Dangerous Waters, page 21
‘How are things? Haven’t spoken to you for what seems like ages.’
‘Well, you’d better make yourself comfortable as I’ve a lot to report!’
By the time that Jeanne had filled in Rachel about the publishing offer, weekend in London, the finding of the body and the actual signing of the contract, Rachel had run all the gamut of emotions from delight to sadness and back to happiness again.
‘I need a drink!’ were her first words and they opened the bottle of wine and poured generous measures into plastic glasses.
‘You know something, Jeanne Le Page? You’re a dark horse, you are. You look absolutely normal on the outside – but, boy, it’s all bubbling away inside, isn’t it? I think it’s fantastic about your book, I really do. I know I’d never be able to buckle down to write the way you do. And under such circumstances! I’d have been on tranquillisers by now! Do you know when the inquest is to be held?’
‘No, but I expect to hear tomorrow. They’re just waiting for the DNA results. And now that I’ve Mrs Ozanne as a witness it should be an open and shut case. If I can arrange for the burial to be outside school hours, would you come along? I’d like as many friends with me as possible.’
‘No problem. It’s all so sad and I’d be happy to offer some moral support. I, er, noticed that you haven’t mentioned Marcus at all. What’s going on in that department?’ Rachel said, lifting her eyebrows.
‘Oh, not a lot. I don’t feel it’s going to work out between us, although he’s quite keen. I just find him a bit, well, shallow.’
Rachel nodded. ‘He is a bit. He’s nice enough but there’s not much substance. Very hooked on money, just like the rest of his family.’
‘Oh, you know the Davidsons, do you?’
‘They live near my parents in a very posh house, but they’ve never mixed much with us poor Guerns. You could tell that the father was very ambitious as he was always throwing parties for the Open Market brigade, to which us hoi polloi weren’t invited. He cultivated the wealthy for his accountancy practice. There was often a mix of Rollers and Mercs in their drive. I guess Marcus was brought up to feel he had to succeed and add to the family fortune.’
‘But what about Dan, his older brother? He didn’t go into a profession.’
Rachel grimaced. ‘Dan! He’s the black sheep of the family. But he likes money, for sure. He’s always been a wheeler and dealer and there was even talk about him being into drug trafficking years ago. But I don’t think he got caught and it was hushed up.’
‘A drug dealer! God, that’s scary. You know, I met him recently when he bought my old furniture. I felt really uncomfortable with him and I’m sure he’s on drugs.’
Rachel nodded. ‘You’re probably right. But he’s managed to stay out of the reach of the law all these years. You’re not going to do any more business with him, are you? He’s bad news,’ she sounded concerned.
‘Oh no, don’t worry. Once was enough! And even though Marcus is nothing like him I don’t think we’ll be going out anymore. Could that cause a problem with our meeting as a group?’
‘These things happen. If you can part on friendly terms it should be all right. You, er, weren’t lovers were you?’
‘That’s a very personal question to ask, Miss Mahy! But no, we weren’t as I wasn’t ready yet after… you know. So that should make it a bit easier to remain polite. I’m happy to see him in a group situation, just not one to one.’ Jeanne paused, twisting her hair. ‘You, um, don’t know how things are with Sue and Nick do you? Only Colette seemed to think that Sue might be wearing down his defences.’
Rachel shook her head and turned over onto her stomach. ‘I haven’t seen or heard from them since your barbecue. I think Nick was due to go surfing today with the others but I don’t know about Sue. I don’t think they’re very well matched so I doubt if they’ll ever be a couple. I’d have thought Sue was more Marcus’s type than Nick’s, wouldn’t you?’
Jeanne was glad that Rachel couldn’t see her face flush.
‘Marcus and Sue were certainly close at school. But I’m not sure what Nick’s type would be.’
‘I could see him going for someone a little more mature – in outlook I mean, not age. He strikes me as being a bit deep and he’d be an ideal family man. I had my nephews with me once and he was great with them, so natural. Just like Tim, who’ll make a wonderful father one day,’ Rachel said dreamily.
