‘If he asks me to marry him.’
‘OK, if he asks you to marry him be sure to say yes. Love and marriage go together. I should know. Those few years I had with your father before he died were the most wonderful, the most...’
They were both reaching for the tissue box now.
‘Mum, don’t you think it’s too late for me to go back to Michel and tell him I’ve changed my mind about moving in?’
‘It’s never too late to change your mind. Especially if you’re a woman. We’re well known for it. But you’ll have to grovel.’ She gave her daughter a conspiratorial grin.
‘Grovel? What do you mean?’
‘Eat humble pie, tell him you got it all wrong. Men like to be told that they were right all along. But the important thing is that you tell him. If you do manage to convince him you’ve changed your mind about moving in with him then you can rest assured that it’s quite safe for you to let nature take its course. If you keep an open mind about the situation once you’re under his roof, he’ll come round to thinking about marriage. He’ll find he can’t resist making love to you when you’re living together and—’
‘You really think so?’
‘He’s a man, isn’t he? You’re an attractive young woman who’s carrying his babies. Your pregnancy is well established now and making love will help to ease the tension between you. Make the first move if you have to. Believe me, he’ll love you for it.’
* * *
Chantal looked out of the car window at the view of the sea sparkling in the glowing twilight. Before she’d left her mother’s apartment she’d phoned Sebastian to tell him she’d changed her mind and was going back to see Michel. He’d insisted on sending his chauffeur to drive her, saying it would be much better she didn’t tire herself on the journey.
It had only been as Sebastian’s chauffeur had driven off the motorway that led to St Martin sur Mer that she’d phoned Michel to find out where he was. Her mobile had rung for a long time before he’d answered. He had probably been deciding whether to take her call or not.
When he’d finally answered he had been brisk and to the point. He was at home. ‘Why do you want to see me?’
‘I just need to see you.’
‘Well, OK. But make it soon because I have to go out tonight.’ He cut the connection.
Predictable reaction, Chantal thought nervously as the car climbed higher up the hill. How long did she need to convince him she’d changed her mind for ever?
* * *
The chauffeur lifted her case out of the boot and waited by the door. Butterflies were once again fluttering around in her tummy. The chauffeur had already opened the car door but she remained in her seat watching, watching and planning what to say.
The front door of the house opened.
Slowly, she got out of the car.
Michel, towel in hand, was in his dressing gown, his dark hair wet and rumpled from the shower. He pushed it back from his forehead and took the case from the chauffeur, who returned to the car and started the engine. He’d already told Chantal that Sebastian had asked him to return to Paris that evening.
As the car drove away she felt very apprehensive. Michel’s cold manner was scary. She’d never seen him like this before.
She followed him into the house. He dumped her case by the door and went through to the veranda. He stood by the rail of the veranda, looking out at the view, his arms folded, his back towards her.
‘I thought you would still be in Paris. If you’ve got the name of your law firm I’ll give them a call in the morning but right now I have to—’
‘We need to talk,’ she said quietly as she sat down on the nearby sofa. ‘I stayed at the clinic last night. Sebastian gave me a full examination today. I had a scan this morning.’
He swung round and moved to her side, looking down at her with an enigmatic expression.
‘How are the babies?’
‘They’re fine. Sebastian asked if I wanted to know the sex but I said I would like you to be with me when we found out—if you do want to find out. It would be the right thing to do and... Oh, Michel, I’ve changed my mind about moving in here. If you still want me here under your roof I’d love to make this my home while I’m waiting for the babies.’
She’d hoped to control her tears this time to give him a rational explanation in words but possibly her tears would convey her feelings.
‘I was wrong, I was so wrong,’ she managed to say. ‘Can you ever forgive me for being so difficult when you were so kind?’
He sank down beside her and drew her into his arms. ‘There’s nothing to forgive, he whispered. ‘You’re carrying my babies, that’s enough.’
