Page 56 of Rendez-Vous in Cannes
‘If they’d gone out through the boot room, yes,’ Poppy answered, running towards the back of the cottage. ‘This door is usually locked,’ she said, staring at the open door swinging in the wind that had arrived with the thunder and the rain that was now bucketing down.
‘Right,’ Nat said. ‘I’ll go out this way and check the villa.’
‘Here, take this,’ and Daisy grabbed a waterproof jacket from a hook. ‘You’ll get soaked otherwise.’
‘Even if they have gone across to the villa, they can’t be inside,’ Poppy said. ‘Anna and Leo are meticulous about locking up the place when they go out.’
‘I’ll still take a look,’ Nat said and dashed off into the rain.
Together Daisy and Poppy began a thorough search of the cottage. While Daisy searched cupboards, opened wardrobe doors and looked under beds, Poppy braved the small cellar rooms with their large spiders among the electric fuse boxes and discarded suitcases.
‘Any sign?’ Daisy asked, brushing a cobweb out of her sister’s hair as they met up back in the hallway.
Poppy shook her head. ‘I don’t know what’s got into Tom. He normally tells me where he’s going to play. Oh good,’ she said, glancing out of the window. ‘Anna and Leo are back. Nat’s talking to them and they’re going into the villa. Quick, let’s go over. Oh dear,’ said Poppy, stopping in her tracks. ‘Look who’s just arrived. Teddy Wickham. I wonder how he’s going to react to the news his daughter and my son are missing.’
31
Anna barely registered the fact that Teddy had arrived, as Nat told her Cindy and Tom were missing. Together with Poppy, she started to search the villa, room by room, calling out the children’s names. ‘Cindy! Tom! Please come out, if you’re here.’
In the kitchen, Leo, ever practical, took charge. ‘Right. You’ve established they’re not in the cottage. Anna and Poppy are checking upstairs here. Have you checked the garden? Tool shed, that kind of thing.’
‘No tool shed or anything,’ Daisy said. ‘Just shrubs, the loggia and… and the tree house! I bet that’s where they are,’ and Daisy ran out into the garden, closely followed by Teddy, Nat and Leo.
A crack of thunder just as she reached the foot of the tall parasol pine that the tree house was built in made her jump.
‘Tom! Cindy! Please come down now,’ Daisy shouted. ‘The storm is getting closer. It’s not safe for you to be up there.’ The wind whipped her words away. ‘They’re definitely up there,’ she said as the three men joined her. ‘See, they’ve pulled the rope ladder up behind them. She stared up at the tree house. ‘I don’t think they can have heard me.’
‘Cindy!’ Teddy shouted. ‘Come down at once.’ When there was no response, he turned on Nat angrily. ‘What on earth were you thinking of, Nat, letting them go up a tree in the middle of a thunderstorm?’
‘It’s not Nat’s fault,’ Poppy said, as she and Anna joined everyone under the tree. ‘We all thought they were in the sitting room watching a DVD. None of us have any idea as to why they decided to sneak out and come here.’
‘Well, I hope you have an idea of how to get them down now,’ Teddy said. ‘Do you have a ladder somewhere? Or do we have to call the pompiers?’
Anna moved close to the base of the tree. ‘Cindy! Tom!’ she shouted as loudly as she could. ‘Please come down. We know you’re up there. I promise you’re not in trouble. We just want to get you indoors safe. Away from this storm.’
Everybody stared upwards, praying for a response from the children, and just as Anna said, ‘I think we’re going to have to call the pompiers,’ Tom appeared at the front of the tree house and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
‘Mum, I’m sorry.’
‘Just throw the ladder over, Tom, and climb down,’ Poppy said. ‘Cindy is up there with you, isn’t she?’
Tom nodded and pushed the rope ladder over the edge. ‘Mum, Cindy climbed up all right, but the thunderstorm’s frightened her and she says she can’t climb down.’
‘OK, Tom. Well, you come down and one of us will go up for Cindy.’
Once Tom was safely down, Nat went to climb up for Cindy, but Teddy took the rope ladder out of his hands. ‘No, Nat. I’ll go. You hold it steady for me,’ and Teddy swiftly climbed the ladder to reach into the tree house to rescue his daughter. Several minutes passed before he reappeared with Cindy, her face blotched and red from crying, clutching his hand as they prepared to descend.
Anna, watching as Teddy tenderly held Cindy against him while he helped her to climb backwards down the ladder step by step, felt a helpless surge of love swamp her body: her son and her granddaughter. Once they were both safely on the ground, it was all she could do to stop herself from rushing forward and hugging them both. Instead she squeezed Leo’s hand hard and said. ‘Thank goodness everyone is safe.’
‘Right, into the kitchen to dry off and hot chocolate all round, I think,’ Poppy said. ‘Then the two of you can tell us why you thought climbing up to the tree house was a good idea.’
‘Anna, Leo. You going to join us for hot chocolate?’ Daisy asked.
Anna shook her head. ‘No thanks. Leo and I will leave you to it now the children are safe.’ Teddy, she knew, would resent being in her presence any longer. ‘We’ll see you tomorrow. Bye, Tom, Cindy. Teddy.’ The last name said defiantly, out of politeness.
‘Daddy, quick, can I have the bag please?’ Cindy said, her teeth chattering.
Teddy took a water stained bag out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Cindy. ‘Apparently this is the reason they went into hiding. Cindy wanted to be here when Anna got back. To give her a present.’
