Page 21 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
“I think we should spare a few moments to see it,” Ellie said. “The bridge and the Palace of the Popes. A lot of history.”
“Ah, sur le pont d’Avignon,” Yvette chimed in from the back seat, having understood these words. And she broke into the song with a high, sweet voice.
That settled it. Avignon had to be visited.
“Even if we have to spend the night in Marseille and go further along the coast tomorrow,” Ellie said. “After all, the one thing we have is time.”
They drove into the city centre through narrow streets, many of them cobbled. Ahead of them rose the formidable Palace of the Popes,looking more like a great fortress with its crenelated buttresses and fortified tower.
They went down to the riverbank to see the bridge.
“But it’s only half there,” Mavis exclaimed as they stared at the yellow stone span reaching out into the turbulent water, abruptly ending halfway across.
“Yes, I believe the power of the river kept knocking down the arches,” Ellie said. “It was abandoned long ago.”
“Don’t they have nothing modern in France, then?” Mavis asked, eyeing it critically.
“I’m sure they do in Paris and in all the cities,” Ellie said, “but it’s the history that makes it so charming, isn’t it?”
Mavis just grunted. After Avignon the landscape changed again. They were now coming into the landscape of the South—dry and dusty with the occasional hilltop village. The road had moved away from the river. They passed vineyards or fields of maize, the cobs already harvested, the stubble now dead and dying. There were olive trees surrounding solid stone farmhouses, donkeys carrying loads from the fields. On the hillsides grew umbrella pines, Italian cypress and herby shrubs whose scent filled the car—sage and rosemary and other smells that Ellie could not identify. She breathed in deeply, letting the scents remind her that she had escaped, that she was now far away and starting a new and different life.I may never go back,she thought, toying with the idea. What if she found a place she liked and stayed here forever?
Chapter 9
It was about four o’clock when they approached Marseille. The road wound down from rocky hills, and they got their first glimpse of the city, crowned by the basilica of Our Lady of the Guard, its gold statue shining from a hilltop.
“How lovely,” Dora muttered as they first glimpsed it.
“Have you been here before?” Ellie asked.
“Never,” Dora said.
“Neither have I,” Ellie agreed. “We came to the Riviera from Italy the last time I was in France, years ago. A train from Genoa to Nice, and when we left we headed straight up to Paris.” She looked around them as they drove. “I can’t say I’m too enamoured yet. It looks a little run-down, doesn’t it?”
As they came into the city centre, they found themselves on a wide boulevard lined with shops, including a couple of department stores, and what looked like municipal buildings.
“Ah, this looks a little better,” Dora said. She consulted her map. “This main street is called La Canebière and leads directly to the port.”
Ellie stared ahead and kept driving. It seemed important to her to get that first glimpse of the Mediterranean and to know they had arrived. When she looked into the rearview mirror, she saw Yvette, now sitting up and alert, staring out of the window with an alarmed look on her face.
As the street approached the port, it became busier and more run-down, lined with bars and smaller shops. They noticed sailors of various types, sizes and colours, strolling in bands, sitting at bars, talking, laughing. Two men in white sailor uniforms were chatting to a girl who lounged at the doorway to a building. As the Bentley passed, the girl nodded and they followed her inside.
“Oh my,” Dora said. “It doesn’t look too savoury around here. We certainly couldn’t leave Yvette in a place like this.”
Ellie agreed. “We don’t seem to be coming to anything like Nice. I thought there might be a promenade with good hotels. Perhaps we should just push on.” She turned back to Yvette. “We do not think this place would be suitable for you to stay here. Not with all these sailors.”
“I agree, madame,” Yvette said. “I have been feeling most apprehensive. I do not think I would feel safe here. If you don’t mind, I would like to remain with you until we come to somewhere less dangerous.”
Even as she said the words, there was a shout from the other side of the street. A man emerged from an alleyway, pursued by other men. He stumbled out into the street, almost colliding with their car. Backed up against the car that had come to a halt in the traffic, he wheeled and pulled out a knife. The men following him hesitated. A crowd gathered. Attempts were made to grab him. There were more shouts; a whistle sounded. Police arrived. Mavis gave a little cry of alarm. The traffic moved, and Ellie drove on as quickly as she could, looking for a place to turn around, which she could not do until they reached the port itself, its quayside lined with ships of all sizes, from fishing boats to small freighters to a couple of liners, their white decks gleaming in the setting sun. There were indeed hotels on the quayside but not the majestic ones Ellie remembered from Nice. Ellie’s heart was still beating fast from the encounter with the knife-wielding man.
“I really don’t think we’d want to stay here, do you?” She turned to Dora.
“I most certainly don’t. Even if we’re safe, it’s too bustling and noisy for me. I’d like a place with peace and quiet. And beauty, too.”
“I agree,” Ellie said.
“I ain’t half glad we’re getting out of here,” Mavis said as they drove back up the main thoroughfare. “I would have worried about getting murdered in me bed. I’ve never seen such unsavoury-looking types. And that one with the knife. Blimey. Me heart nearly jumped out of me chest when he ran towards us.”
“Don’t worry, Mavis,” Dora said. “The towns on the Riviera are most civilized. What’s more, there are plenty of English people there. Yvette should easily find a job as chambermaid at one of the big hotels in Nice or Antibes or Cannes.”