‘No, you deserve more from me, Michel. More commitment to your needs as well as mine.’
His arms tightened around her. ‘Chantal, I thought I could never love again but I was wrong. I’ve been trying to ignore my feelings for you. Trying hard not to fall in love with you. Yes, I’ll always love Maxine but my heart is big enough to love both of you. If only you loved me back I would be the happiest man on earth.’
‘But I do love you, Michel! I was also trying hard to ignore my feelings for you and pretend I wasn’t—’
His lips on hers prevented her from saying anything further.
‘Words aren’t enough to pledge our love,’ he murmured as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her upstairs.’
* * *
There was moonlight streaming through the open windows when she awoke. The first thought that occurred to her was that she was home at last, her real home with Michel. She’d never felt happier.
As if sensing that she was looking at him, he opened his eyes.
‘You’re still here. I thought I might have dreamt it all. If we’ve conceived two more babies it’s going to be a bit crowded in there.’
He placed his hand over her tummy. ‘No, I’m confident there’s only two in there. I can hear them asking when they can go to sleep again.’
She gave a sigh of happiness. ‘It’s taken too long for me to admit I was in love with you. The main reason I fought against my true feelings for you is that when I miscarried my first baby last September I vowed I would never trust myself to a man again. Jacques’s deception hurt me so much.’
He drew her into his arms. ‘Tell me about it,’ he said gently. ‘I want to know everything about what happened to you.’
She took a deep breath as the awful memories came flooding back. ‘Jacques’s wife turned up at my flat. I had no idea he was married. I was carrying his baby. I wanted that baby so much. I wanted to be a mother...well, anyway, there was a lot of shouting between them. Apparently that wasn’t the first time he’d betrayed her. Finally the shouting stopped and they left together.’
She snuggled close to Michel. He was stroking her hair. She felt safe in his arms.
‘Please go on, darling. I need to know if I’m to understand what changed you.’
‘I began to feel ill. I thought it was simply the horrible experience I’d just been through. I told myself I was strong enough to forget his deception and move on. I would give my unborn baby all the love I was capable of. My mother had brought me up by herself after my father died so I could do the same.’
She broke off to compose herself again. ‘I didn’t realise it had triggered a miscarriage. When I found myself on the bathroom floor, doubled up in pain, I felt a change coming over me. I became hard. I vowed that no man would ever cause me such pain and anguish again.’
He kissed her gently on the cheek. ‘My poor darling. I can see now why you were wary of commitment. You thought all men were the same, didn’t you?’
‘Until I met you,’ she whispered, looking up into his eyes where she could see her own love mirrored there.
She moved in his arms as she felt desire mounting between them. His lips were on hers. She welcomed the gentle feel of his kiss, the sensual, exciting touch of his hands exploring her body. They blended together, making love once more until they climaxed together, both of them knowing that their love for each other would last for ever. Nothing could break the bond between them.
* * *
Chantal came round from her sensual snooze in Michel’s arms. She looked up at him and saw he was wide awake, his eyes dreamy and loving as he returned her gaze.
‘Michel, you forgot you were going out, didn’t you? Will someone be waiting for you?’
‘Ah, yes, my mythical date. Pure fantasy. Nothing wrong with that when you’re still hurting from the fact that the mother of your babies has refused to move in with you. But I’ll forgive you now I understand the reasons behind your desire to remain totally independent of any man after your horrible experience with Jacques.’
‘And I’m relieved you’ve realised it’s possible to love Maxine at the same time as you’re loving me.’
‘Only you could have made me realise that,’ he murmured.
She smiled up at him. ‘And only you could have made me fall in love again.’
His lips brushed hers. ‘If I were to say four little words to you, would you give me an answer?’
‘That depends on what the little words are. Please don’t keep me in suspense.’
‘Tradition requires me to get out of bed and go down on one knee.’
She remained silent. She would remember these precious moments for the rest of her life, she knew.
