Hand On Heart: Sequel to Head Over Heels (21 page)

‘Oh yes,’ said Sophie.  Grace hadn’t checked whether there really was a Medical Care Company – she should have Googled that first, she thought afterwards – but it sounded as though Sophie thought there was, which was the key thing. 

‘We’re a private healthcare scheme, offering special treatment to families with children with serious illnesses, and your name has come up on our database.’  Here she knew she was taking a huge chance: if Sophie didn’t really have a poorly child at all, then she would know that Grace was connected to Tom, and would probably guess immediately who she was.  Unless of course she had spun her lies to a whole host of people, to garner sympathy for whatever sick and twisted reason.  

Grace had a sudden pang of guilt, and felt that she had stooped incredibly low in resorting to this, with the risk that she might be taking advantage of the mother of a terminally ill child.  She knew that if the situation was reversed, she’d feel it was impossibly cruel.  It was, but she needed to find out, and so she ploughed on.

‘Could you tell me your son’s name, and the details of his illness?’ Grace – AKA Polly – asked.  Sophie hesitated.  Damn, too much too soon.  She should have sweet-talked her first, but she was new to this.

‘Can you tell me again where you’re calling from?’ Sophie asked.

‘The Medical Care Company,’ Grace replied, starting to feel nervous.  This wasn’t going to be as straightforward as she’d hoped. 

‘I need to be somewhere right now, so I can’t answer your questions at the moment, I’m afraid.  If you’d like to leave me your name and number, I’ll call you later.  Oh, and your website details too, please?’

Dammit, Sophie knew this was fake, Grace thought to herself.  She’d been rumbled.

‘I’m sorry, madam, I think I’m losing you, I didn’t quite catch that?’  Grace pretended the call was breaking up.  God, she hated people who did that normally.  ‘Sorry madam, sorry, I can’t hear you, I’ll call back later.  Goodbye.’

Grace collapsed onto the bed with a huge outlet of breath.  She hadn’t realised she’d been holding onto it. 
Phew, I’m no good at this.  Never again,
she vowed. 
Never again am I stooping so low.  This makes me as bad as her.

She was gutted that the call hadn’t gone quite to plan.  But then what had she expected?  That Sophie would spill the beans about her ‘sick son’ to a complete stranger over the phone?  Of course she wouldn’t.  Grace was bitterly disappointed that she was no closer to finding out what Sophie’s situation was.  The fact that she was still working was no proof in itself, they needed more than that. 

She just hoped to goodness James’ friend could come up with more information than she had been able to.  The only thing she knew for definite was that her days of playing at private detective were over before they’d even started.  She didn’t think she would rush to tell Tom what she had just done; she couldn’t see him looking too kindly on her phoning Sophie like that.  She would tell him at some point, as she hated keeping things from him.  But not yet.

‘Come on guys,’ Evie said. ‘Last day tomorrow, what are we going to do to celebrate?  I don’t want this holiday to end, we’ve all had such a great time.  I was thinking, why don’t we find a nice restaurant somewhere, book taxis, really go to town, get dressed up?  We could have cocktails here beforehand, I could go and get all the stuff in in the morning.  We could do that and then get a lift into town, it would be great, wouldn’t it?  But we need to find a really special restaurant, one we haven’t been to yet.  I think I’ll just pop over and have a chat with Henri, see what he can recommend, shall I?’  She was brimming with excitement at her plans.

James looked worried.  ‘Sounds great, love but why don’t we wait till the morning, see how we all feel?  We’ve got a long journey the next day so we might just want to stay here and chill out and make the most of the last day in the sun, don’t you reckon, guys?’  He looked to the others for support, but no one was making eye contact.  Tom glanced over at him, wondering what the ‘bear with me’ comments from the other day were going to bring forth.  He felt slightly uneasy about the whole thing.  Whatever James was planning, he hoped it was something Evie was going to appreciate.  That they were all going to be comfortable with, in fact.

‘What a total bunch of killjoys, you lot are soooo boring,’ Evie declared, when her excitement elicited barely any reaction.  Exuberance didn’t come easily to teenagers so she was used to dead-pan reactions from them, but she would have expected more enthusiasm from Grace and Tom.  Only the twins, bless them, showed any sign of excitement, although if they got their own way it would more likely be a trip to the nearest McDonald’s.

‘Well, if you lot don’t want to do anything, how about I take the girls shopping tomorrow?  What do you say?  We could catch the train into Bordeaux, see some real shops for a change?’  Immy and Ana still looked pretty nonplussed, even at the offer to have money spent on them, and shrugged at their mother in their usual non-committal way.  They were quite happy with a final day by the pool, too, it would seem, before reality dawned and they had to return to a damp and chilly Britain.

