The Riviera (15 page)

‘No. I know. One can hope.’

‘We can Skype. Evenings, that is, I really want to be there for you and Jack.’

‘Excellent idea. I wouldn’t do this unless I thought it was necessary. You know that?’ Cal reached across and brushed her cheek with his hand. ‘What man would be in his right mind to leave such a gorgeous woman as you if he didn’t have to?’

Lizzie clutched her hand over his, brushing it against her skin. ‘I understand, Jack has to come first.’ She let his hand drop and leaned forward, kissing him gently on his soft lips.

He positioned Thierry back on his feet and stood. ‘OK, little man. Five minutes and then I need to shower.’

Thierry reached for one of his figures. ‘You can be Ironman,’ he told Cal.

Lizzie was packing the remaining pastries along with some fresh fruit in a bag when Jack crept up beside her with a sheepish smile and offered his apology, which she accepted with grace. His sweetness swelled her heart and she hugged him close, lightly kissing his hair.

‘It’s not easy being a teenager, I didn’t like it much either,’ she grinned but sensed a rigidness in his shoulders. ‘What I didn’t know then though was my family were on my side all the time, making decisions that would help me in the long run. I wish I’d understood that.’

Jack shrugged. ‘Maybe.’

‘Oh, believe me, I see it now. Anyway, shall we get going?’

Leaving Cannes, they set off along the motorway towards the hills with a much better atmosphere amongst them. Figuratively and literally it was the calm after the storm. The overnight rain was still evident as the vehicle splashed through puddles and muddy spray peppered the windscreen. White clouds began emerging however, high and light, giving them hope of a brighter day. And, Lizzie hoped, family harmony restored. She silently squealed with joy; the reminder of that feeling she’d had in Nantucket as they’d driven around the island. There was something fulfilling about being a normal, happy family. A far cry from where she was just ten months ago.

Once off the motorway, the landscape became increasingly rural and rugged with undulations of green and grey tones. Fields were furnished with shooting crops and trees just bursting to bud. As the car ascended and twisted through tiny villages, signs of life bustled in bursts, like the blossoming cherry and almond trees. Lizzie also admired scatterings of wild flowers edging the road whilst, on the horizon, one by one the clouds vacated the sky leaving behind a soothing cornflower hue and a sunny vista.

‘This is beautiful. Are you excited, Cal?’ Lizzie asked breaking the silence.

‘I am. I’m glad you like it. Jack, are you impressed?’

‘It’s cool,’ Jack mumbled.

Thierry, peering up at Jack next to him echoed, ‘It’s cool.’

A spluttering of laughter filled the air. Even Jack’s face began to crack, Lizzie noted.

‘I just hope I can remember where it is. There’s a road we have to take on the left here somewhere,’ Cal said looking in his rear-view mirror and slowing down. ‘Ah, I think this is it. Yes, it’s up and to the right.’

Lizzie swallowed, her insides gurgled beyond excitement. Or was it apprehension? As Cal negotiated the narrow winding road, vines either side of her draped and tumbled down the gorge. Spectacular ochre villas with pools perched on ledges of differing levels with cypress trees sunken, then soaring around them. She suddenly felt she was embedded into a picture postcard. Cal turned the car to the right and it bounced along the track until it reached the other side of the gorge where, not only did it mirror the beautiful ledges of the other side, but the view stretched wider than the gorge and graduated down across the plateau and to the Côte d’Azur. Lizzie gasped letting out a ‘Wow’ then realised Cal had stopped the car. She looked back to the windscreen. In front of her was a building of sorts. She gasped, instantly grappling her chest. A Provençal manor house. Yes, it appeared somewhat bedraggled and neglected, she thought, but its charm was completely captivating.

‘Wow.’

Opening her door, she stepped down from the car and looked closer, detecting huge patches of shattered rendering, exposed aged stonework, and rotten window frames which were congealed with dirt and rust and surrounding cracked and smashed glass. Surely the previous owner wasn’t living here? There appeared to be only one redeeming feature: the roof. From what she could see, it looked to be in good order.

Cal stepped out the other side of the car. Jack released Thierry and they ran to an outhouse.

Cal glanced at her. ‘First impressions?’ he smiled as he came round the front of the car and clasped her waist, squeezing her to his chest.

‘I love it.’ Lizzie’s arm swept around him before she inched up to his lips brushing them gently with hers, at once inhaling his familiar perfume. Her heart danced as she savoured the moment, she wanted to pinch herself. Everything was just so, so perfect. ‘I could never imagine anything or anywhere as beautiful as this. It’s stunning, Cal. Breathtakingly beautiful,’ she replied, feeling a trembling from his body.

