Chapter 34

J

eanne waited in the inspector’s office while he shot off with the sergeant. They’d rushed away without giving her any details so she still didn’t know where Dan had been sighted and if indeed it was really him. She prayed that he wasn’t still in Guernsey. Marcus’s chilling description of the way Dan had deliberately mown down her parents had brought home to her how dangerous he actually was. It seemed likely he was mentally ill, not surprising after years of drug addiction, she thought, pacing around the room and twisting her hair into tight spirals.

Her nerves were stretched tight when, about twenty minutes later, Inspector Ferguson returned.

He was smiling.

‘It’s good news, Jeanne. Davidson was sighted near Toulouse, probably heading for Spain and then North Africa. According to Marcus he has an apartment in Marrakech, as well as a home in Caen. We advised the French police of this and they were watching out for him. Anyway, we’ve just heard that he’s been picked up on the auto-route and is now in custody. He’ll be sent back here under armed guard as soon as the formalities are completed.’

By the time he had finished he was smiling broadly and Jeanne’s relief was written over her face.

‘Oh, thank God! I’ve been feeling so scared at the thought of him still free to try again. He’s evil!’ she shuddered.

‘Well, if he isn’t, he comes close. We’ll make sure he goes away for a very, very long time.’

‘You do have enough evidence? There’s no chance of his getting off, is there?’ she asked, still anxious.

‘His brother’s testimony is pretty damning and we’re following up some leads that may provide more evidence. And we can link him to the attempt on your life. He carelessly dropped some keys on La Belle Élise and we’ve found a witness who saw him on the boat and is positive they could identify him. So, Jeanne, I think it’s safe to say you can relax. Now, I’ll arrange for someone to take you home.’

Jeanne asked to be dropped off at the boatyard and it wasn’t long before she was pouring out all that had happened to Nick. He was saddened by the story of her parents’ deaths but cheered by the news that Dan was safely in police custody.

‘If you’re up to it, I’ll take you out to dinner tonight. The inspector’s right, darling. It’s time to move on and build your new life. And I hope to be a part of that life,’ he said, holding her hands.

‘I think there’s a very good chance of that,’ she said softly. ‘A very good chance indeed.’

They had a quick, belated lunch at home and Nick then returned to work while she headed off to her own cottage. Her mind was still in turmoil as she grappled with the events of the morning. Would her life ever get back to normal? And what was normal, anyway? She sighed. Molly’s version sounded great, but she didn’t feel quite there, yet.

Le Petit Chêne was overrun with men. As she walked into the hall she spotted workmen in the sitting room and kitchen and Martin in discussion with the plumber at the top of the stairs. He waved her to come up.

‘You’re better now? Mrs Ogier said you were ill.’

‘Yes, I’m a lot better now, thanks Martin. I’m dying to know what you’ve all been up to. Can you show me, please?’

Everything looked to be nearly finished and Jeanne was pleased with what she saw.

Downstairs she found the two kitchen fitters half-buried in base carcasses.       Looking at the units already in place she was amazed at how many there were. Even though she had designed the layout that had not prepared her for the reality. There was a mass of storage and the range cooker looked resplendent next to the butler sink. The fitters said they hoped to be finished by the end of the week. The worktop next to the sink would need to be measured for the granite to be ordered. The tiler would return once the worktop was in place, meaning the kitchen wouldn’t be completely finished for about two weeks, but would be functioning sooner.

She wandered into the other rooms, greeting the plasterer finishing off the sitting room. After a final word with Martin she set off to buy flowers. She was overdue at the graves and it seemed imperative for her to go today.

As she walked from the car she saw Reverend Ayres coming out of the church and he came across to join her.

‘Hello, Jeanne. This isn’t your usual day. Been busy have you?’ he smiled warmly at her.

‘You could say that! Shall we sit down and I’ll tell you what’s been going on, Vicar?’

They sat on a nearby bench while Jeanne gave him the gist of what had kept her away that week and his face expressed his horror.

‘So, as you can see, it’s been quite a week. And now I need to have one of my chats with my parents,’ she grinned sheepishly.

‘Of course. I’ll leave you in peace.’

‘I don’t know about peace! It’ll all be in the papers now. My family seems to hit the headlines a lot these days,’ she said sadly.

Reverend Ayres squeezed her arm.

‘It will, as always, be a seven day wonder. And there’ll be a lot of sympathy for you, my dear. As with your grandmother, your parents can now truly rest in peace. I shall include you and your family in my prayers. Now, I’ll leave you to have your chat. God Bless.’

As he walked away Jeanne felt blessed indeed. She had helped Gran to be reunited with her lost baby and she had, admittedly rather unwillingly, been the means of bringing her parents’ killers to justice. As she knelt at the grave she took a deep breath before beginning her story.

