Instead she simply said, ‘Thank you.’
The day just got better and better. They drove through the capital Port Louis up to the north of the island where Sachin found a quiet beach backed by filaos trees so that they could enjoy their lunch out of the glare of the sun. Holly had thought she wasn’t hungry, but after a bit of coaxing from Philippe she started eating and realised she was ravenous.
‘I like a woman who has a healthy relationship with food,’ he teased.
Is he calling me fat? she wondered for a moment, but one look at his admiring glance told her otherwise.
After lunch they walked along the beach hand in hand, like a couple in love, while Sachin packed up the lunch box and retired to his car for a nap. Holly wanted to pinch herself to make sure this was really happening and not just some cruel dream.
‘This is my favourite thing to do,’ she confided. ‘Walking along a beach at the water’s edge with the sun smiling on me.’
‘Mine too,’ agreed Philippe. ‘But I would add in the company of someone special.’
He stepped across in front of her and took her face in both his hands. He leaned forward slightly and for a moment Holly thought he was going to kiss her.
‘Don’t lock yourself away from the world, Holly,’ he said. ‘He’s gone and he’s not coming back.’
Holly leant in to Philippe’s chest and stayed there for several moments.
This is all happening too quickly, her sensible head told her. He knows I’m vulnerable, maybe he is just after one thing. But her heart was telling her something else. He is the first man you have felt this way about in twenty years, perhaps it’s time to move on.
Chapter 22
Robert was worried. He wasn’t sure that he should be leaving his wife for a whole day in the company of someone they had only met five days ago. And was it really fair on Holly? What if Rosemary became ill?
The alarm was due to sound in three minutes so he needed to make a decision. He could turn it off and tell Philippe he had overslept. Philippe had been very precise about the time when he had suggested the fishing trip over dinner last night. They needed to meet at 7 a.m. to catch the tide if they were to go out for the day with his fisherman friend.
‘I’m awake, Bobby,’ Rosemary said. ‘And I know what you’re thinking.’ She turned to face him in the bed. ‘It’s only a few hours. I’ll be fine and I’d like to spend some time alone with Holly. I think it would be good for both of us.’
Robert wondered which ‘both of us’ Rosemary was talking about. Did she mean herself and Holly, or the two of them?
‘I hate the thought of being away from you for a single minute, Rosie,’ he said.
‘Well I’m not coming fishing,’ she teased. ‘You know I get seasick on anything smaller than twenty thousand tons and anyway I wasn’t invited.’
She had noticed how Robert’s eyes had lit up when Philippe had suggested going fishing. He deserved a break, some time to simply enjoy himself, and she needed a break too. He had been with her twenty-four seven since she had come off the medication and although his intentions were good she was occasionally irritated by him constantly asking if she was feeling okay. Guilt overcame her at the sadness she was causing him and yet there was nothing she could have done to prevent this cancer, or was there?
When she had first been diagnosed she had asked the consultant what he thought might have caused it? He had no answers for her. Unlike lung cancer, where there was a connection with smoking, or breast cancer, where some researchers had made a connection with drinking too much alcohol, the only suggested cause for this type of leukaemia was exposure to high levels of radiation.
The shrill sound of the alarm made them both jump.
‘Come on Bobby,’ she urged, getting out of bed. ‘You know you want to and if all goes well out on the ocean we’ll be able to enjoy a fresh fish supper.’
Within twenty minutes they were showered and dressed and waiting outside the reception area with Holly for Philippe to pick them up in his car. Unsurprisingly he was late even though he was the one who had emphasised the need for punctuality in order to catch the tide.
The plan was for Rosemary and Holly to spend the day at Philippe’s house while the boys were out fishing and then to cook the day’s catch for supper. There had been an awkward moment when Philippe had said they would ‘eat what they catch’, and Rosemary had reminded him that Holly was a vegetarian. Holly had quickly said, ‘I have eaten fish before just not for a while and freshly caught will taste very different from supermarket frozen, I’m sure.’