‘Yes. I still can’t believe it. It’s better than I remembered. And, as the season goes on, it will look even more so. You’ll see. When I was here last June it was absolutely sublime. OK, so the house needs a bit of repair, and I promise you, it’s not as battered inside as it looks on the outside. For a house dating back to 1700, it is in pretty good nick.’

Lizzie was just about to respond when a van appeared coming over the hill. ‘Oh, there’s Jean-Luc.’

‘Brilliant.’

Lizzie guffawed. ‘He might not stop when he claps eyes on McLaren Manor.’

‘Ha, I like that! It’s Domaine Margot, fyi. Oh, and Jean-Luc is past the point of no return. He can’t go anywhere else.’

‘It has its own road?’

‘Well, more of a track really. Anyway, I’m sure you can see the potential here.’

‘Absolutely, that’s if you have any change left,’ Lizzie mocked as she watched the van entering the forecourt. ‘Jack, have you got Thierry’s hand?’

‘He’s here with me,’ Jack said.

‘Shall we wait for Annatia?’ Cal opened the boot, collecting a notebook and unhooking his pen. ‘Although, I think we’ll still be outside with Jean-Luc anyway. There’s quite a bit of work he’ll need to look at.’

‘True. That’s a couple of hours. No. I’m sure she’ll find us. She said she’d probably be running late anyway. You go ahead with Jean-Luc. I’ll go with the boys and keep an eye out.’

‘Well, take the key and you can go straight in.’

‘No. We’ll wait. The boys can go exploring outside. It’ll be an adventure for them.’

Lizzie wandered down to the front terrace with the boys and then stopped. ‘Please hold on to Jack’s hand tight, Thierry. Jack, there’s quite a drop there. Let’s walk around the house.’ The thought of Thierry toppling over the sheer drop made her shudder. It would need fencing off. Roaming round, she couldn’t believe how much larger the house was. There was virtually another house behind it and the outbuildings. And junk, lots of it, she thought seeing the boys pick up some kind of old tools and pots.

‘Be careful please,’ she told them. Then as she rounded the next corner, she realised they were virtually on the top of a hill. The land, neatly organised in terraces of vineyards, stepped down to more, very well-tended ones too. Beyond those, more neat vines were in the lower grounds in segmented terraces and gardens, sheltered by hedges and trees.
A little bit of paradise!

She heard the car and turned back to meet Annatia, sighting her small frame climbing elegantly from her little sporty soft-top.

Annatia raced from the car as Lizzie came from the front of the house and greeted her with kisses.

‘Wow, this is amazing. Jes did say I’d be impressed but I wasn’t quite ready for this. This is so gorgeous. That terrace! Oh Lizzie, how exciting. I can’t wait to see the house.’

‘Well, you can see it needs a bit of fixing.’

Annatia giggled. ‘Mmm, just a bit.’

‘We’re just waiting for Cal and Jean-Luc. I didn’t want to go in without him. I don’t think he took much notice of the house before. Well, he couldn’t remember much about it anyway. Only that it needs loads of work.’

‘Just like Jes. He’s so engrossed in his vines. He’s been spraying here though, I hear?’

‘Yes, or one of his team, whilst Cal was away.’

‘Good to hear. So excited for you. It will be a dream once it’s all done. Is Cal back for good?’

Lizzie swooped her hair back and scooped it to the front, her neck feeling suddenly hot. ‘No, he is going to stay with Jack until he finishes his exams. About six weeks.’

‘Oh, that’s tough, Lizzie. But Jes can help, and we can liaise with email.’

Cal and Jean-Luc appeared from the front of the house.

‘Not as much work as I initially thought,’ Cal said as he and Jean-Luc greeted Annatia.

Cal took the keys from his pocket. ‘Jack, Thierry,’ he called as he fiddled with them trying to find the correct one.

‘I’ll get them,’ Lizzie said dashing along the side which resembled a wilderness. ‘Jack, Thierry,’ she called, her heart hammering as she tried to listen for a response. ‘Jack, Thierry,’ she shouted, her head jerking side to side and back and forth. Cal ran up behind her as she ran over to the edge just praying…her breath panting uncontrollably ‘Jack, Thierry,’ she screamed. There was no sign of them. ‘Oh Cal, where…’

Cal leaned, peering over the ledge and Lizzie couldn’t look.