He was looking up at her from the side of the bed, gazing at her with such love that she thought her heart would burst.
‘Will you marry me?’
He held out his hands towards her. As she clasped them she felt a shiver going down her spine. She’d been utterly transformed since they’d both confessed their love for each other.
‘Yes, oh, yes, of course I will. Michel, I love you so much I...’
He was holding her in his arms again, covering her face with kisses as they vowed they would love each other for the rest of their lives.
He knew that he would never forget how beautiful his bride-to-be looked when she agreed to marry him.
EPILOGUE
A
S
C
HANTAL
AND
Michel changed their twins’ nappies in the nursery they could hear the sound of their guests arriving downstairs and in the garden. They’d chosen to wait until the babies were four months old before having an official party to publicly celebrate their wedding and the birth of their babies.
They’d had a wonderfully quiet, low key wedding in October at the church in Montreuil for close family and friends but today was a big event where they were going to show off their babies.
Chantal looked up at Michel and smiled. ‘What a difference a year makes!’
He laughed. ‘Any regrets?’
‘You must be joking. Last June I was still agonising about the past and the effect it had had on me. Today I’m the happiest woman alive. Mother of two, wife of the most wonderful—’
‘Oh, spare my blushes, Chantal! When you’ve finished with that nappy bin on your side of the cots, could you pass it this way? Eugh! What a stink!’
Chantal laughed. ‘You can be so romantic, Michel.’
He dropped the bin on the floor and drew her into his arms. ‘If it’s romance you want, darling, you’ve come to the right man. I was just wondering if we’ve time to...’
A loud wailing sound came from both cots.
‘Michel, they’re both hungry, remember.’
He kissed her on the cheek and released her. ‘OK. Later. You take Rose, I’ll deal with Christophe.’
They settled themselves in the comfortable feeding chairs by the French doors that led onto the balcony, from where they could see their guests arriving. The perfume from the roses wafted up from the garden.
Chantal looked down at her little daughter who was sucking noisily on her bottle. The little blue eyes gazed trustingly back at her. Had she ever imagined a year ago that she would be as blessed as she was now? And to be a mother with a boy and a girl. This was where she truly belonged. They were a real family.
Someone was tapping on the door.
Michel looked up from baby Christophe.
‘Entrez!’
Angeline, who helped them with the babies and some of the housekeeping, came in.
‘Chantal, would you like me to take over the feeding for you? The caterers are setting out the lunch buffet in the marquee and I’ve got time to help you now.’
‘Good. You can take Christophe.’ Michel stood up, cradling his son, and handed him over to Angeline. ‘I’ll go and change.’
Chantal smiled at Angeline as she settled herself in the seat that Michel had just vacated. Angeline had proved to be a brilliant addition to the household. She’d had nursery training but was also happy to help around the house and turn her hand to anything that needed to be done. A distant relative of Marianne, Julia’s housekeeper, she was exactly what they needed.
Chantal hadn’t wanted to keep on the obstetric nurse they’d employed for the first month of the twins’ lives. She’d wanted to be a hands-on mum, taking care of her own babies. And she found that she was in no hurry to return to her medical career. Being a full-time mother was all she’d ever dreamed of. Especially when Michel was happy to help her whenever he wasn’t on duty at the hospital.
She could hear the hum of conversation downstairs. Rose took her little rosebud lips from the bottle and looked up at her mother as if to say she didn’t want any more. The bottle was almost empty.
She lifted her daughter over her shoulder, rubbing her back gently until she heard and felt the reassuring burp that told her Rose had been winded.
‘I’ll put Rose in the playpen for a few minutes, Angeline. Christophe can join her when he’s finished feeding.’
* * *
It had only taken her a few minutes to change into the cool white linen skirt and jacket she’d chosen for the occasion. With her hand on the banister as she hurried downstairs, she paused for a moment to look at the friends, relatives and medical colleagues chatting to each other in the large entrance hall.
