‘Is it true?’ was all she asked. And when he nodded she gave a small smile.
Ashley stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead. ‘We can talk about this later. Now, please… the best thing you can do to help is to stay here where we know you’re safe. OK?’
‘OK,’ Molly said, though the reluctance in her voice was obvious.
‘Come on,’ Ashley said, turning to Haydon now. ‘Let’s get across to your place and check it over.’
She cast a glance at the sky and Haydon understood what she was thinking because he’d been thinking it too. It was still bright, but the sun was slipping down towards the horizon and they had perhaps an hour before dark. Hopefully they’d find Ella sulking in her bedroom at the villa and all would be well. But if it came to scouring the surrounding countryside for her, he didn’t fancy their chances – or hers. This wasn’t an alien planet, but for all Ella knew about the countryside of Southern France it might as well have been. Then again, that probably went for all of them. Undoubtedly the rest of the party guests would have to get involved if it got to that point and the idea of things escalating even further didn’t bear thinking about. So he tried not to and instead he faced forward as they stepped out onto the path and headed for Bastide de la Mer.
* * *
Haydon continued to try Ella’s phone as they walked, but there was no reply. Either she didn’t want to talk to him or there was another, more worrying explanation for the phone silence. It didn’t matter what the reason was, the lack of contact was ramping up his stress levels exponentially with every second that passed.
‘I’m sorry,’ Ashley kept saying, and though he reassured her every time that he didn’t blame her, a small part of him did. It wasn’t something he would have admitted and it wasn’t a feeling he welcomed, but he was angry. Not about Molly, but about the fact that Ashley had kept it from him for so long. He could understand why, but if she’d come clean earlier it might have happened in a less dramatic fashion and they might not be faced with this mess now.
At the house a quick search revealed it to be empty. It didn’t look as if Ella had been back there at all. So where was she?
‘I’ll call my mum,’ Ashley said. ‘See if they’ve found her.’
It was pointless and they both knew it. If Sue had found Ella she would have called them already to tell them so. But he let Ashley make the call anyway because he didn’t know what else to do and doing something was better than doing nothing. So he listened, feeling increasingly helpless and anxious as she spoke to her mum. It was obvious from the half of the brief conversation he could hear that Sue and Maurice hadn’t found any sign of Ella either.
Having confirmed his suspicions, Haydon tried Ella’s phone again but now it went straight to voicemail. He could only assume she’d switched it off, not wanting to talk to him. Perhaps she thought that he might persuade her to come back to the villa – if that was the case then she was throwing one hell of a sulk, the likes of which he’d never known her to have. But then she’d never found out that she wasn’t his only child before. As revelations went, it was kind of a biggie.
It was tempting to try Janine to see if Ella had called her mother again since he’d last spoken to her and given a clue of her whereabouts, but doing that would mean admitting to Janine that he’d lost Ella. She’d already threatened to jump on a plane to take Ella home – if this incident came to light Haydon was quite sure that Janine would see him in court to stop him having any access at all.
As he rubbed a hand through his hair and gazed out over fields that were rapidly fading into twilight, a feeling of increasing helplessness washed over him. He couldn’t help but reflect ruefully that the events leading to this moment had been set in motion on a sultry night in Ibiza after one too many sangrias. Ashley could tell him that she wouldn’t have changed a thing but he wondered whether a little sobriety that night might have meant they weren’t in this mess right now.
‘What shall we do?’ Ashley asked, breaking into his thoughts. He looked at her, his frustration tinged with guilt. She’d suffered too. ‘She’ll be OK,’ Ashley added. ‘She won’t have got far and there’s no real danger hereabouts. She’s probably having a cry under a tree somewhere.’
Haydon nodded, but he wished he could feel encouragement from Ashley’s words. He didn’t really think Ashley believed them herself, though she was trying to be brave and optimistic.
‘Is it worth rechecking Madame Dupont’s house?’ he asked.
