met her? Cal’s embrace felt warm, his touch tender, the scent of leather and berry that constantly provoked her senses began to comfort her rather than awaken her desires. A strong sense of belonging gripped her. She longed to stay safe in his arms. This man had taken her to a new level of sensual awareness, he was cracking her shell like no one before and she craved more of him. That scared her too. What sort of person was she? Cal collected a paper serviette from the table and slipped it into her hand. She dried her eyes.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she managed, reaching for the tissue and stepping back from his arms. ‘I’m Ok. You must be hurting too.’ The realisation suddenly dawned on her that he must love her mother dearly to be going to all this trouble, and her mother must, right now, need him there beside her. As strong as her mother seemed, she was sure he would want to be there to support her and let her know he cared. She never recalled her mother ever having a cold before let alone cancer. This was going to be very traumatic for her mother, she felt sure.
‘I want to go to her,’ Lizzie stated as she took on a grown up leap of faith. In her quest to trust him in this, she had made up her mind. ‘I will book a flight first thing in the morning and inform Anton.’ Cal raised his brows. Then closed his eyes, shaking his head.
‘I think you are doing the right thing Lizzie,’ he said, clutching his chest and letting out a large sigh. ‘If you’re sure. My flight is at ten thirty from Marseilles. Would you like me to call the airline and see if there is room on the same flight for you and Thierry? I have my car at Gatwick too.’
‘Let me call Marie-Claire, that’s my nanny,’ she said, speed dialling the number. ‘I will need her to organise passports and all the things I need with me. I don’t want to book it and then she can’t get to the airport. That’s rather a tight deadline to manage.’
‘We could drive you back home tonight?’ Cal suggested but Lizzie had already dialled the number and began speaking to Marie-Claire. ‘Ok,’ she said triumphantly, shutting down her mobile. ‘Marie-Claire can be at the airport with all we need by nine tomorrow.’
‘Great. I’ll call the airline now,’ Cal announced, lifting out his phone. ‘I’ll need your full names and date of births.’
Lizzie produced a small pad and pen from her bag and wrote the details out for him and handed them to him. As he grasped the paper, Lizzie winced silently at his touch and couldn’t help but wonder, again, if she was doing the right thing. Was she doing the right thing going back with him and giving her trust?
It was all booked and organised on Cal’s phone before Lizzie could change her mind. Their luck was in and seats were available on the flight. She would need to call Josephine at home. She was going to need all the help she could get and she would need to keep her in the loop, not knowing what was going on with her mother or how long it would all take. She would call Anton just before they boarded the flight. The less time he had to act, the better she thought. Cal tucked his credit card back in his wallet and sat thoughtfully as if reading her mind.
‘There’s just one call to make then. In the morning maybe?’
‘Definitely,’ Lizzie agreed ‘and just before boarding I think!’ she cringed.
‘Ok, a quick drink and I’m sure you’ll need to get organised?’
‘Great. On me. What will it be?’ she said, satisfied with a decision made.
‘A refreshing beer would be nice.’
‘I’ll have one too and then I will need to get this little man off to bed and pack.’
After a hot and restless night, Lizzie finally gave up trying to sleep. Her head buzzing, she slipped out of bed tip-toeing and made a coffee. She crept out on to the balcony. The air was still warm and the hills masked by a dawn mist, stretching lazily over the undulating landscape.
It occurred to her that Sophie could possibly have to move south without her. She couldn’t predict how long she’d be away. Poor Sophie having to rush off. And what would she have made of Anton’s behaviour? She would have called the police for sure. She had always had a bad feeling about him and his bad-boy persona and, like any big sister, warned her not to get involved.
She thought of ringing Sophie but what use would that be. The last thing she wanted was for her friend to feel guilty about leaving her and she did have a lot of sorting out to do. Besides, she didn’t want to worry her too much about Anton’s recent behaviour. Sophie had always warned her off Anton even though she had only met him briefly all those years ago. So why, she asked herself, didn’t she listen? She supposed, as always, she had a knack of learning things the hard way.