‘Are you a pescatarian then?’ Rosemary had asked.
‘I suppose I am,’ said Holly evasively. ‘But just an occasional one.’
Philippe was only five minutes late and he was smiling happily as he pulled up in his old BMW.
‘Sorry I am late, my friends,’ he said. ‘I made a quick detour into town to buy fresh croissants for Holly and Rosemary to have for breakfast, and a crate of beer for us lads,’ he continued, winking at Robert.
‘Don’t you go getting him drunk,’ Rosemary said. ‘We don’t want him falling overboard.’
‘Don’t you trust me?’ Philippe asked, directing his question at Rosemary, but looking at Holly.
‘I know you would never hurt anyone who is precious to me,’ Rosemary answered meaningfully.
Chapter 23
Light, flaky crumbs were all that remained of the breakfast croissants. They had been buttery and delicious, enjoyed with Mauritian guava jam, and strong French coffee.
The simple things, thought Holly, and then laughed at herself as she looked around at her beautiful surroundings. The view from the balcony of Philippe’s house must surely be one of the best on the island and the house itself, although small, was perfectly formed.
Small compared to what? Holly asked herself. It’s at least twice the size of my little two up two down back in England. I’m clearly becoming too accustomed to the five-star resorts I’m frequenting for work, she thought.
‘Did Robert design this house too?’ Holly asked, admiring the view from the colonial-style balcony. ‘Is that how you met Philippe?’
‘We did meet Philippe because of the house,’ Rosemary replied, ‘but no Robert didn’t design it, and Philippe doesn’t own it.’
She explained to Holly that they were considering buying the house and how by suggesting to Philippe that he should rent it for a year they had been able to postpone the decision.
‘But why would you want to delay things if you love the house?’ Holly asked. ‘Surely you must be concerned that someone else may come along and steal it from under your nose?’
‘It’s... complicated, Holly,’ the older woman said. ‘I just need to be sure that it will be the right move for Robert.’
Holly didn’t want to pry. There was obviously a very good reason why Robert and Rosemary hadn’t yet clinched the deal on this wonderful find. It’s none of my business, she thought. I’m sure Rosemary will tell me more if she wants me to know. She decided to change the subject.
‘You mentioned at dinner you used to be a dancer,’ Holly said. ‘What type of dancing did you do, and how did you and Robert meet?’
‘I met Robert twenty years ago,’ Rosemary said with a wistful smile, ‘and I can honestly say it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was working for a cruise line and my ship came in, here in Mauritius, in more ways than one.’
Rosemary told Holly of the wonderful life she had enjoyed as a dancer for one of the most prestigious cruise companies in the world. Over the course of the fifteen years she had worked for the Italian-owned Goddess line, she had been a dancer, progressing to head girl and for her final five years with them she had taken on the role of choreographer as well as still performing.
Her eyes sparkled as she told Holly of all the glamorous ports of call they had visited, from the Caribbean to the Far East and most places in between. She had mixed with rich and famous clientele who could afford the five
-star cruises and also celebrities who would be on board to give talks about their autobiographies, or filming for a TV holiday channel.
‘I was very, very lucky, Holly, doing a job I loved and being paid for it. There’s a saying isn’t there? If you love your job you’ll never work a day in your life.’ The older woman’s face was animated telling Holly about her dancing career, but then her expression changed. ‘There was just one drawback,’ she said. ‘Because I was travelling around so much I never had the opportunity to meet someone and settle down to have a family.’ She had a look of regret now as she continued. ‘Goddess line had a very strict policy of not fraternising with the guests and relationships with crew members were frowned upon too. Being on a cruise ship for months on end is like being on a floating island,’ she explained. ‘Everyone knows each other’s business, and besides most of the crew had wives back home and I’ve never wanted to be the “other woman”.’
Holly nodded in agreement.
