Page 55 of One Summer in Monte Carlo
Both Nanette and Patsy enjoyed the drive and the lunch Jean-Claude treated them to at one of the restaurants on the Bord de Mer at Cannes. It was 1:30 p.m. as they drove past the roundabout with the vintage prop plane that graced the entrance to Cannes-Mandelieu airport.
‘Jean-Claude, thank you for a lovely last day. As for arranging this flight – I still can’t believe that I’m going home in a private jet,’ Patsy said.
After she’d checked in, Jean-Claude left the two sisters to say their goodbyes.
‘You take it easy when you get home,’ Nanette said. ‘If Helen wants to spoil you – let her!’
‘I will,’ Patsy promised. She hesitated before continuing, ‘Nanette, as much as I would like you to be with me, I will understand if things here make it impossible for you to come back when the bump arrives.’
Nanette hugged her sister. ‘Fingers crossed, I’ll make it. You’ve got a few weeks to go yet, so hopefully things will have sorted themselves out. Vanessa and Ralph might even be back. Now, your flight awaits. Ring me when you get home.’
Nanette left her sister to board the aeroplane and joined Jean-Claude in the car park, where she watched the executive jet take off with the comforting feel of Jean-Claude’s arm around her shoulders.
Settling into the car for the drive back to Monaco, Jean-Claude switched on the car radio as a news bulletin started.
‘A failed coup in South America has led to the arrest of a number of people in Columbia and Brazil. In a series of dawn raids this morning in a joint operation with Interpol, police have arrested a number of men in London and Monaco.’
Jean-Claude and Nanette turned to each other in apprehension, both instantly thinking of Mathieu.
‘The arrested men, who include the Russian millionaire, Boris Takyanov, are being held in unnamed police stations. No further details have been given, but it is believed the investigation, code name Sunny Climes, is part of an ongoing inquiry into charges of fraud and tax evasion in Monaco and France.’
Silently, Jean-Claude leant forward and turned off the radio before starting the car. Glancing at Nanette, he said quietly, ‘I think we’d better get home as quickly as we can.’
36
Nanette was silent, scarcely noticing the kilometres flying past as she sat, immersed in her own thoughts, as Jean-Claude expertly negotiated their way back to Monaco along the A8 autoroute.
Jean-Claude had tuned the car radio into the Monte Carlo station frequency hoping to hear some more information about the arrests, but there were no further news bulletins before they arrived back in the Principality.
A worried Florence met them at the apartment door, hysteria in her voice as she said something rapidly to Jean-Claude. The only word Nanette caught and understood was ‘Mathieu’ and she looked on anxiously as Jean-Claude’s expression became grimmer and grimmer before the housekeeper paused for breath.
‘She thinks Mathieu’s among the men who have been arrested,’ Jean-Claude said, turning to Nanette. ‘I must go and find out; see if there’s anything I can do. I’ll be back when I can.’
‘I need to meet the twins,’ Nanette said. ‘I’ll walk down with you.’
Leaving a clearly worried Jean-Claude at the entrance to the underground garage, Nanette made her way towards the twins’ school, where Pierre and Olivia were already waiting for her in the playground.
The old port was busy that afternoon with yachts and boats continually making their way in and out of the harbour. Tourists strolled along the embankment taking in the atmosphere and trying to get a glimpse of the celebrities sunbathing on the decks of their large yachts.
Stopping to buy the twins an ice cream at one of the pavement cafés, Nanette watched hundreds of passengers as they disembarked from one of the large ships that spent the summer months cruising the Mediterranean and regularly berthed in the harbour.
Wandering back along the embankment they passed a desertedPole Position– its gangway raised and the No Entry sign firmly in place. With Zac not due back until shortly before the French Grand Prix, the crew would be enjoying having time to themselves.
Briefly, Nanette found herself wishing she didn’t have to wait so long to talk to Zac. She desperately needed to discuss her returning memories with him, tell him what she’d decided to do. She wanted to be free to get on with the rest of her life.
Stifling a sigh, she shepherded the twins across the road and back to the apartment, hoping to find Jean-Claude and Mathieu there. Florence, though, was still alone and shook her head when Nanette asked quietly, ‘Any news?’
When the phone rang at eight o’clock that night, Nanette snatched it up instantly, hoping it was Jean-Claude.
‘Hi, Sis,’ Patsy’s voice said.
‘Oh, hi,’ Nanette answered, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice as she realised it wasn’t Jean-Claude.
‘Just ringing to tell you the bump is behaving itself and I’m home safely,’ Patsy said.
‘Great. You take care now for the next few weeks.’ Nanette hesitated before adding, ‘Patsy, can I ring you for a chat tomorrow? Right now I’m waiting for Jean-Claude to phone.’
‘Is everything all right down there?’
