The Long Winter #94
le Cote d'Azur part one
Leah could not help but show surprise when, behind her mother, Bethany descended the steps of the jet waiting to whisk them away from the death throes of Michigan’s furious winter to much gentler Mediterranean climes. Her mother greeted her as always (“Oh, my precious jewel! I am so pleased to see you! And look at your charming friends, please introduce me to them…”) and then Leah stepped up beside Bethany.
“Is Father on board?”
“No. I was due for a vacation. He suggested, actually, that I accompany you and your friends on your spring break trip.”
“And also to watch over my friend from Port Matthew.”
Bethany’s eyes drifted towards Penny and she nearly smiled.
“She’s just my friend—“
“How do you know that?” Bethany stared at Penny as Leah’s mother shook her hand.
“I just know. I may not be able to read people the way you and Father do—“
“You just misread me.” Bethany smiled at her. “You mother has ambitions to take your friends gambling in Monte Carlo. Your father also may pay a visit, especially if your mother wants to take the boat out.”
“Boat,” Leah snickered. “Such a cute way to refer to our yacht.”
Bethany nodded and then stepped up behind Leah’s mother.
“Such a wonderful group of girls, Leah has told me a great deal about each of you.” Leah’s mother cast a quick frown at Bethany and then her face blossomed with another smile when her gaze fell back upon Leah. “Are we ready to go? You are finished plotting things behind my back?”
“No one is plotting anything, Mother,” Leah said, stepping forward to embrace her mother again.
“Of course, I am full of such nonsense.”
Leah’s mother kissed Leah’s cheeks and then led them back up the stairs and into the roomy cabin of the private jet. Two stewardesses looking prim and proper in their tailored uniforms and led the ladies to their seats: large, leather captain’s chairs that swiveled and adjusted in every direction and were warmed and cooled and massaged at the sitter’s discretion. Leah watched as Penny flung her seat in a circle and laughed in embarrassment when one of the stewardesses leaned over her to help her with her seat belt. Of course Maddie and Nagisa had already had such an experience before, adjusting their chairs to their bodies and strapping in as the captain announced their imminent departure.
Outside the plane a snow-swept field somewhere in northern lower Michigan stretched to trees far in the distance. Gregor watched the plane from beside his big Lincoln SUV and then he was out of sight as the plane began its journey. She looked over to see her mother regaling the girls with a grand description of the chateau and the surrounding hills and mountains, about the exquisite beach, and the heated pools and hot tubs and the cars available for any of them to use. Then Maddie spoke.
“Do you know the Halima family?”
“Halima? There is a prominent family of that name. Some sort of French North African, I believe.”
“Yes, Moroccan. I think they have a relationship with Adeline Lafleur—“
“The actress! She is very popular… let me think…” Leah’s mother clicked her tongue and tapped her lips then she looked back at Maddie. “Yes, I believe I know them. Emir has an estate, but he is closer to, euh, Marseille, I believe, than Nice or Cannes. He has a lovely daughter, I forget her name…”
“Naima,” Penny said. “Her name is Naima.”
“Yes, but of course. Lovely girl, she accompanied her father to an opening we hosted some time ago, I no longer remember which.” Leah’s mother laughed, a lovely titter that charmed the girls. “Of course, openings are half the job of our family!”
“She was my roommate for a day,” Penny said.
“Ah yes, Tommy told me of this incident, it is familiar to me.”
“Sorry,” Leah said after an alarmed look from Penny. “I talk to my brother sometimes. It seemed an important thing at the time.”
“That’s okay. The Best Defense were in the local news for a few days after that. It's not like it was a big secret.”
“Are they going to follow you to France?” Bethany stared at her.
“Bethany, please leave Leah’s friends alone. You may treat Chester's visitors that way, but you will act genially to our guests while we are traveling together.”
“Yes, Mrs. Stewart.” And again she looked at Penny. “Is there anything we will need to take care of with immigration in France?”
“No, I have no special powers or anything. I have family working for The Best Defense, that’s all.”