‘Hey, hang on a minute. You two haven’t walked down the aisle yet! Give him time to get his breath back from the long march!’ Jeanne cried, flicking sand at Rachel’s back.
They ended up laughing and as they unpacked their picnic Rachel regaled Jeanne with a humorous version of the rather less exciting life she’d led the past few weeks.
Jeanne was feeling nervous as she drove up to Bordeaux on Monday morning. It was going to be very strange being in Nick’s cottage and she wasn’t sure how she’d react if he was around. There was an intimacy about spending time in someone’s home and using their things, especially kitchen utensils chosen by an ex-fiancée.
She went slowly up Rue Robin and finally found his detached granite cottage, La Tonnelle, on the right. It had a large drive and Colette’s mini was already parked but there was no sign of Nick’s jeep. Not sure whether or not to be relieved, she unloaded her files and laptop and rang the bell.
‘Hi, Jeanne. Good timing, I was just writing my initial shopping list. Hey, let me help you with those,’ Colette said, relieving Jeanne of some of the files.
The cottage was similar in size to Le Petit Chêne but had a very different feel to it. Although from the outside it was a traditional Guernsey cottage, it had been radically modernised internally and was now open plan. Jeanne wasn’t sure if it looked right. It was a bit too stark for her taste – an expanse of white with wooden floors and beams. Colette led her into the large kitchen which appeared to be the result of two rooms being knocked into one and was quite clinical with lots of stainless steel gleaming under the bright lights.
Colette caught Jeanne’s eye and said, grinning, ‘I know what you’re thinking and I agree with you. I’m used to professional kitchens at work but I like those in houses to be more ‘homely’. Unfortunately, when Helen moved in she persuaded Nick to make all these changes and by the time they’d been completed she’d moved out again. Nick’s not too keen on it either, but he’s not here very much, so he puts up with it. Still, at least we’ve got a well-equipped kitchen to spur us on! Now, let’s have some tea while we finish the shopping list and I can check if you’re happy with my work plan.’
They worked companionably, sitting at the granite-topped island unit.
‘I think you’ve got it all worked out, Colette. It makes sense to start with the complicated French dishes so that we can see if any are going to be totally unsuitable for modern living. I’ll leave out any recipes that could be too difficult, either to source ingredients or to make, or that wouldn’t be to modern taste. I want people to enjoy these dishes, not find them exhausting or unpalatable. Do you agree?’
Colette nodded, ‘Yes, totally. Haute Cuisine can be very offputting these days as traditionally it was very rich and I’d like to tone that down. But I don’t think you need worry too much about these here, I can tell they’ll be great. As I can’t start the cooking without food shall we go shopping together? We’ve got a huge fridge here and we can stock up for a few days, no problem. You’ll have to make a trip to the market for fish at some point, that’s all.’
After they had returned with the biggest load of shopping Jeanne had ever bought, the preparation began in earnest. Jeanne was allocated the vegetables, watched over by a critical Colette who was in charge of the more complicated meat preparation as well as the desserts.
The day passed very pleasantly and Jeanne even found time to work on her laptop for an hour or so. Colette was aiming to make two each of starters, main courses and desserts each day but was making smaller quantities than those suggested. Some of the recipes catered for ten people and rather than feeding the street, it was decided to cook for four, giving them all a chance to taste the results. Scott was roped in as another guinea pig with Nick.
Late that afternoon, as they were clearing up the kitchen, Jeanne received a call from Inspector Ferguson.
‘Thought you’d like to know that the DNA test results are through. They confirm that there’s a genetic link between you and the baby so we should be able to hold the inquest this week.’
Jeanne told him about Mrs Ozanne and her account of what had happened sixty years ago.
‘That’s very helpful, Jeanne. Makes it conclusive. Have you asked her about giving us a statement? We wouldn’t expect her to attend Court.’
‘Yes, I thought you’d want one and she’s fine about it. Although talking to me brought back a lot of sad memories for her, I think she’s quite enjoying all the attention! I’ll give you her number.’
They left it that the Inspector would phone her when the date was fixed for the inquest.
