Rendezvous in Cannes

by Jennifer Bohnet

  Marcus shook his head at her. ‘You had a scoop right on your doorstep, Daisy, and you ignored it. You’re really not cut out for investigative journalism are you?’

  ‘No,’ Daisy said. ‘I don’t think I am. I have to go. See you around, Marcus.’

  CHAPTER 26

  ‘Are you sure you don’t want to go to the ceremony tonight?’ Leo asked as he and Anna relaxed on the loungers by the pool, Sunday papers discarded.

  ‘Quite sure,’ Anna said. ‘Much easier to watch it here on TV. We don’t have to dress up for a start! Rick was glad to have the tickets to give to a client and he’ll be there to represent us if Future Promises should receive an unexpected accolade.’

  ‘Nothing to do then, with having to look at Teddy on stage for an hour?’

  Anna shook her head. ‘No. Talking of Teddy I hope he hasn’t forgotten I want my letter and journal back. We all disappear tomorrow to various parts of the world and I don’t want to lose them – not even to Philippe’s son.’

  ‘You could always ring Verity. Ask her to make sure they’re kept safe until you meet up in England.’

  ‘I think I might do that, if Teddy hasn’t returned them by tomorrow afternoon when we’re supposed to leave. I’d been praying that after he’d read them, he’d find it easier to come to terms with what happened and contact me. But it’s twenty-four hours now and no word.’

  ‘I expect he’s been busy,’ Leo said. ‘Jury duties and all that.’

  ‘Hope that’s all it is,’ Anna said. ‘I have to phone the notaire in the morning and make an appointment. Can we stay another night if he can’t see me to tomorrow?’

  ‘No problem for me,’ Leo said. ‘My next meeting is Friday. But what about Poppy? I expect she’s looking forward to getting the villa back to herself.’

  ‘I’ll ask her later. We can always go to a hotel – there’ll be plenty of empty rooms tomorrow.’ Anna shivered and stood up. ‘I’m going for a shower. The sun’s disappeared and I’m getting cold.’

  Later that evening, as they prepared to watch the Festival’s closing ceremony on TV, Leo said, ‘October tenth is the official start date for the filming of In the Shadow of Mrs Beaton isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, provided everything comes together,’ Anna said.

  ‘So, could we get married in September then?’ Leo asked quietly. ‘September twelfth would be a good day for me.’

  Anna smiled. ‘Maybe the end of September, the twelfth is a bit too close.’

  ‘September twelfth,’ Leo repeated, ‘would I think be perfect.’

  ‘Too soon Leo. It doesn’t give us enough time to organize things,’ Anna said.

  ‘Book the church – I’m hoping here that you want a church wedding and not just a civil ceremony,’ Leo said. ‘Reception in a nearby hotel. Honeymoon, my secret, my job. End of story.’

  Anna laughed. ‘What about invitations, bridesmaids, best man, ushers, cars, photographers, cake, flowers, food, wedding dress, hair, going away outfit, shoes, and that is just off the top of my head. Even for a small wedding there’s lots of behind the scenes stuff to do.’

  ‘Shall we just run away then? A beach wedding in the Caribbean with a couple of witnesses.’

  ‘No, that wouldn’t be us, would it?’ Anna said. ‘I do see us getting married in a traditional way but three months really isn’t very long to prepare for a wedding. For a start your village church may not be available—’

  ‘Oh but it is,’ Leo said, picking an envelope up off the table and pulling out a piece of paper. ‘Eleven o’clock September twelfth. The marriage of Leo Hunter and Anna Carson will take place at St. Mary’s followed by the wedding breakfast at The Woodlands Country Club. The happy couple will depart at five o’clock for a secret destination known only to the bridegroom.’

  Anna stared at him stunned. ‘When did you arrange all this, Leo?’

  ‘I haven’t – totally. These are tentative reservations I made before I came down here knowing I was going to ask you to marry me. Once you’d said yes, I intended picking up the phone and finalizing everything. But,’ he paused. ‘Things, Teddy, got in the way and I knew I couldn’t do it without talking to you first. The options on the church and the country club run out tonight,’ he added quietly. ‘Can I ring and confirm things? I do so want us to be married.’

  ‘Oh Leo, I do love you,’ Anna took a deep breath. ‘September twelfth it is then. But I warn you, there’s a lot of arranging to be done between now and then.’

