Last Resort (71 page)

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Chapter 28

Tou know, this feels really weird/ Penny laughed as she drove in through the gates of the villa.

"I mean, it's usually me doing the interviewing and I can't quite get the hang of it this way round."

Serena Brothers, the new editor of Starke magazine, laughed too. She'd flown over from London the day before specifically for this interview, which was a bit of a coup in itself, there having been so much speculation lately about Penny Moon and what was happening over here, as well as being a nice little jaunt to the Rivieria in the middle of June. Of course, she had her boss, Sylvia Starke, to thank for it, as so many others had Sylvia to thank for their lucky breaks.

"Do you think that bit back there at the office went all right?"

Penny asked, uncertainly.

"I mean, did you get what you were hoping for?"

"It was fantastic,"

Serena murmured, trying to stop her mouth dropping open at the sight of the spectacular villa they were approaching.

"And so is this. Is this really where you live?"

Penny laughed.

"Yep, it's where we live. A bit on the ostentatious side, but we like it."

"Just look at that view!"

Serena groaned.

"How do you ever drag yourself away from it? And this wonderful garden. You must have an army of gardeners to keep it this way."

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'Heavens no, I do the whole thing myself,"

Penny teased as she stopped the car at the front of the villa.

Serena laughed.

"You really are amazing, you know. You've achieved so much down here."

"Not without help/ Penny said.

"Which reminds me: I've got a few things I'd like you to take back for Sylvia, if you don't mind. Nothing heavy."

"Not a problem,"

Serena answered, getting out of the little convertible Peugeot Penny was still driving around in. It was totally impractical, of course, but there was the great lumbering estate car they used for family days out.

"You know, I'm filled with admiration,"

Serena went on.

"I mean, how on earth do you manage to find the time to run the magazine, write an entire book of short stories, run this house and bring up a little girl?"

"More help,"

Penny grinned. Then, wincing as she heard the noise coming from the other side of the house, she said,

"I hope you're ready for this. It's Shana's birthday today, so things could get a bit out of hand."

Laughing, Serena said, How old is she?"

Two years and ten months,"

Penny answered wryly. Then, with an ironic lift of her eyebrows that did nothing to disguise the pride, she added,

"With David as a father, I'm afraid every day is a birthday."

"I can't wait to meet them both,"

Serena said, following Penny round to the swimming pool.

"Dear God,"

Penny muttered, coming to a standstill as they rounded the corner of the house.

"Will you just look at them!'

Serena was doing just that, watching in delight as the tiny girl, with white-blonde curls and a rotund little tummy, chased her father with a trifle, trying to splodge it in his face. It didn't take her long to succeed and she screamed with laughter as David scooped her up in his arms and ran back to the table, where he dipped his hand in a bowl of gooey dessert and wiped it all over her face.

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'Most days are like this around here/ Penny remarked. Ton get used to it after a while."

"Mummy!"

Shana squealed, spotting Penny coming

towards them.

David turned, his face and hair still thick with trifle, and, even as she burst out laughing, Penny's heart felt as if it were melting. God, she loved him so much. Then suddenly she was backing away as she caught the wicked glint in his eyes.

"No!"

she cried as he and Shana started towards her.

"No, David, stop! I'm having my photograph taken in a minute."

"But we want a kiss from Mummy, don't we, Shana?"

David declared.

"David, I'm warning you ..."

Penny laughed.

"Kiss, Mummy! Kiss!"

Shana cried, bouncing up and down in David's arms and clapping her hands.

"Oh no, David, please don't,"

Penny wailed as he grabbed her arm. But it was too late and as his mouth came down on hers and Shana hugged them both in a wet, sticky embrace Penny couldn't stop herself responding to the brief touch of his tongue on hers.

Tou wait,"

she told him huskily as he let her go.

"I'll get you back for this."

His eyes were dancing as, turning to Serena, he waited to be introduced.

