AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Millie couldn’t prevent her jaw from gaping as she feasted her eyes on every modern appliance a professional chef could possibly ask for; stainless-steel food mixers, liquidisers, juicers, copper pans of various sizes, and pots filled with every utensil imaginable from balloon whisks to spatulas, slotted spoons to cake slices. Two enormous American-style refrigerators stood sentry at a second door which Millie suspected would lead to an old-fashioned pantry filled with a kaleidoscope of ingredients, more than any self-respecting chef could ever need.
The whole room was a veritable Aladdin’s cave for the passionate culinary junkie, and she couldn’t wait to spend a few hours familiarising herself with every last corkscrew and cheese grater. However, her eyes were drawn to the central island unit topped with white marble – so familiar from theClaudia Cooks…cookery books, but what the glossy photographs hadn’t shown were the four identical workstations facing the island unit, decorated in a variety of pastel shades, each with its own sink and swan-necked tap, from where the students watched Claudia demonstrate her recipes before attempting to recreate them for themselves under her expert guidance.
When Millie had finished drooling over the facilities, she switched her attention to the French windows that stretched the full width of the wall to her left forming an orangery-like extension presided over by a twelve-seater white marble table where the amateur cooks could sit down and sample their creations.
‘Claudia, it’s…’
Millie struggled to choose an adjective sufficient to describe how she was feeling. In that precise moment, her decision to change career direction from working as a pastry chef at Étienne’s patisserie to presenting her own cookery courses – even if it was at the local school or college – crystallised. She knew it was time for her to grasp her courage by the scruff of the neck and embark on the next chapter in her culinary story.
‘No words necessary, Millie. Your face says it all!’ Claudia laughed, the delight evident in her voice. ‘Now, grab a seat and I’ll get you that hot chocolate.’
‘Thanks, Claudia. I think the feeling in my fingers has just about returned.’
Millie sat down on one of the barstools at the island unit and switched her scrutiny from the room she would be spending most of her time in over the next week to the person she would be spending it with. She estimated Claudia’s age to be anywhere between thirty-five and forty-five. With flawless skin and mesmerising blue eyes, even relaxing at home on a Saturday evening she looked every inch the celebrated chef in a figure-enhancing dark green dress, emerald earrings the size of olives and one of the jaunty Hermès scarves she was famous for tied elegantly at her neck. Unlike Millie’s unruly corkscrew curls, Claudia’s caramel-coloured graduated bob was salon fresh, highlighted with golden strands that shone under the intensity of the overhead lighting, and her makeup was photoshoot ready.
‘I’ve popped in a tot of rum for medicinal purposes,’ smiled Claudia, handing Millie a mug decorated with the Claudia Croft logo and sliding into the seat opposite her. ‘I knew you’d love this kitchen. Tim designed it for me from scratch; he really listened to my brief and made sure I got exactly what I wanted – and more. He’s a talented architect – I just wish he could reign in his obsession with squirreling away every last screw and nail “in case it comes in useful one day”! Let me give you a piece of advice, Millie – steer clear of his workshop if you value your sanity, unless, of course, you happen to be a sucker for broken bits of old washing machines, which I doubt.’
Millie sipped the sugar-sweet, chocolatey heaven that was in her mug, savouring the way it slipped down her throat like liquid velvet and sent warmth cascading into every extremity. She didn’t think now was the right time to confide in Claudia about her own personal battle with the clutter monsters – in her case of the culinary variety. There was plenty of time for her employer to find out about that flaw in her personality during the next seven days. Or perhaps she was doing herself a disservice? Over the last few weeks, with Pippa’s encouragement, shehadbeen working hard on her predisposition to bring chaos to an empty room.
‘Claudia, it’s beautiful. You are so lucky to call this wonderful place your home as well as your place of work.’
