Chapter 40
40
The morning of the open house viewing organised by the notaire’s office dawned bright and sunny. Francine was up early to give everything in the house a final polish and to put fresh flowers in the sitting room. Suzette would be there from about 9.30 and there was a steady stream of viewers booked in every ten minutes from 9.45 onwards. The notaire had stressed that the people viewing were all serious buyers and said it was best if they left the agent to show everyone around. Once Suzette arrived, Francine and Edwin left her to it.
‘What’s Zazz doing this morning?’ Edwin said.
‘She said she was going to spend the morning doing some research in one of the museums,’ Francine said. ‘And then she’s got a hair appointment at mid-day ready for this evening.’
‘So do we have any idea what we are going to do this morning?’ Edwin asked.
Francine shook her head. ‘Pretend we’re on holiday and mooch around? We need to think about how much longer we’re going to be here too. Not that I’m desperate to leave but we can’t stay down here forever.’
‘We could if you wanted to,’ Edwin said.
Francine looked at him in surprise. ‘Are you serious? Our lives are back in Devon and Maman lives there.’
‘Maybe Agnes will decide to move back here now that Oscar is dead.’
‘That’s a possibility, I suppose,’ Francine said. ‘Especially now that Denice is back in her life.’
‘I think Theo will have a bigger influence on her than her sister. The two of them seem to have grown closer than ever in the last week or so,’ Edwin said.
Francine was silent for a moment. ‘Do you honestly think after all these years that’s likely to happen?’
Edwin nodded. ‘I do, but only time will tell if I’m right. So shall we spend the morning window shopping in various estate agencies?’ he said. ‘Just for fun. Pretend we are going to come and live down here?’
‘It will be something to do this morning,’ Francine said, laughing. ‘So long as we don’t get carried away with the idea. Because I honestly don’t think it’s feasible. First though, I vote we have a coffee in Piers’s cafe.’
A couple of hours later, when they returned to Oscar’s, they found Suzette sitting in the kitchen typing rapidly on her laptop.
‘Hi. Just waiting for the final couple to finish their second look and then I’ll get out of your way. Back to the office and await developments.’ She smiled at them. ‘From some of the comments, I’d guess we will receive some serious offers soon.’
* * *
Zazz carefully took the green dress off its hanger and slipped it over her head at the same moment there was a gentle knock on her bedroom door.
‘Can I come in?’ Francine called out, a hesitant note in her voice.
‘Please. You’ve timed it perfectly – you can zip me up.’ Zazz turned her back towards her mother gratefully. She was sure there had been a bit of a sea change in her mother’s attitude towards her recently for some unknown reason. Less bossy and abrasive, more like she had been before the house move to Dartmouth.
‘Are you looking forward to this evening?’ Francine asked as she gently slid the zip up.
‘Yes, but I’m also feeling a little nervous,’ Zazz confessed. ‘Do I look okay? I’m not used to physically being in the limelight, I’m usually showcasing something or someone else on social media. Not showing off myself in public. Having said that, could you take a photo of me? I probably need one for Insta if nowhere else.’
‘The dress is lovely and you look beautiful in it,’ Francine said. ‘The colour really suits you. Where’s your phone?’
Zazz pointed to it on the bed. ‘Over there.’
After Francine had taken the photo, Zazz glanced at her. ‘I’m very grateful you arrived in the nick of time to zip me up, but did you come up for a reason?’
Francine smiled at her and gave a small shrug. ‘I just wanted to see if you needed a hand getting ready and to say…’ She hesitated. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve been difficult lately. I’d not exactly forgotten you are all grown-up and independent these days, but I’ve found it hard trying to manage the difference between inadvertently interfering or simply giving you some motherly advice that you can choose to take or to ignore.’ She paused. ‘And of course on top of everything else it didn’t help that you came down here without a word to anyone, to meet Oscar.’ She held up her hand as Zazz went to speak. ‘It’s fine. I understand why you did it. I just feel sad that I made it too difficult for you to confide in me about how you felt. Anyway, Dad’s downstairs waiting to see you all glammed up, so I’ll leave you to finish your makeup. And I’ll see you down there.’ Francine closed the bedroom door behind her as she left.
Five minutes later, Zazz went downstairs to join her parents in the sitting room and to wait for Dominic. When he arrived he was happy to enjoy a small aperitif with her parents before they left hand in hand for the Palais des Festivals.