Odile looked up at Darcie. She blinked several times and she placed her other hand over the top of Darcie’s. ‘It was dangerous. Spies. You can’t trust people. They betray you.’
‘Did something happen to Nathalie there?’ asked Darcie, excitement and anxiety vying for pole position.
Odile’s hands began to shake again and tears welled in her eyes, before running down her face.
Paulette took the book away, dropping it onto the carpet. ‘Enough. No more questions.’ She continued in French, clearly agitated and although Darcie couldn’t understand, the message was clear.
Darcie felt Matt’s hand on her shoulder. She wanted to ask Odile more, but she could see how distressing it was for the older woman. ‘I’m sorry for upsetting you,’ she said. ‘It’s just very important to me that I know more about Nathalie Leroux and the dress and her designs.’
Odile was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief and Paulette scowled at Darcie. She turned to Matt and spoke in rapid French, too fast for Darcie to follow.
Elaine came over to Darcie. ‘My mother is very protective of her aunt.’
‘I know and I would be the same. I’m my mother’s carer and I would want to protect her too.’
Elaine relayed the message to Paulette and it seemed to have a calming effect. She blew out a breath and spoke to Matt again.
Matt translated. ‘She understands but doesn’t want to upset Odile. She’s going to speak to her after we leave and will phone me. We might be able to come back tomorrow morning before we leave.’
‘Oh, thank you.Merci, madame,’ said Darcie, grateful the door hadn’t been fully closed on them. ‘It is very kind.’
Elaine smiled. ‘Thank you for understanding.’
‘Can I say goodbye to Odile, please?’
Elaine nodded.
Darcie knelt down in front of Odile and once again held the woman’s hand. ‘Thank you for talking to us,’ she said softly. ‘I hope we can talk again tomorrow.’
Odile looked at her but said nothing, only nodded. Darcie got to her feet and watched as Paulette wheeled Odile away.
As they left the nursing home, Darcie glanced back to where Elaine was standing in the doorway, watching them. They exchanged a small smile. Darcie hoped she’d be able to see Odile again. Their meeting had been so brief and Darcie still had a raft of unanswered questions.
‘What did you make of that?’ she asked Matt as they walked towards the car.
‘Odile definitely knows who Nathalie is, but whether we will get a chance to ask her anything significant, I don’t know. Paulette is very protective.’
‘Something happened at the Ritz though. Something bad. I’ve no idea what or how the dress and sketchbook are connected but we are definitely onto something.’
‘Hopefully, tomorrow we can get some more info from Odile,’ said Matt. ‘And before Paulette says it’s too much.’
‘Yes, I do feel bad pressing Odile with loads of questions. I totally get where Paulette is coming from, but Odile actually remembered Nathalie.’
Instead of going back to Ploërmel town, Matt drove them out to the small village of Malestroit, where they sat in the square next to the church and took a leisurely lunch.
Matt was busy tapping on his phone while Darcie messaged home to check Lena and Chloe were OK. Darcie had been very good at not constantly phoning and messaging, but having seen Odile, her resolve waned.
She got a reply almost straight away from Lena, telling her she was fine and that Chloe was doing an excellent job of looking after her.
Despite the reassurance, Darcie was aware of a certain pang of something she couldn’t quite pinpoint. While she was glad Lena and Chloe were managing fine, it also made her feel dispensable, something she wasn’t at all familiar with.
She messaged Hannah to ask about the shop and again, although relieved that Hannah seemed to be managing the shop just fine without her, it left Darcie with a sense of having no purpose.
She’d spent years being the prime carer, the indispensable one, the one everyone needed and now she had been away for a few days and everyone was managing without her. And it bothered her, more than she realised and more than she cared to admit.
She put her phone back in her bag and realised Matt was watching her from over the top of his sunglasses. ‘Everything OK?’ he asked.
‘Yes. All fine,’ said Darcie. She knew she was brooding and she hated that sense of realisation. ‘Apparently, Mum, Chloe, and Hannah are all just fine and managing perfectly well without me.’ She crossed her legs and her foot jiggled in agitation.