‘Chantal!’ Pierre Marchand, the obstetric consultant who’d been such a help during her pregnancy, called out. ‘You look wonderful! Nobody would think you were the mother of two babies.’
She smiled as she continued down the stairs.
‘Who’s looking after the shop today?’ she asked her medical colleagues as she was warmly welcomed into the group. ‘So many of you are here today! Thank you all for coming. I hope we don’t get an emergency.’
A chorus of agreement rang out as she passed through the hall, saying a few words to everybody before going out into the garden.
The marquee on the lawn was also crowded with friends, relatives and a large number of medical colleagues. Chantal again found herself hoping there wouldn’t be a major disaster that would send them all scurrying back to the hospital. She noticed many of her colleagues were drinking fruit juice or fizzy water just in case.
The caterers had set out an excellent buffet at the far end of the marquee and guests were wandering outside in the garden, enjoying the summer morning.
Michel came across from the group he was entertaining when he saw his wife. ‘You look wonderful,’ he whispered. ‘Everybody’s asking to see the babies. Shall we go and bring them out here before it gets too hot?’
She nodded in agreement as he took her hand and led her back up the stairs. In the nursery their babies were kicking their legs in the playpen. Chantal had laid out their clothes on the bed. That was supposed to be her own bed but she preferred to sleep in the next room with Michel, leaving the adjoining room door open. Consequently, ‘her’ bed acted as a dressing space for the twins’ clothes.
‘Shall I help you, Chantal?’ Angeline was already lifting baby Rose from the playpen.
Michel lifted out Christophe but handed him to Chantal. ‘I’m no good with buttons and zips.’
He watched as his babies were decked out in the beautiful garments Chantal had chosen for their public appearance today. The babies were wearing little white two-piece outfits, a dress for Rose and trousers for Christophe.
Chantal took the baby hairbrush and passed it gently over their soft blond hair. Gently she gathered Rose into her arms and Michel picked up Christophe. Together they went down the stairs. The people in the hall gave a collective sigh as they appeared. ‘Oh, look at the babies! Aren’t they gorgeous? What a beautiful picture they make as a family.’
They made their way slowly through the admiring crowd, out into the garden where there were more ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ of appreciation.
Sebastian and Susanna gave their approval at the brilliant progress of the babies.
‘Thank you so much for all your help during the pregnancy,’ Chantal whispered to Sebastian.
‘It was an absolute pleasure to see the outcome, Chantal. Thank goodness it’s all been such a success. May you have a long and happy family life together. I know you’ve got a ready-made family with your boy and girl but are there any plans to enlarge it in the future? You’re both completely natural parents.’
‘Oh, yes, we’ve got plans,’ Michel told Sebastian.
‘Glad to hear it,’ Susanna said.
‘Chantal!’ Julia, followed by Bernard and the boys, came hurrying across the lawn. The two cousins were soon catching up on everything that had happened in the last few days since they’d last seen each other. Philippe was carrying his baby half-brother Thibault and showing him his baby cousins.
‘They’re our second cousins,’ he was saying in a serious voice, as if his eight-month-old brother knew what he was talking about. ‘You see, our mother is Chantal’s first cousin so...’ He glanced up at his father. ‘Do you think Thibault understands what I’m saying, Papa?’
Bernard nodded gravely. ‘Of course. Like you, he’s very bright for his age.’
Chantal moved on to the seat under the trees where she’d spotted her mother deep in conversation with her twin. It was obvious that Brigitte and Berenice were trying to catch up with their news as she and Julia had just done.
Both sisters turned at the sound of Chantal’s voice and they both insisted on holding the babies. Brigitte took Rose into her arms. Michel followed shortly with Christophe and handed him over to his great-aunt Berenice.
The sisters were besotted with the babies. ‘You can leave them with us,’ Brigitte said. ‘Go off and talk to your guests. We’ll take care of them. Don’t hurry back.’