The alarm on her phone woke her at seven. She was extremely tired and was surprised she’d dropped off but decided to wake herself by getting showered before waking Thierry. She put on a cool peach top with a light pair of navy jeans which she’d left out on top of the packed bags and which should be warm enough for the British summer, along with a cream, linen jacket. She slipped on a pair of neutral flat sandals. She wore her hair loose and applied a touch of makeup. She then packed up the remainder of her belongings before giving Thierry a gentle shake.
Collecting bags and checking out the hotel, they packed the cars up and headed for the airport. Lizzie waited for Cal to drop off his rental car and they took her car and parked.
Waiting for their flight back to London, Lizzie took an opportune moment to call Anton from a phone booth. His phone rang for a while and to her relief, went to voice mail. She left him a brief message. Once through security, they stopped for a coffee and some toast for Thierry.
‘I needed that,’ Lizzie remarked yawning. ‘I’m going to sleep well tonight.’
‘I expect you are worried?’ Cal quizzed, sipping his drink.
Lizzie contemplated the question. ‘She’s a tough woman. I’m sure she’ll be fine,’ Lizzie tried to avoid becoming emotional.
‘That’s exactly what I think,’ he agreed. ‘You are very much like her, did you know that?’
Horrified, Lizzie raised her eyebrows and her mouth opened aghast. Surely not. She wasn’t really sure what to make of his comment.
‘How on earth did a nice girl like you get caught up with such an irksome rogue as Anton?’ Cal asked her.
‘God knows. It didn’t last long really,’ Lizzie admitted, glancing fondly at a happy Thierry picking out pictures in his book and saying the words aloud. Nothing serious. I was with him about six or seven weeks, I suppose. I finished with him because he was so bloody controlling, so jealous and took huge pleasure in humiliating me in front of people. Then I found out I was pregnant and the rest, as they say, is history,’ Lizzie said, wondering why she had spilled out everything and, for the first time since she’d had her son, felt a touch of shame. She anticipated a response, a comment. A huge silence swirled. Was he judging her like her mother? Would it matter?
‘Finish your toast Thierry,’ she told him. He looked from his book to his plate. Then gripped the neatly sliced bread with tiny fingers.
‘What a good boy you are,’ Cal remarked as Thierry looked up at him.
‘To think I nearly had him terminated,’ she went on, ‘I can’t believe I even considered it now but at the time it was something I could have opted for but I just couldn’t. Neither did I want anything to do with Anton. Once I’d got to know him, apart from our lifestyles being poles apart, he just wasn’t the type to be interested in hearing about my problem. I thought I was doing him a favour not telling him about the pregnancy.
‘Maybe you were right to follow your instincts I think,’ affirmed Cal.
‘I was tempted to tell him at one point, just to ease my own conscience but eventually came to the conclusion he wasn’t worth it. He would only try to control me. Can you imagine? I couldn’t stand to be near him. Anton is used to getting his own way.’
‘So when you finished with him, how did he react?’
‘Not good. He wanted me to stay in Cannes. He was trying to persuade me to move in with him. Not go to Verbier for the ski season. He said I wouldn’t need to work, he would pay for everything, clothes bags, shoes, even a car. He wanted complete control of me and I…well, was just not comfortable with that, not me I’m afraid.’
‘Fair enough,’ Cal said, scratching his head.
Lizzie stared at her coffee cup, squinting her eyes and thinking back. ‘A lying, cheating, manipulative bastard.’
‘So how did you manage? The south of France is not the cheapest of places to live,’ Cal asked, tipping the last of his coffee down his throat.
‘Bloody hard work but I just loved the area and the idea of making it a base, obviously keeping out of his way, which was quite easy really. But, do you know, luck played a big part. I got a job at the salon and then, god knows how, managed to buy it at a good price. I had some savings but Sophie helped. Rented a cheap flat. It seemed to fall into place.’ Lizzie flicked her hair back from her face. ‘Anyway, I must be boring you rigid!’
