With Patsy staying, the days settled down into a different routine as Nanette made sure her sister didn’t overdo things. She insisted that Patsy stayed in bed every morning while she dealt with the twins’ morning routine and returned from the school run with a bag of warm croissants from the boulangerie.
Because Patsy had visited Monaco several times in the past and Nanette had shown her the touristy sights then, there was no urgent need for them to go out exploring. So, for the first couple of days, they just took gentle strolls around the harbour, stopping for a coffee at their favourite café, before returning to the apartment to sit around relaxing, which was just what Patsy needed. Evenings were spent with the twins, playing board games and competing against each other on the video games Pierre and Olivia loved playing at every opportunity. Nanette was pleased to see that Patsy looked much better and happier with every day that passed and they began to venture further afield.
They took Jean-Claude up on his invitation for a swim and had lunch with him up at the villa one day. Another day, they went to view an art exhibition at the Grimaldi Forum, followed by a takeaway pizza back at the apartment. Sitting out on the balcony afterwards flicking through a celebrity magazine, Patsy looked across at her sister.
‘Is Mathieu avoiding me? He’s barely been home since I’ve been here.’
Nanette shook her head. ‘It’s the way it is at the moment. Whatever it is he’s caught up in seems to take up a lot of time. The twins, too, are beginning to notice he’s rarely here.’
‘I thought I’d offer to take everyone out for a pizza one evening as a way of saying thank you to him for letting me stay here but,’ Patsy shrugged, ‘it doesn’t look like that idea is going to work.’
‘I shouldn’t worry too much,’ Nanette said. ‘He’s told the twins he’ll be around for my birthday dinner, so you’ll see him then and can thank him. You can always buy him a bottle of champagne or something.’
It was late in the afternoon of Nanette’s birthday and she and Patsy were out on the balcony of Mathieu’s apartment arranging a magnificent bouquet of flowers from Jean-Claude.
The two of them had spent the day mooching around Monaco old town and entertaining the twins after school. Mathieu arrived after lunch and had spent the afternoon working on his computer before taking Olivia and Pierre off somewhere unspecified, leaving the sisters alone.
‘I never thanked you properly for those lovely flowers you sent me,’ Patsy said, carefully placing a yellow rose into the arrangement. ‘I really appreciated them, in more ways than one. Just knowing that you were out there on my side was a real boost.’
‘I’m glad they helped. I was trying to stop feeling guilty for not being there when you needed me,’ Nanette said quietly.
‘Please don’t feel guilty. I know in a real emergency you would drop everything to be with me. These are beautiful flowers too,’ Patsy said, smelling one of the lilies. ‘Jean-Claude seems to be really fond of you. He’s very attractive,’ she added, with a sideways look at her sister. ‘You would tell me if there was romance in the air, wouldn’t you? I couldn’t help but notice a certain frisson whenever you two are together.’
Nanette, not surprised that Patsy had picked up on her feelings for Jean-Claude, concentrated on carefully pushing the last orchid-like flower into the arrangement, before giving Patsy an enigmatic smile, knowing she couldn’t and wouldn’t deny her feelings to her sister.
‘JC is a lovely man and I’m fond of him, too,’ she said. ‘But we’re taking it slowly. All this business with Mathieu is worrying him and I still need to sort out things with Zac.’
‘Shame he hasn’t been around while I’ve been here,’ Patsy said. ‘I’d have enjoyed “sorting things out” with him.’
‘Probably just as well then,’ Nanette replied. ‘I don’t think Monaco is ready to hear you giving one of their favourite residents a telling-off.’
Patsy shrugged. ‘I can wait.’
Florence appeared just then with another large bunch of flowers.
‘The concierge just sent these up, with this card,’ she said, handing an envelope to Nanette.
Even before she tore open the envelope, Nanette guessed who these particular flowers were from. She read the brief message out loud to Patsy.
‘Happy Birthday. Will ring you this evening. Hope you’ve had a great day. Zac.’
Exasperated, Nanette said, ‘They’re lovely flowers, but I wish he hadn’t sent them. I’m going to have to say thank you and the last thing I want to do at the moment is thank Zac Ewart for anything. Why is he going to ring me this evening?’
