Chapter 40
Joan walked up to the villa Sunday morning to say goodbye to Helena, hoping to see Guy and to hear whether Leon had contacted him.
She doubted though whether Leon had been in touch with Guy yet, it was barely twelve hours since she’d broken the news.
Joan sighed. She was pleased for Leon, of course she was, but she couldn’t help wondering how having a new relative suddenly joining their family dynamic of three would affect things.
Nobody was in the hallway when Joan pushed open the door. ‘Hello. Anyone around?’
There was a loud crash from the direction of the kitchen, followed by a muffled expletive, before a harassed-looking Guy hurried into the hallway.
‘Morning, Joan. How are you? Are you alone?’ Guy looked around and out through the open door down the driveway. ‘I was hoping…’
Joan shook her head. ‘Sorry, I’m alone. What did you drop? It sounded like a whole battalion of cooking trays.’
‘It was,’ Guy said. ‘I managed to knock half a dozen stainless-steel trays off the table.’ He gave Joan an anxious look. ‘Have you told Leon about me yet?’
‘I told him last night.’
‘After what I guess would have been a huge initial shock to him too, did he say anything?’
Joan shook her head. ‘Not really. He was quite thoughtful after I’d told him about you.
I think he was more than a little shellshocked when he left me last night.
’ She gave Guy a sympathetic look. ‘It will take time for him to process. Don’t worry, I think it’s quite difficult for him to get time away from the yacht at the moment. You’ll meet him soon.’
Guy gave a resigned smile. ‘After thirty-four years of not knowing I had a nephew, I guess I can be patient for a couple of days at least.’
‘If you’ve got five minutes now, I’d like to ask you a couple of question of my own too.’ Joan looked at him hopefully.
‘Sure, ask away.’
‘I’ve already told you nobody really knew about us being together, we hadn’t told anybody.
Besides, it was very early days. We thought we had the rest of our lives to tell people – your parents, my parents.
Our secret plan was for us to marry as soon as we could.
’ Joan paused. ‘Sometimes, though, when you think you are being cleverly secretive somebody guesses. And rumours start. The question I want to ask you is – when you went to Sicily did you hear any gossip about Jake and me? Gossip that might have made you think he had a girlfriend? A girlfriend who needed to know what had happened. To be able to share her grief with the family. Be asked to attend the funeral?’
Guy looked at her. ‘Jake was a few years older than me, but we were close growing up. As adults, though, we took different paths in life, and some years we only managed to see each other once or twice. He took his big brother status seriously and I knew he was always on the end of the phone for me if I ever needed advice and he’d move heaven and earth to get to me if I was in trouble.
I still miss him.’ Guy paused. ‘To answer your question, you have to believe me when I say if I’d heard a whisper about Jake being in a relationship with anyone, I would have done my utmost to find them – because Jake would have wanted me to.
And also to help everyone get through that dreadful time by being there for each other. ’
Joan heaved a sigh of relief. ‘Thank you.’ Being unknown to Jake’s family she could cope with, but if they’d known about her and had ignored her presence in their son’s life – well, that would have been hard to deal with.
‘You must understand that I truly loved Jake. It was totally love at first sight for both of us.’
Guy gave her an understanding nod. ‘Love at first sight. It’s happened to me too. Can I ask you the same question. Did you know anything about our family?’
‘Not really. The first I knew Jake had a brother was when he gave me his signet ring; he told me he and his brother had been given identical ones on their twenty-first birthdays. He promised he’d take me to meet you and the rest of your family as soon as the season down here finished and we both went back to the UK. ’
‘All those years ago when Jake’s body came home for burial, we wondered what had happened to his signet ring. We just figured some opportunist had stolen it. You said you had two questions?’
Joan gave him a small smile. ‘I’d like to visit his grave if there is one?’
‘Jake was cremated. There is no grave as such,’ Guy said gently.
‘My parents kept the ashes and when they moved to Dorset soon after Jake’s death, they found a lovely memorial garden and scattered them under an oak tree which they planted in his memory.
It’s a beautiful serene place – overlooks the English Channel.
We must arrange a date to take you and Leon there.
’ Guy swallowed before he asked. ‘Did he know you were pregnant when he left for Sicily?’
‘No. I didn’t know myself until I’d been back in the UK for about a month.’
‘What happened when you went home?’ Guy asked gently.
‘I was a complete and utter mess. Heartbroken and grieving. My parents were wonderful after the initial shock of hearing about Jake’s death.
When I discovered I was pregnant, they stood by me.
Very supportive and upset for me as I tried to get on with life as best I could.
There was no question of me terminating the pregnancy, it had become my only reason to live.
