Anna tried very hard to concentrate on what the lawyer was saying but her gaze kept straying to the small carrier bag she was holding on her lap. She’d found the perfect present in only the second shop they’d tried.
A delicate gold rope necklace with the name Cindy hanging from it. Now gift wrapped and secure in the bag, Anna was trying to decide how to get it to Cindy. She really wanted to give it to her today, her actual birthday, but that would mean calling in at the Wickhams’ villa. What if Verity – or even Teddy – was there?
‘Ms Carsons?’
Anna looked at the lawyer startled, ‘I’m sorry. You were saying?’
‘Philippe Cambone’s will. He altered it recently in your favour but there are certain unusual clauses I have to make you aware of.’
‘Unusual clauses?’ Anna asked.
The lawyer nodded. ‘To put it briefly. Philippe has bequeathed the cottage, the boat ‘One Life, One Love’ and the boathouse on the island to you.’ He paused and looked at the paper in his hands. ‘You are free to do what you wish with the boat, although Philippe did express the wish that if you decided not to keep it, you would first offer it to his long-time friend Bruno Peters.’
Again the lawyer hesitated. ‘The cottage is slightly more complicated. Legally it will be yours for your lifetime but you are not allowed to sell it. On your death it will revert to the Cambone family and not be passed on to any other family you may have. Unless … and on this rather delicate point Philippe Cambone was insistent … before your death, it is proven that you and he had a child together. In which case the child will be recognized as his heir and under French law you will be required to bequeath the cottage to him.’
As Anna tried to take in the enormity of what he was saying, the lawyer pushed a bunch of keys across the desk to her. ‘Perhaps you’d like to take a look at your new possessions and then come back to see me with any questions you may have. There will of course be the usual French bureaucracy to deal with and paperwork to sign in due course.’
Dazed, Anna picked up the keys and put them in her handbag, before standing and thanking the lawyer for his time. As she and Leo left the building and made their way to the nearby taxi rank she said quietly, ‘Philippe clearly hoped his unknown son was about to enter his life.’
Leo took her hand and squeezed it. ‘Yes.’
‘I don’t need a boat. Do you think Bruno will? And the cottage. We’re never going to live there are we? Shall I just refuse it? Let it go straight to the Cambones? Let them sort things out with the lawyer?’
‘Anna, Anna, calm down,’ Leo said. ‘Why don’t we go across to the island and take a look at things before you decide?’
‘Bruno’s party tonight,’ Anna said impulsively. ‘We can slip away and have a quick look around then.’
‘You wouldn’t rather go alone? Without having a crowd of people around?’
‘Maybe we’ll go across tomorrow on our own as well. I need to talk to Bruno too,’ Anna said. ‘Tonight I just want to see the cottage – and the boat.’ The boat with the name that summed up her and Philippe’s relationship so long ago.
‘Let’s go back to the villa then,’ Leo said as a taxi drew up alongside. ‘We can phone Bruno and get the details.’
Poppy was working in the garden, dead heading some roses when they arrived back at the villa. Leaving Leo to make the phone call to Bruno, Anna took her carrier bag and walked across to see Poppy.
‘Hi, no nasty lasting after effects from the party then?’ Poppy asked looking at Anna.
‘No. I’m fine,’ Anna assured her. ‘Is Tom still going for a birthday tea with Cindy this afternoon? She’s such a sweet child, I’ve bought her a little present. Could Tom deliver it for me please?’
‘No problem,’ Poppy said wiping her hands before carefully taking and holding the bag by its handles. ‘I’ll take it indoors and put it with the present I’ve bought for him to give her.’
Nat had Cindy with him when Daisy arrived at the café they’d arranged to meet in at the top of rue Saint Antoine, away from the majority of the Festival crowds. Cindy was already tucking into a large dish filled with multi-coloured glacé balls, swirled with cream and chocolate crumbs and topped with two crunchy fan wafers.
‘Happy birthday Cindy. That looks yummy,’ Daisy said.
‘Glad you like the look of it, ’cause I’ve ordered us one each by way of celebration,’ Nat said, pulling her close and kissing her before releasing her and nodding at the hovering waiter. ‘Ready for our ice creams s’il vous plaît.’
‘Celebration?’ Daisy said. ‘Cindy’s birthday. Anything else?’
‘My script is going to be auctioned,’ Nat said. ‘Teddy has shown it to another couple of producers who both like it. He says the most important thing now is for me to get a top notch agent who can handle things. He gave my name to a leading London agency who are keen to sign me up. I’ve already had an e-mail asking me to contact them and arrange a meeting for next week.’