‘We won’t be here anyway, will we?’ Patsy said. ‘Aren’t we going out to dinner in’ – she looked at her watch – ‘about an hour and a half, with Jean-Claude and Mathieu to celebrate your birthday in style?’
‘Heavens, is it that late already? We’d better think about getting ready.’
Nanette took Zac’s flowers out to the kitchen and asked Florence if she’d kindly find a vase for them.
Mathieu, arriving back with the twins just then, handed Nanette a small package. ‘Olivia and Pierre thought you’d like this. Happy Birthday from us all.’
‘This’ turned out to be a beautiful silk scarf from one of the designer boutiques on Avenue de Monte Carlo.
‘Thank you,’ Nanette said, hugging the twins and gently fingering the luxurious material. ‘It’s lovely. I shall wear it this evening.’
The Italian restaurant where Jean-Claude had booked a table was only a short walk away and Mathieu escorted them there. Nanette acknowledged her heart’s missed beat with a smile as she saw Jean-Claude standing there waiting for them.
‘Happy birthday,’ he said, and kissed her cheeks. The words ma chérie were added so quietly that only Nanette heard them and she smiled at him gratefully.
Gallantly taking her hand in his, Jean-Claude escorted her to their table, where an attentive waiter was waiting to pour the champagne before taking their orders. A pianist was playing a medley of Italian songs and several couples were making use of the small dance floor around which the tables were grouped.
‘Will you excuse us while the birthday girl and I have this dance?’ Jean-Claude asked, looking at Mathieu and Patsy.
‘Go ahead,’ Mathieu said, looking at Patsy. ‘Would you like to?’
‘I’ll sit this one out, thanks,’ Patsy answered. ‘I think the bump would rather get in the way.’
Nanette, moving slowly around the dance floor, Jean-Claude’s arms holding her close, breathed a sigh of happiness. A feeling that this birthday was going to herald in a year of changes to her life flooded through her body, and surely this time, they would be good changes.
‘Thank you for my beautiful flowers, JC,’ Nanette murmured.
‘My pleasure. I have other presents for you, too, but you will have to come to the villa to collect them. Maybe when Patsy has returned home? Now, we’d better return to our table, I can see the waiters arriving with our food.’
The meal was delicious. Conversation and laughter flowed between the four of them. It was only when the waiter brought the sweet trolley for them to choose from that she realised Patsy had gone quiet.
Concerned, she looked at her. ‘Patsy are you all right? You look awfully pale.’
‘I’m fine – just feel a bit queasy. Probably too much rich food. I think I’ll skip dessert.’
‘Do you want to go back to the apartment?’ Nanette asked.
‘Certainly not, but if you could just point me in the direction of the ladies’?’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Nanette said, giving her an anxious look.
‘You stay here,’ Patsy said, standing up. ‘I’m pregnant – not incapacitated. I see they’ve got your favourite dessert,’ she added, glancing at the trolley. ‘So enjoy.’
Nanette could hardly swallow a spoonful of her tiramisu, delicious as it was. When, after ten minutes, Patsy hadn’t returned, she stood up.
‘I’ll just go check on Patsy,’ she said.
Nanette found her sister, sitting in a wicker chair, sipping a glass of water given to her by the concerned restroom attendant.
‘What’s going on?’
‘The doctor should be here any minute,’ the attendant answered. ‘I’ve told the lady not to move.’
‘Why do you need a doctor?’ Nanette demanded. ‘Is it the baby?’
Patsy bit her lip. ‘I’ve started to bleed. Not a lot,’ she added quickly, seeing Nanette’s face. ‘Just enough for me to need some medical advice.’
The restroom door swung open and a man entered.
‘I’m the emergency doctor. I gather we have a problem with a pregnant lady? Perhaps I could ask everyone to wait outside for a while?’
‘Doctor, my sister doesn’t speak French,’ Nanette said. ‘Do you need me to translate?’
‘Non, merci. I speak enough English. Please give me five minutes alone with the patient.’
Nanette made her way back to Jean-Claude and Mathieu and quickly explained the situation to them, before returning to see what the doctor said.
‘Bed rest for the next twenty-four hours. Then check with a doctor again. No exertion.’