  ‘We’ll do it together,’ Leo said, a happy smile on his face. ‘It’ll be wonderful, you’ll see,’ and lovingly he pulled her into his arms and held her tight as he kissed her. ‘Right, you’ll have to excuse me. I have some very important phone calls to make.’

  As Leo picked up his mobile and wandered into the kitchen Anna switched on the television. ‘Don’t be too long, it’s about to start,’ she said.

  Anna watched as the opening credits of the programme showed a montage of scenes taken throughout the festival: crowds on the Croisette, stars partying, jesters entertaining the crowds, luxury yachts, famous faces smiling, and then the camera panned around to the paparazzi at the foot of the red carpet for the final time.

  Last evening or not, the stars were still in full-on glamour mode. Beautiful dresses, jewellery sparkling in the flashlights, dazzling smiles were all there, as the audience for the closing ceremony made their way up the steps. The camera followed the last of the stars as they disappeared into the Palais des Festivals and seconds later the picture changed to a view of the auditorium. The compere introduced the jury as one by one, they made their way to their seats at the side of the stage before the ceremony got underway.

  ‘That’s done,’ Leo said, joining Anna in the sitting room and handing her a glass of wine. ‘September twelfth it is. See, I told you organizing a wedding was easy!’

  Anna laughed. ‘Let’s hope arranging the rest is as easy. Oh, look there’s Teddy.’ She fell silent as she watched her son take his place on the stage. ‘You know, the more I see him, the more I recognize Philippe in him,’ she said.

  ‘He has your eyes,’ Leo said. ‘I hope he has your compassion too.’

  Anna sighed. ‘Verity seems to think he will eventually accept things. I just wish I could be so sure. Maybe he’ll be in touch later tonight when all this hu-ha is over.’ She waved her hand in the direction of the TV. ‘Or when the lawyer contacts him next week.’

  ‘What are you going to instruct the lawyer to do at your meeting?’ Leo asked.

  ‘I want the cottage to go straight to Teddy. I think under French law it has to now anyway – heirs take precedence over everybody else when it comes to inheriting property. I was thinking about the boat too. Unless that has to automatically go to Teddy as well, I think I would like it to go to Bruno, as Philippe suggested.’

  ‘That will leave you with nothing of Philippe’s,’ Leo said.

  ‘The only inheritance I want from Philippe is for Teddy to acknowledge me as his mother,’ Anna said, turning away to concentrate on the TV, inwardly hoping that the camera would show more shots of the jury as the various prizes were announced. More than anything she wanted to soak up pictures of her son, store them in her memory, to be able to recall them in the days ahead but the camera resolutely roamed around, never lingering more than five seconds on any face except for the winners.

  ‘Isn’t that Helen the camera is focusing on?’ Leo said. ‘Sitting next to Rick?’

  ‘Yes. Oh, Leo, I can’t believe it. She’s won the Prix d’Interprétation Féminine – how wonderful is that for Future Promises? Best actress.’

  Together they watched as the young actress made her way on to the stage to collect her trophy and make a short acceptance speech in true Oscar winning style.

  ‘I wonder if Teddy knows how deeply you’re involved with Future Promises?’ Leo asked.

  ‘Well he will now,’ Anna said. ‘Helen has just mentioned my name in her thank you speech, bless her.’
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  CHAPTER 27

  Daisy pushed her laptop across the loggia table and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. ‘My time here is done – winner’s name entered and final report sent. Wonder if I’ll ever report on the Festival again?’

  ‘Why not?’ Poppy asked. ‘Lots of freelance opportunities around, I would have thought.’

  ‘Depends on the kind of stuff I write – not sure that lifestyle automatically includes entertainment – and also where I end up spending most time I suppose,’ Daisy added thoughtfully, looking at Poppy.

  ‘Hey, I’ve just remembered you never did tell me what you wanted to talk about yesterday.’

  ‘Nat and me.’

  ‘Ahh. Thought it might be. Finally decided he’s the one, have you?’

  ‘Given the short time we’ve known each other I’m a bit frightened of saying yes, but I think so. I’m still going to give freelancing a try and want to rent the cottage as a base but Nat wants me to go to America with him when he goes. D’you think I should?’ Daisy looked anxiously at her sister.