‘You’re right. I am very fortunate, even more so because you’ve agreed to step into the breach once again, Millie. I know I’ve said this already, but I’ll be eternally grateful for what you and Ella achieved in St Lucia with theChocolate & Confetticourse – not to mention the tremendous success of Imogen and Alex’s wedding celebrations! It really is beyond the call of duty to ask you to come to my aid for a second time. Étienne is an angel for letting you have another week off from the patisserie – although that might have something to do with Tim’s offer of our villa for two weeks in January as compensation! He adores the sunshine, not to mention the plentiful supply of rum cocktails. You should ask him to tell you about his exploits when we were studying at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris together.’
Claudia ran her fingers through her hair, allowing the glossy tresses to fall back around her cheeks like toffee-coloured angel’s wings. She expelled a long sigh of fatigue and for the first time Millie noticed the dark smudges of exhaustion beneath her eyes that no amount of expertly applied foundation had been able to erase.
‘Is everything okay, Claudia?’ she asked tentatively. ‘When Tim called me last week he sounded worried about you?’
‘I’m fine. I just don’t seem to be able to shift this sluggishness that’s been grabbing at my bones since I had my riding accident. Some days my legs feel like they’re encased in concrete and every step’s a struggle. I really don’t know why I’m so tired all the time because I sleep like a churchyard resident. But I’m sure that with your expert help, we’ll sail through theFestive Feastcourse without any trouble.’
‘Absolutely! I probably don’t have to tell you how excited I am!’
‘Well, there’s a packed itinerary to get through. Did I mention in my email that a selection of the recipes we’ll be demonstrating during the week have been suggested by the residents of Berryford?’
‘Really?’
‘Every year we hold a fun bake-off competition at the end of November where we ask the villagers to make something that’s been handed down from their mothers’ or grandmothers’ cookery books and the best four recipes are selected to be showcased on that year’sFestive Feastcookery course. It’s been a great way to involve the whole community in what we’re doing here, but it’s more than that; it’s a way of keeping all the traditional family recipes alive for the next generation – especially the Christmas ones.’
Millie’s heart gave a nip of surprise when she heard the catch in Claudia’s voice and saw a necklace of tears appear along her lower lashes. She hesitated, unsure how to react to the unexpected display of emotion. Although she’d had lots of contact with Claudia since returning from St Lucia, via regular telephone conversations and emails, this was the first time she had met her mentor in the flesh. She didn’t want to invade Claudia’s privacy, and yet she couldn’t ignore her distress.
‘Claudia, what’s wrong?’
‘I’m sorry, Millie. I seem to succumb to tears at the slightest provocation. It’s just that theFestive Feastcourse was the very first one we ran at the cookery school, and I think it’s the one I will miss the most.’
Claudia fished in her sleeve for a tissue to blot away her tears before making a valiant attempt to settle her attractive features into a mask of false bravado.
‘So what Tim said is true? This is going to be the lastFestive Feastcookery course?’
‘Forgive me, Millie. I know you’re here to help with the presenting, not to become embroiled in our family politics. I really don’t understand why I’m so tearful when I should be seething with anger – although Tim has enough of that for both of us. Why don’t you finish your drink and I’ll show you to your room, let you get settled in and have an early night. We’ll do all our preparations for the course tomorrow, and then there’s the tree-lighting ceremony in the village at seven p.m. – yet another tradition that the Berryford residents look forward to each year. If you’d like to come along, you’d be very welcome?’
‘I’d love to come, Claudia, but… erm, well… this is a little awkward…’
‘Oh, don’t worry, Zach’s invited too! A little Caribbean bird told me about the sparkle of mutual attraction that developed between the two of you whilst you were over in St Lucia!’
Claudia’s eyes held Millie’s with playful enquiry and her cheeks flooded with heat.
‘No, no that’s not what I meant! It’s just… do you think I could borrow one of your winter coats? In all the rush to get here, I’ve, well… I’ve forgotten to pack one.’
‘Ooops, sorry,’ Claudia laughed. ‘No problem. The boot room is through that door over there. We keep a selection of outdoors wear for our cookery school guests to use. Just help yourself to whatever you need. You might also want to avail yourself of a pair of the Wellington boots. I think the forecasters are predicting a fresh deposit of snow tonight. Gosh, I do hope next week’s students are able to make it through!’
