Page 76 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
“Of course,” Yvette said. “Before, I could not look after her. Now I can.” She glanced back, and Ellie saw that a man had entered the garden behind her. He was lean and dark skinned, and he moved with an animal stealth. He stared at Ellie with utter contempt as he came towards them.
“Is this Pierre?” Ellie asked.
“No,” Yvette said. “I tired of waiting for Pierre. This is Ali. He will take good care of us.”
“No!” Ellie said loudly. “I can’t let you take her. You’ve shown yourself to be irresponsible before. What’s to say you won’t decide ababy is an annoyance and leave her? Abandon her somewhere? She has a good home here. Everything she needs.”
“But I am her mother. You can’t keep her. By law she is mine, and I can prove it,” Yvette said. “The doctor signed the birth certificate with my name on it. You can’t stop me from taking her.”
“I can go to the police and prove that you are not a good mother,” Ellie said.
“They will laugh in your face.” The lean man joined Yvette. “She is the rightful mother. It is her child. You were just the nursemaid. There is no more to be said.”
“Absolutely not,” Ellie said. “I will fight for her.”
The lean man moved forwards until he was a few inches from Ellie’s face. “It is not wise to cross those you don’t know and who might be more powerful than you. Bad things can happen. So go back to your house and do your knitting with the other old women.”
Ellie was afraid, but she wasn’t about to back down. “Very well,” she said. “But then you owe me for all the money I have spent taking care of this child for a year—nappies, formula, clothing, bedding. And the jewellery you stole from us. I expect to be compensated. I can take you to court.”
He stared at her, an insolent smirk on his face. Then he reached into his pocket, took out some banknotes and flung them at her feet. “There,” he said. “And you should go back where you came from before it’s too late. You are not wanted in France.” He turned to Yvette. “Come. Let us go.”
“Don’t you even want any of her things? Her toy dog? Her nappies?”
“We came on a motorbike,” Ali said. “We can’t carry unnecessary items. She will have new ones.”
“Do you even know how to feed her? How to bathe her?” Jojo was still squirming in Yvette’s arms, holding out her little hands to Ellie.
“Maman,” she cried piteously.
“Do you think my family has never raised a child before?” Ali said. “She will lack for nothing. Let’s go.” He put an arm on Yvette’s back andsteered her towards the gate. Ellie wanted to run after them, to snatch the child from her arms, but she was all too aware that this man was dangerous and probably violent. She stood like a statue as she heard a motorbike roar to life and then the sound fade as it went down the long driveway.
Tears were running down her cheeks as she went back to the house. Dora and Mavis were standing there, having witnessed the whole thing.
“It’s what you wanted, my dear.” Dora put a hand on her shoulder. “You always hoped that her mother would come for her again.”
“But not like this. Not with that man. I feel so helpless, Dora. There’s nothing I can do. She is the mother. She does have the birth certificate. I’m afraid that man was right. We were just the nursemaids.”
“Come on in and have a cup of tea.” Mavis reached out for her. Ellie shrugged her off.
“Just leave me for a moment,” Ellie said. “I need to be alone.”
She rushed out into the garden. There was a bench against one wall, with wisteria spilling around it. She collapsed on to this, and putting her hands up to her face, she sobbed. She was not conscious of someone standing over her until a voice said, “What is wrong?”
She looked up to see Nico standing there. He sank to the bench beside her. “What has upset you so?”
“The girl came back—Yvette. She took Jojo, and I couldn’t stop her.” The words came out in gasps between sobs.
“But didn’t you want her to come back? Now you don’t have responsibility for the child.”
“But she’s with an awful man. And I’m afraid Yvette will find Jojo a nuisance and just abandon her again. And I loved her so much. She was the little girl I never had ...”
“There now.” He took her into his arms, and she continued to sob against his rough jacket front. He stroked her hair. “You did your best. You gave the child a good start. She would have wound up in an orphanage if you hadn’t cared for her.”
She looked up, realizing now who he was and how they were sitting together so closely. She straightened up instantly. “I’m so sorry. I’ve made your jacket wet.”
He laughed. “I’m a fisherman. I’m used to wet jackets.”
“But what are you doing here during daylight hours? Isn’t your activity normally in the nighttime?”
