Page 43 of A French Adventure
‘Two minutes.’ And Thierry went to fetch Maxine, who was talking to Vivienne and glanced at him questioningly.
‘Maxie, you have a visitor,’ he said gently.
‘How lovely, who is it? Why haven’t you brought them out to join the party?’
‘She’d rather see you on your own.’
‘Why? Who on earth is it?’ Her voice faltered as she looked at him. ‘It’s not…?’
‘Leonie, yes.’
Maxine clutched his arm. ‘I’m not ready for this tonight.’
‘Yes, you are. Take a deep breath, smile and think how much you’ve longed for this moment.’ Thierry pulled her arm through his before turning to speak to everyone. ‘Excuse us for a moment or two. Help yourself to everything. I’ll be back soon to cut the cake.’
Four pairs of astonished eyes followed their progress up the garden. Even Felicity was silent, as they all wondered what was going on.
Thierry could feel Maxine shaking as they walked back into the cottage and squeezed her hand reassuringly.
Leonie had moved to look at the photos on the small table and had her back towards them as they entered the sitting room. She turned as she sensed their presence and for several seconds she and Maxine stood staring mutely at each other.
It was Maxine who broke the silence, her voice breaking as she spoke. ‘I don’t know what to say, Leonie, except it’s wonderful to see you.’
‘It’s been a long time,’ Leonie said flatly but didn’t echo Maxine’s happy words.
‘Leonie, can I get you a coffee, or a glass of wine maybe?’ Thierry said.
Leonie shook her head. ‘No, thank you. I shouldn’t have come tonight. You’re busy with a party. I’ll come back tomorrow.’
‘Please stay now you’re here. Meet my friends,’ Maxine said.
‘No. Meeting you tonight is enough. I promised myself I’d make myself come and find you as soon as I arrived in Antibes and I’ve done that. It is enough for one day.’
‘Where are you staying?’ Thierry asked.
‘A hotel in Antibes.’
‘You are welcome to stay here,’ Maxine said. ‘We’d be able to talk properly then.’
‘I’m not sure.’ Leonie regarded her with a thoughtful expression. ‘But I have a lot of questions I’d like to ask.’
‘We certainly have a lot of catching up to do,’ Maxine said. ‘Come and stay tomorrow for as long as you like. How long are you here in Antibes for?’
‘I have some days off work. Whether I decide to stay for them all, I don’t know,’ Leonie shrugged. ‘D’accord. I’ll come back tomorrow morning. Now I’ll return to my hotel.’ And before either Thierry or Maxine could stop her, she’d slipped out of the sitting room into the hall and was gone.
Maxine exhaled a deep breath as she heard the door close. ‘Was that really my daughter? Or did I imagine it?’
‘It was definitely your daughter. She has your eyes,’ Thierry said. He kept the thought that they were the only things about Leonie that had reassured him that she was related to Maxine. Her uptight, introvert manner was so far removed from her mother’s outgoing personality, it was hard to put them together as mother and daughter. Hopefully that would change as they got to know each other. ‘I’ll move out of the guest room in the morning,’ Thierry said. ‘It’s not a problem,’ he added as Maxine went to protest. ‘Me not being around will give you both some privacy to get to know each other.’
‘Thank you. We’d better rejoin the others. And you need to cut that cake,’ Maxine said.
‘Are you going to tell them about your visitor?’ Thierry asked.
‘Yes.’ Maxine nodded. ‘I’ve hidden the truth for too long. If Leonie is to be back in my life, my friends need to know about what happened. Your birthday champagne is still in the fridge. I think it’s time to open it.’
Back out in the garden, the birthday atmosphere had faded somewhat, but Thierry quickly cut his cake while Maxine poured the glasses of bubbly.
Everyone raised their glasses and wished Thierry a happy birthday before Maxine said, ‘I have to tell you about my unexpected visitor. I have a daughter, Leonie, whom I haven’t seen for over thirty years.’ She gave a self-depreciating shrug. ‘And I definitely wasn’t expecting to see her this evening.’
