Page 9 of Secrets Beneath a Riviera Sky
‘But I don’t love him and he doesn’t truly love me either,’ Agnes protested.
‘He wants to marry you. You are still underage. Whatever is your father going to say if you break off your engagement?’
In the end Agnes gave up. She couldn’t break through her mother’s lack of empathy with her situation. Her mother was of the wrong generation. She deferred to her husband in everything. There was little point in asking her to help talk to him. To stand at her side as she tried to explain why she couldn’t marry Oscar. More than anything she wished she’d never met the man and cursed the day she’d accepted his invitation to dinner because she felt flattered by his attention.
A serious-looking Theo had turned up mid-morning the next day saying they needed to talk.
‘What’s happened to your eye?’ she asked, looking at the multicoloured bruise surrounding it.
‘Oscar’s fist,’ Theo said.
‘What! Why?’
‘He didn’t like me telling him he was bullying you into marrying him. Told me that it was nonsense, it was none of my business and to butt out.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘You’re not the one who hit me. Don’t you dare apologise for my brother the bully.’
‘He’s brought the wedding forward because,’ Theo grabbed hold of Agnes’s hands, ‘he knows how I feel about you. He doesn’t love you but he doesn’t want me to have you. You make a terrible mistake if you marry him. Please don’t. Marry me instead.’
Agnes looked at him, stunned at his words.
‘I love you, Agnes. I haven’t told you before because I’d hoped the more we saw of each other you’d realise we belong together. I thought we had more time to get to know each other. I didn’t expect Oscar to bring the wedding forward. You have to break off your engagement.’
‘They won’t let me,’ Agnes whispered. ‘I’ve tried. Papa, he is determined for me to marry Oscar.’
‘I go speak to him. Tell him I want to marry you,’ Theo said. ‘If he say no, will you run away with me?’
Agnes closed her eyes. ‘If between us we can persuade my parents to cancel this wedding then you and I can have a future together but I don’t think I’m brave enough to run away with you.’
The closing of the front door as Theo arrived home brought Agnes out of her dream with a start.
11
Leaving the cottage, Theo led Francine and Zazz up a nearby flight of shallow steps and then along a street barely the width of a small car. Tall narrow houses dating from the days of the eighteenth century when Cannes was just a small insignificant Mediterranean fishing port lined both sides. Some of the houses looked vaguely familiar to Francine, but that could be simply because over the last decades she’d grown used to seeing the stereotypical images of houses in the South of France that the media favoured: rampant colourful bougainvillea covering pastel-painted walls and cats sleeping on window sills just like the ginger one that Cerise briefly inspected before receiving a sharp paw on her nose.
Noticing how happy Zazz was with Cerise trotting alongside her, Francine felt a twinge of guilt. Growing up, Zazz had frequently begged for a dog but the timing had never been right and she and Edwin had always refused. Although, if she were to be honest, there had been several times when Edwin had tried to make her change her mind as he’d grown up with a family dog and suggested it would be good for Zazz. Perhaps they should offer to give Cerise a home if Theo didn’t want to keep her. Zazz would then get to see her at weekends. No, silly idea. Zazz wasn’t home often enough these days. Cerise would end up being their dog.
At that moment Zazz and Cerise turned and disappeared down an adjoining narrow lane. Francine glanced at Theo. ‘My sense of direction has gone haywire – is Zazz going the right way?’
‘Cerise knows the way home.’ Theo smiled at her and she nodded.
‘Of course.’
‘The house – it is not like it was when you and Agnes lived here,’ Theo said quietly. ‘Or even how it was during your summer visits. It is different now. A little neglected in places.’
Francine glanced at him, wondering what he meant but the moment was gone as they caught up with Zazz and Cerise who were waiting outside a sun-faded blue door. Francine caught her breath as she recognised it. Thirty-six years had passed since she’d last seen the door of the house Agnes had brought her home to from Cannes hospital. Theo unlocked the door and handed the key to Francine as they all walked inside.
‘I amdésoléI haven’t prepared the beds here,’ Theo said. ‘I thought you stay with me.’
‘No worries, we can do our own beds.’ Francine’s voice was quiet as the significance of where she was and what she was doing unexpectedly struck her.
‘Are you okay?’ Zazz said. ‘You’ve gone pale. Why don’t you go back to Theo’s? I’ll be fine here on my own.’
Francine shook her head. ‘No. I’m staying. If nothing else it will be good to get the ghosts out of my head.’ Sleeping ghosts that she could feel now stirring like demented devils.
Theo gave her an anxious glance. ‘If you’re sure. I’ve booked an early table – seven thirty – at the Auberge on rue Saint Antoine. Shall we meet there? Or do you want to come down to me first for an aperitif?’