‘I’ll ask Nanette to do it,’ Ashley said, dialling the number.
‘We might have to tell people what’s going on so we can organise the other guests into a search party,’ Haydon continued. ‘We didn’t really want to involve every Tom, Dick and Harry in this but the alternative is to have Ella missing after dark and I don’t fancy that.’
‘Sure,’ Ashley said as she waited for Nanette to pick up. ‘I understand.’ After a moment she ended the call. ‘Nanette’s not answering. I could ask Molly to look. She wanted to help, after all.’
‘OK.’
But Ashley’s call to Molly went unanswered too.
‘For God’s sake,’ she muttered as she locked her phone.
‘Do you have a number for Bastien?’ Haydon asked.
Ashley shook her head. ‘Never imagined I’d need one. What now?’
‘We’ll have to walk back. I’m hoping that Ella’s got over whatever tantrum she’s having and has had the sense to head back there if she’s not here at our house. And if she’s not there then…’
‘The police?’ Ashley asked.
‘Let’s see what the rest of Maurice’s family have to say about it. We’re out in the middle of nowhere and I don’t imagine the police will be here quick. We might find her faster ourselves if we all pitch in.’
They started to stride in the direction of the Dupont home. Ashley had to jog to keep up but Haydon didn’t dare slow down for her. With every minute that Ella was missing his sense of panic rose and he just wanted to find her, to explain everything, to tell her that no matter what he was still her dad. He didn’t dare imagine what was going through her mind right now but the guilt was crushing. She was never going to be second best, but she must have felt like it, and the revelation couldn’t have come at a worse moment – just when she was already feeling vulnerable and inferior to Molly, this had happened to reinforce her fears.
As they got through the gates of Madame Dupont’s home they were greeted with sombre faces and a distinct lack of a party. Someone had spilled the beans already, perhaps, but maybe that was to be expected in the circumstances. Perhaps it didn’t matter because if they didn’t find Ella soon they were going to need all the help they could get and that would mean coming clean anyway.
‘No Ella?’ Ashley asked Nanette.
‘No.’
‘What about Maurice and my mum? Are they back?’
‘They’re still looking. They’re on their way to the beach.’
‘I don’t honestly think Ella has got that far already,’ Haydon said. ‘It’s a fair walk.’
‘We must look everywhere,’ Nanette said. ‘My cousins are going to try the vineyards and farms nearby. Aunt Violette will telephone everyone she knows to look.’
Haydon glanced at Ashley. Was that really necessary? But then he thought about how desperately he wanted Ella back and quickly decided it didn’t matter any more who knew.
‘I’m going to have a word with Molly,’ Ashley said. ‘Find out exactly what happened. It may help give us a clue.’
‘There is another problem,’ Nanette said, twisting her skirt in between a thumb and forefinger. ‘Molly and Bastien have gone too.’
Chapter 19
‘Christ, I told her to stay put!’ Ashley cried. ‘Sorry,’ she added, seeing that her reaction had distressed Nanette. ‘How long has she been missing?’
‘I do not know,’ Nanette said. ‘I have only just realised because we wanted to ask her and Bastien what happened to make Ella s
o upset.’
‘Then how do you know about…’ Haydon began, but Ashley gave a wry smile.
‘Maurice told you?’ she asked Nanette, who nodded.
‘Does that mean we have to look for them too?’ Haydon asked. Ashley was sure it wasn’t meant as heartlessly as it sounded. Ella was out on her own and Molly was with Bastien – not to mention that she was also two years older. Haydon wouldn’t have wanted to say it, but Ella had to be their priority.
‘They’ll be out looking for Ella like us,’ she said. ‘Chances are we’ll find them together. It explains why she didn’t answer her phone when I called earlier.’
‘Does it?’
‘She knew I would have told her to get back here if I’d managed to get hold of her.’