Bethany nodded and yielded to Leah’s mother. They flew eastward and the cabin attendants brought out a light dinner as they plunged into the darkness of night. They were all asleep by the time they landed the next morning in France, and then they piled into two cars to be driven the rest of the way, down winding mountain roads away from the distant bustle of a city to the coast. In sharp contrast to the white and black landscape they had just left, southern France was verdant and green, enhanced by the light colored limestone of the cliffs they scrambled across. The air smelled fresh and felt warm and clean as it streamed in through the big sunroofs of the two cars, and then they were on the coast, the stunning blue Mediterranean sparkling under the spring sun.
Mile after astounding mile down the winding coast they drove, beneath tree-covered slopes and past beautiful houses standing behind gates of all sorts. Then they slowed, pulling up to a gravel drive protected by a fancy wrought-iron gate, resplendent in the morning light. Beyond the gate the stone drive led the way beneath lush green trees to a magnificent fountain and the grand main house, constructed of shimmering limestone and accented in marble and gold, of the Stewarts’ French chateau. They could hear the sea lapping the shore beyond.
“And we are here!” Leah’s mother announced. “Let the boys bring the bags in. Pierre will see you to your rooms. Bethany, let Chester know we arrived safely. I hope Charles has breakfast prepared. We will eat on the patio. Allons-y!”
They filed into the house behind Leah’s mother. A thin man with little hair and no smile led Leah and her friends to their wing of the estate and the grand rooms they would occupy for the duration. Leah watched the sleep drain from Penny’s eyes as she scanned the luxurious accommodations, watched from the doorway while she stumbled into the room and felt the fine silk sheets on the cushy bed, and then Penny skipped around it to the windows looking out on the sea down below. She spun around and beamed at Leah.
“This place is amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it, except like, in photos!”
“Yes.”
Penny bounced back to Leah, her smile twisting into anxiety and she grasped Leah’s hands and looked up and down the hall.
“Is it really okay I’m here? It seems too, I don’t know, like, unreal…”
“It’s fair. I invited you and my mother was eager to meet you.”
“Wow. It’s like you’re a princess.”
Leah let herself indulge in a slight smile and her friend giggled and followed her back out of the room.
“Pierre will see your bags are unpacked. Breakfast is going to be served soon.”
The other guests joined them and then Bethany escorted them from the grandest room in the house through the back and out onto the grandest terrace looking out over the Medterranean finished in the finest marble. A decorative stone railing lined the terrace. It was open with a grand stairway leading down to the pebble-y beach and the grand azure sea. Trees and flowering bushes and the incredible marble exterior of the chateau itself wrapped around the ladies as they settled down to a gourmet breakfast. Even after the fine dining provided by the Institute Leah noted Penny was ever more impressed by Charles’ cooking. The others took it in stride. She knew Maddie was raised in luxury, but Nagisa was still somewhat cagey about her past.
“We will settle in today,” Leah’s mother announced. “Then we will spend the week jetting up and down the coast. We will watch handsome men gamble. We will shop. We will meet some friends in Nice. This is my home, my beautiful young charges, and I will see to it you make memories to carry with you the rest of your lives.”
They enthusiastically agreed, thanking her again and again and as always Leah was amazed by her mother’s ability to make friends so easily, to charm anyone she set her eyes upon. Even Bethany. The two shared a glance, a glance they thought was secret, for each other only. But Leah’s mother noticed. She saw everything and forgot nothing.
***
The Stewarts’ stretch of shore extended in either direction several hundred meters. The morning sun glinted on the waves rolling atop the Mediterranean Sea and seagulls called as they swooped through the sky. It provided enough cover that, as she stood at the top of the steps looking down at the pebble-y beach, Leah’s mother Corinne could hear little but the raucous laughter of Leah’s PM-euse friend Penny and the blonde Madison. Leah and Nagisa were down there as well, and accursed Bethany was not far from them. She could feel her maid approach and addressed her without looking back.
“Clara, be sure to keep a special eye on my precious jewel and Bethany during their stay.”
“Oui, madame.”
“Are the girls unpacked?”
“Oui, madame.”
“Are their clothes suitable for outings?”
