SERIAL A Year In France by Jennifer Bohnet
Maddy had broken her own golden rule – never to get involved with a client!
HOW are you?” Philippe asked, giving Julia a concerned look as she sat on the sofa in the sitting-room. “You look rather pale.”
“I feel a bit shaky, to be honest.”
“Can I get you anything?” “A cup of tea would be nice,” Julia said. “Where did Travis go?”
“I thought it best if he left,” Philippe said.
“Good. I really don’t feel up to seeing him just now,” Julia said, closing her eyes and lying back.
“I’ll get you that tea,” Philippe replied, going through to the kitchen. “You know you can’t keep refusing to talk to him,” he called through.
Julia sighed but didn’t answer. She didn’t need a brother – not even a half brother – at this stage of her life.
But why had Travis Edgar travelled thousands of miles to destroy her world? If he was right, her mother had lied to her all her life. Why had she never told her the truth?
She took the cup of tea Philippe was holding out for her.
“Thanks. I’ll drink this and then I’ll make your cake for tomorrow.”
“You don’t think you’d be better resting?” Philippe asked. “I don’t mind not having a birthday cake.”
“I feel bad enough you having to wait for your gift until we move,” Julia said. “The least I can do is bake you a cake.”
Philippe shook his head. “I know it’s upsetting, but I think you should hear what Travis has to say, look at the research he’s done, and accept the truth, however hard that proves to be.”
“I can’t. Not just like that,” Julia replied. “If it is true, it means my mother lived a lie for the last twenty-six years of her life. That’s what I find hard to believe or accept.”
Philippe was silent for a moment.
“I think in the beginning she probably started out with the best of intentions, trying to protect you.
“Saying that your father was dead would mean you would be sad but would have to accept the fact, and wouldn’t keep pestering her with questions about when he was coming back. Questions that would upset her as much as you.”
“She should have told me when I was older,” Julia insisted. “Treated me like a grown-up.”
“You don’t know that she didn’t intend to,” Philippe said. “If the accident hadn’t happened.” He shrugged. “Didn’t the two of you ever talk about your father?” Julia shook her head. “Not much. Whenever I mentioned his name Mum became upset.”
“Could she have been feeling guilty for not telling you the truth? Maybe feeling she’d simply left it too late to confess her lie?”
Julia was silent before sighing.
“I’ll never know now, will I?”
Philippe insisted she took it easy that evening, and after she’d made his cake – an easy Victoria sponge rather than the elaborate one she’d planned – they sat together on the sofa and watched a film.
Halfway through, he glanced at her.
“You’re not really watching this, are you? Why don’t you go to bed? Even if you can’t sleep straight away, you’ll be resting.”
Upstairs Julia put on her pyjamas and cleaned her teeth. Coming out of the bathroom, a sudden thought struck her.
She went into the spare bedroom and opened the doors on the old armoire. Carefully she pulled out the boxes from the bottom.
They were boxes that she’d packed up with the papers from her mother’s flat. Boxes she’d promised herself she would deal with when they moved, full of personal stuff of her mum’s that she hadn’t been able to bear looking at.
She vaguely remembered holding and looking at one envelope in particular. Made from insubstantial brown paper, it had the word Confidential scrawled across it in her mother’s handwriting.
It was sealed, and she’d turned it over and over in her hands, hesitating to open something so important to her mother and nothing to do with her. The grief then was still too raw and she’d quickly stuffed it away with some other paperwork.
A rummage through the first box she opened failed to unearth the envelope. Pushing the second box containing paper wallets of photos aside, Julia opened the third box.
The envelope was halfway down and her hands trembled as she picked it out.
Gently she pulled at the sealed flap, easing it open before emptying the envelope’s contents on to the floor.
She picked up an officiallooking piece of paper and knew in that instant that Travis had told her the truth. Her father hadn’t died. Her mother had lied to her. This piece of official paper with the words
Decree Absolute across the top confirmed that.
Ten minutes later, when Philippe came upstairs to bed, he found Julia sitting on the floor, arms clasped around her knees and tears streaming down her face.
Maddy, concentrating on reading a manuscript in her room, heard the flat door slam, followed quickly by a knock on her bedroom door.
“Maddy, are you there? Can I talk to you, please?” Dannie said.
“Sure, come on in.” “You’ll never guess what’s happened,” Dannie said, bubbling with excitement. “I’ve been offered a full-time job at the boutique!”