‘Come and have a look at the roses with me,’ Michel said as he took Chantal’s hand.
She knew exactly where he was taking her. They’d been here many times before. There was a secret garden, which was difficult to find unless you knew it was there. They went through the ivy-clad archway and were finally alone.
‘I just had to have you all to myself for a few minutes.’ He drew her into his arms. ‘You look absolutely radiant.’
As she responded to his kiss she reflected that they were going to be together for the rest of their lives but she would always remember this special moment. They were a real family now but there was still romance in their lives, always would be.
‘This is where they are!’
A whole crowd of colleagues from the hospital staff had joined them, followed by the wine waiters, who were topping up their glasses.
‘Here’s to the happy couple! May all your troubles be little ones.’
She recognised the English voice of her eldest cousin, who was a consultant in a London hospital. He was Julia’s elder brother.
‘Congratulations on the birth of your twins!’ Everyone was joining in the toast, raising their glasses.
‘I was so happy when I saw the twins on the screen after your threatened miscarriage,’ said Pierre Marchand, the obstetrics consultant at the Hôpital de la Plage who, in liaison with Sebastian in Paris, had seen Chantal through her pregnancy. He also raised his glass. ‘I’m so glad we didn’t lose them. Chantal, you were a brilliant patient at that difficult time. You did everything I told you to and look at you now, positively blooming with good health!’
‘To the twins?’ Genevieve from Obstetrics lifted her glass for another top-up. That definitely calls for another toast. You’re not on call, Pierre, are you? Well, thank goodness for that!’
‘Speech!’
Michel rose to the occasion, welcoming everyone, paying compliments to his beautiful wife, his wonderful babies, saying thank you to everyone who’d helped during the pregnancy. Everyone cheered as he swiftly brought the impromptu speech to its conclusion.
Sensing the demand for further speeches would arrive as the champagne flowed, he put his arm round Chantal and guided her away from their no-longer-secret garden. Grandmother Brigitte and Great-Aunt Berenice had waved them away when they’d returned to claim their babies, telling them they needed more time with the little darlings.
Their guests were milling round the buffet now. The band had arrived and was in place on the lawn, playing music for dancing. Michel took her in his arms and guided her round the lawn in a slow foxtrot. Everybody cheered as they finished. Chantal knew she would remember this day for the rest of her life.
* * *
‘Have the guests all gone now?’ Michel asked when Angeline came to help them settle the babies.
Angeline nodded. ‘The last taxi of guests has just driven off and my taxi is on its way up the hill. Thank you for ordering it for me, Michel.’
‘Thank you for all your help. The babies are both asleep, as you can see,’ he whispered. ‘That sounds like your taxi in the drive now. Goodnight, Angeline.’
They were alone at last. Michel took Chantal’s hand as they tiptoed away from the sleeping babies in their cots. As they went through into their bedroom he unzipped the strapless blouse beneath her jacket.
‘I’ve been wanting to do that all day.’
‘I’ve been waiting for the time when you could safely do that all day! Oh, that’s better.’ She kicked off her kitten-heeled shoes and curled up in an armchair beside the bed.
‘Let me help you into bed, darling.’ Gently he lifted her onto their enormous bed.
‘Comfy enough?’ He snuggled up to her, struggling to throw the rest of his clothes away onto the thick carpet.
She turned towards him.
He put out a hand and gently stroked her face. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Fit and healthy. Not a bit tired. Fabulous day, don’t you think? I was so apprehensive this morning about all the arrangements we’d made.’
‘So was I. It went off very well, didn’t it? Good planning, Chantal.’
‘I was going to say the same to you, Michel. We make a good team.’
‘No planning needed tonight.’
She sighed. ‘All night alone together.’
‘Apart from our babies.’
‘They’re snuggled up together side by side just like we are.’
‘Well, not exactly...’ She snuggled against him as he drew her into his arms. Life couldn’t get much better than this.
* * * * *