While they had been working together Colette had mentioned that she knew about the baby from Nick so Jeanne had told her about meeting Mrs Ozanne.
Colette, being a little younger, was still an incurable romantic and thought the whole story was wonderful, even if it was sad. ‘Your gran sounds quite something. She could probably have run a fantastic restaurant!’ Colette said as she made choux pastry. ‘You must be very proud of her,’ she added, glancing up at Jeanne who was carefully slicing vegetables with an extremely sharp knife.
‘Oh, I am. She’s been an inspiration to me over the years. But she was content with her domestic way of life. It was all she’d known and she wasn’t at all materialistic. Finding those letters and talking to Mrs Ozanne has given me so much more insight into what she was really like. I’ve seen a side of her I never knew existed. I’m even more proud of her now. I just wish I’d known all this when she was still alive,’ she sighed.
‘Hey, come on! Don’t get maudlin! If you start crying you’ll make the veg too salty!’
Jeanne ducked as a tea towel was hurled her way.
‘OK, OK, boss! I’m glad I’ve only got to work with you for two weeks! Wouldn’t want to be your assistant at the hotel!’ Jeanne laughed.
After the phone call they finished clearing up and Colette served up the food. This included Poulardes à La Godard for a main course and for dessert Paris-Brest and Meringue à la Reine.
‘This all looks wonderful! The French weren’t bothered about their waistlines were they,’ Jeanne remarked, suddenly feeling peckish.
‘These are light compared to some of the dishes. They loved sauces and lots of cream in the nineteenth century, a bit too much for my taste. But nowadays we can substitute less fattening ingredients like yogurt or low fat crème fraîche. But I’m worried we’re all going to put on weight these next few weeks. Definitely be a strict diet after this lot!’
They were just dividing the food into portions when Nick arrived.
‘Hey, you’ve been busy! What a feast! I can see I’m going to enjoy having you two in my kitchen,’ he grinned at them both.
‘Don’t get too used to it, big bruv, it’s only for two weeks then it’s back to baked beans on toast for you,’ Colette said, giving him a playful punch. She added ‘Why don’t you and Jeanne eat together? I’m nearly finished and I’ll take my goody bags home with me. Then you can tell Jeanne what you really think of the food – and we want the truth, mind!’
‘That’s a great idea. Jeanne, are you happy to join me? Or do you have to dash off?’ Nick’s smile was warm and inviting. Jeanne couldn’t think of a reason to say no though she wasn’t sure how she’d survive such intimacy with this warm and friendly version of Nick, without giving away how attractive she found him. She was also worried that Sue might turn up and that would surely cause trouble!
chapter twenty-six
Sue didn’t turn up and Jeanne forced herself to relax. They sampled each of the choices for the different courses and Jeanne wrote down both her own and Nick’s comments. So far, so good, she thought as the food was as tasty as it looked. Colette had worked out the modern oven temperatures to perfection.
When they had cleared away the dirty plates and sealed up the left-overs Nick made some coffee with the fanciest espresso machine Jeanne had ever seen.
‘Trying to emulate James Bond, are you?’ Jeanne grinned.
‘Hell, no. In fact it was chosen by someone else. They had to have the best of everything and this was top of the range. On the plus side it does make fantastic coffee. But it took me ages to work out how to operate all the bells and whistles!’
They had eaten at a small glass-topped table in the kitchen and they continued to sit there with their coffee, relaxed and replete after their meal.
‘So, any more news since I last saw you?’ Nick asked.
‘The DNA test proved a good match and it looks like the inquest will be later this week so maybe we can have the burial on Saturday. Oh! I haven’t told you about Mrs Ozanne, have I?’ He shook his head. She went on to tell him about the illuminating meeting with the old lady and he listened attentively.
‘Well, that’s all good. Now you know what happened you can finish the story. Anything else?’
‘I signed the contract on Thursday so am now waiting impatiently for my first cheque,’ she grinned at him.
‘Great news! You have had a busy week, haven’t you? Surprised you find time to write. We’ll have to celebrate properly when you do get your money,’ he smiled.