“La PM-euse, she undoubtedly brought her best, but…”
“See to it she is properly accessorized.”
“Oui, madame. The others are suitable.”
“Thank you—Oh!”
Corinne gasped as she watched La PM-euse race into the water and tumble face-first into the Mediterranean. She popped up with a shriek and splashed around for a few moments before racing back out of the water, her pretty sundress soaked and clinging to her indecently. An older couple strolled past pretending not to look at her and a group of young men further up the beach openly ogled the young woman.
“A towel, if you please.”
“Oui, madame.”
Clara soon walked past her with a fluffy white towel in her arms and was down the stairs and across the stones in no time. The girls were all laughing again, La PM-euse louder than the others and Corinne could not stop herself from smiling. She remembered years ago, a friend of hers doing the same thing at nearly the same age around the same time of year, all for a boy. She knew the incident had left an impression and wondered if he still thought about them to that day. La PM-euse likely had not seen the boys up the beach before acting, but then again she was not the sort of girl who would want to impress any of their kind. More likely she did it solely for her friends’ benefit. Corinne missed those days and knew she could never have them back, but it was good to see that part of her still lived on in Leah as her daughter watched shyly. Still, La PM-euse had not struck Corinne as the sort to engage in such shenanigans.
The girls ascended the stairs, Clara helping Penny dry off with the oversized fluffy towel, all of them in a fit of girlish giggles. Except for Bethany. She shadowed Leah, looking at her without looking at her. At least the woman’s cell phone was not in her hands.
Good, she thought. I won’t tolerate work while on holiday. Especially from her…
“Ladies, we will prepare for an afternoon in Nice. I have reservations to luncheon on a sailboat in Monaco. They will take us the rest of the way. Pierre will bring us home after dusk when we have drunk far too much wine and flirted with far too many boys.” Corinne paused to smile at La PM-euse. “Or girls. Please allow Clara to aid you. She will see to it you are properly dressed for today’s outing. It will be casual, so your wardrobe will suffice.”
“Okay…” Penny smiled, but her eyes were dismayed and she could not bring herself to look back at Corinne. Corrine fell back beside her as they walked back into the house, Nagisa and Maddie already chattering about their clothes for the day.
“It is a shame to see such a pretty dress ruined before the day has begun,” Corinne said as they tailed everyone else inside. “We have one function to attend this week, well, perhaps three, but for the one I will see to it you are provided a fitted dress suitable for the evening.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Stewart.”
“The bright lights and adoring, if critical, eyeballs are not for everyone, and Leah has done her best to avoid them. I will keep them off you if you so wish. I will not have a guest of mine feel uncomfortable from unwanted attention.”
“It’s okay. I can… I can manage somehow.”
Corinne smiled at her, her hand on Penny’s back.
“Allow me to aid you change your dress. I will dismiss Clara so she may aid the others.”
“The others? But I thought they were fine—“
“They are young and inexperienced, but you have ruined your dress for the day. Let me aid you, I want to see the pretty dresses you have brought to wear this week in the sunny French Riviera.”
“Oh, well, okay. Thank you, I appreciate the help.”
Corinne was inwardly ecstatic at the genuine smile that lit up Penny’s face, and she followed the petite girl into her room. She indeed had several pretty sundresses in an array of bright colors (suitable for a girl with such a sunny smile) and Corinne was glad not to see any denim or running shoes. She noted for most days the girl’s cute boutique taste would be fine, as Clara had reported, and if the girl wanted to stay out of the spotlight better still. Except for the night she had planned for Monaco. Clara would take care of that.
Penny undressed with a refreshing lack of modesty right before Corinne’s eyes. She was dry and slipping into another light and form-fitting sundress in an instant, pulling her very modest undies on afterwards and adding a button-up sweater at Corinne’s suggestion. The girl thanked her with a smile as bright as her dress and they joined the others in the grand foyer as they waited for the car to be brought around.