‘No, please, no, no.’ Nausea stabbed her throat and muscles in her limbs ceased to support her. She turned, feeling like she was going to black out, and there they were…suddenly appearing from a small stone outhouse at the side.

A monstrous sigh gushed from her throat. ‘Thank you, Jesus,’ she said clutching her chest. ‘Cal, they’re here.’

Trying to contain her breath she walked towards them with Cal soon rushing to her side.

‘Goodness, what have you got there?’ Lizzie asked Thierry who was holding a scruffy old teddy.

‘There’s boxes of old stuff in there. They’re all wrapped in bubble-wrap,’ Jack said. ‘You need to have a look.’

‘Maybe later. Come on.’ Lizzie took Thierry’s hand and met Jean-Luc and Annatia who had hurried down hearing her scream.

Cal paused. ‘Take Thierry’s hand, Jack,’ he said passing Thierry’s tiny palm to his son.

He then spun around, bent down, and in one sweeping movement, scooped Lizzie off her feet carrying her through the open door and over the threshold.

Lizzie screamed. ‘Oh my God, I wondered what you were doing. Oh, you old romantic.’

‘Nothing wrong with romantic. I thought as it will be our home, I should make it a special occasion. Unfortunately I didn’t bring any bubbly.’

‘Ooh, the irony. Vineyards, vineyards, everywhere and not a drop to drink,’ Lizzie joked and they all laughed. Except Jack. Lizzie detected bitterness in his eyes as Cal stood her back on her feet.

‘Come on, Jack. Let’s go and look at the bedrooms. You can have first choice.’

‘As long as it’s not the master suite,’ Cal added.

Lizzie urged him to follow with her hand. ‘Thierry, you too.’

Jack stared unenthused for several seconds. She wondered if he was working up another tantrum. Finally, glancing momentarily at his father, he trudged behind her.

‘Don’t be too long. I want both your input here.’ Cal led the others directly to the main reception room.

‘Let’s check them
all
out before you decide, Jack.’

‘It doesn’t matter.’ He pulled at his unruly hair. ‘I’m only coming for holidays. I’ll be in London.’

‘That’s true,’ she agreed, ‘but you will want to be comfortable when you come.’

Now it was all so plain. Jack must feel this was distracting Cal from him and his plans. Maybe he was resenting her for that. As they trawled from room to room, Lizzie did her best to highlight any feature she thought might excite him, especially the second biggest bedroom with the seductive view and en-suite which actually looked more attractive than the master. Probably nothing remotely interesting for a teenager and, gauging his expressionless face, she certainly wasn’t hitting any of his buttons.

‘I expect your dad will be able to help you decide. He has expert help with him. Let’s go back and join them.’

As they entered the main reception room, Cal’s excitement was palpable as he explained to Lizzie Annatia and Jean-Luc’s ideas about creating a larger entrance hall and putting in double doors to the main room. Lizzie instantly agreed as she surveyed the spacious room with doors overlooking the spectacular view and its beautiful, stone fireplace and wood-burning stove. And, in the master bedroom, on the same floor which led out to the terrace too.

Annatia stepped forward, moseying towards the edge. ‘Oh, Lizzie, Cal, I don’t know what your budget is, but this terrace would lend itself perfectly for an infinity pool. Imagine, that ledge would be perfect, and not only would it create a gorgeous feature slipping into the landscape, it would also solve a problem; no one would be able to walk close to the edge.’

‘Oh that is such a good idea,’ Lizzie said, pleased with a solution for the dangerous ledge. ‘And, we have the other master suite the other side, and the doors leading from the kitchen, so all your main rooms will have the splendour of the view and the pool,’ Lizzie added having had the benefit of a quick tour of the house and glancing at Jack for signs of an emotive response.

‘Absolutely,’ Annatia nodded. ‘And we could put in a Jacuzzi this end, so you have somewhere to sit and while your evenings away sipping your very own wine.’

‘Or beer with friends,’ Lizzie added surreptitiously noting Jack’s reaction.
Better!

He swayed as his mind must have pictured it and Lizzie watched as he scratched his chin. His eyes scanned the scene.

‘Cool,’ he said. ‘A Jacuzzi and a pool outside the room.’

Cal looked at Jean-Luc. ‘What do you think? Is it doable?’

‘I don’t see why not. I can get the ground surveyed. It will probably need some reinforcement, that’s all.’

As they continued around the house, Lizzie was now beginning to feel the mood was changing for the better. Her body was loosening from tension although she was curious to know what was playing on Jack’s mind. She figured it best to leave it to Cal to speak to him about it.