Chapter 14
14
The crowds on the street had thinned somewhat as they left the restaurant and when Theo tucked Agnes’s arm under his own she didn’t object and they were able to walk as a couple down towards the old harbour without being jostled. It was still light and as they waited to cross the road by the Gare du Bus Theo saw that Agnes was staring at the mural on the bus station wall.
‘ Incroyable ,’ she said, looking at the numerous trompe l’?il paintings depicting the history of cinema in Cannes.
‘That painting celebrates one hundred years of cinema here in Cannes,’ Theo said. ‘Have you spotted Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers yet? I know Jean-Paul Belmondo is there somewhere and Minnie Mouse too but I can’t name all the names.’
‘So beautiful. I can see Lauren Bacall,’ Agnes answered, her gaze still fixed on the mural.
‘You will see paintings like this all over Cannes,’ Theo said. ‘It all began after the millennium. We will go on a walk or two while you are here and I shall show the others to you. They all celebrate Cannes’s great involvement with cinema.’
Once they’d crossed the street onto Quai Saint-Pierre they strolled past the large pizza place and other restaurants that lined the road before making their way into the back lane that led to Theo’s house.
‘Will we have a nightcap together?’ Theo asked. ‘Or are you tired after the day and wish to go to bed?’
‘I’d love a small drink,’ Agnes said.
‘ Bien . I have some Saint Honorat liqueur I save for a special occasion. Tonight is that occasion. You go through to the yard, I fetch and we drink it under the stars.’
Sitting near the bougainvillea Agnes let her thoughts drift while she waited for Theo to reappear. Jasmine’s confession this evening had been a surprise but Agnes recognised the truth in her words when she’d protested about being denied a meeting with her grandfather. She knew too, that she, more than Francine, had been guilty of ensuring the family split had passed down to the next generation by refusing to even acknowledge Oscar’s existence from the day she arrived in England, forty-six years ago. Of course, she’d had to eventually accept Francine visiting him once a year. She was his daughter. No court would have tolerated her denying him access forever. But Jasmine was a different matter.
Agnes had seen no reason for them to ever meet and had persuaded Francine it was better that way. ‘You don’t want him filling the child’s head with the kind of rubbish he tried to feed you with. He has no place in the next generation.’ She could hear herself saying those words even now. Had she been right to lay the law down like that? She remembered Theo on one of his visits to see them, trying to persuade both of them to let bygones be bygones but that had been an impossible suggestion for her to even think about.
Dear Theo. A better friend than she truly deserved. She could never repay him for everything he had done for her and Francine. Agnes sighed. It was too late now to make amends. If only. Theo appeared at that moment as if she’d conjured up his presence by thinking about him and she gave him what she hoped was a bright smile.
Theo handed her a small liqueur glass filled with a golden liquid. ‘ Santé .’ And they gently clinked glasses together.
‘This is a day I despaired of ever seeing,’ he said quietly. ‘So many times I sit out here and wish you were here too. And finally, you are.’
‘ Oui , here I am,’ Agnes said and gave a little nod of agreement. ‘I do wish you’d told me that Jasmine had visited Oscar.’
‘I couldn’t do that without breaking my promise to Zazz. Besides, it was done. You still call her Jasmine? Zazz suits her better.’ When Agnes looked at him but didn’t reply he took a sip of his drink.
‘Oscar changed a little in the last year,’ Theo said quietly as though he was wary of her reaction to the mention of his brother. ‘Zazz coming into his life like she did had a big impact on him, maybe it was that. Oh, he was still irascible and difficult to like and get on with but there was definitely something different about him. Once or twice recently I caught a strange look on his face as he glared at me. It was as though he was about to tell me something and then changed his mind, giving me a weird look and smiling. It was beginning to freak me out to be honest.’ He gave Agnes an uncertain look. ‘I didn’t know how to respond. His temper was still a bit fiery.’
‘Are you sure it wasn’t a put-on act? Trying to make you uneasy over something he was planning. He was a very good actor when he wanted to be,’ Agnes paused. ‘Whenever he was unexpectedly nice to me I knew there would be a price to pay.’
‘Je suis très désolé , ma cherie , that you suffered so much with him,’ Theo said softly.
‘All in the past, thankfully,’ Agnes said. ‘And largely due to your help.’
‘I do wonder if perhaps, like the rest of us, the regrets over things done, or not done, began to mount up as the years passed.’ Thoughtfully Theo took a sip of his drink. ‘I know mine do.’
‘I don’t think anyone gets through life without regrets,’ Agnes said quietly. ‘I know I have more than a few too – some huge and some tiny but regrets all the same. Some people are incapable of recognising their own faults and I believe Oscar is, was, one of those. I don’t believe he ever uttered the word sorry in his life. He certainly didn’t to me.’ Agnes stood up. ‘I think I’m ready to go to bed. It’s been a long day.’
‘You discuss the notaire’s meeting with Francine and Jasmine?’ Theo asked as he too stood up. ‘Perhaps give them a little warning of the possible problem?’
Agnes shook her head. ‘No. I think we can both make a guess at what particular complication the notaire has discovered concerning the will – and that information will be better coming from him.’
Theo moved to her side. ‘The rendez-vous with the notaire is going to be difficult but you know I will do anything to help you, Francine and Zazz to cope with whatever it is the notaire discloses.’ He leant in and gently kissed her cheek. ‘ Bonne nuit , ma cherie , sleep well.’