Seeing that his wife wasn’t going to let this drop, James got up from his lounger.  ‘
I
will go and have a word with Henri, see if we can’t sort something out,’ he suggested, giving Tom a sly wink and touching the side of his nose.   It looked as though the only way he was going to stop his wife ruining his plans for tomorrow was going to be to take matters into his own hands.

‘Henri, mate, bit of a dilemma regarding tomorrow,’ James said to the chateau owner.  ‘If my wife comes over here sniffing around asking about restaurants for tomorrow evening, will you tell her I’ve had a chat to you and we’ve booked one you recommended?  She wants to do something special, keeps on at the others about marking the last day.  I can’t have this all blowing up at the last minute, so just say what you need to if she comes over, would you?  Lie through your teeth if you have to, keep her off the scent.  Thanks old pal, you’ve been so much help in all this.  Really appreciate it.’  He patted the old man on the arm affectionately.  He really had been very kind to James; he would make sure he was well recompensed for his services before they left.

James thought he’d better not rush straight back to the poolside – that would all look too quick, too easily sorted out, so he fiddled around on his laptop for a while, hoping Evie would draw the conclusion that he was booking a restaurant.  In fact he was checking his emails; he would really like to be able to give Tom some good news about the Sophie situation before they all left for home, but as yet there was no word from his contact back in the UK.  It was a tricky one as he was asking his friend to divulge information he probably shouldn’t, but it was all in a good cause.

‘All sorted,’ he announced later, re-joining his wife by the pool and kissing her on the top of her head.

‘So, where are we off to?’ she asked.

‘I’m keeping that a surprise, you’ll have to wait till tomorrow to find out,’ he replied with a coy smile.  Not entirely untrue, and actually, this whole situation could play to his advantage, now.  No one was likely to disappear at just the wrong moment, now that they thought plans were afoot.  ‘All you need to know is that everything is arranged, so Cinders, you shall go to the ball!’  He bowed theatrically.  ‘Hope you’ve got your gown and pumpkin at the ready!’

‘Oh how exciting, I love surprises,’  Evie whooped, clapping her hands together with excitement, and looking to Grace to see if she was equally excited.  Grace looked less than happy, Evie thought, but she failed to understand why.

Great,
James thought to himself.  Maybe Evie would stop asking questions now and he would be able to get on and finish the final few arrangements for tomorrow that still needed his attention.  Nothing like throwing someone off the scent entirely, it made life a lot easier.

Tom and Grace exchanged a look.  Neither felt they could trust James as far as they’d manage to throw him at this very moment.

Fortunately it wasn’t long before the press lost interest in the James and Naomi story.  Not surprising really, as there wasn’t much of a story in the first place, but that was typical of the press, making something out of nothing, particularly if big news items were in scant supply on any day.  They were lucky that England was absolutely trouncing everyone else in the Commonwealth Games, with medals galore, so the press attention switched to that, plus there were the newly released photos to celebrate the first birthday of the undeniably cute third in line to the throne, Prince George.

Evie thought with some satisfaction that Naomi must now resent the constant attention on William and Kate and their gorgeous baby.  Someone like Naomi must feel she had failed in not nabbing a man who was at least a minor royal or had a title and estate.  Being way too old for the one remaining bachelor prince must be so irksome to a woman of her lofty ambitions, although Evie wouldn’t put it past her to have a try, given the right circumstances. 

Wasn’t Kate looking slim and lovely, the papers remarked, although was that the slightest hint of a second baby bump already?  Or was she just standing funny?  Wasn’t her hair luscious, although weren’t there a few greys showing around her hairline now?  Wasn’t William a wonderful father, so hands-on, despite his early ineptitude with the baby car seat, which was often revisited by the press as a source of great mirth?  Evie felt for these pour souls, who had either been born into the public eye – or chosen to marry into it – and had constant press attention foisted on them.  How on earth did they cope with the daily intrusion into their private lives?  She thanked her lucky stars that the small amount of interest in James seemed to be behind them now, and they could hopefully return to anonymity.

And so the so-called Financial Futures Scandal very quickly took a back seat.  Evie scoured the papers daily, and just to be on the safe side, googled James and found no mentions less than a week old.  She hoped things were starting to die down and they could now focus on getting their lives back together
–
which began with getting through the investigation.