  ‘Definitely. Grab the opportunity – and Nat – with both hands,’ Poppy replied. ‘Men like him are few and far between. He’s almost as nice as my Dan.’

  ‘That good eh?’

  ‘Listen, any man who can make my little sister as happy as you’ve been recently, gets my vote. You never looked as happy as you do now when you were with Ben.’

  ‘The thing is, and I haven’t actually mentioned this to him yet. How d’you feel about Nat moving into the cottage with me? He needs a base somewhere in Europe and the lease of his flat is up soon. He’ll need to find somewhere to stay before going to the States.’

  ‘Not a problem,’ Poppy said. ‘You’re both welcome to live here.’

  ‘Great,’ Daisy said. ‘Oh I forgot to show you these earlier. Look, Marcus e-mailed me some pictures of Nat and me at the party. The rest have gone direct to Anna and Leo.’

  ‘That’s a good one of you and Nat,’ Poppy said. ‘And this one of you guzzling champagne.’

  ‘I am so not guzzling,’ Daisy protested. ‘When I saw Marcus earlier he tried pumping me for information about Anna. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell him anything,’ this as Poppy looked at her. ‘But the rumours about Teddy Wickham being Philippe Cambone’s son are gaining strength. Be interesting to hear if he goes to the memorial service tomorrow. Right, as I’m on kitchen duty tonight, I’d better make a start. Tom eating with us and staying up to watch the fireworks?’

  ‘Yes. Fête day tomorrow so no school,’ Poppy glanced at Daisy. ‘You sure about staying on for a few days to help me move back into the villa before Dan gets home?’

  ‘So long as we make time to go shopping. Seen some shoes and a bag I covet in one of the shops on the Croisette. Feel the need to treat myself before I start counting the pennies.’

  ‘You’ll need more than pennies if you plan to buy stuff from any boutique on the Croisette,’ Poppy said.

  The cottage door buzzer went. ‘That’ll be Nat,’ Daisy said. ‘I’ll let him in and he can give me a hand with the lasagne, while I tell him the good news about the cottage.’

  Later, after Tom had disappeared indoors to watch a DVD, the three of them sat companionably outside drinking a bottle of wine.

  ‘I can’t believe how quickly the last twelve days have gone,’ Poppy said. ‘I’m glad I was persuaded to rent the villa for the Festival. It’s been fun having Anna around. You too,’ she said glancing across at Daisy. ‘Thanks for your help with everything.

  ‘I’m really looking forward to you both moving in here,’ Poppy continued. ‘It’s going to be great having you around more – in between the two of you jetting off to the States for Nat’s work of course. Any idea when you’ll go for the first time?’

  Nat shook his head. ‘No. Could be in a few weeks or a couple of months. My agent just says be ready – and keep working on the next idea.’

  ‘I hope it’s not too soon actually,’ Daisy said. ‘I want to enjoy us being together – and not being tied to office hours for a bit.’

  As Poppy stood up to clear the table, Anna and Leo appeared at the cottage gate.

  ‘Hi,’ Anna said. ‘Can we join you? We want to share our news and celebrate. Helen won best actress tonight and,’ she smiled at Leo, ‘We’ve set the date for our wedding.’

  ‘Congratulations on both counts,’ Poppy said. ‘Think this calls for champagne. I’ll get a bottle.’

  ‘We’ve brought one over,’ Leo said, holding it out. ‘Just need glasses.’

  ‘Poppy, before I forget, is it possible for us to stay an extra night?’ Anna asked. ‘I have to see a notaire before I leave and it will probably be Tuesday before I can get an appointment.’

  ‘Sure. Dan isn’t due home until the end of the week. And my parents who were in Monaco for the Grand Prix have decided to stay there for a few more days before coming over here.’

  ‘Have you spoken to Helen since she won best actress?’ Daisy asked Anna, as Poppy went to get the glasses.

  ‘No. Rick says she’s in a daze. She’s been whisked off to some large yacht for an interview and intends to party the night away afterwards. I’ll catch up with her tomorrow.’

  ‘So your return to Cannes after all those years has turned out to be a successful one work-wise?’