They piled into the big, black Lincoln and Pierre drove them up the coast to Monaco. She had seen it all before, the palm trees and classical architecture, everything perfect like a movie set, all the other exotic cars and perfect men and women in tailored designer clothes, but the girls in the back seat pointed and laughed, delighting in their first taste of spring in Europe. They wound down through the city, markings and railings here and there a reminder of the world-famous races that would bring hundreds of millions of francs in the coming months. The girls paid no attention to that, not a single race fan among them, and Corinne reminded herself that at least she had Tommy to accompany her to the yacht for the Grand Prix. There was always very little chance her husband would be available.
The car pulled into the marina parking lot and an attendant opened the door and they all piled out. The attendant, a young man with bronze skin and windswept black hair and the winningest smile in the Riviera, led them away from the big black car to a speedboat. He jumped down first and helped them all in one by one, a special smile for Madison, and a friendly greeting for “Mrs. Stewart.”
“Bonuour, Jean-Paul. Your father is doing well?”
“He is healthier than he’s been in months. The treatments are doing well, but he’ll probably never sail again.”
“Such a shame, still, it is good he capitalized on the chances he had.”
“Yes, Mrs. Stewart. Thank you.”
Jean-Paul piloted them out of the marina and out to a grand wooden vessel some 70 meters long with two tall masts and the sails folded up while it sat at anchor. He swung the speedboat up alongside the yacht and two men above roped them in. They helped the ladies climb the ladder up to the wooden deck, and then Jean-Paul escorted them ahead of the cabin where a table and chairs were set up. Wine had already been poured and two servers were rushing in and out to complete the setting.
“There are my girls!”
Corinne’s heart exploded in happiness and she turned to jump into her husband’s arms. Chester was tall and broad and he caught her easily, spinning her around and setting her aside to lift his daughter up as well.
“Hello Father,” Leah said, smiling despite herself as he set her beside her mother.
“What are you doing here?”
“Winston told me you were eating here this morning so I made arrangements to be in the area.” He leaned in close and whispered loud enough for all present to hear him, “I heard a rumor you were going into the principality to gamble my empire away…”
Corinne laughed and love-tapped his chest, leaving her hand there.
“We have big plans for today first. Monte Carlo will be later. Are you coming back with us? Pierre will pick us up in Nice.”
“No, I’ve arranged a helicopter, I’m flying up to Avignon. There was some trouble at the church restoration so I’m going to go kick some asses in gear—“ He stopped and cast a mock surprise look at Leah’s friends. “Please forgive me, I forgot I was among the young aristocracy, I should be setting an example.”
“Forget it, Father. Maddie’s parents are in construction and Penny’s parents are middle class.”
Chester let out a fake relieved sigh and slapped Penny’s shoulder.
“Oh, thank God, another normal person. I tell you what, it’s weird to be constantly surrounded by the richest people in the world, they have no idea what it’s like for normal folk like us.”
“Ano…” Penny nodded but the open smile on his face made her giggle and she welcomed the warmth of his hand on her shoulder. The he turned away from her.
“Where’d Jean-Paul go?”
“Back to the boat, probably halfway to shore by now.”
“Shit—“
He ran around the cabin, shouting for the boy and Corinne turned to the girls and motioned them towards the table.
“Shall we?”
***
Leah was glowing on the inside at the sight of her father. She could not help but smile at him when he reappeared from behind the corner of the cabin. He joined them and the food appeared, only he and Penny thanking the servers, and then they ate. Penny leaned close to Leah and whispered at her.
“What did your father mean, “normal people?””
“He meant he grew up “normally,” without wealth,” Leah answered. “His parents were outdoor guides somewhere in Colorado. He saved some money when he was in high school, bet it on a plot of land in Arizona and won big. Before I was born, or even Tommy, he had land or buildings or contracts to build buildings all over the world, including two of the estates beside Mother’s.”
“Wow…”
Leah nodded. She had never known him to be a “normal” person. He dominated every room he was in, he had an iron handshake and he remembered the name of every single person he ever met, from the leaders of governments to the boys carrying his bags. She had a feeling he knew everything about her friends before they had even landed that morning, and indeed did not need to be formally introduced to any of them. She glanced at Bethany. The other bespectacled young woman avoided Leah’s eyes but somehow she knew her father’s assistant had provided most of that information to him.
