Page 2 of Secrets Beneath a Riviera Sky
Francine was close to her mother these days but she knew little about her life before the two of them had arrived in England. Agnes had always been one to keep private things to herself. The way people poured out their innermost thoughts on social media was unthinkable and abhorrent to her. ‘I was brought up to smile at the world and hide any grief I might be experiencing.’ It was a moral code drummed into Francine from an early age. One that she herself had unconsciously adopted and now, like Agnes, lived by.
Agnes nodded and muttered a quiet, ‘Ça va,merci. I am happy that it is finally over. Theo offered to ring and tell you but I thought you needed to hear the news from me.’
‘How did he die?’
‘Theo said it seems he had a heart attack as he was leaving his boat in the marina after an evening of drinking with another man and he fell between his boat and its neighbour. He died before he could be pulled out.’
‘Will you go to the funeral?’
‘Non.’ Agnes said sharply, shaking her head.
‘Do you think I should go?’ Francine asked.
Agnes glanced at her, surprised. ‘Do you want to?’
‘No. But maybe Theo would appreciate one or both of us being there.’
‘I will ask him when he rings with the details.’ Agnes paused. ‘Jasmine will need to be told.’ As always, she called her granddaughter by her full name rather than by her preferred version, Zazz, that she’d insisted on using since secondary school.
‘I’ll phone her later. Oscar might have been her grandfather but as he’s never been in her life, I doubt the fact that he’s dead is going to affect her.’
‘Such a difficult man,’ Agnes muttered.
Francine nodded. Of all the words she could think of to describe her father – difficult was probably the politest and least offensive. Bully, mean-spirited, arrogant, tyrant, the list went on. He was all of those things and more. Francine remembered the last time she’d spoken to him, about nine months ago. Ironically the two of them shared a birthday and it had been the evening of her fifty-third birthday and his eighty-fourth…
Francine, Edwin and Agnes had been celebrating at a favourite restaurant when her mobile rang. She’d been tempted not to answer it. Zazz, who had gone to Ibiza with a couple of girlfriends for a long weekend break had rung her earlier to wish her Happy Birthday, and there was no-one else likely to ring her. But they were between courses so she gave it a quick glance. Unusually, it was Oscar’s name showing on caller ID. Hesitantly Francine accepted the call and said ‘Hello.’
Loud background noise told of a party in full swing. The words ‘Happy Birthday’ may have been uttered but were impossible to understand if they were. Oscar had been drunk, his words slurred and incoherent as he shouted into the phone. In the end Francine had hung up without being able to get in a word. Conversation with a sober Oscar was always difficult, with a drunken Oscar it was impossible…
That phone call had been as unexpected as it was unwelcome and Francine felt sure there was an unknown ulterior motive behind it, although it was one she’d been unable to discover so far. Now he was dead she was unlikely to ever know the truth behind the reason for the phone call.
Francine stood up and began to place cups and saucers back on the tray. ‘I need to start dinner.’
‘I’ll come and give you a hand,’ Agnes said.
As the two of them returned to the kitchen, they heard the front door close.
‘Edwin’s home,’ Francine said, a note of relief in her voice. ‘I think I’ll ask him to phone Zazz.’
3
It was mid-afternoon the next day when Theo rang with details of the funeral. But it turned out that there would be no funeral. Instead, there was to be a Direct Cremation without any attendees, the day after tomorrow. Apparently, Theo told them, it was the way to do things these days, especially when there were few, or no family relatives or mourners.
‘I hope I do the right thing by agreeing to this,’ Theo said. ‘I do not think either of you would want to come for a funeral. And with the French law of cremation or burial having to take place within six days of death I wasn’t sure you could both drop everything and come over within the next few days.’ Theo paused.
‘Definitely done the right thing,’ said Edwin, who had joined them to hear the details.
Agnes released a relieved sigh. No funeral to attend and no mention of holding a memorial service, or heaven forbid, a last farewell party sometime in the future.
‘Although the two of you might like to start to plan a visit for some time in the next week or two.’
‘Truly? Why?’ Francine asked.
‘French wills are notoriously complicated. The notaire has requested a meeting with me tomorrow,’ Theo continued, seemingly ignoring her question. ‘As Oscar’s nominated next of kin there are certain things I’m legally required to do. I’ll know more about that after I’ve met with the notaire.’
When the call finished a few moments later, Francine turned to her mother. ‘I don’t understand why Theo thinks we should start to plan a visit, do you?’
Agnes shook her head and regarded Francine steadily for several seconds before giving an almost imperceptible sigh. ‘You were our only child so as such, I expect you to inherit the bulk of Oscar’s estate. It is impossible to disinherit one’s children in France. I’d guess there are one or two “Oscar” conditions woven into you inheriting everything that the notaire needs to explain to you.’