Tou don't have to bother shaking his hand,"

Penny assured Serena as she looked at him warily. With no little relief Serena introduced herself, using a hand to shade her eyes from the sun.

"So/ David said, trying to hold Shana at bay as she rubbed her hands over his face,

"how's the star of the family doing?"

"She's doing just fine/ Serena told him, feeling something of an intruder for a moment as David's eyes lingered on Penny's.

Tour turn next/ Penny told him.

"So go and clean up. Shana, are you going to say hello to Serena?"

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Shana turned and fixed Serena with stunningly blue eyes which were so like her father's that Serena felt her own blink.

"Hello, Shana/ she said, smiling.

Putting a thumb in her mouth and rubbing her head against David's so that her glossy curls mingled with his, Shana said,

"I'm a bit shy, Mummy."

Both David and Penny burst out laughing.

"Well, that's news to me,"

Penny said, giving her leg a playful squeeze.

"Now come on, be polite and say hello."

"Hello,"

Shana whispered.

"Good girl. Now off you go to the shower with Daddy."

As Penny and Serena watched them saunter off to the shower in the pool house Serena said,

"I hope you don't mind me saying, but they're both absolutely gorgeous."

Penny smiled.

"Yes, I think so too. Anyway, let me get you something to drink. What would you like?"

"Something cold,"

Serena answered, following Penny into the kitchen.

She waited until Penny handed her an Orangina, apologizing for the baby glass, then said,

"How long has David been back now?"

"Just over a month,"

Penny answered, looking up as Sammy came into the kitchen.

"I thought I heard you come in/ Sammy said, giving Penny a quick peck on the cheek.

"How's it going?"

"I wish you'd all stop asking that/ Penny groaned.

"You're letting Serena know how nervous I was."

"She's been a right pain in the neck preparing for this interview/ Sammy told Serena.

"About time she got a taste of her own medicine, if you ask me. Anyway, I'm Sammy, Penny's sister."

"Nice to meet you, Sammy/ Serena said, shaking Sammy's hand.

"Do you live here too?"

"God, no. I'm just passing through on my way to Italy."

"She arrived a week ago and we can't get rid of her/ Penny smiled fondly.

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'So how's the bun fight going out there?"

Sammy asked.

"I came in to get out of the way."

"I think you just got your answer/ Penny replied with a laugh as Shana gave a piercing scream, which was followed by a thunderous splash as she pushed David into the pool.

"I'm sorry/ she said to Serena;

"it's always like this around here. We're a pretty rowdy bunch, especially those two out there. But he'll clean up in a minute and come and join us.

Shall we go through to the sitting room? It's a bit cooler in there."

"This is so idyllic/ Serena sighed as they sat down on facing sofas.

"You seem so happy, all of you."

We are/ Penny answered,

"now. But we had to wait for it, as you know. Oh God, what's happening now?"

she laughed as the yelling and screaming started up again.

Serena smiled. Tooks like Sammy's joining in the bun fight/ she said, getting out her tape recorder. She waited for Penny to turn back, then said,

"OK, we've covered the success of Nuance and the new book. Anything else you'd like to add before we move on?"

"No, I don't think so/ Penny said, chewing her lips thoughtfully.

"If anything occurs to me, I'll let you know."

Serena nodded, consulting her notepad.

"Ah, there is just one thing/ she said. Tou didn't tell me exactly how many offers from other magazines you've turned down in the last six months."

"Only two/ Penny laughed.

"Not even tempted?"

Serena asked.

"Wasn't one of them in New York?"

"Not tempted for a moment/ Penny answered.

"Mine and Shana's lives are here, and now that David's back we'll definitely be staying."

"Meaning you were thinking of leaving at one time?"

"It crossed my mind once or twice/ Penny said, finding it incredible now to think how she'd once intended

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that as soon as she heard David was being released she would pack up and leave France before he came back.

"But as you can see, we're settled here now and I d n/t see that changing for a while."

