Page 48 of Rendez-Vous in Cannes
‘Ms Carson?’
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 a large sum of money, 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, Bernard Audibert.’
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 recognised 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 Bernard will? As for 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?’
‘Bernard’s party tomorrow 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 at the weekend on our own as well. I need to talk to Bernard too,’ Anna said. ‘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 Bernard and get the details.’
* * *
Poppy was working in the garden, deadheading some roses when they arrived back at the villa. Leaving Leo to make the phone call to Bernard, 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 multicoloured 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’s given my name to a leading London agency who are keen to sign me up. I’ve already had an email asking me to contact them and arrange a meeting for early next week.’
Daisy threw her arms around him, ‘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.’
