Follow Your Star by Jennifer Bohnet (best value ebook reader .TXT) 📗

Patsy gave her sister a quizzical look. ‘I get the feeling something is clearly going on down here – and not just with Jean-Claude either. Tell me all!’

Nanette blushed, but decided to ignore her sister’s remark about Jean-Claude for the moment.

‘We think, no, we know, Mathieu and Zac are embroiled in something illegal. And can you believe Zac wants me to work for him again?’

‘I hope you’ve told him no way!’

‘I tried to, but he wasn’t listening to me. And now Mathieu says it would help him if I did.’ Nanette shrugged helplessly. ‘But JC is against it, even to help Mathieu.’

‘Does Vanessa know about your worries over Mathieu?’

Nanette shook her head. ‘No. She’s too far away to do anything and I don’t want to worry her unless I have to.’ Nanette glanced across at her sister. ‘There’s another thing. I’m starting to remember things about the accident.’

‘That’s good,’ Patsy said. ‘Isn’t it?’

‘Not sure. Yes, it’s good that my memory is fully functional again but some of the things I’m remembering are frightening.’

‘Not started the nightmares again?’

‘No.’

‘That’s all right then.’ Patsy said comfortably. ‘Now, I’m sure this Mathieu business will eventually sort itself out and anyway, there’s nothing you can do about it. What I really want to know about is you and Jean-Claude. He’s very attractive.’

Before Nanette could answer, Florence, the housekeeper, appeared with another large bunch of flowers.

‘The concierge just sent these up, with this card,’ she said, handing an envelope to Nanette.

Even before she tore open the envelope, Nanette knew who these particular flowers were from.

Happy Birthday. Sorry about missing our dinner date. Will ring you this evening. Hope you’ve had a great day. Zac.

Exasperated, Nanette said. ‘They’re lovely flowers but I wish he hadn’t sent them. I’m going to have to say thank you and the last thing I want to do at the moment is thank Zac Ewart for anything. And why is he going to ring me this evening?’

‘We won’t be here anyway, will we?’ Patsy said. ‘Aren’t we going out to dinner in’ – she looked at her watch – ‘about an hour, with Jean-Claude and Mathieu to celebrate your birthday in style?’

‘Heavens, is it that late already? We’d better get ready.’ Nanette took Zac’s flowers out to the kitchen and asked Florence if she’d kindly find a vase for them.

Mathieu, arriving back with the twins from swimming just then, handed Nanette a small package.

‘Olivia and Pierre thought you’d like this. Happy Birthday from us all.’

‘This’ turned out to be a beautiful silk scarf from one of the designer boutiques on Avenue de Monte Carlo.

‘Thank you,’ Nanette said, gently fingering the luxurious material. ‘It’s lovely. I shall wear it this evening.’

The Italian restaurant where Jean-Claude had booked a table was only a short walk away. Nanette’s heart missed a beat as she saw him standing there waiting for them.

‘Happy birthday,’ he said in greeting. The words ma chérie were added so quietly, that only Nanette heard them and she smiled at him gratefully. Gallantly taking her hand in his, Jean-Claude escorted her to their table where an attentive waiter was waiting to pour the champagne before taking their orders.

Apianist was playing a medley of Italian songs and several couples were making use of the small dance floor around which the tables were grouped.

‘Will you excuse us while the birthday girl and I have this dance?’ Jean-Claude asked, looking at Mathieu and Patsy.

‘Go ahead,’ Mathieu said looking at Patsy. ‘Would you like to?’

‘I’ll sit this one out, thanks,’ Patsy answered. ‘I think the bump would rather get in the way.’

Nanette, moving slowly around the dance-floor, Jean-Claude’s arms holding her close, breathed a sigh of happiness. A feeling that this birthday was going to herald in a year of changes to her life flooded through her body – and surely this time, they would be good changes.

‘Thank you for my beautiful flowers, JC,’ Nanette murmured.

‘My pleasure. I have another present for you, too, but you will have to come to the villa to collect it. Maybe when Patsy has returned home? Now we’d better return to our table, I can see the waiters arriving with our food.’

The meal was delicious. Conversation and laughter flowed between the four of them. It was only when the waiter brought the sweet trolley for them to choose from that she realized Patsy had gone quiet.

Concerned she looked at her.

‘Patsy are you all right? You look awfully pale.’

‘I’m fine – just feel a bit queasy. Probably too much rich food. I think I’ll skip dessert.’

‘Do you want to go home?’ Nanette asked.

‘Certainly not. But if you could just point me in the direction of the ladies?’

‘I’ll come with you,’ Nanette said, giving her an anxious look.

‘You stay here,’ Patsy said standing up. ‘I’m pregnant – not incapacitated. I see they’ve got your favourite dessert,’ she added glancing at the trolley. ‘So enjoy.’

But Nanette could hardly swallow a spoonful of her tiramisu, delicious as it was. When after ten minutes Patsy hadn’t returned she stood up.

‘I’ll just go check on Patsy,’ she said.

Nanette found her sister, sitting in a wicker chair, sipping a glass of water given to her by the concerned restroom attendant.

‘What’s going on?’

‘The doctor should be here any minute,’ the attendant answered. ‘I’ve told the lady not to move.’

‘Why do you need a doctor?’ Nanette demanded. ‘Is it the baby?’

Patsy bit her lip. ‘I’ve started to bleed. Not a lot,’ she added quickly seeing Nanette’s face. ‘But enough for me to need some medical advice.’

The restroom door swung open and a man entered.

‘I’m the emergency doctor. I gather we have a problem with a pregnant lady? Perhaps I could ask everyone to wait outside for a while?’

‘Doctor, my sister doesn’t speak French,’ Nanette said. ‘Do you need me to translate?’

‘Non, merci. I speak enough English. Please give me five minutes alone with the patient.’

Nanette made her way back to Jean-Claude and Mathieu and quickly explained the situation to them, before returning to see what the doctor said.

‘Bed rest