Life's a Beach and Then... (The Liberty Sands Trilogy Book 1) (26 page)

Robert went into the kitchen to make himself a second cup of
coffee of the morning even though he could sense Rosemary’s disapproval. Why
not, he thought, I don’t really care if it kills me, I’ve got nothing to live
for now. Even as he thought it he knew it wasn’t true. He had some good friends
who he knew would rally round to support him and now he also had Holly and her
delightful son Harry. He had been sad to see the young man go the previous
evening but of course he needed to get back to university. The good news was
that he had volunteered to come over and help Robert with any projects he was
working on during his summer break. Robert didn’t really need any help as he
liked to work alone but he had been quick to take him up on the offer,
suggesting he could stay over a couple of nights a week if he wanted to.

‘They broke the mould when they made that one,’ he said to
Holly when she was packing her things into her car earlier that morning.

‘I hope not,’ murmured Holly.

Robert knew that Holly was concerned about leaving him on
his own but she had her own life to get on with and a plane to catch to the Seychelles
for her latest travel blog assignment later that evening. ‘Don’t you worry,
Holly,’ Robert had reassured her. ‘I have to get used to being on my own again
and I’ve got plenty of work to be getting on with.’

That much was true, he thought, pushing open the door to his
office with his foot, as one hand was carrying his coffee mug and the other a
packet of Rich Tea biscuits. His eyes settled immediately on the only envelope
that Rosemary had left that hadn’t yet reached its destination. He put his biscuits
and coffee down and picked up the envelope. Holding it to his nose he drank in
the hint of Giorgio Beverley Hills, Rosemary’s favourite fragrance. He had
always bought her a bottle, in its yellow and white striped box, from the
duty-free shop at the airport on his way back from foreign trips until one day
she had opened a cupboard and showed him a stash of half a dozen bottles. They
had both laughed until they cried when she had asked if he was trying to tell
her that she smelled. Although he hadn’t bought her any perfume in a while he
would bet there were still a couple of unopened bottles in that cupboard.

So what am I going to do with this, he wondered, tracing the
curve of Rosemary’s handwriting? I wonder what she said to him? The two of them
had such a wonderful rapport and it upset Robert to think that her final
memories of him may have been tainted because Holly and he had split up. He
shook his head.

‘I told her it was all moving too fast,’ he muttered under
his breath, ‘but typical Rosie, ever the romantic.’

It didn’t explain why Philippe hadn’t been in touch though.
Maybe there was something the girls weren’t telling him about his friend
Philippe? He stared down at the envelope in his hands, weighing up his options.
Perhaps there was something in the letter that would help him to forgive
Philippe for not coming to Rosie’s funeral. Without giving it further thought
he tore open the envelope and slid out the single sheet of paper covered in his
late wife’s flowery handwriting:

My dear Philippe

If you are reading this, it is because I am no longer living.

Almost for the entirety of the time Robert and I have known
you I have been living on borrowed time. I was diagnosed with a rare form of
leukaemia two years ago and although initially my treatment went well the drugs
that were keeping me alive stopped working.

We had to leave Mauritius in a rush because I suddenly took a
turn for the worse. I wish I had been able to say my goodbyes to you in person
but I know you were so busy with your new book and I wish you every success
with it.

You have been a wonderful friend to Robert and me. I have
loved our dinners together with your French charm making me feel vibrant and
attractive at a time when my looks were fading as quickly as my health. I think
you made Robert quite jealous on a couple of occasions.

Robert allowed the letter to flutter to the floor, as his
fingertips rested against his mouth and he closed his eyes tight to stop the
tears from flowing again. Gently he rocked to and fro, all the time breathing
in deeply through his nose, trying to regain his composure. After a few moments
he had calmed himself sufficiently to rest forward on his desk, his cheek
against his forearm where he fell into a restless dream-filled sleep.

He was in Chez Andre where he had first laid eyes on Rosemary
and instantly fallen in love. He was a nervous groom waiting in front of the
altar in St Agatha’s church for his stunningly beautiful bride. He was holding
her hand when Professor Lang first told her she had blood cancer and she
bravely accepted it, just as she had accepted her inability to have children
and the loss of her beloved parents. And then she was there standing in front
of him, arms outstretched towards him. She was backing away from him and he
reached his hand out to stop her from going but she was getting fainter and
fainter until her image disappeared to be replaced by a white sandy beach with
the sparkling ocean beyond. It was the view from the balcony of the house in
Tamarina Bay.

Robert woke with a start. It was a sign he was sure. Rosie
wanted him to buy the house in Mauritius. Philippe’s year-long tenancy would
soon be up so he would have to move quickly if he was to prevent anyone else
from stealing it from under his nose. He lifted the lid on his laptop and found
the address of the estate agent. His email simply said:

I would like to go ahead with the purchase of Sunset Cottage as
I believe the tenant has now vacated. Please confirm it is still available. And
do you by chance have a forwarding address for the tenant?

Robert looked down at where the letter had landed a foot or
so away from him. Why didn’t I think of that before, he thought, already
planning to type a new envelope so that Philippe would not know the letter had
been opened. As he reached for it, two words towards the bottom of the sheet
jumped out at him
... your baby
.