‘Nat, that’s wonderful. Congratulations.’ Daisy spooned a mouthful of ice cream. ‘I could get addicted to this stuff,’ she said before looking up at Nat. ‘I’ve decided I’ll get the Festival out of the way and then next week start to plan the future.’
‘Which will I hope, include me,’ Nat said, squeezing her hand. ‘You can always come to the States with me.’
Daisy nodded. ‘I could.’ She smiled at Nat.’ If you really want me to.’
‘I really want you to,’ Nat said. ‘In fact I—’
‘But Mummy says we’re going to live in England soon,’ Cindy interrupted. ‘How will you look after me then, Nat?’
‘You won’t need me, you’ll be at school,’ Nat said. ‘But I promise to come and visit you.’
‘Will you bring Daisy?’
Nat and Daisy laughed as they both said ‘Yes’ at the same time.
‘We promise,’ Nat said. ‘Now eat your ice cream.’
Daisy looked at Nat. ‘What “in fact” were you going to say?’
‘I know we’ve only just met but like I told you the other evening, I can’t imagine my future life without you in it. I can’t bear the thought of us going our separate ways when the Festival ends. Being on different continents is a definite no-no. I want us to be together. To love each other,’ he added, looking at her intently as he spoke.
‘Oh Nat. Are you sure …’ He leant across and silenced her with a gentle kiss. ‘Very sure.’
‘Ugh, you two are soppy,’ Cindy said.
Later as they strolled hand in hand down through the crowded streets towards the Croisette, Daisy asked Nat, ‘How are things at your place today?’
‘Back to normal,’ Nat said with a glance at Cindy who was holding Daisy’s other hand, before mouthing quietly, ‘Tell you more later. How’s Anna today?’
‘Haven’t seen her. Poppy was going to go and see if she needed a doctor but …’ Daisy shrugged.
‘Is Anna ill?’ Cindy asked. ‘I like Anna. She’s really nice. Did she eat too much at her party?’
‘I think perhaps she did,’ Daisy said. ‘Now, Cindy, I saw a pretty pink bag in this shop earlier. Would you like me to buy it for your birthday?’
‘Ooh pleeease. Pink’s my favourite colour and I need a bag for school,’ an excited Cindy said when she saw the bag with its silver stars and letters spelling out ‘Cannes’.
‘Not sure it qualifies as a schoolbag,’ Daisy laughed. ‘But Mummy can decide about that.’
A short time later, as an excited Cindy handed Daisy her precious bag to look after and clambered on board the carousel, Daisy asked Nat, ‘So how are things with the Wickhams then this morning? Last night’s problems forgotten?’
‘If not forgotten at least not being talked about loudly. And Verity is definitely the Felicity Howell who contacted the Cambones. I overheard Teddy telling her there is no way he intends to pursue the search for his mother now that Philippe is dead and he made Verity promise to stop trying to arrange a meeting between him, the Cambones and this unknown woman who could turn out to be his mother.’
‘Poppy doesn’t believe me, but things are starting to add up in my mind,’ Daisy said. ‘I think Teddy Wickham’s mother is—’
‘Anna,’ Nat said quietly.
‘You think the same?’
Nat nodded. ‘The way she fainted last night when she heard who Felicity Howell really is, makes me think it could be.’
‘The thing is – do we tell Verity about our suspicions?’ Daisy asked. ‘Or wait and see what happens?’
‘I don’t really think we have any choice but to keep quiet,’ Nat said. ‘It’s none of our business for a start and secondly, we don’t have any proof. Besides these things always seem to have a way of working themselves out for the best.’
Daisy sighed. ‘I do so want a happy ending – especially for Anna. I really like her.’
When they returned to the villa to collect Tom for Cindy’s birthday tea, Poppy gave Cindy the present Anna had left for her.
‘Can I open it now?’
‘Don’t see why not,’ Nat said.
Cindy squealed with delight as she saw the necklace with her name hanging from it and insisted on putting it on straight away.
‘Is Anna in?’ Nat asked Poppy. ‘Because if she is, I think you should go and say thank you straight away, Cindy, for such a lovely present.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Tom said, and the two children raced across the garden towards the villa.
Left alone the three adults looked at each other stunned.
‘That’s some expensive present for a child you barely know,’ Daisy said, voicing all their thoughts. ‘It’s more like something you’d buy a very special child – a grandchild for instance.’
‘Mmm. I wonder what Teddy and Verity will make of it,’ Nat said thoughtfully.
‘Oh come on you two,’ Poppy said. ‘This is beginning to sound like some sort of conspiracy theory to me.’
Daisy looked at her sister. ‘Just you wait and see.’