"Sylvia told me,"

Serena went on warily,

"that you wouldn't mind answering some personal questions. Is that right?"

"Depends how personal/ Penny responded with arched brows.

"But ask away. If I don't want to answer, I won't. I imagine the same will go for David when he finally joins us."

"OK,"

Serena said, leaning over to start the tape recorder, but before she did she said, Tou obviously know that plenty of rumours have been flying ever since David came out of prison, so a lot of my questions will be either to confirm or deny them, OK?"

Penny nodded, and tucked her legs in under her, thinking that she was quite enjoying this after all.

"So,"

Serena said, once the tape recorder was whirling,

"I believe that David didn't know anything about Shana until quite some time after she was born. Is that right?"

Penny nodded.

"So what made you decide to tell him?"

Smiling, Penny said, Tou mean who made me tell him. Sylvia, of course. She surprised us all with a visit when Shana was about ten months old - having been tipped off about Shana's existence by Ruth Elliot - and after taking one look at Shana she said, "if David doesn't already know about this little angel, Penny, then you must tell him. If you don't, I will."

"

Serena laughed at the near-perfect imitation of Sylvia's Swiss-French accent.

"So what did you do?"

she asked.

Penny let her head fall back as she felt herself returning to those long, dark, dreadful days of early pregnancy that felt so distant now it might almost have happened in another life. By her third month she had started to feel human again, but the going still hadn't been easy, for in 559

the one letter she had received from David he had told her that he and Gabriella had resolved a lot of their differences and were going some way towards patching things up, so he could make no promises for the future. He had sounded so distant, so like a stranger, as he'd gone on to thank her for all she had done, for her support and for the friendship they had that he hoped would 1 endure. He'd included a little about his sons, telling her 1 i that Gabriella was bringing them to see him on a regular 11 basis and that at last he was getting to know them, It, though not, of course, under the best of circumstances. 11

Knowing that the letter had been read by others, per- 11 haps even written for their eyes too, had been small comfort when there was no way of finding out what the truth really was. And carrying a child of her own, a child she just knew in her heart was his, had made the cool- I ness of his letter all the harder to bear. She'd written I back, but by the time it reached the jail he was no longer r there. He had finally got bail and was at home with 1 Gabriella and their children, which was where he stayed I until sentence was finally passed. I It was Stirling who had told Penny about Gabriella's final act of treachery when she had given false evidence, "

I claiming that David had been involved in the importation I of heroin. Stirling's call had come just a few days after I Penny had returned home with Shana, and though she I longed to fly out to see David, who was by then in a fed-I eral prison in Florida, the baby had to come first. She'd I written to him regularly in the months that followed, I chatty, newsy letters that never made any mention of I Shana though she never once failed to tell him how much I she still loved him. He hadn't answered one of them until...

B Penny smiled at Serena.

"What else could I do?"

she

said in answer to Serena's question.

"Sylvia would have H told him if 1 hadn't, and 1 guess she was the prompt 1 1

needed, having come so close so many times to telling 560

him aireauy. ou o.

very nearly had an abortion which explai y and wP"

decided to go through with the pregnan. sent ano . wasn't going to tell him about it. With it \ enclose1 letter, telling him all about his daughterly, becau photograph, which was a bit sneaky ie$ to resist "

knew once he saw her he'd never be abl Afraid of J1 and then I waited. It was awful. I was s , sooner r , angry he might be because I hadn't told if fto face worse, that he wouldn't write back at all"

("

ened in a smile.

"Fortunately he did neitlr

-What did he do?"

Serena asked. mad at

Penny laughed.

"Well, he was prettJ fnember, bawled me out on the phone as I seem to "

put that v . i he told me he loved me ... Actually, dofi fie told n4 , , 1 - it sounds mawkish and self-indulgent t there aJ1 wanted to see me as soon as 1 could g Bugged.

" i ne course he wanted to see Shana too."

She & was thivT R went."

And it was during that first visit, s e extent . to herself, that she finally learned the t