“That’s wonderful!” Maddy exclaimed. “I’m so pleased for you.”
“It means I can start paying my way here and really begin to enjoy my life in London.”
“When does the job start? And what about the coffee shop?” Maddy asked.
“The owner wants me to be fully involved and up to speed with all the new stock that will be coming in for the Christmas party season, so she’s suggested the week after next, which means I can give Guy at the coffee shop a week’s notice. I thought maybe tomorrow night we could go out on the town and celebrate?”
“Oh, Dannie, I’m sorry but I’ve . . .” Maddy stopped, realising she’d been about to say she had a date. “I’m already going out. One of my clients has been invited to some sort of party and has asked me to go with him. Moral support and all that.
“But there’s nothing to stop us celebrating with a take-away and a glass of prosecco tonight, is there?” she added. “I’ll order it right now. Chinese?”
An hour later, they tucked into their food.
“Does Jason know about your promotion?” Maddy asked.
Dannie sighed.
“I sent him a text but he hasn’t replied yet. I’m hoping he’ll finally accept that I meant what I said about staying down here and that the most we’ll ever be is friends.”
“Is he still pressing you to change your mind?”
“Yes. Every time we speak or text, which isn’t that often since the night he turned up here.”
Just then Dannie’s phone gave a beep and she glanced at the caller ID.
“Speak of the devil! Do you mind if I read it?” Maddy shook her head. “Go ahead.” She watched the expression on Dannie’s face carefully as she read the message.
“Me going full time at the boutique is apparently the final straw,” Dannie said, looking up from the screen. “He’s not prepared to wait any longer for me to come to my senses. He’s booked a single ticket home for next weekend and I’m not to expect a warm welcome from him when I eventually go home because my new
“At least you can get on with your life now”
life has fallen apart.”
“Not a good-luck message, then?” Maddy observed with heavy sarcasm. “At least you can get on with your life now.”
Dannie nodded and picked up her glass.
“To new beginnings.”
Getting ready to meet Luc the following day, Maddy found herself still thinking about Dannie. She’d been very quiet after Jason’s text.
“Why couldn’t he have wished me all the best like I did him?” she’d said sadly.
Maddy had refrained from saying anything. Instead she’d shrugged and offered Dannie some more spring rolls, and in an effort to get her thinking about something else, she’d started talking about the party Luc was taking her to.
“I’ve no idea what to wear,” she’d said. “Luc just said it’s informal and to wear whatever I like. I was thinking my best jeans tucked into my pink cowboy boots and a sparkly sweater. As my resident fashion expert, what do you think?”
Dannie had stood up. “Can I take a look in your wardrobe?”
Half an hour later, she’d vetoed the pink cowboy boots, but given the thumbs-up to the knee-high black ones to go with the jeans. The sparkly sweater had been
replaced with Maddy’s favourite black sweater livened up with a scarf tied artistically, and she was to wear her pale cream leather biker-style coat.
By the time Dannie had pronounced herself satisfied with Maddy’s outfit, she was humming happily to herself.
Now, sitting on the Tube with Luc on Saturday night as it made its way across town towards Edgware, Maddy hoped she’d worn the right outfit and that she’d fit in with Luc’s friends, whoever they were.
“Will there be many people at this do?”
“About fifteen, I think, including us,” Luc said. “My sister’s house would burst at the seams with more.”
“It’s at your sister’s?” Maddy said, surprised. “I thought it was friends from work, not family. I wish you’d told me.”
Luc glanced at her. “Not a problem, is it, meeting my sister?”
“No,” Maddy replied, wondering why he needed a plus one to go to his sister’s party. Surely he didn’t need the moral support.
Did Luc introducing her to his sister mean anything? Or had he invited her so his sister could check her out? Give her approval or otherwise?
“I think the two of you will get on,” Luc said.
Maddy’s heart sank at his words. In her experience, when somebody thought two people would like each other, it usually ended in disaster.
But before she could say anything Luc got to his feet as the train drew in at a station. He held out his hand.
“Come on. This is our stop.”
Five minutes later they were walking up the front path of a terraced house with lights shining from every window and the sound of music filling the evening air.
Luc didn’t bother to knock. He simply opened the door and ushered Maddy in, calling out “Tahilha” as he did so.
From the little Luc had told her about his sister, Maddy had no idea what to expect. Would she be as unusual as her name suggested? Would she be friendly?
