Page 46 of One Summer in Monte Carlo
The extra day had been a busy one with so many things to organise, not least packing up some samples of the native medicines, including several pots of theSangre de Gradoointment that had helped Ralph’s injuries to heal so well.
‘If only we’d thought of this when we first arrived,’ Vanessa had said. ‘I could have done so much more before having to leave them to get on with it.’ She’d sighed and looked at Ralph. ‘There is one thing that still worries me, though. What happens if this Takyanov comes back and tries to muscle in on the cooperative? Angela did say the men knew there were dangers in upsetting him.’
‘Don’t worry. Once we get back to civilisation, we can alert the authorities to what we – you, are doing. Once you’ve organised some funds, you can appoint a trustworthy overseer to come out here to supervise things in your absence. Make sure there are no disruptions, no outsiders muscling in. You’ll be amazed at the progress on your next visit, you’ll see,’ Ralph had said confidently.
Hugging Angela goodbye the following morning, Vanessa was surprised to find herself fighting back the tears. From longing to leave the jungle, she found herself strangely sad saying goodbye to Angela, her friend.
‘Goodbye,Pacchumama. May the spirits be with you on your journey,’ Angela had said, hugging her.
‘I’m going to miss you, but once I’ve set up the cooperative for the village I’ll be back to see you again.’ Vanessa had bent down and given little Maya a cuddle and hugged her tight, before turning and leaving.
Now, as she tiredly followed Luigi and the porters along the muddy track, Vanessa’s mind was still racing, trying to sort out the logistics of the cooperative and wondering who she’d be able to find willing to sponsor Fruits of the Forest for at least its first year in business.
Darkness had descended as they reached the camp where they were to spend their last night in the jungle proper. Wearily, Vanessa stumbled into their sleeping hut. Tomorrow they would travel by small canoe up the feeder river to the Amazon itself and then, a day, or possibly two days later, a larger boat would take them to the town of Manaus.
Their journey home had begun. Part of her was sad that their adventure in the Amazon jungle would soon be over, but inside she was buzzing with the thought of seeing Pierre and Olivia again. Giving them tight hugs. Tucking them into their safe beds. Telling them about little Maya and her so, so different life. Hoping that she would be able to help provide a proper future for her and the other children of the village. She desperately wanted Fruits of the Forest to succeed.
31
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.
