Hannah balanced her phone against the coffee table bowl. “Hello, you two.” Pleased to see them looking well, she settled herself on the sofa. “Still having a good time?”
“Are we,” Beth said. “We’re off to Saint-Tropez shortly. Specifically…” She paused as if for effect. “Pampelonne beach.”
Her daughter obviously had a desired response in mind and Hannah dipped her chin accordingly, indicating she was impressed.
“It’s where all the Hollywood stars go to relax,” Beth carried on. “Renowned artists too, but I’m not sure I’d recognise them.”
Hannah envisaged the South of France’s picturesque coastline, with its golden beaches and turquoise sea. “It’s all right for some.”
“While she’s celebrity spotting, I’m gonna to do some snorkelling,” Archie said. “And before you ask, yes, Iamwearing sun lotion.”
“I can see that,” Hannah said. “You’d be like a peeling lobster otherwise.”
“Did you know Saint-Tropez is named after a roman officer called Torpes?” Beth asked. “I read all about it in Monica’s travel guide come history book.”
“Glad to hear you’re developing your knowledge as well as your tan,” Hannah said, astonished to hear it.
“He worked under the Emperor Nero. At least he did until Nero had him decapitated for converting to Christianity.”
“And his body was put on a small boat and pushed out to sea,” Hannah added. “In Pisa, as I recall. Only to land on the shores of what we now know as Saint-Tropez.”
Beth and Archie looked back at Hannah, confused.
“Where do you even learn these things?” Archie asked. Screwing up his face, he obviously remembered their last conversation when Hannah mentionedLa bise.
Recalling it too, Hannah wondered if her children had always thought her uninformed, or if that was a recent development. Tempted to ask them, her attention was diverted when Dorothy popped her head through the lounge doorway.
“Sorry to interrupt. But I’ve brought you a fresh cup of tea.”
“Thank you,” Hannah said, as her aunt tiptoed in and placed it on the coffee table. “Aunt Dorothy, say hello to Beth and Archie, my children.”
Evidently not used to video calls, Dorothy froze as she looked at them. “Hello,” she said. Standing there like a stunned mullet, she spoke without moving her lips.
“Hello,” Beth and Archie replied. Clearly asking themselves who the strange woman in their living room was, they couldn’t seem to think of anything else to say.
As Hannah looked from the screen to her aunt and back again, the silence between the three of them was deafening.
Dorothy turned her attention back to Hannah. “I’ll leave you to it,” she said, tiptoeing out again.
“Who was that?” Beth asked.
Archie appeared equally bemused. “And what’s she doing in our house?”
“Aunt Dorothy’s your granddad’s cousin. I used to spend my summer holidays in Norfolk with her and Uncle Denis.”
Beth and Archie looked back at Hannah, evidently none the wiser.
“Uncle Denis died a little while ago. I couldn’t attend his funeral because you were both sick, remember?”
They obviously didn’t.
“Never mind,” Hannah said, a tad disappointed in their joint memory lapse. “She’ll probably be back in Norfolk by the time you land home anyway.”
“Time to go,” Carl called through. “Beth! Archie!”
Hannah frowned at the sound of his voice. “Isn’t he coming to say hello?”
“He’s avoiding you,” Beth said.