He stared in shock as he read the final few sentences of
Rosemary’s letter to Philippe.

I don’t know the full story of your break-up with Holly and
of course it is none of my business, although I must confess it saddened me. I
have wrestled with my conscience and come to the conclusion that you have a
right to know. Holly is pregnant with your baby.

It feels strange to be sitting in the passenger seat of my
own car, thought Philippe, glancing across at his friend Billy behind the wheel
of the BMW. He noticed the speedometer was showing 30 mph and allowed himself a
smile. He wasn’t sure if Billy was driving slowly to minimise the bumps in the
road for his invalid passenger, or whether he wanted to demonstrate to Philippe
how well he intended to look after his new car. Either way, the journey from
the hospital had taken considerably longer than it should have done and
Philippe was relieved to finally be turning into the driveway of the house in
Tamarina Bay.

As the car came to a halt outside Sunset Cottage, the front
door opened and a beaming Delphine rushed to help him out of the car and into
the house. Billy carried the small bag that contained the toiletries that
Delphine had taken into the hospital for him and also the laundered clothes he
had been wearing on that fateful day three weeks previously.

‘Was the traffic bad?’ Delphine asked, ushering him inside
out of the fierce heat.

‘No, Billy was just being thoughtful and driving slowly.’

Delphine raised her eyebrows in Billy’s direction and
muttered, ‘Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything.’

Billy looked aggrieved. He and Delphine had known each other
since their school days but had only become friendly through Philippe.

‘Where shall I put this?’ he asked, indicating the bag he
was carrying.

‘Just put it in the bedroom for now,’ Delphine said.

Billy looked at Philippe for confirmation. Philippe smiled
and nodded.

‘Thanks for the ride, Billy,’ Philippe said, when he emerged
from the bedroom. ‘I expect you need to be getting off now?’

‘Yes I’m taking some people out on the boat this afternoon.
Let me know if you need driving anywhere. I’ll be your taxi until you’re ready
to leave.’

The door closed behind him. Delphine muttered, ‘I should
think so too considering he’s driving around in your car.’

‘It’s his car now, Delphine, I gave it to him.’

Philippe could see that Delphine had cleaned the house ready
for his arrival. He reached for his wallet, took out some notes and held them
out for Delphine. ‘This is for the cleaning and all the running around after me
you have been doing.’

There was a moment’s hesitation.

‘I know you didn’t do it for money but I don’t want you to
be short because of me. I really appreciate all you’ve done, you’ve been an
angel.’

Delphine reluctantly took the money avoiding eye contact
with him. ‘I have always looked after you in Mauritius,’ she said. ‘Can I get
you something now? There’s some lunch I’ve prepared in the fridge.’

‘That’s very kind, Delphine but I’m not hungry yet. I’ll
have a lie down and then have something later. I’m sure you’ve got a million
things to do?’

She nodded. ‘Shall I call in later?’

‘No I’ll be fine. Go and spend some time with your family,
they can’t have seen much of you in the last three weeks.’

‘True,’ she said, ‘but you must call me if you need
anything.’

‘I will, I promise.’

Philippe had no idea how he would have coped had it not been
for Delphine. She had brought him clothes and toiletries and even a new mobile
phone after the search for his old one had drawn a blank. He knew he owed her a
lot more than a few hundred rupees. Maybe I’ll treat her to a trip to England
if my new book is a success, he thought, as he watched her climb into her rusty
old Peugeot before closing his front door.

He intended to head towards his bedroom for a nap but his
gaze rested on the half open lid of his laptop on the desk by the window. Maybe
I should just check my emails first, he thought. He knew it was a long shot but
he was hoping that Holly might have had a change of heart. He pressed the
button to bring his computer out of ‘sleep’ mode, then the refresh button and
then tapped his fingers impatiently while the machine whirred into life.

He stared at the screen, his heart missing a beat, there,
below an email from the estate agency from whom he rented the house, was an
email from Holly. He could hardly believe his eyes. He was beyond excited. She
had relented and sent him an email. Did that mean there was still a chance for
them to work things out? But as quickly as the flame of hope had flickered into
life it was extinguished as he read the subject line and cold fear took its
place. He opened the email with dread and a sense of foreboding.

Philippe was utterly devastated after reading Holly’s email
and the three emails from Robert. He couldn’t believe that he would never see
beautiful, vibrant, caring Rosemary again. Just weeks ago he had been flirting
with her as he always did. What the hell had happened? Neither Robert nor Holly
had elaborated, they had just said she had died.

He had immediately emailed them both asking for their phone
numbers. The email to Holly was unable to be delivered so she had obviously
blocked him again after he didn’t respond to her. Damn, he thought, recognising
the missed opportunity to re-establish some form of communication with her.

After fifteen minutes he had still had no response from
Robert either and he felt he couldn’t just sit around waiting, he had to do
something. He reached into his pocket for his new mobile phone and dialled one
of the few numbers he had committed to memory.

‘Good afternoon, Plantation House hotel, Raj speaking. How
may I help?’