While Aunt Violette continued to phone everyone she knew, Ashley, Nanette and Haydon organised the search parties into groups and between them everyone decided what ground they should cover. There was only really Violette who knew the countryside well and she was too old to go out, but she’d given a good indication of the places where she thought Ella could be hiding, so everyone took responsibility for one and headed out.
Ashley tried to phone Molly once more and, getting no answer yet again, was finding it difficult to keep her irritation in check. She should have known Molly wouldn’t have been content with leaving the search to everyone else but now Ashley had even more to worry about. She couldn’t say it to Haydon, who was clearly out of his mind with worry over Ella, but she was concerned for Molly too. Molly might have been with Bastien and she might have been older, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get into trouble. The wrong set of rocks at the beach, a creaky old barn with a paper-thin roof, the gathering darkness, a less than friendly stranger… the possibilities were endless and Ashley tried not to think of them. She should have let Molly come with her and Haydon when they went to check out Haydon’s place but she tried not to dwell on that either. She seemed to be an expert at making mistakes these days.
* * *
The sun was almost gone but at least it was still light as they headed out again. After a brief chat with Maurice to find out where he’d already covered with Ashley’s mum, she and Haydon headed for the old town. Haydon had suggested going in his car to get there faster but Ashley had pointed out that if Ella was on the road somewhere on the way, speeding past in their car wasn’t going to be very helpful, not to mention how much they’d both had to drink, so they’d decided against it. One party was searching the nearby farms and fields, one was on the way to the old town and two had decided to cover the long harbour – one at end each.
It certainly wasn’t the centenary celebration anyone had envisaged for the marvellous Violette Dupont, and for that Ashley was truly sorry, but she was also grateful for the help all her guests had been only too happy to offer. Violette was going to call the police now that she’d finished checking with people she knew, though nobody was sure how long someone had to be missing for it to be considered a matter for the police and so nobody was sure how much help that would be. Meanwhile Maurice and Sue had now taken to knocking on doors to see if they could check out local outbuildings, though none of these strategies filled Ashley with hope.
She glanced at Haydon as he strode beside her, muscles twitching in a tight jaw, eyes trained on the road ahead. If he hadn’t been angry with her over the way the news of Molly had been broken, he had to be angry now. He hadn’t once blamed her, though, or Molly, and in some ways this was worse. What was going on in his head? When all this was over where would it leave them? It wasn’t the time to ask and so she walked by his side, silent save for the remarks that they shared pertinent to the search for Ella.
‘She’ll be OK,’ Ashley said into another long silence. She couldn’t be certain of that at all, but what else could she say? Sorry for the tenth time?
‘I just wish she’d answer her bloody phone,’ he replied. ‘Doesn’t she realise this is torture?’
‘She’s fourteen, so probably not.’
‘Not even fourteen yet,’ Haydon said. ‘Christ, Ashley… what am I going to tell her mum?’
‘We might not need to tell her anything yet.’
‘It’s my fault.’
‘It’s not your fault.’
‘I should have talked to her the minute you told me about Molly.’
‘You were in shock yourself and we couldn’t have seen what would happen. If you want to blame someone, blame Bastien.’
‘I can’t. You’re right – he’s a sixteen-year-old boy – what else was he going to do but tell the girls what he’d heard? He probably thought he was doing a good thing.’ He rubbed a hand over his face and let out a sigh. ‘Shit. This is a disaster.’
‘It’s a stumbling block.’
His jaw tightened again but he didn’t reply. Ashley could have guessed what that reply might have been had he been the type of man to air it, and he’d have been right. She was worried about where Molly was right now but it was nothing like the fear he must have been feeling over Ella, who was alone, hardly spoke enough French for a useful conversation and had now been missing for over an hour. She wanted to reach for his hand, to let him know that she was there for him and they’d work this out together, but it was like there was an emotional force field around him, one that she couldn’t get past, one that she didn’t dare to push past for fear of what she might find beyond it.
For the fifth, maybe sixth time in as many minutes, she tried to call Molly. If she could just reach her, get a clue, find out what the hell was going on… But, like all the times before, the phone went to voicemail.