Before returning to La Tonnelle Jeanne dropped into Molly’s to bring her up to date. She stayed just long enough to have a cup of tea and left a very relieved Molly, to drive to Bordeaux.

Once back she rang Aunt Kate. She had avoided phoning before, not wanting to worry her. It was not easy to tell Kate that her beloved sister had been murdered and that she, Jeanne, had, for the second time, come close to being killed. Her aunt tried gamely to hold back the tears as they talked. Feeling guilty, Jeanne agreed to go over for a visit as soon as things settled down. She needed to collect the rest of her belongings, anyway. As she put down the phone she wondered if she could persuade Nick to go with her and meet the one close remaining member of her family. It would do them both good to get off the island for a few days.

They enjoyed a quiet Indian meal at The Bridge that night and all the anxiety and fear of the last few days began to diminish, eased by the spicy food and chilled Indian beer. Jeanne even found herself giggling at something Nick said and when she went to the Ladies and glanced at herself in the mirror she saw the sparkle was back in her eyes.

It was still quite early when they returned home and Nick made them each a coffee before they sat curled up together on the sofa, listening to music. Less than an hour later Jeanne began to yawn and Nick murmured, ‘Come on, time for bed. I think you could do with some of my special therapy.’

She peeped up at him.

‘Oh, yes. And what’s that exactly?’

‘Come upstairs and you’ll find out!’ he said, kissing her enticingly on the lips.

‘Mm, might just do that!’

They were no sooner in the bedroom than Nick pushed her gently onto the bed and began to remove her clothes, tantalisingly slowly. His fingers brushed her skin and desire shot through her body. He then pulled off his shirt, kissing her expectant and yearning body as he stripped. Finally, they were lying skin to skin and her excitement mounted to an almost unbearable pitch. They kissed hungrily, their love-making becoming more urgent. Nick slid inside her and she gasped. Intense pleasure flowed through her body, washing away all the horror and anxiety of the day and a while later they collapsed in each other’s arms and fell quickly asleep.

Thursday morning saw a revitalised Jeanne busy at her computer, working with renewed enthusiasm on her book. It was if the heavy load she had been carrying for fifteen years had now been shaken off and she felt invigorated. Being in love helped, too. Heady stuff! Her fingers flew over the keyboard and she wrote more in a morning than she had achieved in days before what she thought of as her ‘rebirth’. Another spur to creativity was the cheque from her agent which had been in her post at Le Petit Chêne. She was feeling rich and after a very satisfying day’s work went off to buy fillet steaks for their supper that night.

By the weekend the couple had established a daily routine which suited them both. Jeanne worked on her book during the day and Nick came home for a light lunch. He was back in the evening in time to help with supper and Jeanne was pleasantly surprised at how good a cook he was, despite his protestations to the contrary.

On Saturday she suggested they both go to Le Petit Chêne as Nick had not visited for some weeks. It was such a glorious day that Jeanne packed a picnic for them to eat in the garden.

Nick was impressed with the changes made and seemed particularly pleased that the original character had been retained. Upstairs the old wooden floors had been stripped, sanded and wax polished and downstairs old reclaimed oak flooring had been laid over the cold flagstones, except in the kitchen which was to have been fitted with honey-coloured terracotta tiles.

‘You’ve got great taste, Jeanne. But I should know that by now, shouldn’t I?’ he said, with a cheeky smile.

Jeanne grinned. ‘I’ve always thought I had good taste where property’s concerned. But my taste in men has been, until now, decidedly dodgy! Now, I’m dying to see the kitchen.’

All the units were in place with the doors and drawer fronts fitted. A bright blue Smeg fridge-freezer stood proudly against one wall and the range cooker gleamed under the spotlights. Her gran’s dresser was back in place, awaiting the final touch of the blue and yellow china.

‘Wow! This is great! A lot more user friendly than mine. What colour scheme are you using in here?’

Jeanne showed him the paint sample card with a sunny yellow marked off and samples of toning hand finished tiles that would form the splash-back. He nodded approvingly and checked out the utility room where the laundry equipment was now fitted under a laminated worktop and sink unit.

The plasterer had finished and just a few areas were still drying out. In the summer’s heat the walls would be ready for painting within the week. The en suite shower was now working and Jeanne took great pleasure switching on the various taps.

‘That shower looks awesome! I look forward to trying it out,’ Nick said as they stood hand in hand in the transformed room.

‘Ah, well now. You’ll need to be invited, won’t you?’

He looked at her seriously before replying. ‘Perhaps we should discuss that over lunch.’

Not sure how to respond she led the way through to the master bedroom. This was completely bare as the old furniture had gone and her clothes and bedding were stored in the attic. The walls had been re-plastered, a blank canvas waiting for Jeanne’s personal touch.