  Anna nodded. ‘Yes. The Festival has been great for business. On a personal note, it’s a bit mixed,’ she grimaced before turning to Nat. ‘How is Cindy today? No ill effects from the scare she gave us all yesterday?’

  ‘She’s fine. Still refusing to take off her necklace though.’

  Anna smiled. ‘I expect you’ve all heard the rumours about Teddy Wickham being Philippe Cambone’s son?’ Well, they’re true – and I am his mother, which as you’ll realize makes me Cindy’s grandmother.’ Anna paused reflectively before continuing.

  ‘Learning of Cindy’s existence is one of the two good personal things that has come out of Cannes for me,’ Anna said quietly. ‘Meeting Teddy Wickham, my son with Philippe, is the other.’ She took a glass of champagne from Leo. ‘Things are still up in the air but at least certain things are out in the open now. Although it’s going to take weeks, if not months, to finally sort things out.’ She sighed as she watched the fizzing bubbles in her glass.

  ‘Unfortunately Teddy’s not as ecstatic as I am at the news of our relationship but I’m happy finally knowing who he is, what he’s doing. Just knowing my son is alive and well after all the years of silence is, I have to tell you, an indescribable joy.’ Anna smiled looking across at Leo.

  The whoosh of a firework made them all jump and look skywards in time to see red, silver and gold star-bursts explode into the heavens. The display was beginning.

  ‘Right folks, raise your glasses to Helen, star of Future Promises,’ Leo said. ‘And please make a note against September twelfth in your diaries – we expect to see you all in church.’

  CHAPTER 28

  Anna rang the notaire first thing on Monday and was given an appointment for Tuesday morning. ‘At least it means they can start to process the paperwork,’ she said to Leo. ‘They said I’ll probably have to come back at some stage to finalize things but most of it can be done on the computer over the internet.’

  ‘Will they notify Teddy about his inheritance or do you have to?’ Leo asked.

  ‘The notaire will do it all officially,’ Anna said. ‘I must remember to phone Verity before we leave – make sure Teddy has my letter and journal safe. I keep wishing he’d …’ and her voice trailed away.

  ‘There’s still time,’ Leo said. ‘Perhaps he’ll bring them with him to the memorial service.’

  ‘If he comes,’ Anna said. ‘Maybe he’ll decide to boycott the event as he didn’t know Philippe.’

  Cannes was busy dismantling the trappings of the Festival as Anna and Leo made their way later that day towards the hall where the memorial service was being held. Large trucks lined the road outside the Palais des Festivals
as scene shifters went back and forth with forklift trucks loading all the paraphernalia that had been needed to host the Festival.

  The huge billboards erected on shop and hotel facades were being removed, while council workers were loading barriers into lorries. Men shouting, loud bangs as metal and wood hit the pavement, combined with the noise of passing traffic made it impossible to talk, as Anna and Leo dodged around the workmen on the Croissette.

  The hall, when they arrived, was beginning to fill with people intent on paying their respects to a much-loved colleague. Bruno was standing on the steps and greeted them affectionately.

  ‘Anna. I’m so pleased you’re here. I’ve reserved seats for you and Leo at the front.’

  ‘Oh Bruno I’d rather sit at the back,’ Anna protested. ‘Surely the Cambones will be at the front?’

  Bruno shook his head. ‘Only Jacques and his wife. The rest feel that this is very much a tribute from the film industry, which they are not a part of. Ah, here’s Verity,’ Bruno said. ‘Where’s Teddy?’

  ‘He’s gone back for some papers he forgot. Said to tell you if you still want him to do a reading, he’s found a poem he’d be happy to quote from at the end of the service.’

  ‘I am so pleased about that,’ Bruno said. ‘Now, you’ll sit together won’t you?’ and Bruno led them down through the hall. To Anna’s relief the seats, although nearer the front than she would have liked, were to the left and hidden somewhat behind a pillar that offered some privacy. Jacques Cambone was standing to one side and moved forward to kiss Anna’s cheek as he saw her.

  ‘Bonjour Anna. I am glad you are here.’

  With Verity on one side, and Leo on her other, holding her hand reassuringly, Anna tried to focus on the memorial sheet Bruno had handed her but the picture of Philippe that met her gaze almost had her in tears before the ceremony had even started. As Bruno made his way to the small podium at the front to begin the proceedings, there was still no sign of Teddy.