‘So I was living this dream lifestyle but there was something missing. Love.’ She looked Holly directly in the eye. ‘And a life without love is really no life at all.’
Holly didn’t respond to the comment which was clearly directed at her. If only Rosemary knew how close to home that remark was. No one knew better than Holly what it was like to live for years without a meaningful physical relationship. Forget the sexual act, just to have someone touch her hair or caress her back in a protective ‘you are my woman’ kind of a way. Someone to tell her how beautiful she looked in a party outfit or how great her bum looked in tight jeans.
She had lavished her love on her growing child and relied upon Harry’s unconditional love in return to fill the space in her heart. She had made excuses for not having boyfriends when Harry was growing up, adamant that there wouldn’t be a string of ‘uncles’ coming and going through his childhood, driving a wedge between their special relationship. She knew it wasn’t ideal for him to not have a male role model but she was determined he should have a happy, stable childhood, not like her own, where her mother had seen her as a competitor for her father’s affection. But had it all been an excuse? Was she just too afraid to fall in love in case she got hurt again?
‘And then I met Robert,’ Rosemary said.
Having been lost in her thoughts, Holly started at the sound of Rosemary’s voice.
She told Holly about the chance encounter in the restaurant in Port Louis and how they had spent the evening laughing and chatting together. They had spoken on the phone every day for the following month until the ship arrived back at its home port of Genoa. Robert had flown in from Hong Kong and was waiting on the dock side with a huge bunch of pink roses, her favourite flower.
‘I walked down the gang plank to meet him knowing that I wouldn’t be renewing my contract with Goddess lines,’ Rosemary said, her voice full of emotion. ‘I knew I’d finally met my soulmate.’
‘How did you know he was the one?’ Holly asked, her voice almost a whisper.
‘You just do, don’t you,’ Rosemary replied, shrugging her shoulders slightly. ‘It must have been the same for you with your husband?’
It was a probing question that demanded more than a monosyllabic response.
Holly took a deep breath. She knew that what she was about to do was risky, and might cost her her job if Rosemary decided to reveal her true identity to the hotel, but she just couldn’t bear to continue with the lie to this woman who was starting to feel more like a mother to her than her own mother had ever been.
‘I want to tell you something,’ Holly said. ‘In fact, I feel like I need to tell you, but you must promise me something first.’
‘What’s wrong, Holly?’ she asked, reaching out for the younger woman’s hand. ‘What do you need to tell me?’
‘Please promise me you won’t repeat this to anyone, not even Robert.’
‘All right, Holly,’ she agreed reluctantly. ‘I usually tell Robert everything, but I won’t breathe a word to anyone – not even him – if you don’t want me too.’
Holly felt a pang of guilt. Of course, a couple as deeply in love as Rosemary and Robert were would keep no secrets from each other. But this was her secret to tell, and the fewer people who knew about it the better. Looking into Rosemary’s eyes, she felt that this was someone she could trust.
Holly’s shoulders relaxed slightly and her head dropped forward as she closed her eyes momentarily, then she lifted her chin to look Rosemary in the eyes. ‘I’ve been lying to you,’ she said quietly.
‘I don’t understand. Why would you do that?’ asked Rosemary.
‘To protect my identity,’ Holly replied.
‘So your name isn’t Holly?’ Rosemary questioned, looking confused.
‘No... I mean yes... my name is Holly,’ she stammered, ‘but the story I told you about my husband being dead is a lie.’
She could see the shocked expression on Rosemary’s face and fully expected an angry response but none came. Instead she asked, ‘So why would you lie about a thing like that?’
Holly could hear the incessant rumble of the waves crashing against the reef, unable to stop. She felt just as powerless to stop now that she had made her decision to tell Rosemary the truth.
‘I work for Soleil Resorts as an undercover travel blogger,’ she said. ‘It’s my job to go into their resorts and write honestly about my holiday experiences, good and bad. Not even the managers know that I am anything other than a paying guest. I usually travel alone so I need a convincing cover story, one that people won’t question.’