“Luc, you made it!” If the girl greeting Luc with a hug was Tahilha, she certainly lived up to her exotic name in her velvet bohemian dress, with long blonde hair framing her face.
Maddy gave her a nervous smile.
“Don’t let her looks deceive you,” Luc said as he introduced them. “She’s not as soft as she looks tonight. She wears a power suit with attitude in her day job in the city.”
Tahilha punched Luc on the arm.
“Shut up, you.” She turned to Maddy. “Hi, it’s nice to meet a girlfriend of Luc’s. They’re usually mythical creatures kept far away from the family for some reason! You must be special,” she said, regarding Maddy with interest. “Luc says you’re a literary agent. You should sign him up. He’s always writing something.”
“I have,” Maddy said, wondering about the bit about being Luc’s girlfriend.
“And there was me thinking you were his girlfriend, not just someone he works with.” Tahilha sighed.
“Well, for once, you’re wrong,” Luc said, placing his arm around Maddy’s shoulders. “Maddy is my literary agent, but I’m working on the girlfriend bit. Just don’t scare her off or tell the parents yet, OK?”
“Right,” Tahilha said slowly, giving her brother a long look. “Food and stuff is in the kitchen. Go and help yourself while Maddy and I have a chat.” Turning back to Maddy, she said, “Let’s put your coat in the bedroom.”
Luc groaned. “Don’t believe a word she tells you. It’ll all be lies.”
Maddy gave Luc a smile as she followed Tahilha. She couldn’t wait to hear what secrets Tahilha had to tell her about her brother.
Julia got up on the day of Philippe’s birthday determined that there should be some sort of celebration for him, although he insisted he wasn’t bothered.
“I was planning to work most of the day, especially as I’m taking time off for the move soon.”
“Cake and champagne about four o’clock, then, with Christiane and Thierry?” Julia asked.
“Sounds perfect,” Philippe said. “Are you sure you’re all right? Don’t overdo things today. And don’t spend the morning over-thinking things. See you at lunchtime.”
Julia promised she wouldn’t do too much and watched him disappear into his study.
Trying to stop thinking about the envelope she’d found was impossible, though.
It wasn’t just the shock of finding the decree absolute, it was the thought of all the other papers the boxes held.
Could she cope with going through them? Were they hiding more secrets that would tear her apart?
She stifled a sigh. She’d thought she and her mother were so close. Now she was almost numb with pain over the fact that her mother had lied to her.
Maybe she should treat the boxes as though they held lost papers belonging to a stranger. Papers that had nothing to do with her, but belonged to the stranger her mother had turned into.
She’d have to learn to live with the fact that her mother had lied to her, because there was no-one around to tell her the truth about what had happened in the past.
At that thought, Travis flashed into her mind.
How much did he know, if anything, about their father’s brief life with her mother? Maybe there was some memorabilia about him that her mother had kept in the boxes.
Julia sighed. She knew so little about her father. Travis would at least be able to tell her what he was like as a person. Not that there was any real point in learning about him now . . .
Then it struck her. She didn’t have to look in the boxes. She could throw them away unopened, or even burn them in the large fireplace at the new house. That way, what she didn’t know about couldn’t upset her.
Grabbing a black bin bag, she went upstairs. Packing up to move meant there was a lot of stuff being binned. She’d just add one more bag of rubbish to the pile on the landing for Philippe to throw away.
Christiane and Thierry arrived for the birthday tea before Philippe emerged from his study.
“I’ll fetch him,” Thierry offered.
Christiane looked at Julia as Thierry left them in the kitchen.
“How are you today? You gave Philippe a fright yesterday.”
“I had a shock, that’s all,” Julia said. “I’m fine today. Honestly, Christiane. I was a bit groggy when I woke up first thing, but that’s probably because I’m tired with all the packing for the move on top of everything else. Once we’re settled into the new house things will get back to normal.”
“Well, if you’re sure that’s all it is . . .” Christiane said, giving her a concerned look.
Julia sighed. Philippe had clearly been talking to her.
Before she could reply, Christiane spoke again.
“I do realise how difficult this is for you, my dear. Learning unpalatable secrets about a loved one’s past must be hard, but perhaps talking to this Travis would help you to come to terms with things.”
Julia looked at her silently.
“I can’t take the risk that he has even more upsetting things to tell me,” she said eventually.
“I don’t think whatever else he has to say can upset you any more than the news about your mother already has,” Christiane said gently. “I’m sure anything else
he has to tell you will be quite tame after that bombshell.”
