I took my suitcase from the top of the wardrobe and began packing away the few clothes I had.
I hated doing this. I hated the thought of running away from Thomas, but once Odile was safe, I’d get a message to him. I looked at the pen and paper on the dressing table and quickly scribbled a note to Thomas.
My darling Thomas,
Forgive me for …
I got no further when there was a knock at the door and in came Geraldine.
‘Oh, Nathalie, I’ve brought you …’ She stopped mid-sentence, the small glass of sherry in her hand. She took in my suitcase, the letter on the dressing table and the pen in my hand.
Her eyes filled with hurt. I went to speak, but she cut me off. ‘You know, Thomas will be heartbroken,’ she stated.
I looked down, not wanting her to see my shame. ‘I don’t want to hurt him,’ I said.
‘But you’re running away,’ she continued. ‘You know he loves you dearly. He’s not said as much, but as a mother, I can tell. It’s written all over his face. Whatever you’re doing, Nathalie, and for whatever reasons, he doesn’t deserve to come home to that.’ She pointed at the letter.
I looked up at her. ‘I can’t tell you what’s happening, but I promise you, I’ll be back.’
‘And it can’t even wait until this evening when he telephones?’
I shook my head. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘I am, too,’ she said with such disappointment and sadness in her voice, I wanted to cry.
I put the pen down and closed the lid of my suitcase. Taking my coat from the wardrobe, I picked up my luggage and moved around Geraldine, leaving the room.
As I reached the front door, I looked back up at Geraldine on the half landing. I wanted to say I was sorry. I wanted to explain, but I couldn’t. I needed to protect her. Instead, I simply said, ‘Please tell Thomas I love him very much.’
Chapter 40
Darcie
Odile took a deep breath as if settling herself. She had been gripping on to the book all the time she recounted what had happened.
‘Can I get you a glass of water?’ asked Darcie, exchanging a concerned look with Matt. Much as she wanted to find out the truth, she wasn’t prepared to risk Odile’s well-being– that would make her no better than Padgett.
‘A coffee,’ replied Odile. ‘I’d like another coffee.’
Matt obliged and soon a fresh cup was in Odile’s hands, Darcie having moved the sketchbook to one side.
‘Is there anything else I can get for you?’ she asked.
Odile shook her head. ‘No. I want to tell you what happened, while I still have it in my mind. At my age, the mind can be a tricky thing. It pretends it can remember things and then, poof! They’re gone.’
‘If you’re sure,’ said Darcie.
‘Alors, I had been at Bignor Manor for several weeks,’ began Odile, refreshed after her coffee. ‘I very much enjoyed being there. The Bertrams were so welcoming, and I adored their children. All my life I had been the youngest in the family, the one everyone looked after and cared for, which was lovely, but the Bertrams gave me something I’d never experienced before. They gave me responsibility. They trusted me with their children and I became something of an older sister to them. It helped me recover.’
‘That’s good to hear,’ said Darcie softly. ‘Caring for someone may be hard work, but it’s very rewarding.’ She felt Matt’s gaze on her and knew he realised she was referring to her own situation.
‘I had been there for a few weeks, as I said. Nathalie telephoned me every Sunday and I was looking forward to seeing her the following weekend,’ continued Odile. ‘So it was something of a surprise when she turned up unexpectedly one afternoon. I was helping Mrs Bertram prepare the tea when there was a knock at the door and there was Nathalie. I could tell straight away something was wrong. I had seen that expression on her face before, even though she was trying to hide it.’
Odile placed her cup on the side table next to her and took a handkerchief from her pocket. She dabbed at her eyes and wiped her nose, her hands a little shaky. ‘I sometimes look back and can’t really believe what happened next.’
Darcie shifted to the edge of her seat. The tension in the room filled every corner, squeezing them as if the walls were being drawn in all around them. She could barely breathe.
‘Nathalie! Oh, Nathalie, how lovely to see you.’ Odile threw herself at her cousin, hugging her tightly, before kissing her on each side of the cheek twice. ‘This is such a surprise.’