‘Looks like you need some furniture,’ Nick said, waving his arms around the empty space.

‘I know. I don’t have anything so it means a lot of shopping before I move back in, something I’m quite good at. The most essential item is the bed, of course.’ She shot him a provocative look.

Nick cleared his throat.

‘So, when are you planning on moving back?’

‘Martin reckons they’ll be out in a week now. The kitchen will take a bit longer but that’s not a problem so I could move back next weekend. I want to start painting as soon as possible.’

He frowned. ‘There’s a lot of work for just one person. And what are you going to do about wardrobes and other storage?’

‘I’ll have to buy them. It would have been nicer to have fitted units but they’re so expensive.’

He nodded. ‘Yep they are, thanks to the high cost of labour. Now, how about we continue our talk over lunch? I’ve built up quite an appetite.’

Nick carried the cool box while Jeanne spread out a rug on the grass. Her patio and pergola were under construction but not ready for use. As soon as they were, she planned to buy the furniture needed for proper alfresco dining. After they’d filled their plates with salad and a selection of cooked meats and cheeses, Nick opened the bottle of chilled white wine.

‘Santé!’

They sipped their wine and began to eat. She was aware that Nick had something on his mind and wasn’t sure if it was good or bad. Do I ask him outright or do I sit and stew while he waits to tell me? Deciding to take the initiative she asked, ‘Is there something you want to discuss?’

‘Yes, there is. I think we should talk about where we go from here.’

‘You mean after lunch?’ she replied, all innocence.

‘No, you idiot! You know very well what I mean. You’ve said you want to move back here in a week’s time which is fair enough. It’s your home and I can see you’re longing to get back and finish it. And it’s a credit to you, it really is. But I think you’ve underestimated how much there is still to be done and I don’t want you wearing yourself out. It’s about time you relaxed and had some fun. So, I’d like to offer my services.’

Jeanne grinned and raised her eyebrows.

‘Not those kind of services! Even though they are certainly available anytime madam requires them. I meant painting walls and building wardrobes. The deadlines have eased at work now so I could cut down my hours a little in order to help you. But I do have an ulterior motive.’

‘Ah! And what’s that?’ She bit her lip. It sounded ominous.

‘I’d like to spend more time with you and if you’re here and I’m up in Bordeaux that won’t be so easy. I thought that if I moved in with you while we were finishing off the cottage that would solve the problem. I’d get to see a lot more of you and you’d get your cottage finished more quickly. So, what do you think?’

Think? She wanted to shout for joy! He wanted to be with her. That sounded good to her and she’d be glad of the help. And other…‘services’.

‘I’d love it. But when two people do up a place together it can really strain the relationship. Do you think ours is strong enough to cope?’

He looked at her so intensely that she caught her breath.

‘I think so, don’t you?’ he said at last, stroking her face.

‘Mm, yes. But what happens when we finish the cottage? Will you move back to Bordeaux?’

‘That depends on you. If you want me to stay here with you, I will.’

‘But what about La Tonnelle? Don’t you want to live there? It’s your family home.’

He shook his head.

‘It hasn’t felt right being there since Dad died. And after Helen’s renovation…well! It’s lost its soul. I’m thinking of selling it and using the money to back Colette with her restaurant. What do you think?’

‘I think it’s a fantastic idea!’ Jeanne was excited. ‘Colette’s bound to be a success and she can use all my family recipes. Might even boost my book sales!’

A thought struck her.

‘But if you sell your home, you’ll have nowhere to live except here with me, will you? Are you sure that’s what you want? I don’t want you to be here just ’cos you’re homeless,’ she said, half joking.

‘Well, I’d quite like some security of tenure, naturally. Wouldn’t want to think I could be thrown out at any moment!’

He stroked her hair from her face and kissed her gently on the lips before murmuring in her ear, ‘If we were married I’d feel happier.’

Jeanne’s eyes opened wide and she felt her stomach flip over as she took in what he’d said.

‘You’re asking me to marry you?’ she whispered.

‘Yes, I guess I am. I’d like you to be my wife and the mother of the many children I hope to have.’

As she opened her mouth in protest he laughed and put his fingers over her lips, saying, ‘Well, perhaps two children would be enough. So, what do you say, Miss Le Page?’

‘I say yes, Mr Mauger. Yes please!’

‘Great! I’d say that was reason to celebrate, wouldn’t you?’

‘And what exactly do you have in mind for this celebration,’ she replied, feeling her insides melting as Nick’s hands slipped inside her top.

‘Oh, I’m sure we can think of something, don’t you?’ he murmured, his hands encircling her breasts.

‘I, er, guess so.’ She closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy what promised to be quite a celebration.