Jeanne’s stomach flipped over. Did he mean taking her out somewhere? Would it be a date? She thought it would be safer to change the subject.
‘Have you started work on that new boat yet?’
‘The hull’s being made in England and will be shipped over to us to work on in a week or two. It’s literally a skeleton so we’ll have plenty to do when it arrives. But we’re still finishing off smaller contracts at the moment, so keeping busy,’ he paused. ‘Are you still happy about moving onto the boat next week?’
‘Yes, I think so. I haven’t managed much hypnosis lately but I’m feeling more confident. Guess there’s a way to go before I’ll be free of the worst of the fear.’
‘Any more flashbacks?’
‘No, not since that time I met you in the café. And with everything else that’s been happening I haven’t really given them much thought. But it’s another mystery to solve before I can truly get on with my life,’ she said wistfully.
‘So, what do you see yourself doing with the rest of your life?’ Nick asked, his deep blue eyes locked onto hers.
‘Er, well, I want to settle down here properly. Finish the cottage, build up my social life and focus on my career as a writer. Once I’ve finished this book I plan to start another, possibly fiction this time, I’m not sure,’ she answered, a little fazed by his question. Why’s he looking at me like that? And his questions are getting a bit personal. That’s not supposed to happen!
‘Don’t you want to settle down with someone? Have a family?’
Jeanne frowned. ‘Yes, one day. But I’ve only recently come out of a long-term relationship and I had a… a miscarriage a few months ago.’
‘Jeanne, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know, forgive me. I just thought as you’d been going out with Marcus… ’
‘That wasn’t a proper relationship. More a friendship, really. But when the right man comes along, I’d be prepared to give him fair consideration,’ she smiled. ‘And what about you? Do you want to marry and have a family?’ she felt herself tense.
Nick was thoughtful. ‘I’m not against marriage and children. But it would have to be someone very special for me to make that commitment. I came close once, but it didn’t work out. Like you, I’m biding my time. Seems we’ve got something in common with our failed relationships, haven’t we?’ he said ruefully.
‘Mm, yes. Look, I’d better get going. Got to make the hazardous journey down the west coast remember! Perhaps I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she said, standing up, feeling a sudden desire to leave, even though part of her wanted to stay.
‘There’s a reasonable chance of that, seeing that I live here,’ he said, amused.
She stood in the kitchen, hopping from foot to foot, wondering whether to just say goodbye and leave when Nick came over and gave her a hug.
‘Thanks for a great meal and great company. Can we eat together tomorrow night as well?’
‘I… I’m not sure if Molly’s planned anything. I’ll let you know. Glad you enjoyed the food.’ As she turned to go Nick kissed her cheek.
‘Take care. Watch out for dangers on the road home,’ he said, grinning.
Jeanne smiled and mumbled goodnight before going out to her car. As she drove down the ‘dangerous’ road she realised that the danger lay closer to home. In the cottage she’d just left there was a man she was in grave danger of falling in love with.
The next couple of days passed quickly. Jeanne and Colette produced more delights in Nick’s kitchen and in the evenings he and Jeanne ate the various courses as they chatted. She had not wanted to lie and pretend she was expected at Molly’s and, for some reason, Molly had actually encouraged her to stay and eat with Nick. Is she trying to push us together? Jeanne wondered. The only thing which marred the otherwise enjoyable meals together was the spectre of Sue bursting in on them.
On Tuesday the Inspector had phoned to say that the inquest was to be held at eleven o’clock on Thursday and he saw no reason why the body could not be released for burial. Jeanne had phoned Reverend Ayres and he agreed to conduct a service at nine thirty on Saturday, before the first of the weddings booked for that day.
Jeanne phoned Mrs Ozanne with the news and it was arranged that Jeanne would collect her on the way to the Church. Nick, Colette, Rachel, Molly and Peter were also going to attend and when Jeanne mentioned it to Martin he said he’d like to pay his respects too.
‘I knew your grandmother a bit, remember, and we found that poor baby o’ hers. I’d be honoured to be there,’ he’d said gravely. Jeanne was very touched and had to blink away a tear.