‘For God’s sake, Moll, stop pissing around and pick this up!’ she hissed, immediately regretting her outburst as the message was saved to Molly’s phone. Losing her temper probably wasn’t the best way to persuade an already emotionally unstable teen to answer her calls. She had to keep reminding herself that Molly was in a weird place too right now. She’d just found out about Haydon and the fact that she’d taken it upon herself to assume responsibility for Ella’s disappearance and do something about it even though she knew that would incur Ashley’s wrath was testament to her selflessness. When her own world had been blown apart, she was still trying to fix everyone else’s. At any other time, Ashley might have sat on a wall and sobbed for the mess of it all. But she couldn’t, because Haydon needed her. Molly needed her and Ella needed her, and she had to keep it together for all of them.
‘Molly has enough sense to head back when it gets too dark to search,’ Haydon said.
‘You don’t think Ella does?’
‘Normally I’d say yes.’
‘You think the news has affected her that badly?’
‘Put it this way – Molly has always known that she had a dad out there somewhere. For her the news is, or will be eventually, a positive thing. At least I hope so. But for Ella, who has grown up thinking her dad belongs to her and nobody else, it’s like something’s been taken away from her life, not added. For her it poses questions while for Molly it gives answers. They’ve both had a shock but it’s not the same at all.’
‘Nobody’s taking you away from Ella.’
‘That’s not how she’s going to see it.’
‘You don’t know that for sure.’
‘No, I don’t suppose I do. It’s just things she said to me tonight… It doesn’t matter now. What matters is finding her.’
‘I’m sorry.’
He looked at her now. ‘You don’t need to keep saying that.’
‘But I am. You think this is all my fault, even if you don’t say it.’
‘Now’s not the time to lay blame. We can talk about all that after we find Ella.’
‘So you do?’
‘I don’t have the energy to get into it, Ashley. I can’t even think about it until I have my daughter safely back with me.’
My proper daughter was what Ashley felt like he meant when he said that. But maybe she was just feeling hypersensitive about the whole thing.
Another apology itched at her lips but with a huge effort she stopped it from coming out. She wanted to keep saying sorry until she was hoarse but what good would it do? Being sorry wasn’t going to get Ella back, and part of her didn’t even know why she felt she had to take all the blame, but she couldn’t help it. Just so she wouldn’t have to think about apologising again, she dialled Molly’s number and listened forlornly as it rang and rang until it went to voicemail.
* * *
They’d been in just about every café in the old town of Saint-Raphaël and every shop that was still open, though the lateness of the hour meant there weren’t many of those. Nobody had seen Ella, Molly or Bastien. As each visit led to another dead end Ashley dared to glance at Haydon’s darkening expression. She couldn’t tell whether he was set to cry or explode with rage and frustration and she didn’t know how she’d cope with any of those scenarios. For now he seemed to be holding it together, despite the increasing tension on his face.
Ashley made another brief call to her mum, who informed her that nobody there had managed to turn anything up either, though the consensus was that Molly was probably OK with Bastien as long as they hadn’t encountered any physical dangers. Nobody dared dwell on the fact that Ella was not in such a fortunate position.
‘She could be halfway to Dover for all we know.’ Haydon stared towards the harbour while Ashley ended the call.
‘We’ll find her,’ Ashley replied, though she wished her conviction could carry the same weight as her words. ‘She can’t have got that far.’
‘Everyone keeps saying that but if she hasn’t got far then why haven’t we found her? Half of Saint-Raphaël is out looking now and nobody’s found so much as a flip-flop. What if she’s got into trouble somewhere? What if she’s injured or stranded?’
Ashley chewed her lip. ‘Do you think it would be worth phoning your ex? I know you don’t want her to know about this but it might be that Ella has been in touch with her since she went off—’
The Summer Getaway_A feel-good romance novel perfect for holiday reading Page 25