The FCA had arrived at the start of the week and commenced their work.  It was like having the auditors in, only far more intrusive, as they conducted their investigation with suspicion already formed in their minds, out to find something improper, with the attitude that they would almost feel they had failed in their task if they didn’t.  Evie felt as though they had been laid bare; it was as much of an attack as a grubby-handed burglar going through her underwear drawer.  But she and James had talked things over at great length, and she was convinced they would find nothing at all untoward, so really she knew she shouldn’t worry, although that was easier said than done.  James was a shrewd businessman, and no fool.  He had never been one to cut corners, particularly in the current litigious climate, where anyone could be called to account.  Every meeting he had was minuted, and he had assured her that even his meetings with Naomi were, too (surely not the one where…  OK, she didn’t need to dwell on that, she was trying her hardest to put it behind her.)

James had only stayed at the hotel for a few days, and was now back home.  Whilst the paparazzi had been hounding him he felt it was fairer on everyone else if he stayed away.  Evie hadn’t asked him to leave, but the pair of them had agreed it was probably for the best, for the time being and hopefully only for the short term.  Despite everything, she thought the girls would find it easier to come to terms with the situation they were in if he was living at home, and the constant pressure to talk to one another had to help them all. 

Her plan seemed to be working and the girls were still talking to James, although there was often an icy edge to Immy’s voice when she spoke to her father.  Evie had noticed her daughter quietly glaring at him on more than one occasion, as if trying to fathom out how someone she loved so much could betray them all so badly.  Infidelity was a hard concept for a child to deal with, and any kind of instability within the family unit was unsettling. 

Anastasia seemed to be more accepting, but then she had been exposed to less of the detail than her older sister, as Evie had tried to shield her from much of it.  Immy wanted to know specifics, and Evie had provided them – where she thought it was appropriate – whereas Ana had been content to let it wash over her, and try and get on with her own life.  Both girls had very different coping mechanisms, but it made Evie sad and angry that their teenage years had been tainted by this.

The atmosphere between Evie and James was frosty, but she was doing her best to be supportive, and having him in their home was helping her, too.  She had to face up to him every day, couldn’t just ignore him, and so they did talk, even if the subject matter wasn’t always pleasant.  She felt she did want things to be right between them again, but knew they had a huge hill to climb to get anywhere close to where they had been.

Also there was the business to think of.  However much she might swing from hating him to loving him and back again, the two of them had worked hard to build their company up, and it would be the (probably third) worst thing she could ever imagine happening if it were to come crashing down around them. 

A few days later James arrived home looking a lot happier.

‘They just called me in,’ he began.  ‘I was terrified, it was awful, but guess what, they’ve cleared us!  What a relief, I mean these people, they’re out to find something, no matter what, aren’t they?’  In the excitement of the moment he reached out to pull her close, then remembered their current situation and stepped back.  Evie thought that actually she would quite like to hug him, and so she did just that.  She pulled him to her, and he collapsed onto her shoulder.  She could feel him heaving with the sobs that wracked his body.

‘I’m so sorry, Evie.  So sorry I’ve put you through all this.  You and the girls don’t deserve it.  I can’t believe I was stupid enough to get involved with her, she’s a dangerous woman.  I could have ruined everything, couldn’t I, all for a bit of a thrill.  But it has made me realise just what I stand to lose.  I can’t imagine ever being without you, my love.  You and the girls, you’re my world and I love you so much.  I just hope we can start to put all this behind us now.  Can we try?’  He had repeated this mantra many times in the past few weeks, in the hope that at some point, his wife would believe him.

‘I really want that too, but you have to give me time.  I can’t imagine life without you either, but you have to understand how difficult this is for me.  I mean, the thought of you with her, it makes me physically sick.  I can’t get that image out of my head, it keeps popping up to torment me.’

‘I’m a fool, I know that now.  Pity I couldn’t see that before I got myself into this mess.’

‘I know, but in the meantime let’s deal with one thing at a time.  The business is in the clear, so that’s brilliant news.  What happens now?’

‘Well, the FCA will put out a press release, one with pretty wide coverage, apparently, so that will hit all the papers tomorrow.  We’re in the clear.  I need to get on now with contacting all our clients again and letting them know the good news.  No one has bailed out on us yet, but I have to say, if it had been in the papers any more, some of them were getting a bit twitchy so it would only have been a matter of time.’

‘And what about Naomi?’

‘What about her, the bitch?  I never want to hear from or set eyes on the woman again.  I suspect she’ll probably make sure something gets in the papers when she sees the press release.  There’ll be some sort of backlash, but to be honest, there’s nothing she can do now.  She can’t touch us.  When the FCA put out their report, it’s there in black and white and indisputable, whatever mud she tries to sling at us now.’