‘Not at all. The man is obviously a bully and a fool.’ ‘I’ll just settle the bill,’ she said as she caught the waiter’s eye. ‘Then I need to visit the ladies.’
‘I’ll sort that. You are welcome to leave him here for a few minutes,’ Cal offered.
‘Thanks but I’m not letting this little man out of my sight. I’ll put a nappy on him anyway for the journey.’
Cal couldn’t help but admire Lizzie. He wondered if she still had feelings for Anton or whether she was in denial about ever feeling for him. Her determination not to let him control her seemed genuine. She never once gave him the impression that she needed him. Her focus was always on what was right for Thierry. Cal smiled at her maternal prowess, both as carer and provider. He often found himself thinking of her. From the moment he set eyes on her he felt the rumblings of desire. On the one hand he loved her sweet brightness – an angelic glow which seemed to radiate from her. Her presence was warm and enticing. The sparkle he caught in her olive green eyes as his eyes captured hers was playful and engaging. Her ripe pink lips were a pleasure to watch and a temptation to kiss and tease. Then in contrast to her vulnerability and sweet charm was her fierce independence, her strong and capable attitude. She had mastered the art of the retort. He thought her quite cunning but also quite susceptible particularly where her ex was concerned.
Her path was obviously not an easy one but he had no wish to interfere. His mission now wasn’t to drive his own interests forward. Yes, he had his vines and they were important but he found himself increasingly smitten, as well as wishing to repay Caroline her kindness. Not that she ever asked. They were both proud but needed pushing together. They both deserved that. If there was one thing he’d learned through his experience it was that families should be together.
It was one of the hardest tasks he had ever done; tell Lizzie about her mother. Particularly after the shock of her encounter with Anton. That was hard enough to deal with. He was now in this so deep. Just days ago Caroline had visited the consultant surgeon and she was now admitted to hospital and undergoing surgery which seemed absolute madness in such a short time. Caroline must be beside herself. Lizzie shocked. He just prayed they would have the time to mend their bridges and enjoy a future together. He had to try. He didn’t know Caroline well enough to know the details about her family. Caroline didn’t even ask for anyone. It was only chance that he had walked in and discovered her crying and she disclosed to him the conversation with the doctor. Otherwise she would not have shared her condition with anyone.
This also shook Cal and spurred him into action and into finding Lizzie, which thankfully he had done. Yes, his feelings for Lizzie were getting harder to hide but if he could get them to talk and resolve their differences, that would be reward enough.
Seeing her old home again triggered a spiky jolt in Lizzie’s stomach; a stark reminder of her last visit. The leaves had thickened and a bouquet of scents floated through the air from the bountiful array of blooms in the flowerbeds. It was certainly hotter than a few weeks ago when Lizzie had fled. Entering the farmhouse kitchen, she sat Thierry down at the table. That very same table she reminded herself, she used to sit at as a child. She dug out his cup from her handbag and filled it with water.
His hands reached up, welcoming his cup and the cool water. Lizzie then rummaged through her bag until she found him a small pack of biscuits and one of his books whilst she found the telephone number for the hospital. She perched down next to him on a chair, fidgeting and stroking his hair and with the other hand tapped out the number. Lizzie bit her lip – she hoped to hear good news. A nurse announced herself once she was transferred to her mother’s ward. She confirmed that the operation had taken place and had indeed taken four hours, and a large mass had been removed along with nineteen lymph nodes. The nurse dissuaded her from visiting until tomorrow, insisting Caroline Lambert would still be asleep possibly until this evening. The anaesthetic would take a long while to wear off, she told her, and there was no point visiting until tomorrow. Lizzie gave a sigh, at least they’d removed the worst. Following her in with the bags, Cal was amazing and couldn’t do enough to help. All through the journey back, he had been attentive and paid attention to Thierry, even though he was, Lizzie assumed, also worried. He put the kettle on and now quietly chatted to the boy who was enjoying his drink and biscuits. As Lizzie put down her phone she climbed from her seat fighting her tears. She leaned by the sink trying to absorb the facts. Her mother was suffering alone and she felt ashamed.