Whether any guest ever noticed it or not, Ella sometimes found it hard to suppress a secret smile when she brought out wine glasses. It was the single cut-glass champagne flute at the back of the cupboard that caused the smile; or rather, it was the absence of its twin -- and the memory of how it came to be broken.
They were beautiful glasses, a generous Silver Wedding gift from friends; and they had both been on the table that night when Tom had served her with 'Cock au Vin' in his own inimitable style. She remembered his voice, sounding strangely formal as it floated up the stairs...
"Darling, would you like to take your seat at the table? I will be serving in five minutes exactly!" This was followed instantly by a sharp 'Bong!' as he struck the gong -- no doubt signalling the start of the five minutes.
The antique gong at the foot of the stairs had been a gift from Tom's aunt, a brilliant cook and notoriously touchy about prompt attendance at her meals. Had Tom been recreating her famous soufflé in the kitchen from which he had banned his wife for the day? Surely not -- he had promised her
coq-au-vin
-- but what else called for such precision? To show off a soufflé at its best demands split-second timing, but slow-cooked
coq-au-vin
isn't that fussy about an extra hour, if that's how the evening goes. Still, Tom was in charge tonight and she had better not be late. She gave herself one last look in the mirror, and was really quite impressed.
Ella stepped out very carefully down the stairs in her highest heels. She didn't wear heels very often, but Tom had insisted on 'full rig' for dinner tonight so 'full rig' it was. She would probably have preferred to change after eating, but if it gave Tom a thrill that the woman sitting across the dinner table from him in her perfectly respectable dress was hiding her finest stockings, suspenders, basque and crotchless knickers under it, then it was a small price to pay if he was going to take care of the cooking. And, damn it, she
did
feel very sexy in them.
The kitchen door was firmly closed, as it should be, and Ella went straight into the dining room. Candlelit, of course, with the aid of a subtle table lamp in the corner. The long, solid oak dining table was laid for two ...well, sort of. There was something -- quite a lot, actually -- unfinished about it. Poor Tom must be getting a bit flustered with managing everything. There was an answer to that, of course: give him more practice!
She was very grateful for his attention, and she had really enjoyed the 'leave everything to me' day he had given her; in fact, she had so enjoyed the drive, the pub where they had stopped for a snack and the walk afterwards that she was quite prepared to give him credit for arranging the sunshine as well. However, he was clearly starting to flag now -- and she was struggling to 'leave everything to him'. Years of practice as the main provider of meals to her household were kicking in. She could at least start by moving the folded rug that he had carelessly left on the table, and the piece of paper that was on it, and then she could find some glasses and side plates...
The piece of paper, however, momentarily distracted her; and then it stopped her in her tracks. It was a menu --
the
menu, presumably, very elegantly presented. Above the word
Menu
it was headed,
Cock au vin
and the date. Surely meticulous Tom knew that it was spelt
coq
? Just a little saucy joke on his part, no doubt.