Lydia watched her briefly but when Daisy looked out across the sea, Lydia followed her gaze. ‘It really is wonderful. I love travelling and always enjoyed working abroad, but I’m never happier than when I’m sitting on one of the beaches on this island.’
‘I can see why,’ Daisy said.
They sat in companionable silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Daisy couldn’t help wondering what it must have been like to be in a love affair that encompassed your entire world. Poor Lydia, to have suffered so cruelly at the hands of the one man you loved so much that you still felt the pain keenly sixty years later.
The tide slowly worked its way towards them until Daisy, lost in thought, gasped as the cold, salty froth of the sea licked against her toes.
‘Gosh, I was dozing off then,’ Lydia said, smiling at her. ‘This is almost too relaxing.’
‘I enjoyed this evening,’ Daisy said.
‘So did I,’ Lydia said. She didn’t speak for a few minutes before continuing. ‘I don’t want you and Gabriel to fall out over Bella. You seem to click together so beautifully.’
Daisy didn’t want to offend Lydia, but felt she had to be honest enough to let her know that sorting out their issues probably wouldn’t be as easy as she hoped. ‘I’ve had a lot of emotional stuff to deal with these past two years,’ she confided. ‘I’m not ready to open myself up formore heartache.’
Lydia nodded. ‘I understand. Although, surely being friends with each other won’t lead to difficulties? He’ll need your support, I’m sure.’
Daisy didn’t like to argue, so nodded, even though she didn’t agree with what Lydia was proposing.
7
DAISY
Two days later, Lydia sent one of the waitresses through to Daisy’s room with a note asking her to meet up in reception in ten minutes. Grumbling to herself, Daisy stood up from her bed where she’d been dozing and cleaned her teeth, brushed her hair, and changed into a pair of shorts and a fresh T-shirt. When she arrived downstairs, she was concerned to see the usually calm lady in a bit of a flux.
‘What’s the matter?’ she whispered, hoping there hadn’t been any bad news.
Lydia sighed. ‘Gabriel is working with the volunteer group at Noirmont on one of the bunkers and texted me to say he’d heard that an important letter he’s been expecting has been sent here for him. I promised to deliver it to him, but forgot I’d planned a meeting with some tourism executives this afternoon. Can you drive?’
Confused by the change in topic, Daisy said, ‘Yes, but I don’t have a car.’
Lydia held up a set of keys. ‘These are for a hotel car, which your contract means you’re insured on. Are you OK to drop it off for him?’
She nodded. Lydia motioned for Fi. ‘Pass me that large envelope over there will you, dear?’
Fi winked surreptitiously at Daisy as she turned, then picked up the envelope and handed it to Lydia.
‘Please take this as soon as you can to Noirmont.’ She frowned. ‘Do you know where that is?’
‘Sorry, no,’ Daisy said with relief. Somebody else would have to go. She wasn’t in the mood to take anything to Gabriel. They hadn’t seen each other to talk to for days and she was quite happy with leaving things as they were.
‘Fi, pass me a map please.’ Lydia pointed at the pile of maps kept at the back of the desk for tourists.
Damn, thought Daisy; she should have known Lydia wouldn’t just accept her answer. She followed Lydia to the reception desk and watched as Fi unfolded a leaflet. Lydia pointed to a place on the west of the island. ‘This is where we are, and here—’ she manoeuvred her finger around the map, tracing a route along winding roads before ending on a section where small boxes depicting the cluster bunkers where Gabriel was likely working were printed ‘—is where you’ll find Noirmont. Drive to the end where they’ve parked their cars and you’ll soon find him, I’m sure. Just ask anyone there, they’ll know him.’
She handed the envelope and keys to Daisy. ‘The car is parked at the back of the hotel. If you have any problems, just give Fi a call on the main line.’ She smiled at Daisy. ‘Thank you for doing this for me, dear.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Sorry, I’m going to have to dash.’
Fi giggled and turned her back on Daisy when the phone rang. ‘Don’t look so bloody miserable; I’d much rather you work my shift and let me go and pay a visit to Mr Gorgeous.’
Left with little choice, Daisy took the keys and envelope and went through the hotel to where the little, battered run-around car was kept.
The drive through the tree-shaded lanes was fun. So much fun in fact, that she took the wrong route twice, the first time going down a long windy hill ending up facing St Aubin’s beach, and the second time she went right down a wooded hill to Ouaisne Bay. The third time the road tookher to the open headland where massive concrete bunkers lay all around, a network of relics from the Nazi occupation that fascinated Gabriel so much.
She parked and got out, locking the car as she surveyed the open area and tried to work out where he could be. She tucked the envelope under her arm and putting her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun, tried to find him.
So many people walking around, she noted. Families stopped to pose for photographs, locals were walking their dogs, and children ran around screaming with excitement. It was difficult to imagine that only seventy years before this had been a place of strict regime instilling fear into the locals still living on the island.
She heard his laugh first. The sound made her stomach contract and her heart pound. She hadn’t heard him laugh like that since they were in Vietnam. Hearing this sound made her spin round to face his direction, dropping the envelope and cursing when she went to pick it up and the wind blew it away from her. ‘Crap!’ she cried, running after it, trying to stamp on it only for it to fly off out of her reach.
