An Unexpected Affair (8 page)

They sat there for a while then Christophe wandered off to look at the view, humming an old song, and throwing sticks for the dogs. Eleanor closed her eyes, and leant back against the tree trunk luxuriating in the sensation of the warm breeze on her skin and the scent of pine trees in the air. The effects of the lunch and the wine had made her drowsy and she was about to nod off when she felt a sudden weight on her knee. She opened her eyes in surprise to see that the dogs had thrown themselves down beside her in the shade and one of them had rested its big shaggy head on her lap. Christophe strode back towards her, his hands in the air in mock guilt.

“Orson,
bouge
! I’m sorry, but my dogs find you irresistible!”

“How flattering,” she said, laughing.

He shooed the dog away. “They have very good taste.”

“You are teasing me now,” Eleanor said, laughing and trying to untangle her hair, which had suffered from the effects of the dusty walk. “I remember how mischievous you used to be.”

He grasped her hands, suddenly serious. “I hope we can be friends, Eleanor.”

“I hope so too,” she said, though she wasn’t sure what that friendship would be like. They shared a past, but now they led such different lives and lived so far apart. They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

“I’m sorry that I left you and went back to London,” said Eleanor, surprised by the words that came from her.

Christophe stood and made a sound like ‘boff’, shrugging his shoulders. “We were very young.” He sat down beside her again and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “But we were lucky to have such love in our lives, don’t you think?”

She nodded her head. “Yes we were,” she said, putting on a pretend pout. “So you forgive me for leaving you?”

“Of course,” he said, hugging her. “If you had not gone, I would not have married Rosanne and had Thomas and Elena, and you would not have met your husband.”

She wrinkled her nose at that. “Hmm, exactly.”

Eleanor had shared the bare bones of her former marriage over lunch. Now Christophe shook his head in disbelief. “I’m sorry to say this Ella, but that man is a fool.”

She felt she should protest and outline Alan’s good points, but before she could speak Christophe had leant over and pressed his lips gently but firmly on hers.

She put her hands to his face and closed her eyes, revelling in the moment, hoping to store the myriad sensations in her mind: the sweet pressure of his lips, the slight stubble under her fingertips, the wonderful scent of his skin. It was just one stolen kiss, but it was magical and forbidden and neither of them wanted to be the first to pull away because they each knew that there could never be another one.

All too soon Christophe drew back, caressing her hair and smiling at her. “I should say sorry for kissing you, but that would not be true.”

Eleanor felt the same, even though she knew it was wrong. She put a finger to his lips, partly to silence him and partly to stop him kissing her again, much as she longed for him to do it. She knew that she should feel guilty, sitting there under the tree, kissing a married man, but she couldn’t. At that moment, all she felt was happy. Seeing herself reflected in Christophe’s eyes, she felt desirable again.

After a while Christophe got to his feet and stretched out his hand to her. “Come. Let’s go back to the house. Everyone will wonder where we are.”

Jenna will be desperate to know what we’ve been up to, thought Eleanor as she took Christophe’s hand and they descended the path together, back to their families and their real lives.

After they had all said their goodbyes and promised to keep in touch, Thomas drove them back to the hotel so it wasn’t until they were ensconced in their rooms that the sisters were able to talk about the events of the afternoon. By this time, Jenna was desperate to know what had happened between Christophe and her sister.

“So, tell me all. You were gone for such a long time that I was worried Rosanne would think you’d run off together.”

Eleanor smiled enigmatically, she hoped. “Well, we had a lovely walk and a chat.”

“A chat? Come on, El. Confess – did you have a snog?”

Eleanor tried her best to look offended. “A ‘snog’? You can be so crude sometimes.”

“Okay. A kiss then?”

Eleanor was savouring the memory and gazed dreamily out across the balcony to where the elderly gents were playing
boules
and gossiping, as they did every evening. She said nothing as Jenna grew increasingly frustrated. As an elder sister and a maths teacher, she was used to people giving her straight answers.

“Well?” she said, after a moment.

Eleanor turned away from the balcony, suddenly serious. “Rosanne has got nothing to worry about.”

“Oh,” said Jenna, who appeared quite deflated. “So nothing happened, then?”

“I wouldn’t say that
nothing
happened. I’m just not going to tell you about it.”

“Now, that’s not fair! You drag me all the way over here, make me drink my body weight in red wine, then refuse to share the juicy gossip.”

“I had a lovely day and I hope that Christophe and I can be friends, but that’s all.”

Jenna looked disappointed. “Shame. I was looking forward to visiting you in your lovely French farmhouse.”

“I’m no
femme
fatale
,” said Eleanor, laughing, “And certainly no home-breaker.”

Jenna nodded in agreement. “I know.”

“Which is not to say that Christophe doesn’t still fancy the pants off me.”

“Woo-hooh! That’s more like it.”

