A Perfect Paris Christmas - Mandy Baggot Page 0,50
to know who they were. I think that’s why I didn’t try to find out.’
‘You have to remember,’ Silvie said, cradling her glass of wine. ‘Ferne did not die because of you, Keely. Ferne died because she was involved in an accident. You realise, that she had already passed… inside her brain.’ Silvie took a breath. ‘She spent three days on a machine until all the tests were complete and they told me there was no hope of a recovery.’ Silvie stopped and gathered herself before continuing. ‘It was Ferne’s wish to help others if something like this ever happened.’ Silvie shook her head. ‘Ferne was always helping others. Anyone actually. She had a particular affinity for animals. I cannot count the number of times I had to shoo strays out of our home… after they had stayed the night and eaten some of what was planned for meals during the week of course. I am a terrible cook. It was probably a deterrent to that.’
Keeley laughed then, looking back to the picture of Ferne and trying to imagine this frankly glamourous-looking individual feeding a pack of hungry dogs. It just showed that you couldn’t tell that much about a person from that visual first impression. What would Ferne have thought about her from a photograph?
‘Keeley likes animals,’ Rach butted in. She had already almost finished her pint of beer and was obviously drinking Keeley’s share of Dutch courage. ‘Once she fed a rat some of her kebab on the Underground… you know… when she was allowed to eat kebabs.’ Rach hiccupped. ‘When she wasn’t, you know, looking after someone else’s body part.’ Rach looked startled then. Like Ant and Dec were in her ear telling her what words to say. ‘I didn’t mean it quite like that. I don’t know why I said that.’
Keeley put a hand on Rach’s arm and gave it a squeeze. ‘It’s OK.’ She looked to Silvie. ‘I do try and look after myself,’ she admitted. ‘Second chances are precious. I want to make the most of mine.’
‘Feeding rats?’ Silvie asked, her eyebrow raising a little.
All three of them laughed out loud then and it was like the unseen barriers gently fell away. Things immediately began to feel a touch more natural to Keeley, the previous slightly palpable nervousness eased by a tale about London vermin. She put the photograph back on the table.
‘Thank you for contacting me, Silvie,’ Keeley said softly.
‘Thank you for agreeing to visit.’ Silvie looked to Rach then. ‘And you are a good friend, coming all this way with her to meet an old lady.’
‘How could I say no to all the free…’ Rach cleared her throat. ‘Free time to spend with Keeley.’ She gulped down the last of her beer.
‘Ah!’ Silvie said as the waiter arrived, arms filled with plates of steaming meals. ‘Here is our food. And I promise you, the monkfish really is exquisite.’
Keeley smiled and settled back into her chair. Everything was going to be OK.
Twenty-Two
L’Hotel Paris Parfait, Tour Eiffel, Paris
‘Where is Monsieur Durand today?’
Ethan asked the question of Antoine as he used the reception desk to lean on and write notes. He didn’t commit well to iPads or electronic devices, for him it always felt better to write things in ink. Whether it was the definite pressing motion as ballpoint met paper, or the secret thrill in being able to heavily strike out and eradicate that brought him some sense of security he didn’t really know. Perhaps it had more to do with his lack of anything but chalk and crayons when he was growing up. But what he definitely did know today, was that he was more determined than ever to find a way out of Louis Durand’s plan to sell the chain of hotels from under him. From under Ferne’s memory. The fact was, the hotels were doing well. OK, they were not doing exceptionally well, hence Ferne’s idea to branch off, but every business suffered lean times. Even Ethan knew it was moving with those times, keeping up and shoring the ship if necessary, that sorted the winners from the losers. Today there were lots of guests with smiles on their faces in the reception area, passing through to leave on an afternoon of sightseeing, or returning to their rooms for quiet time after lunch. The decorations here looked perfect. Yes, perhaps the tree was a little on the large side, but Noel and the team here had done an excellent job at