she was a widow, and then her oldest son, daughter-in-law and grandchild tragically die. The younger son, she thinks will settle down at the chateau with a woman she likes… instead I turn up. A young inexperienced, flighty foreigner. In hindsight, she was right about me.’
I raised my eyebrows in a questioning look.
‘Well I didn’t stay, did I? And I was as bored out in the country as I had been in Tasmania. At that age, I really wasn’t interested in some old chateau. Of course I loved Alexandre.’ She glanced down at her hands. ‘Very, very much.’
‘But what about Dad, you loved him as well, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, but differently. Of course I loved Johnny, in fact I still do, but more like a favourite sibling. It’s not hard to love someone who is a genuinely good guy and loves you. He adored you girls and we had a good life. And let’s face it, Johnny is a great character, quite a larrikin, everyone loves him. The difference was, I was in love with Alexandre. Always was and always will be. From the moment we met, we could not deny the powerful force between us. For many years, I regretted leaving France so quickly and not giving him a second chance. However as I got older, I realised that although he loved me, he was always going to be a charmer with the women.’ She clucked her tongue. ‘Typical of so many Frenchmen. They are so charismatic and so terribly seductive.’ Bea played with her hair in a girlish way and pulled her legs up underneath herself. ‘They get into your blood and you can think of nothing else. The thing about them is that they genuinely love beautiful women. Almost worship them, in fact.’
My tone was droll. ‘I’m not sure that’s an excuse. Don’t all men?’ I drummed my fingers on the arm of the chair.
‘Yes and no. If you asked all men they would say they did, but men like your papa make it an art form. They let you know that they appreciate the beauty, they cherish it, and it makes them who they are. Their masculinity makes you all the more feminine. There is a magnetism about them. The way they speak of beautiful women, you feel it is an honour they have picked you. And you understand that they just can’t help themselves but enjoy the beauty of others.’
My voice held a certain edge, my recent past rising up to haunt me. ‘I’m not sure I understand. Surely it’s not something you can forgive?’
‘I tell you, with maturity, I would forgive Alexandre everything. And I did. He was, and is, the love of my life.’
I realised we were speaking of something else. ‘I’m not sure I could ever forgive Davis,’ I said quietly, absentmindedly playing with a silk tassel on a cream and gold brocade cushion.
Bea shrugged. ‘Who knows? The thing is, sex is a much more powerful thing for a woman than a man. Men can be spasmodic. For a woman, it is deep and meaningful. Anyway, I think the way you are right now, if that’s what Davis wanted, you would forgive him in a heartbeat.’
Giving my head a shake, I looked at her, screwing my nose up. ‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because it shows. But you know…’ and she paused, her eyes narrowing, while she carefully chose her words. ‘I know you loved Davis, but I’m not sure he is the love of your life. I think you are still to find him.’
I shrugged, unsure if she was right.
‘I know you don’t believe me right now, but I want to ask you something.’ She paused briefly. ‘Can you tell me he bought the best out in you?’
‘He certainly did in the business. We made a fantastic team,’ I said proudly, as much for myself as for her. I needed to remember that not everything had been bad, that there were times when we were phenomenal together.
‘That’s a little different. That’s called being a good boss or a good business partner. But what about who you are Peach, the real you, your dreams and what you want out of life. Did he enhance those things for you? Have you lived the life you wanted?’
Touché, she and I both knew I had not. I sat back. ‘Did Papa for you?’ I asked boldly.
‘Absolutely! When I was with him, my paintings were never better. He made me feel I could live the way I wanted, and be the best me. I didn’t have to pretend to be something I wasn’t. I was fulfilled. I was a better me. More me… if that makes sense.’
There was a part of me that understood what she was saying, but there was a huge part of me that wondered how she could have loved him so much, when he could never be faithful to her.
It appeared as if she read my mind. ‘Relationships are very private things, Peach. People work out what works best for them. It may seem odd to others, but that’s how it goes. I always knew I was the love of his life. He married no other. However, I had made choices, and had to stick with them. And mind you, I was never sorry for those choices.’ She smiled and I knew she meant Lou and me. She continued. ‘He respected that, and always looked after me very well. You too for that matter.’
I nodded. After all, he had paid my school fees for Brisbane’s best private girls’ school, then my university fees. When he passed away I received a nice sum of money. He had been extremely generous. Plus I always knew I could have gone to Provence whenever I wanted, although I just could not do that to Johnny. While I was quietly thinking, Bea stood up and went into her bedroom. Returning a few minutes later, she stood in the doorway. I caught the look on her face.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘I know I haven’t always been the parent you wanted Peach, but I do love you.’
‘For God’s sake Bea, not this again,’ I said, a frustrated edge to my voice.
She let out a breath. ‘When your papa died he left a large amount of money to me. I would never have had all of this.’ She waved her hands around her home. ‘He also left enough money to look after me for the rest of my life. He also left a fairly substantial amount of money to you.’
‘Yes I know. The money you gave us on our wedding day. It irks the hell out of me now, as I realise that it’s being used in the property settlement. Davis bloody-well doesn’t deserve half of it.’
‘Well, to be honest, there was more than the $200,000 I gave you back then.’ She walked over to where I sat, handing me a piece of paper.
It was a bank statement. Mouth opened, I looked back up at Bea. She nodded. I looked back down and scanned the statement. The figure in the closing balance column was just over three million dollars. ‘What’s this?’ I couldn’t grasp it.
‘It’s what Papa left to you. We discussed it and he made me promise not to give it to you until the time was right. I really hesitated on your wedding day. On one hand I felt it was the right thing to do, but on the other I never felt right about Davis. Funny that! Anyway, I’ve had it in an interest bearing deposit account all this time. Next time it matures, which, as luck would have it, is in about 30 days, instead of rolling it over, I can cash it, and deposit it into your account.’
I closed my eyes, attempting to fathom what she was saying. ‘Hang on a minute. Are you telling me, this money is mine? Just like that. Oh by the way, here’s a cool three mil. Meant to give it to you a while ago.’
Bea plopped back down on the couch opposite. ‘I am. You’ll have to trust me with the timing. I know I haven’t always gotten everything…’ I leapt off my chair and ran to her, throwing my arms around her. ‘You