If you want Leon to do a DNA test by the way, I’m quite happy to organise that. ’
Guy shook his head. ‘I don’t think we need to go down that route. You’ve told me Leon is the image of Jake and once I get to meet him…’ Guy ran his fingers through his hair. ‘This all feels slightly unreal at the moment. I don’t think I will believe it’s true until I meet Leon in the flesh.’
‘Believe it, you definitely have a thirty-four-year-old nephew,’ Joan said. ‘And don’t be surprised if he turns up here unexpectedly, will you?’
‘I look forward to it. Although I have to warn you that if he hasn’t turned up by tomorrow, I shall go searching the marina for his boat until I find him.
Now I know about him, I have to meet him.
Joan,’ he hesitated. ‘I want to thank you for being brave enough to ask about the photograph, even though it must have brought bittersweet memories back for you. As well as gaining a nephew, I feel, too, that I’ve also met my sister-in-law for the first time and gained a family.
I would like to be part of your lives from now on and that includes Helena.
I hope she will think of me as her uncle as well as Leon’s. ’
‘Thank you, Guy, that’s lovely. We’ve got a lot to learn about each other’s family.’
Guy nodded. ‘We have. When do you fly back to the UK?’
‘Tomorrow morning.’
‘Can I take you to the airport?’
‘Taxi is already booked. Thank you for the offer, though. Now, I must say goodbye to Helena before she leaves.’
‘I think she is in the garden saying goodbye with the others. Come on, I’ll take you through and leave you to say goodbye.’
* * *
The five women were saying their goodbyes after swapping emails and Lorraine was making sure they were all signed into the WhatsApp group – French Retreat Writers – and they all promised to keep in touch.
‘Have you booked a taxi?’ Isobel asked Liz. ‘I think our flights are quite close together, we can share one.’
‘I’m not leaving today,’ Liz said quietly. ‘I decided to take your advice and seize the day.’
‘Thank goodness for that,’ Isobel said, a big smile on her face. ‘I thought you would chicken out. When you do get back, phone me.’
Helena had just closed her phone down when Joan walked into the garden and she gave her mum a sad smile.
‘I’ve been trying to change my ticket to travel back with you tomorrow, but it’s impossible,’ she said. ‘But Teddy has said he’ll come with me to meet you tomorrow.’
‘That’s kind of him,’ Joan said. ‘Can I talk to you alone quickly?’
‘Of course, let’s go over nearer the fountain,’ Helen said. ‘What’s up?’
‘Have you spoken to Leon this morning?’
Helena shook her head. ‘No. Why?’
‘I was able to give him some news last night about his biological father,’ Joan said.
Helena gave her a wide-eyed look. ‘How did that happen?’
‘It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t come to this villa on a writing retreat, so he needs to thank you for that.
’ Joan laughed. ‘So do I actually, because I’ve also learnt some new things.
One of which is I discovered that Leon has an uncle,’ Joan said.
‘An uncle who wants to meet him and be involved in his life, and ours. And the uncle is—’
‘It’s Guy, isn’t it?’ Helena interrupted.
Joan gave her a startled look. ‘How did you work that out?’
‘Liz saw the two of you together and she asked me how long you had been friends. She seemed surprised when I told her that you didn’t know each other. How has Leon taken the news?’
‘I’m not sure. I think deep down he was thrilled, but I suspect he’s still too busy absorbing the news to talk about it,’ Joan said. ‘Guy was hoping he would have met him by now.’
‘Knowing Leon, he’ll probably turn up unannounced,’ Helena said. ‘I’ll message him when I get to the airport and see if he wants to talk.’
‘Sorry to interrupt,’ Mandy said. ‘But our taxi has arrived.’
‘See you at home tomorrow,’ and Helena leant in to hug her mum goodbye.
‘See you at home tomorrow,’ Joan echoed. ‘When you and Teddy can tell me your plans.’
* * *
Joan walked slowly back into Antibes after leaving Villa Celestia and strolled along the ramparts to take a closer look at the Nomad sculpture. It really was amazing close up. All those sculptured letters in a lace-like pattern.
Wandering back down into Antibes, she treated herself to lunch and a glass of rosé at one of the restaurants on Place Nationale.
Sitting there enjoying her lunch and people watching, she wondered about staying on for another day or two.
If she didn’t have to get home for Bella, she’d definitely consider it.
She was beginning to feel completely at home in this town, much like she had felt all those years ago.
All she needed now was to know Leon had met his uncle and was happy that someone could talk to him about his father.
Joan consoled herself with the thought that it was less than twenty-four hours since she’d broken the news to Leon.
He was probably still absorbing it. He had promised too he’d see her again before she went home, so hopefully between now and tomorrow when she left for the airport, he’d show up at her hotel.