Page 33 of Summer on the French Riviera
‘Elodie has said repeatedly that she just wants to know his name, whether we were in a relationship and what Jack – that’s his name – was like. She’s told me, and you I think, she’s not interested in meeting her father face to face.’ Harriet paused. ‘And I know Jack isn’t going to settle for anything less.’
‘Once Elodie knows he wants to meet her, she’ll probably change her mind.’
‘You know her better than anyone, do you think she will react like that?’
Gabby shrugged. ‘I think the chances are quite high that she will be sufficiently curious when she learns he is actually here in Juan-les-Pins, that she’ll agree, even want, to meet him.’
Harriet drank some of her coffee.
‘Can I ask you something?’ Gabby said quietly.
‘Of course.’
‘Were you in a proper relationship with this Jack? You do know for sure that he is the father? You never brought him home to meet me.’
‘We were in love.’ Harriet gave a wry smile. ‘Really in love. I was scared to admit it to you because I knew he wanted me to move to America and I didn’t know how you would react to that. The weekend he had to leave unexpectedly, we’d planned for him to come over to Dartmouth to meet you. Instead he was on his way to Heathrow.’
‘I’m relieved to hear that Elodie was conceived with love,’ Gabby said. ‘I wish you’d talked to me about it, though. Maybe we could have found a way for the two of you to be together.’
‘I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you, but back then I was a bit lost, overwhelmed really with everything. You were still grieving Dad too. I didn’t want to add my troubles onto you. Being a single mum from the offset seemed like the best option at the time.’
‘You were wonderful with Elodie when she was little,’ Gabby said. ‘You’ve missed out on so much of her life,’ and Gabby shook her head, her voice full of compassion.
‘I loved her from the moment she was born. Truly, I must have been out of my tiny mind marrying Todd. When he refused to raise another man’s child, insisting it would be better all round to leave Elodie with you, I should have realised the sort of man he was and walked away. Like you wanted me to.’ Harriet’s eyes glistened. ‘My only consolation was that I knew you’d love and look after her.’ Harriet looked at her mother. ‘Which you did.’ She fell silent for a moment. ‘I’ll always be eternally grateful to you for taking her, but I realise now how selfish I was, expecting you to bring her up alone. It put your own life on hold. Until I left Elodie with you, you had no ties, no responsibilities. You were a free woman. You could have done anything you wanted. Travelled. Seen the world.’
Gabby shook her head. ‘No, I wouldn’t. Your dad had been dead for a few years when you left, but I still hadn’t grown used to him not being there. You leaving Elodie with me finally brought me out of the depression I sank into when Eric died. I had to focus on doing, being, the best for her. She was something for me to love unconditionally. And apart from anything else, she helped me get over the loss of you in my life.’ Gabby reached out to take hold of Harriet’s hand and a silence fell between them as they both sat with their own thoughts. ‘Would it help if I’m with you when you talk to Elodie?’
Harriet shook her head. ‘Thanks, but this is something I need to do myself, to try to explain it all. But maybe you could talk to her afterwards?’
‘Of course. How long is Jack in France for?’ Gabby asked.
‘I didn’t ask. From the way he was talking though, I suspect it’s open-ended.’
‘I hope there’s time for me to get to meet him too.’ Gabby hesitated. ‘How did you feel meeting him again?’
Harriet knew what her mother was really asking – did she still have feelings for Jack.
‘It was weird really. At first, I was more concerned with finding out what he actually wanted from me. But then there was undoubtedly a frisson of something between us.’ Harriet sighed. ‘I think I need to concentrate on sorting things out between him and Elodie. Treat him like an old friend if I can.’
Gabby glanced at her watch. ‘Talking of old friends. Colette is coming for lunch with Philippe and me – but before that we’re going to brave the cave. I’ve put it off far too long. They’ll both be here soon. Do you want to join us?’
‘Oh, yes please. I was down in the garage the other day and for the life of me I couldn’t see a secret cave entrance,’ Harriet said. ‘Are you sure it hasn’t been blocked up?’
Gabby shook her head. ‘It’s still there. I just hope and pray if there is anything down there that it is not something horrible – or even something I have to report to the authorities.’
* * *
Half an hour later, the four of them made their way into the garage. All the cardboard from moving had been taken to the recycling and apart from a few cleaning things that Gabby had placed on the shelves, a bucket and mop in the corner, the garage was empty.
‘How do we get into this cave?’ Colette asked, looking around. ‘Where is the door?’
‘Did you bring the piece of stiff wire I wanted?’ Gabby asked Philippe. He nodded and took a short length of wire out of his pocket and handed it to her.
‘D’accord,’ Gabby said, moving towards the shelves. ‘I watched my father open this hidden door several times but he only ever allowed me to open it once, so I hope I can find the exact location to lift the latch inside.’
The other three were quiet as Gabby concentrated on the wooden trimming running down the left-hand side of the shelves.
‘Two inches inward between the fourth and third shelves from the top,’ she muttered, fingering the pyrography decoration of flowers and leaves on stalks that had been burnt into the trimming around the shelf unit, as her eyes searched for and finally found what she was looking for. Gabby gave a small smile and pushed the wire she was holding into the burnt centre of one of the flowers. A flower with an almost invisible hole in the centre, that nobody would guess covered the secret opening to the cave entrance. Feeling the latch on the other side give, she reached out to grip the side of the shelf unit. As she pulled it towards her, the shelving unit appeared to split into two parts with the left-hand side opening like a door and revealing a flight of steps down into the cave.
