Page 27 of Summer on the French Riviera
‘What a cheek. If I’d realised who he was, I would have refused him entry, friend of the neighbours or not,’ she said.
‘More than friends of the neighbours, he’s related to them. Your mother was pretty upset when she saw him. What was this offer he made her?’ Hugo asked her.
‘He wanted to buy the villa and the field that comes with it, knock the house down and build a small estate. He’d even gone as far as seeking outline planning permission, even though he didn’t own anything. Gabby told him no way when we were down here at the beginning of the year.’ She shook her head. ‘Come on, I’d better get back and make sure Gabby is okay, although Philippe is with her, so I’m sure she is.’
As they wandered back down to the terrace, music began to drift on the air. Harriet guessed that Elodie had pressed the Spotify button on the laptop she’d set up earlier. Gabby and Philippe were down by the back hedge now, talking to Colette and they’d clearly been discussing the unwelcome visitor.
‘It’s a little unsettling that his granddaughter lives next door,’ Gabby was saying. ‘I hope he doesn’t visit very often.’
There was a short silence as Colette gave Gabby a curious look.
‘Standing here in the garden with everything looking so good, and with a lovely party atmosphere tonight, has brought up memories of the past for me when it was so different. Your maman did her best, but Hervé was never very sociable, was he?’ Colette laughed. ‘Although I do remember the occasional fourteenth of July fireworks party.’ Colette turned to Gabby.
‘Have you been in the cave at the villa since your return?’ she asked.
Surprised, Gabby shook her head. ‘No, I haven’t. I’ve been in the garage, but I’d forgotten all about the existence of the cave. Houses in England rarely come with a cellar these days, so I’m out of the habit of having one. Why?’
‘Talking about Hervé reminded me about something he muttered after one of his unexpected visits to me. As he left, he said something like “tell her to be certain to check the villa’s cave herself” under his breath. It was as if he had something hidden down there,’ Colette answered. ‘Something that he wanted to make sure you knew about.’
‘The notaire dealt with everything, so he would have checked the cave and he never mentioned anything unusual,’ Gabby said, even as she wondered whether the notaire had known about the cave. Its concealed entry was hard to find even when you knew where it was. Thinking about the house clearance itinerary from the notaire listing the contents of the villa room by room, she couldn’t recall anything about any items found in the cave on its various pages. If she had forgotten about the cave, why should a stranger even suspect there was one? Especially when there was no outward sign anywhere of its existence.
‘Did you know how to get in?’ Colette said.
Gabby nodded. ‘Yes, I know and I can remember how to open the door. And now it’s on my list to check it out. I dread to think what I’m going to find down there.’
Philippe placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. ‘If you want me to,ma cherie, I’ll come with you when you’re ready to take a look.’
‘That would be good, thank you,’ Gabby said, smiling at him.
‘For now, put it out of your mind and we dance, yes?’ And taking her by the hand, he led her up to the terrace, where Gazz and Elodie were already making the most of the opportunity to snuggle together in each other’s arms.
Hugo pulled Harriet towards him. ‘I warn you, I am the world’s worst dancer, but I can certainly stand still with you in my arms and pretend to move my feet.’
‘I can’t dance either,’ Harriet said softly. ‘But I can do that too.’
* * *
It was nearly midnight before people started to leave. Hugo was the last to go and Harriet went outside with him to say goodbye. ‘Thanks for a lovely evening. I think your mother is wonderful. Reminded me of my grandmother in a way. Will you have dinner with me on Monday evening?’
‘That would be lovely, thank you,’ Harriet replied.
‘I’ll pick you up about seven.’
As Hugo took her in his arms to kiss her goodnight, Harriet tensed. She was sure she caught a movement in the shadows of the green and turned quickly, but it was too dark to see anyone. Had someone been watching them?
Hugo opened his car door. ‘I’ll wait until you’re in the drive and the gates are closed.’
Harriet looked at him, had he sensed someone hanging round too? No, it was something he did whenever he dropped her off even in broad daylight, he made sure she was safely home behind the locked gates before he left. Harriet quickly did as she was told and closed the gate. She was being silly. If there was someone there, it was probably a neighbour out for a late dog walk.
Indoors, she ran upstairs to let Lulu out before going back out to the terrace to share a last drink with Gabby and Elodie. The remains of a bottle of rosé was poured between their three glasses and they congratulated themselves on the success of the party.
‘I’m really pleased that so many of the neighbours came,’ Gabby said. ‘It’s often said that Juan is like a village to the locals and tonight proved that. I heard about people I went to school with from their next-generation relatives. Not sure about Jean-Frances Moulin’s granddaughter being such a close neighbour, although I do find the fact that they live next door in number six interesting.’ She took a sip of her wine and sighed happily.
‘I’m so happy we moved over,’ Elodie said. ‘I love living here, I no longer write advertising copy, I feel like a proper writer now with regular features in magazines and newspapers, even the occasional e-zine.’ She gave a contented sigh. ‘And I have a lovely boyfriend.’
‘How about you, Harriet?’ Gabby asked quietly. ‘We know you expected to live in England when you left Australia, how are you finding life in France?’
‘Surprisingly good, and happy that it’s all working out for the best,’ Harriet admitted. If she was honest, she was happier than she’d been for years. Life here for her was good. She and Elodie hadn’t yet fully relaxed with each other but were at least being civil. She’d always known that becoming close would take time. Working in the art gallery was fun and she was painting again. And then there was Hugo. Starting a new relationship had never been on her radar, but she knew she was becoming very fond of him. Whether it would ever turn into something serious, only time would tell.