‘How about flying? I’m booked to return to the UK in a couple of days?’ Patsy asked.
The doctor shrugged his shoulders. ‘Go to the clinic tomorrow and see what the consultant advises.’
Jean-Claude insisted on calling a taxi to return to the apartment, where he and Mathieu solicitously helped Patsy across the foyer to the lift. Once back in the apartment, Nanette saw Patsy into her room before joining the men in the sitting room.
Mathieu was holding a piece of paper, which he handed to Nanette. ‘Florence left this note for you. Apparently, Zac has been ringing all evening.’
Nanette sighed as she read the housekeeper’s message:
Zac Ewart needs to talk to you urgently. Would you please ring him at whatever time you return. Mathieu will give you the number if you don’t have it.
‘What on earth can be so important? I’ll ring him in the morning,’ Nanette said. ‘I’m too tired and worried about Patsy right now.’
As Mathieu went to say something, Nanette held up her hands.
‘Mathieu, my days of running after Zac are long gone. Incidentally, have you finished with the Vacances au Soleil papers yet?’
Jean-Claude shot his son a swift glance. ‘What were you hoping to find?’
Mathieu shrugged. ‘Just an address.’
‘Did you find it?’ Jean-Claude asked.
There was a barely perceptible pause before Mathieu shook his head. ‘No. I’ll get the papers for you now.’ He went into his temporary office, returning seconds later with Nanette’s envelope.
‘I said I’d take Patsy some warm milk to help her sleep,’ Nanette said. ‘Shall I make us a nightcap too?’
Mathieu shook his head. ‘Not for me. I’ve got a breakfast business meeting tomorrow, so, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to bed. Goodnight.’
‘Can I get you anything?’ Nanette said to Jean-Claude as the door closed behind Mathieu,
‘No, thanks. I’ll leave you to look after Patsy – and don’t worry, I’m sure she and the baby will be fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Thank you for a lovely evening, JC,’ Nanette said. ‘I really enjoyed myself. The best birthday for years.’
Jean-Claude gave her a gentle kiss and he was gone.
As the door closed behind him, the telephone rang. Quickly, Nanette snatched the receiver off its hook before the shrill noise could disturb everyone. She knew exactly who would be ringing her this late.
‘Zac, stop pestering me…’
‘I need your help, Nanette,’ Zac’s voice interrupted. ‘I want you to go to Pole Position tomorrow morning, meet someone and put a package in the safe for me.’
‘What? You ring at nearly midnight to ask me to do something trivial that your skipper can do?’ Nanette said incredulously.
‘No, he can’t,’ Zac answered quietly. ‘You’re the only person apart from me who knows a) where the safe is and b) the combination to it.’
‘You mean the secret, personal one, in your cabin?’ Nanette asked as realisation dawned. ‘You’ve never changed the code?’
‘No.’
‘Can’t the skipper simply put whatever it is in the main safe until you get back?’
Zac sighed audibly down the phone. ‘No. If there hadn’t been a problem with testing tyres, I’d have been there to deal with it myself. As it is, I’m unlikely to get back for some time. I’d rather it was totally out of sight. Five minutes, Nanette, that’s all it will take.’
‘You’re not asking me to help with something illegal, are you?’ Nanette demanded.
‘Definitely not,’ Zac replied instantly. ‘If it makes you feel any better, I can tell you it’s something to do with Vacances au Soleil.’
Nanette took a deep breath. ‘OK,’ she said reluctantly. ‘I’ll do it tomorrow.’
‘Thank you. Eleven o’clock on board. You do remember the combination?’
‘Yes.’ As the combination was made up of her birthday date backwards, it was one she was hardly likely to forget.
‘Thanks, Nanette. I owe you one.’
‘If my returning memory is right, Zac, you owe me more than that,’ Nanette said. ‘When you get back, we need to have a serious talk. Goodnight.’
Quickly, before Zac could start to question her, Nanette replaced the receiver. She was determined to challenge Zac face to face, to see his reaction to her accusation. Now was not the time.
Tomorrow she would go to the yacht and do as Zac asked – but this was positively the last time ever she would do anything Zac Ewart asked her to do.