Page 57 of A French Adventure
Olivia’s heartbeat quickened as a smile spread across her face and she shook her head in wonder at Thierry’s declaration. ‘That’s good because I was talking to Topsy this morning, telling her I loved her and I realised I loved you too.’ Olivia reached up and gave him a quick kiss.
Thierry pulled her into his arms. ‘Hey, we can do better than that.’ And he proceeded to do so.
When the kissing stopped, a breathless Olivia laughed. ‘You do realise my maman is going to be delirious with happiness when she hears about us.’
‘That would make three delirious people then,’ Thierry said, pulling her close again.
Marie-France, who happened to glance out of the conservatory window at the right moment, smiled to herself in satisfaction as she saw the two figures in the distance become one. Her violet farm was going to be safe with those two.
39
Leonie was unusually quiet at breakfast the day after she’d experienced her very first girly day out with Olivia and Natalie. Maxine, anxiously asking her if she’d had a good time, was relieved to receive a beaming smile.
‘I had the best time. I’ve never had friends like that before. If you will excuse me, I have something I need to do in my room.’
Maxine took her second cup of coffee out to the garden and sat down by the pool to drink it, deep in thought. Thierry had come round yesterday to see how things were and to tell her the news about Olivia moving in with him – on a proper basis.
‘I’m so pleased for you both,’ she’d said, hugging him. ‘Does your prospective mother-in-law know yet?’
‘We’re going to try to keep it quiet for a little while, so you’re sworn to secrecy.’
Maxine had made a zipper movement across her mouth. ‘I promise Felicity will hear nothing from me.’
‘How are things with Leonie?’
Maxine had sighed. ‘I don’t know. We’ve talked a bit about her life with Daiva, but I still don’t know much about her. She clams up like a fish if I ask the wrong question, so I’vebeen waiting for her to talk. She hasn’t mentioned the future. Whether she’s got any plans. I don’t know if she has a job to return to in Paris. I don’t know whether she has enough money – whether Daiva left her anything. I’d love her to stay down here and be near – she can live with me if she wants or get her own place. But, again, I don’t know if that’s what she wants to do.’
‘I’ll ask Olivia how she was with them when she gets back. Maybe she answered their questions and they’ll have some information to pass on.’
‘That would be good,’ Maxine had said with feeling, hoping the girls had managed to make friends with Leonie yesterday.
When Leonie came down from her room an hour later, she was clutching a large envelope. ‘This is for you,’ she said, holding it out to Maxine. ‘It’s the best I can do at the moment. I hope you like it.’
Carefully, Maxine opened the envelope and pulled out a beautiful card with ‘Thank You Maman’ written in flowing golden script across it. Maxine promptly burst into tears. ‘Thank you. It’s beautiful.’
‘There was an art shop in Monaco selling the most beautiful crayons and pastels and sketch books. I was naughty and bought lots.’
‘I didn’t know you could draw like this,’ Maxine said. ‘You have such a talent.’ She looked at the scene on the card again. Barn owls, deer, rabbits, a mouse, all in a fantasy forest of trees lit by a full moon in a dark sky.
‘Papa, he always said I would never earn any money with my crazy drawings.’
‘Something else he was wrong about,’ Maxine said firmly. ‘I know there is a market out there for pictures like this.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Leonie, there is so much we don’t know about each other and some of it will take years for us to learn, but we do have to talk about the immediate future. Like what you are goingto do now you are free? Do you have a job in Paris? Do you have any money to live on? Oh, the list of things I don’t know, and need to know, is endless. You have to talk to me, tell me how I can help you.’
‘I’m sorry. I lied about having a job. I thought I might need an excuse to leave. He didn’t like me to work,’ Leonie said quietly. ‘After I gained my Baccalaureate, he wanted me to stay at home and look after him. Said it was my duty as a good daughter to do that for him. He did stop himself from saying it was his due after all he’d done for me.’ She sighed. ‘I did have a part-time job in an art gallery for three years which I really enjoyed, but he didn’t like me talking about it and stopped me meeting up with the friends I made there. In the end, it was easier not to work.’
‘This gets worse and worse,’ Maxine said, covering her face with her hands.
‘I have some money, but I would like to earn my own living. Do you really think my drawings would sell?’
‘I do. There are many artists down here. I can introduce you to several who will help you with contacts and suggest places where you can sell your work.’
‘I have a few things in Paris I need to collect and then…’ Leonie looked at Maxine. ‘Could I come back down and live with you for a while?’
‘I would be upset if you didn’t. You can stay for as long as you like. There will always be a room here for you. I hope you will think of L’Abri as your home now.’
Vivienne and Natalie spent the next day packing their things, tidying the apartment and having a last wander around Antibes. Natalie treated herself to a lovely, soft, cream-coloured leathertote bag, which she said would remind her of the holiday every time she used it. Vivienne treated them both to a last lunch in one of the pavement cafes down by the market, before stopping off at L’Abri on the way back to return the jazz books Maxine had lent her and to say goodbye to both Maxine and Leonie.
Natalie was pleased to hear that Leonie would be there when she came down to visit her mum and promised they would have another day out. Maxine hugged Vivienne and said she’d keep in touch with the notaire and push him for a quick completion. ‘You’ll be back before you know it. A new life ahead of you.’
