Page 55 of The Dolce Vita Divas
‘If you say so,’ Sylvia said, unconvinced.
‘They should have used my recipe, which was passed down to me by our mother. Don’t you remember? She used to say, “Give a woman tiramisu and she will be happy for ten minutes, but give her my recipe and she will be happy for life.”’
I watched, astonished and slightly delighted, as Lucia took a dollop of cream on her spoon and flicked it at Ceci. It landed on her nose, and Ceci wiped it off and gave her sister a withering look.
‘Sei troppo vecchia– you are too old for that sort of behaviour!’
Lucia shrugged. ‘You might be, you old woman.’
Ceci took a spoonful of her own dessert and struggled for a moment, obviously considering returning the gesture, before eating it instead, and Sylvia laughed.
Unobserved by his wife, Freddy finished off his dessert in record time and then quietly signalled to a waiter for more. I watched Raleigh dabbing politely at the edges of her dessert with a teaspoon, and I could almost hear her brain totting up the calories as she did so.
‘It’s fabulous,’ she said after a tiny taste, and then proceeded to push the rest of it around her dish with a look of fear in her eyes.
Eric sat with his chin over the table, inspecting the bowl, asking what it was and looking doubtful.
‘Enjoy it,’ Paulo said, ‘it’sBisnonna’sfavourite. She will eat yours if you aren’t quick.’
Eric did his usual trick of sliding off his chair and wandering around the table inspecting everyone else’s food.
‘I don’t want it,’ he said furiously, at last. ‘It’s got spiders in it.’
‘Nonsense,’ Leo said cheerfully.
‘Hers has,’ Eric said, pointing.
I realised he was looking intently into my dish and, looking down, I saw one of my false eyelashes peeking out from behind a dainty chocolate shard.
I hastily peeled off the other one, wondering what on earth I must look like. And then I burst out laughing. So much for my attempts at new glamour.
Horrified, Eric watched me and then after a moment burst into tears.
‘I’m never eating that again!’
* * *
The meal had finished by four thirty and we had all moved outside into the sunshine for coffee. Eric, having recovered from the false eyelashes episode, scuttled between the tables sneaking petit fours. Despite the threat of bad behaviour from the sisters, the event had all gone very well indeed.
‘So how did you enjoy the meal?’
It was Paulo. Walking through the gardens, he had found me and Susie sitting in the sunshine. Beneath us, the Mediterranean spread out, a blue silk sheet under a hazy sky.
‘Lovely,’ I said. ‘Everything was marvellous.’Apart from losing one of my false eyelashes in my dessert and giving Eric a fit of hysterics.I decided to gloss over those two issues. It might be easier to pretend I’d forgotten about them. ‘I’ve met some really charming people and had a great time. I am so pleased to have been a part of it.’
‘I was glad to have you here,’ he said.
Susie suddenly stood up and darted off, muttering vaguely about some things she had to sort out. I didn’t think she was very convincing at all.
Paulo and I, alone in our sheltered spot, looked at each other, neither of us really sure what to say.
‘Everyone had such nice things to say about Ellen,’ I said at last. ‘Everyone seemed to love her.’
Paulo sat down with a sigh and rubbed his hands over his face. He suddenly looked tired. There were dark shadows under his eyes. An expression on his face that I didn’t recognise.
‘You must be pleased it’s all gone off so well,’ I said, ‘despite your aunts’ behaviour.’
He gave a short laugh. ‘Them? They are always squabbling; I hardly notice it any more. And do you mean I must be glad it’s all over?’