‘Yeah, let’s just hope she disappears off our radar.  Off to find the next challenge, no doubt.  Why can’t people just be thankful for what they’ve got, instead of always thinking there’s something better to be had elsewhere and mucking up other people’s lives in the process?’

James looked wistful.  ‘Yeah, that’s exactly what I’ve come to realise these past few weeks.  Never again, Evie.  Till death do us part, now.  I made that vow and broke it, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.  But I really love you, and I’ll never do anything to upset that again.’

‘I know you do,’ Evie replied.  ‘I know you do.’ 

James needed to slip into town without any of the others following him.

‘Just popping out for supplies, love,’ he said to Evie as she lay sunbathing later that morning.  ‘No need to come, I won’t be long.’  He noticed Grace and Tom exchange a glance; those two were very suspicious of his actions at the moment, but just for today, there was nothing he could do about it.  All would be revealed tomorrow, but for now, he had to remain mysterious.

‘Oh, OK then, are you sure you don’t want me to come too?’  Such was the renewed closeness between them that Evie didn’t really want to be parted from him unless she had to.  And she was relieved to realise that this was because she wanted to be with him and was enjoying his company, not because she didn’t trust him to be out of her sight.  Trust was the hardest part to rebuild, she thought, but it was starting to come back, and with it a sense of security and hope for the future that she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

‘No, no, you stay here, that’s fine.  I’ll be back in time for a late lunch.’ 

She settled back into her book, feeling quite nostalgic for the holiday that was nearly over.  She was going to miss this lovely, inactive daily routine of a late breakfast, a few hours in the sun, lunch on the terrace with a drop or two of alcohol, followed by more sun and then more food.  It had been a proper holiday, and she was feeling relaxed and happy.  The happiness stemmed largely from the fact that her marriage was finally back on track, and she knew this feeling wouldn’t fade when they left here for the reality of life back home.  What she and James had experienced whilst they had been in France was no holiday romance, it was a renewing of their love and commitment to one another.

‘Yeah, I’m on my way.  Yep, got the cash, where shall I meet you?’ James asked into his phone as he followed the one way system around the small town.

‘Back entrance of the Bar Belle Epoque?’ the voice on the other end suggested.  ‘You can park there, it is easy to load up the goods.’

‘OK see you in five minutes,’ James replied.

‘Can you stash this lot for me as well for tonight?’ James asked Henri as he pulled up back outside the chateau.  ‘That lot there needs to go in the fridge.’

‘Pas de problème,’ replied Henri.  ‘My barn is now full of your things, James.  I hope this plan of yours is going to be a big success.’

‘Course it will,’ James replied.  ‘Course it will.  You’ve been a big help, Henri.  Couldn’t have done it all without you, mon cher.’

James had taken the service entrance from the country lane so that the others wouldn’t see him arrive back.  Then he’d have to drive back out again and in the formal drive to the chateau.  He had picked up some freshly baked baguettes, some more cheeses and cured meats for lunch, so as not to arrive home empty handed after his so-called trip out for provisions.  Evie knew that James loved browsing the shelves of foreign supermarkets, so she always expected him to come back with some delicacy or other that he hadn’t actually intended to buy. 

‘Hi, honey, I’m home,’ he called to the others by the pool.  ‘Lunch in five minutes, OK?’  He had actually enjoyed tinkering around in the kitchen on this holiday, it was something he didn’t have much time for at home these days.  He would make an effort to cook more for the family when they went back, he resolved.  It was so easy to always let Evie take charge of the food, but he got a lot of satisfaction from feeding people well, and she would appreciate the help.

She loves me again.  Phew,
he thought happily, watching his wife wrap up in her sarong, ready to come and join the others at the table. 
God knows I’d do anything for that woman out there.  Never again will I risk putting our relationship on the line.

‘To the end of a fabulous holiday – well, almost the end,’ James said, raising his glass as they all sat down to eat, ‘but to new beginnings.’  He winked at Evie.

Grace, seeing the wink, put her hand to her mouth. 

‘Evie, you’re not pregnant, are you?’

Evie shrieked with laughter. 

‘Arggghhh, God, no, Grace, I’m not. Not that sort of new beginning.  I think what my husband means is that we now have a future together.  We’re back.  Properly.’

‘Yes, we are,’ James said, grabbing his wife’s hand and kissing it.

‘And another toast,’ he said.  ‘To my darling wife.  My perfectly lovely wife.’

‘Awww, you two, get a room,’ Tom joked.  He smiled at Grace.  Perhaps they could trust James to do the right thing by Evie after all.  They only had to wait until tomorrow to find out.