Philippe was relieved it was a member of staff he knew well.
‘Raj, it’s Philippe.’

‘Mr Philippe, how are you? We haven’t seen you in a number
of weeks. I trust all is well?’

Philippe didn’t have time for pleasantries but he knew if he
was to have a chance of getting the information he was after he had to play
along.

‘I’ve been busy finishing my latest book so I haven’t had
time to come out and socialise. I’ve missed the excellent food and wine so I’ll
have to pay a visit soon. Listen, Raj, I wonder if you could do me a favour? I
mislaid my mobile phone a couple of weeks ago so I’ve lost all my friends’
contact details. I know it’s not normal practice but I wondered if you would
let me have a phone number for my great friends the Forresters?’

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

‘I need to speak to Mr Robert as a matter of extreme
urgency,’ Philippe persisted, ‘and you know we are close friends.’

‘I know, Mr Philippe, but I can’t divulge that information.
We were recently the subject of a secret travel blogger and it has made the
hotel management very nervous about sticking to the rules. For all I know this
may be a test and I can’t afford to lose my job.’

Philippe could feel himself starting to get angry. ‘I can
understand that Raj but you’ve known me for over a year and I’m only asking you
because it’s imperative I speak to Mr Robert today.’

‘I’m so sorry, Mr Philippe but I’m afraid I can’t help.’

Philippe knew he had to end the call before he started
shouting at Raj in frustration.

‘Don’t worry Raj, I understand,’ he said tightly, before
pressing the red button to terminate the call.

What the hell do I do now? he wondered, staring with
unseeing eyes at his computer screen. The email from the estate agents he
rented the house from, that he hadn’t yet read, came into focus. It started,
‘Please call us to discuss.....’

Of course.

Ten minutes later he was dialling Robert’s number in England
with trembling hands. On the sixth ring a groggy sounding Robert answered.

‘Hello?’

‘Robert it’s Philippe. I’m so so sorry to hear your dreadful
news. I only saw your emails thirty minutes ago. What on earth happened
Robert?’

All Philippe could hear on the other end of the phone was
muffled sobs.

‘Robert are you ok?’ Stupid question, Philippe thought to
himself, the man has just lost the love of his life. ‘Speak to me Robert, what
happened?’

‘Where have you been Philippe? Rosie wanted you to be at her
funeral,’ Robert managed to say.

‘I’ve been in the hospital in Port Louis. I just got out
today.’

‘Thank God. I knew there must have been a reason. I knew you
wouldn’t simply ignore me when I needed you. I told Holly there must be a
reason,’ Robert babbled.

‘Is Holly with you now?’

‘No she had to go home yesterday. She had to go to work.
She’s been my rock since... since...’

‘What happened Robert? Was it a road accident?’

‘Rosie wrote you a letter telling you all about it but we
didn’t know where to send it. We thought you had left Mauritius. Why were you
in hospital?’

‘I had an accident but I’m nearly recovered now. Tell me
what happened to Rosemary.’

‘She had cancer. She’s been sick for a long time Philippe
but we kept it between the two of us. She didn’t want to see sympathy in
people’s eyes every time they looked at her. She wanted to live her life to the
full however little time she had left and however sick she felt. She adored you
Philippe. You made her feel attractive...’

‘I can’t believe this Robert. I can’t believe you didn’t
tell me she was sick. I had no idea. I could have spent more time with her
instead of writing that stupid book. You must be devastated. As soon as I can
travel I’m coming to see you. It’s just such a shock, I can’t believe it. Did
Holly know?’

‘I think Rosemary may have told her the day we were on
Billy’s boat together. She never said, but I think Holly must have known. She
has been so calm about it all, I could never have got through this without her.
What happened between you two Philippe? It was all going so well.’

‘I don’t really know. I just got an email from her telling
me never to try and contact her again. She blocked me and I’ve never had a
contact number for her. You must have one Robert.’

‘Of course I do but I can’t give it to you without Holly’s
permission, it wouldn’t be right. I’m going to ring and tell her that you’ve
been in touch and that you’ve been in the hospital. I feel sure she will want
to speak to you, particularly as she’s ......’

Robert stopped speaking abruptly. He had been about to tell
Philippe about the pregnancy but he realised that it shouldn’t be down to him
or his beloved Rosemary. He wouldn’t be able to give Philippe his letter unless
Holly told him about the baby. It had to be Holly’s decision.

‘Sorry Robert, lost you for a moment. What were you saying
about Holly?’

‘Just that I’ll speak to her for you. When will you be well
enough to travel?’

‘I’m going to book a flight for next week whatever the
doctors say and I’ll come to see you.’ Then he added, almost as an
afterthought, ‘I’m so pleased you’re buying Sunset Cottage. That’s what
Rosemary would have wanted.’

‘I know, she told me,’ Robert said before ending the call.

He immediately punched in Holly’s mobile number, but it went
straight to voicemail. Damn, he thought, glancing at the clock on the bedside
table, Holly will have to wait a little while longer before I can give her the
news about Philippe. Right now she’ll be somewhere over the Indian Ocean.