The food was delicious, but of course it would be. Her father called out the chef and congratulated him on his success. Leah wondered where Winston was. One of Father’s many business friends, he was cut from much the same cloth, both leveraging their luck with their boisterous personalities to push their endeavors well past what their long-established peers felt such people should be allowed. She looked up at her father, talking once again.
“I hate to not be able to spend more time with you. I’d hoped I could have taken more time off, but after Avignon I’ll be flying up to Moscow and then to Helsinki the day after.”
“You have Roberto flying you?”
“Of course. John is with me too, like always. He’s waiting on shore right now. I didn’t feel like you wanted him standing here scowling at all of you while we ate.”
“I’m surprised he let you out of his sight,” her mother said, unable to stop herself from casting a sharp glance at Bethany.
“I assured him I would be fine. Winston’s guards are still here, too.”
“Where is Winston?” Leah asked.
“New York. There was a thing with Warican—“ He stopped and glanced at Penny. “I’m sure you’ve heard of it.”
“Yes, I keep up to date with those things.”
“Have you been to New York?”
“No. My parents recommended I stay out of the cities.”
“Good advice…”
“Even though she’s going to Miami for an internship this summer,” Maddie said with a sneaky grin.
“Me, too,” Nagisa said, doing her best not to look too sick as she poked at her food. “We will work at the same company.”
“Oh, really? Which one?”
“Union Technologies,” Penny said.
“Oh, they have a huge facility near the airport,” Leah’s father said.
“My girlfriend found us a place in South Beach, we even have an ocean view!”
“Really? That’s great. Did you live near the ocean in Port Matthew?”
“Not really, well, it’s like, an island, so everything is near the ocean, especially compared to the Institute, but we weren’t right on it. Do you know Mount Plains?”
“Yes. I have some materials on loan to the architectural museum there.”
“We were there for the opening two years ago,” Leah’s mother added with a smile.
Her parents continued to converse with Penny about her island home. Bethany leaned closer to Leah.
“They sure seem to be getting along.”
“I was surprised when Mother went to help Penny choose a dress. I was sure she would force her to wear something that’s not hers.”
Bethany murmured her agreement.
“Her dresses are cute.”
“I’ve never heard you say the word cute before,” Bethany said.
“It seems appropriate where Penny is concerned.”
Bethany stopped short of frowning at Leah. Leah stopped short of smiling back at her. They each ate a bite of their desserts.
“I was always under the impression you liked dignified more than cute.”
Leah’s eyebrow raised and she glanced at Bethany. The older girl’s face betrayed nothing.
“Cute has its place.”
“Apparently right over there.”
They both looked over. Penny was talking about the attack on her high school and her father was explaining that he normally did not engage in real estate development on the island due to the unwritten rules about PMer companies before foreign ones and thus could not send the aid he wanted. It was difficult for Leah to think of herself as a “foreigner.” Even here in France, she spoke French, stayed for long stretches at her French mother’s family chateau, and wherever else she traveled she could fit in. Unlike Penny, and perhaps Nagisa.
“PMers think they’re special,” Bethany said. “They always appear to treat your father well, but it always feels like mere surface politeness. I won’t go so far as to say they’re two-faced, but it wouldn’t be hard to imagine.”
Leah frowned at her.
“I’m sure she’s fine, though,” Bethany directed Leah’s attention again to Penny with a subtle dip of her wine glass. “I turned up nothing particularly distressing in my background check you didn't already tell me.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“Still, like I said, we’re not them, and she’s not us.”
Leah wondered if there was any jealousy in Bethany’s warning. She could detect nothing overt, but that was one of the older girl’s gifts, one of the reasons her father kept her out of anyone as his assistant. She was discreet, she was sharp, and she let no passions consume her. Especially when it came to him. Their relationship was strictly business. Leah watched Bethany sip her wine again. She hoped that perhaps she might be able to find something with her that her father did not.
Follow The Long Winter into #95 le Cote d’Azur part two here.