Maddy pressed the key on her computer for Skype to ring Julia and sat back. She was looking forward to this video call and was hoping Julia would have the time to sit and talk. It was ages since they’d had a proper chat.
The ringing buzz sounded for over a minute and Maddy was about to click the off button when Julia answered.
“Hi. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me,” Maddy joked.
“Sorry. I was in the bathroom,” Julia said. “I think I’ve picked up a tummy bug, which is the last thing I need this week with moving and everything else that’s going on.”
“You do look a bit pale,” Maddy said, concerned.
Pale was an understatement. She’d never seen Julia look quite so rough. Not that she was going to tell her that.
“Any chance of you going to bed and sleeping it off?” she suggested.
“Not this week; it’s moving day tomorrow. Anyway, how are things with you? Any urgent news I should know about?”
“Things are good here. Nothing important for you to worry about until next month, when we’ll start some publicity for Luc.”
“No problem. How’s Dannie?”
Maddy told Julia about the latest developments in Dannie’s life, wishing Julia had asked how Luc was instead. She had lots to tell her about him.
“I did break one of my golden rules at the weekend,” Maddy said, taking a deep breath. “You know the one about not mixing with clients?”
“I bet that was with Luc,” Julia said, a smile on her face. “What happened?”
“I went to a party with him and met his sister.”
“He’s introducing you to his family already? Is she nice?”
“Very. She’s got some sort of high-flying job in the city. She interrogated me in the nicest possible way and told me lots about Luc.”
“Such as?” Julia asked, intrigued.
“They both grew up in the country. He hates spiders. He loves dogs and is desperate to have one again. I’m the first girlfriend he’s had that he’s introduced to her, so she thinks . . .” Maddy took a deep breath, frightened to put it into words. “She thinks that he thinks I’m special.”
“Do you feel the same?” Julia said, knowing how much Maddy had longed to find someone special herself.
Maddy nodded.
“I know it’s early days, but I like him so much it scares me. What if –”
“No what ifs,” Julia said. “Just take it slowly. Like I did with Philippe.”
Maddy burst out laughing.
“If that was taking things slowly, then I’m a lost cause.”
Julia grinned.
“At least you’re both in London. No long-distance relationship for you.” “That’s true.”
“I nearly forgot. Have you planned anything for Christmas?” Julia asked.
“It’s still weeks away,” Maddy said. “I haven’t thought about it. Why?”
“I’d love you to come here, that’s why. But you’ll need to book a flight soon. You can bring Luc if you want and I can check him out. Ugh, I’m going to be sick again. Gotta go.”
Julia pressed the disconnect button.
Maddy sat for a while, thinking. The idea of spending time with Julia in France definitely appealed.
Thoughtfully she typed a message to Julia.
Sorry you’re not well. Feel better soon. Will think about Christmas.
Moving day dawned bright and clear. Christiane arrived early to collect Tess to keep the dog out of the way of vans and strange people.
“I’ll see you both at the new house about one o’clock,” she said as Tess jumped into her car. “Everything should have arrived by then. I’ll bring lunch.”
“Thanks,” Julia said, picking up her car keys.
She and Philippe had decided the best plan was for Philippe to supervise the loading of their stuff and she would go over and wait at the new house, ready to tell the removal men where to put everything.
It also meant she would be there to receive the table and desk she’d bought at the auction when it was delivered. With luck she’d be able to give the desk a bit of a polish before Philippe arrived.
“You sure you’re OK today?” Philippe asked. “Not still feeling sick?”
“Much better today,” Julia assured him. “I think it must have been a fortyeight-hour bug.” She reached up and kissed his cheek.
“See you soon. Hopefully your birthday present will be in situ to greet you.”
Julia hummed happily to herself as she drove to the new house. She had so many ideas for turning it into a proper home. She couldn’t wait to get started.
After parking the car by the front door, she unloaded the few boxes of kitchen stuff that she’d put in the boot, leaving them on the doorstep before driving the car down the side of the house to make space for the delivery lorries. Then she carried the boxes indoors.
The van with Philippe’s desk and the kitchen table was due around half-past nine according to the confirmation e-mail she’d received, so could arrive any time now.
Scrabbling in the box she’d put all the cleaning things in, she found the packet of antiseptic wet wipes, the polish and a duster, which she took upstairs to Philippe’s new study, ready to begin immediately once the desk was in place.