“And we did have a kiss, but that’s top secret!”

Jenna crossed herself. “Your sordid affair is safe with me.”

Eleanor smiled and gave her a hug. “Thanks Jenna. You’re a pal.”

That night Eleanor slept like a log, happy to have spent some time with Christophe and to have discovered that he still found her attractive so many years after they had first met. She was also pleased to discover that by going back to London she had allowed him to create a happy life with Rosanne and the children. As she fell asleep, it was with a contented smile on her face.

Chapter
10: Confession time

On Tuesday, the sisters had their final breakfast at the hotel, waved a fond farewell to their suite and lugged their cases into a taxi and back to the railway station. They both agreed that it had been quite an adventure, and a successful one at that.

Back in London, Keith was there to meet them at the Eurostar terminal and whisk them to the house in the evening.

“You’re very quiet,” he said to them once they were settled in the living room with mugs of tea. “Pleased with yourselves but quiet.”

Eleanor and Jenna exchanged glances.

Keith stood there with his arms folded, waiting. “What have you been up to?”

“Sorry Kiff, I’m sworn to secrecy.”

Keith looked suspiciously at his wife. “You must have had a very good time if you won’t even tell me about it.”

“It wasn’t me, it was her,” said Jenna, pointing at Eleanor.

“Thanks Sis. Actually Keith, I saw an old flame and . . .”

“And?”

“And he was gorgeous,” said Jenna, “but married, and they had a kiss, but that’s all. Oops! And now Eleanor will kill me because I’ve told you.”

“I didn’t really expect you not to tell Keith,” said Eleanor, smiling.

Keith sat down on the sofa, one arm draped over his wife’s shoulders. “Kissing a married man, eh? I’m not sure I approve of that.”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds Keith, honest,” said Eleanor.

“Okay I’m all ears.”

“Me too!” said Jenna.

Eleanor ran through the story of how they’d met Christophe and Rosanne in the restaurant and about the wonderful lunch at the vineyard with all the family.

“And then we went for a walk and he kissed me,” she said, blushing. “But that was all, and I really don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.”

Keith looked serious for a moment. “It doesn’t sound as if too much harm was done.”

Eleanor felt a pang of guilt as she remembered the look on Rosanne’s face when she and Christophe had arrived back at the patio, obviously happy in each other’s company. When they were all saying their goodbyes, Eleanor had squeezed Rosanne’s hands and thanked her in a way that she hoped made clear that her husband was quite safe from her clutches. Eleanor had seen the tightness around Rosanne’s mouth relax and recognised that Christophe was probably not the easiest man to be married to.

“I’m sorry to say it, El,” said Jenna, “but I fear the divine Christophe is probably a bit of a love rat.”

Eleanor laughed at the description, but had to agree.

“Yup, you’re probably right. He is lovely to look at but I’m not sure that I’d like to be in Rosanne’s shoes.”

“But it’s great that you know that now and can stop worrying about the ‘what ifs’ and get on with your life,” said Jenna.

“Well, I’m glad that everything has resolved itself,” said Keith.

“I’ll drink to that,” said Eleanor, getting down on her knees and rummaging in her suitcase for one of their many bottles of wine.

When they had their glasses charged, Jenna stood and raised hers in a toast. “Here’s to the people we love and the people we don’t know we love because we haven’t met them yet.”

“How very philosophical you are, darling,” said her husband, clinking his glass with hers and giving her a kiss.

“What a lovely speech,” said Eleanor, laughing. “And please don’t tell mum about Christophe or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Jenna rolled her eyes in mock outrage. “As if I would!”

Chapter
11: Time to go Home

Eleanor spent the next couple of days in London, visiting friends, going to exhibitions and having the first decent hair cut in months. By Friday she was ready to head back to her home and the shop. When she had set off on holiday it had been agreed that Erika would only contact her if there was a problem that she couldn’t deal with. Given how competent Erika was, Eleanor was not surprised to have received no messages.

Arriving back at the station Eleanor breathed in deeply. The salty tang of the sea never failed to thrill her. Even though she’d lived by the sea for over three years, it still felt like she was on holiday every time she got that first whiff of ozone.

She grabbed her bag and trundled out of the small station towards the car park where she had arranged for Erika to meet her and drive her home. The lime green Combi was parked by the exit and through the window she could see Bella perched in her favourite spot on the front passenger seat, paws at the window and tail wagging furiously.

Eleanor smiled as went around to the driver’s side, wheeling her case behind her. As she approached the front door, it opened and an unfamiliar figure appeared around the side of the van. Eleanor was expecting to see her assistant so she did a double take when she saw Daniel Pearce climb down from the cab and saunter towards her. “Hello Eleanor. Welcome home.”

Eleanor really didn’t know what to say. “Daniel? Good afternoon. Er, why are you in my van? Where’s Erika?”

