The square with the bandstand and column. Place Nationale?
Stay there. I’ll be with you in fifteen.
29
Over dinner with Joan in one of the restaurants near the ramparts, Leon said, ‘I had a drink with Helena and the others from the retreat last night. First time I’ve met Mandy. She’s very bubbly.’
‘She’s great,’ Joan said, looking at him. ‘Single too.’
Leon shrugged, as he guessed his mother’s unspoken implication. ‘I’m away too much for a serious girlfriend.’
‘You have to settle down sometime,’ Joan said.
Leon shrugged. ‘Maybe, but not yet.’ He pointed to Joan’s neck. ‘I don’t remember seeing that ring before. Is it new? Wasn’t Dad’s, was it? And why is it on a chain, not on your hand?’
Startled, Joan clutched at the ring on the chain that had somehow slipped out from under her top, and hid it away again. ‘No, it’s not new. It’s quite old actually,’ Joan said, flustered. ‘A very good friend gave it to me years ago, but I’ve never really worn it. I found it in the drawer the other day and thought I’d like to wear it for a bit. The reason it’s on a chain is because my fingers seemed to have slimmed down and it’s too big. When I get home, it will go back in the drawer. Now, how are we going to organise surprising Helena tomorrow?’ she asked, changing the subject. She’d been stupid not to anticipate Leon or Helena noticing the ring and asking questions.
‘Sadly, I’ve only managed to wangle a few hours off over the next couple of days, so I’ll meet you at the hotel tomorrow morning at ten o’clock. We’ll walk to Villa Celestia together and surprise Helena; I might have to leave you there. Mandy is going to make sure Helena stays there until we arrive,’ Leon said. ‘And then you and she can see how the day pans out? If there’s anything in particular she wants to do.’
‘Okay. That sounds good. If we go via the market, I can get her a birthday bouquet. I’ve already booked a table for four for dinner tomorrow night. I’ve done some research and I think I’ve found the perfect place to take her and also you as part of your birthday treat.’ Joan shook her head as Leon looked at her questioningly. ‘Secret. But smart clothes will be required.’
‘Who’s the fourth person? Or is that a secret too?’
‘Mandy of course – and before you accuse me of trying to matchmake, she’s Helena’s best friend and they are here together.’
Leon nodded. ‘Fair enough.’ He glanced at his mother. ‘Has Helena been seeing a lot of Teddy recently?’
‘No more than usual, I don’t think. I know they are good friends. Maureen and I’ve been wishing the two of them would get together for years.’ Joan smiled at him as her voice trailed away. ‘Has Teddy said something to you?’
‘No.’ Leon shook his head. ‘It was something Mandy said about them being good friends.’
‘Well, I do hope she is right,’ Joan said. ‘They would be a perfect couple. Now, what about the next day? Is there anything you want to do on your birthday?’
Leon shook his head. ‘Just a nice evening meal with you and Helena. I’m not sure I’m going to be around much in the day. Things on the yacht are more complicated than expected. I’d hoped for more time off.’
Joan smiled. ‘Don’t worry. I’ll see you when you can make it. Seeing you on your birthday will be good. Do you have to be back on board the yacht at any particular time tonight?’
‘No. We can have a stroll around Antibes and I can point out various places of interest to you, seeing as you have never been here before.’
There was a pause in the conversation before Joan surprised not only Leon but herself as well. ‘Actually I have,’ she found herself saying quietly. ‘I was young, though, and the bits I saw this afternoon walking around didn’t ring any memory bells for me, so really it’s like a first visit.’
Leon looked at her surprised. ‘When did you come? Did Dad bring you?’
‘No, it was before I met him,’ and Joan quickly changed the subject, already regretting her words. ‘Any idea of what you would like for a birthday present?’
From the stare he gave her, Leon clearly recognised she was changing the subject but he went along with it. ‘I don’t need anything, Mum, it’s lovely having you here.’
* * *
It was gone ten when Leon walked her back to the hotel and hugged her goodnight, before leaving to return to the yacht. Once up in her room, Joan opened the French doors and stepped out onto the balcony, staring out at the moonlit sea. The night air was soft and calm, but an unexpected shiver ran through her body as a long-ago memory surfaced.
Telling Leon that she had been to Antibes before was one thing, but knowing that out there, unseen in the far-away distance across the huge Mediterranean Sea, was the island of Sicily, was a different thing altogether. An island she had never visited, had no desire to visit, its only significance in her memory was as the place responsible for changing the course of her life.
Joan stepped back into the bedroom. She could feel panic starting to envelope her and took several deep breaths and slowly she felt herself calm down. What had she been thinking of coming back? The past was the past. It had nothing to do with her present. Remember the plan – live in the present. Celebrate her children’s birthdays and then go home. There was no need to talk about the past after all this time. Leon and Helena were both happy and content in their lives, learning about the past would only throw up questions. Questions that were mainly still unanswerable all these years later. Too late now to hope that one day a stranger would come knocking on her door.
Returning to Antibes after all the time that had passed and seeing how it had changed had convinced her it was best to keep the lid on memories and secrets from the past. There was no need to tell the children anything. What they didn’t know couldn’t upset them.
30