The master bedroom was opposite and she wandered in and stood in front of the window overlooking the drive and the front lawn, deep in thought.
Tomorrow morning she and Philippe would wake up in this room for the first time and their new daily life routines would begin. It would be good to be settled and secure in their own home.
Thoughtfully she fingered the pendant around her neck. If only her mum were still here. She’d loved her so much and the dull ache of missing her was rarely far away.
All this business with Travis Edgar had brought home to her just how big a space in her life her mother had left.
There had been so many times recently she’d longed to talk to her; to ask questions that only she knew the answer to. But it was all wishful thinking on her part.
If only Travis had never turned up. If only she’d never found the decree absolute.
A deep sigh escaped her lips. Life was how it was. She was lucky, really. So many good things had happened to her since she’d met Philippe. There was no way she was going to allow anything from the past to cast a shadow on their future.
A van turned into the drive and tooted. The desk and the table had arrived.
Half an hour later, the table was in the kitchen looking as if it had always been there and Julia went upstairs to start giving the desk some attention.
Cleaned up, the desk was in better condition than she’d realised from its previous grubby state.
The scratched and damaged leather inlay showed the most wear, but Philippe’s computer would hide the worst of it.
As she began to polish, a deep mahogany colour started to shine through the wood.
An hour later, Julia tiredly pushed herself up off the floor and stood back to look at the result of her hard work. She smiled happily and congratulated herself on a job well done.
She picked up the
cleaning debris, then closed the study door and made her way downstairs.
She was throwing the rubbish in the bin as she heard the removal lorry turning into the drive. Perfect timing.
When Philippe arrived a quarter of an hour later, the men were manoeuvring the sitting-room furniture in through the door.
“Come with me,” Julia said, catching hold of his hand. “Your birthday present is upstairs.”
Outside the study door, she turned to him.
“Close your eyes.” Then she opened the door.
“Happy birthday. I hope you like it.” Anxiously she waited for his reaction.
Philippe walked slowly into the room and stretched out a hand to stroke the top of the desk.
“It’s beautiful.”
Julia breathed a sigh of relief.
“I’ve given it a clean and a bit of a polish, but it will need more. The leather inlay will have to be replaced.”
“It’s the best birthday present,” Philippe said, turning to her and giving her a hug. “Thank you. My computer is in the car. I’ll go and get it with the rest of the stuff from my study.”
“Christiane should be here soon with lunch and coffee for the men,” Julia said. “I’ll just go and reassure them that they’ll get a drink soon.”
It was mid-afternoon before the removal men left and the sorting out of the house could begin in earnest.
Julia left Christiane unpacking boxes in the sitting-room and went upstairs to find duvets and sheets to make up the bed ready to collapse into that evening.
Philippe was in his new study busy sorting out a tangled mess of computer wires. He called out as he heard her on the landing.
“I put that black bag with your mum’s boxes in the small bedroom, by the way. It almost got thrown away with the rubbish.”
Shocked, Julia stood still. She’d assumed that Philippe would realise that anything in a black bag was to be discarded.
“I wanted them thrown away,” she said.
There was a short silence before Philippe came out on to the landing and looked at her curiously.
“You can’t be serious about throwing them away without at least checking the contents?”
“That’s what I planned to do,” Julia said defiantly. “I decided I didn’t need to know about whatever else is in the boxes. The decree absolute was enough.” Philippe sighed.
“You could live to regret that decision. I know it’s hard for you, but you should go through the boxes and then talk to Travis.
“He is the only blood relative you have, after all. I think you’d like him if you’d only talk to him. I do,” he added hesitantly. “You’ve talked to him?” “We’ve had a brief conversation. He’s got a box of papers from your father that could perhaps answer some of the questions that your mother’s boxes raise.
“Why don’t you ring him and suggest you go through the boxes together?” He looked at her intently as he took her gently in his arms. “Then we can put the whole episode behind us and get on with our lives.”
Standing there secure in her husband’s arms, Julia felt the urge to fight leave her. Why was she really refusing to talk to Travis?
She knew her mother had loved her unreservedly and nobody could take that away from her, or erase the wonderful memories she had of her childhood. She took a deep breath. “OK. I’ll phone Travis later and invite him for lunch and together we’ll go through the boxes. But right now,” she said, moving out of Philippe’s arms, “I’m going to be sick again.”
Julia made a dash for the bathroom, leaving Philippe standing there with a worried look on his face.
To be concluded.