Daniel frowned as he bent to take her bag. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m just helping out.”

He opened the side door to put her case in the van, allowing Bella to leap out and greet her owner enthusiastically, squeaking with joy and chasing her tail round and round. Once the dog had settled down a little bit, Daniel coaxed her into the back of the van and helped Eleanor up into the passenger seat.

“Okay if I drive?”

“Sure, yes,” said Eleanor, who was now genuinely alarmed. “Daniel, what has happened?”

“Oh, nothing really,” he said. “Erika had a bit of an accident, that’s all.”

Eleanor had visions of the shop burning to the ground. “What sort of accident?” she asked, immediately fearing the worst.

Daniel had started the engine and they were heading off up the hill. “I’m afraid she tripped over one of dad’s boxes a couple of days after you left and sprained an ankle quite badly. She can’t stand, which makes driving and bookselling rather difficult.”

Eleanor’s heart sank at the thought of losing hard-won customers while the shop was closed. She groaned, running her hands through her hair.

“So how long has the shop been closed?”

“Oh, it isn’t closed,” he said cheerily. “Your mother is running the place.”

“What?” Eleanor couldn’t decide if Connie being in charge would be better or worse than the shop being closed altogether. “My mother?” Her mind boggled. “But my mother has never worked in a bookshop before. And she’s in there on her own?”

“Not entirely on her own. She’s had help from Mr Greaves.”

“Harold?” Eleanor had now convinced herself that there would be complete chaos in the shop.

“Why did no one tell me about this?”

He shrugged. “I guess they didn’t want to spoil your holiday.”

Eleanor just stared at him. “So my mother and Harold have been running the shop alone for over a week?” She looked at Daniel in disbelief. “Neither of them is any good with computers,” apart from navigating dating sites, she thought to herself. She felt quite sick at the thought that her complex accounting and stock control systems would be in total disarray.

“Oh well,” said Daniel, “I’ve been assisting a little with that side of things.”

Eleanor just stared at him open-mouthed. “You’ve been helping? In my shop?” How had this happened, she wondered. She had been away for less than a fortnight and there’d been a coup. “That’s very kind of you but, I mean – I don’t mean to be rude but how did you get involved?”

Daniel turned and smiled. “Well, I’d been out walking Bella,” Eleanor’s mouth opened to speak, but Daniel went on before she could frame the question. “Your son had gone back to London, Connie was busy in the shop and Erika couldn’t walk the dog because of the ankle so she asked if I could help. Actually I was happy to.” He looked sombre for a moment before continuing. “Freya has finally moved out and taken everything with her, including our dog.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Crikey, what else has been happening while I’ve been away, thought Eleanor. “You must miss her.”

“I do. Despite the dog hair and fleas,” he chuckled to himself.

Daniel Pearce had just made a joke, thought Eleanor. Have I landed on an alien planet? Nothing was as it should be. She settled down in her seat with Bella’s nose snuffling in her hair and closed her eyes. Maybe when I open them again, everything will be back to normal.

Glancing around as they drove down the high street things looked reassuringly normal. Daniel parked the van in the usual spot and wheeled Eleanor’s case down the pavement as she followed behind with the dog. Arriving at the shop, Eleanor found the place to be surprisingly ordered and calm.

“Hello love. Welcome back!” Connie came out from behind the counter to give her daughter a big hug.

“Hello mum. What’s been going on here?” She looked around the shop, noticing the neat pile of papers on the counter and a jug of fresh flowers on the central table from where a couple of her regular customers smiled over and waved. “How are you managing?”

“We’re coping just fine. In fact, it has been rather fun!”

“But mother, you’ve never worked in a shop before.”

Connie pulled herself up to her full height of 5ft 3in, looking rather offended. “I ran London’s only hedgehog rescue shop for eighteen months when you were first married.”

It was true, and Eleanor had completely forgotten.

“Sorry mum. You are absolutely right, but that was donkey’s years ago. There were barely any computers to worry about in those days.”

“Well that’s where Daniel has been a godsend.” She smiled over at him, where he sat stroking the dog and looking sheepish.

Before Eleanor could ask any more questions she heard a murmur of laughter from the back of the shop. “What’s going on there?”

“Oh, that’s Storytime with Harold.” Connie pointed towards the back room where Eleanor could see an elderly gent in a grey sports jacket and yellow cravat in a comfy chair surrounded by small children and assorted mums all listening intently to
Guess
How
Much
I
Love
You
. Harold caught Eleanor’s eye and waved.

“I hope you don’t mind, love. Harold has a way with children,” said Connie, smiling indulgently. “We did it last week and the children loved it. Best of all, the mothers can’t resist buying a storybook for the little ones,” she added in a whisper. Eleanor was once again lost for words.