Holly couldn’t read Rosemary’s expression so she ploughed on.
‘When I tell people my husband is dead most of them are considerate enough not to ask for details so I can get away with telling a minimum of lies. I hate lying, it’s the worst part of the job for me.’
Rosemary had still been holding Holly’s hand but she let it drop.
‘Well you’re very good at it.’ There was disappointment in her voice. ‘I’m usually a very good judge of people, Holly, but you certainly fooled me with your anguished look and the depth of hurt in your eyes. I could feel your pain. I felt totally devastated for you. Perhaps you should have been an actress rather than a writer?’
Silence fell heavily between them. Holly felt dreadful as the level of concern Rosemary had felt for her became apparent.
‘My mouth can lie but my eyes can’t,’ said Holly. Rosemary was watching her intently but she remained silent so Holly stumbled on. ‘When the love of my life left me, I felt my life was over,’ Holly said, stifling a sob.
‘Your husband left you?’ Rosemary asked, finding her voice again.
‘He wasn’t my husband. I’ve never been married. He was my boyfriend at university.’
‘Oh, Holly,’ said Rosemary, putting her arm around the younger woman’s shoulder to comfort her. ‘Everybody has their heart broken when they are young. It’s part of growing up.’
‘It was different for me,’ Holly said. ‘I was pregnant with our baby.’
‘So did you have a termination?’ Rosemary asked, unable to look Holly in the eye.
‘No, of course not. How could I kill my baby?’
‘Your family stood by you then?’
Holly let out a small hollow laugh. ‘Quite the opposite,’ she said. ‘I discovered I was pregnant while my boyfriend was away in America for the summer studying American football in preparation for his masters degree. I was waiting for him to come home so that we could tell both lots of parents but... he never came back,’ she said, her voice faltering. ‘I had to face my parents alone two days before I was due to start my second year at university. I had never seen my mother so angry. She called me a selfish ungrateful whore and she raised her hand to hit me, but my dad caught her arm before it made contact. Then my mother turned on Dad and accused him of spoiling me and this was how I’d repaid him.’ Holly was crying now, huge gulping sobs in between her words. ‘Then her voice turned to ice and she told me that if I
didn’t have an abortion she would never speak to me again.’
Rosemary had both her arms around the distraught Holly now, rocking her like a baby and stroking her hair away from her face to try and soothe her.
‘But your mum calmed down and changed her mind surely?’ Rosemary asked, ‘once she realised you wanted to keep your baby.’
Holly shook her head sadly. ‘No,’ she said, ‘and to make matters worse she forbade my dad from having any contact with me.’
‘So she has never spoken to you since?’ Rosemary asked incredulously.
‘Just once,’ Holly said. ‘At my dad’s funeral.’
Holly could still remember the venom in her mother’s voice when she had spat out the words.
‘I wish it was you and that bastard child of yours in that box instead of him.’
Chapter 24
Robert could taste the salt on his lips and feel the heat of the sun on his skin. Although he hated to admit it, Rosemary had been right to encourage him to spend the day fishing with Philippe. A few hours apart didn’t mean he loved her any less and anyway it would be good for her to have a bit of female company so that they could talk about girlie things.
The Dolphin, skippered by Philippe’s friend, Billy, had brought them out beyond the reef and they were now bobbing about on the deeper blue water with their rods trailing from the stern of the boat. There wasn’t really much to this fishing lark thought Robert, taking a swig of Phoenix beer direct from the bottle and enjoying the flavour of the local brew on his tongue. Once you’ve baited the line you just sit back and wait for a bite.
He glanced across at Philippe who was relaxing back in a weathered old director’s chair with his eyes closed and feet up on the rail. Without opening his eyes Philippe raised his beer bottle in Robert’s direction and said, ‘Glad you came?’
Life's a Beach and Then... (The Liberty Sands Trilogy Book 1) Page 8