“Shall we have a cup of tea? Daniel, be a dear and put the kettle on. Harold is always gasping for a brew after he’s been reading to the kiddies.”

Daniel looked slightly uneasy. “Is it alright if I make the drinks?” he asked, looking nervously at Eleanor.

“Sure, go ahead.” As soon as he was out of earshot, Eleanor turned to her mother. “I’m still not entirely clear how Daniel Pearce came to be working in my shop,” she hissed.

“It’s perfectly simple. He came back from walking the dog one morning to find me in a terrible tangle on the computer. Harold had had a go, but it’s not quite the same system as he’s used to.”

“You mean the dating site?”

“And other things,” added Connie. “He’s very a good at shopping online and he checks my shares for me on there. Well anyway, Daniel asked if he could help and he was so marvellous that I asked him to pop in every day while you were away just to keep an eye on things.”

“But why did no one ring me?” asked Eleanor.

“Well we didn’t want to telephone you in France because we thought it would be terribly expensive, didn’t we love?” said Connie.

“That’s right,” said Harold, who had finished his
Jackanory
session and now rejoined them at the front of the shop. “Your mother wanted you to have a lovely time without worrying about things back here.”

Eleanor looked at them both beaming with pride at how well they’d done, and couldn’t be cross.

“Three teas,” said Daniel, handing out the drinks.

“Aren’t you having one, dear?” asked Connie.

“No, I’d better get off because father is expecting me. I’m going to check out another bungalow with him this afternoon.”

“Well, thank you for all your help,” said Connie, kissing him on the cheek.

“Yes, thanks Daniel,” said Harold, clasping Daniel’s hand in both of his and shaking it firmly. “I’m not sure how we would have managed without your technical expertise!”

“You’re very welcome, Harold.”

Eleanor stood there watching the mutual admiration society and felt quite left out.

On his way to the door, Daniel bent down to stroke the dog. “Bye Bella. I hope to see you again soon. And your owner too, of course,” he added.

Eleanor smiled weakly. “I think we’ll manage from now on, but thanks for helping to keep everything afloat.”

When he’d gone they all sipped their tea thoughtfully.

“Well, we’ll have this then leave you in peace,” said Connie.

Harold nodded in agreement. “Yes, that’s probably best.”

How do mothers always know how to make you feel guilty, wondered Eleanor. “Actually, if you could stay and carry on doing what you’re doing for an hour or so, that would give me time to take my bag round to the house and check on Erika.”

“I think we could do that, don’t you love?” said Harold, smiling down at Connie who nodded in agreement.

“Great,” said Eleanor, emptying her mug and taking a quick peek at the computer screen, which seemed to be functioning normally.

“Right, I’m off. See you later,” she said, as she trundled off towards the cottage leaving Harold and Connie to chat up the customers.

After quickly emptying her case and throwing a few things in the washing machine, Eleanor set out again to visit Erika in her flat on the top floor of a white 1930s block near the sea front. She had called ahead so Erika was expecting her. Her ankle was almost better and she planned to return to work the next day. They chatted about the shop and the holiday, and Eleanor filled her in on her encounter with Christophe – she knew there was no point imagining it would remain secret for very long.

When Eleanor had finished talking, Erika looked thoughtful. “So you don’t mind that Christophe wasn’t single and available?”

Eleanor laughed. “I can’t say that I hadn’t fantasised about that when we were on our way to France, but no. Not really.”

“So Jim is still in the running, then?”

“Jim Rowe? Oh, Jim and I are just friends,” said Eleanor. “He’s a lovely guy, but there’s no romance there.” She looked at her friend for a moment. “In fact, we thought that you might like to join us in the pub next time we meet. He’s going to invite another friend along too. Fancy that?”

“Actually, Jim has already mentioned it,” said Erika. “He saw me stumbling out of the GP’s surgery on my brand new crutches and helped me upstairs to the flat.”

Eleanor smiled, “He’s such a nice chap.”

Erika was looking decidedly shifty. “Yes, and then he made us both coffee and did some shopping for me because I couldn’t manage the stairs.”

Eleanor nodded as light slowly dawned. “Are you trying to tell me that you and Jim are . . .”

“Friends, yes,” said Erika. “I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve been getting to know each other while you’ve been away and I think that maybe we might be something more than friends one day.”

“Oh, but that’s great,” said Eleanor, genuinely happy for her. “And Jim knows about your, er, history?”

Erika smiled, “He does, yes, and he says he doesn’t mind one bit. In fact, he says it makes me a more interesting person.”

“Well I’m really pleased,” said Eleanor, giving Erika a hug. “And have you told Connie?”

“No, not yet.”

“She likes a bit of romance – she’ll be thrilled, too.”

“I hope so,” said Erika. “She was really hoping that you and Jim might get it together.”

Eleanor shrugged. “Don’t worry about me. I’m just fine on my own.”