Slip-on, Velcro-fastened shoes – the type Brian had loathed with a passion, but Hugh had never been so negatively afflicted by – aided his movements and he came upon the door to the professional part of the kitchen almost silently.
Hoping he wouldn’t be rumbled immediately, Hugh peeked around the doorframe. He was far from a peeping Tom, even if it were inescapable that his intentionswereto creep up on the two youngsters and see what they were up to.
It wasn’t about catching them ‘in the act’ or anything as daft as that, it was more about his wish for an affirmation of his understanding of human nature. To know he hadn’t been completely off-key with the instant vibe he’d got from the pair of them.
It had been the same with him and Brian. The moment Hugh had seen that man ordering drinks at the pub reception for a mutual friend’s wedding, it had been as though an invisible string had been pulled taut between the two of them. The attraction rolled over him with an intensity unlike anything Hugh had ever felt before. It went against everything he thought he understood about life, and yet it wouldn’t be denied.
And so it was for Hugh and Brian that – having endured a particularly unpleasant phase after which neither the bride nor groom, nor most of the other guests as it turned out, ever spoke to them again – a lifetime of love began, dented but never destroyed by whatever the world threw at them. Which was plenty – both metaphorical and physical. Including, at one point, a deeply unpleasant message tied to a brick and thrown through their window.
Hugh shuffled the final few inches to bring his gaze around the edge of the doorway.
If he’d been sixty years younger, Hugh would have probably done one of those high fives, or whatever they were called. He would have punched the air in celebration, because Tad and Amy were sharing a plate of ice cream – right there in the middle of the kitchen as though nobody else was in the building, with two spoons and their focus unwaveringly on one another.
He’d been sure that old chestnut of preying on people’s good nature would come up trumps. The added variable of the decrepit old man doing the manipulation had worked a treat. Take that one, Marple, and chalk it up as a win.
As he watched, it seemed to all the world as though Amy was about to reach out and brush an unfortunate speck of ice cream from Tad’s face, and Hugh held his breath. Would Tad grab her and pull her to him, would Hugh be there at the birth of a brand-new love affair?
Disappointingly, Amy seemed to be doing nothing more profound than reaching for Tad’s spoon, taking that alongside her own and the now empty plate to the sink. The moment lost in the mundane swilling of cutlery in soapy water…
‘Knock, knock,’ Hugh said, favouring the honest declaration of his existence over trying to creep away, which was bound to end in his shoe squeaking embarrassingly on a polished floorboard, or a knee joint giving way and sending him sprawling to the floor.
‘Hi, Hugh. Can I help?’
Tad still had the smudge of chocolate on his lip, and it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility for Hugh to admit – even if it was solely to himself – that he’d be happy to wipe it away with a thumb. Hugh issued a silent apology to Brian, but facts were facts. Tad was a seriously attractive young man.
‘Came in search of sugar crystals, Tad. I prefer them to that granulated stuff for my coffee – that’s all. But it’s no big deal.’
‘Apologies. I’ll find some for you.’
‘Thank you.’ Hugh smiled. ‘Couldn’t help but notice you two sneaking an extra slice of that dessert – don’t blame you. It was absolutely delicious. Just the kind of thing to share with someone special, don’t you agree?’
Hugh’s grin intensified as the two young people glanced at one another and then pretended they hadn’t. As he had suspected. There was more to these two than chef and guest. Or there could be, with a bit of good luck and a fair wind.
He turned to leave. ‘Honestly, don’t worry about the sugar for now. Tomorrow will be completely fine. Far more pressing things for the two of you to be doing, I’m sure. Sorry to disturb.’
Hugh wandered back into the dining room to find Kathleen. He wondered if she might have noticed, as he had, the frisson between Amy and Tad – wondered if she might prove to be a willing confidante…
* * *
Hugh’s Chocolate, Pistachio and Nougat Semifreddo
75g golden caster sugar
4 medium eggs
250g dark chocolate, finely chopped
450ml double cream
140g hard nougat or torrone, chopped into small chunks – Hugh pleads with you to make them small – kindly think of his teeth, will you?
50g pistachios, roughly chopped
Butter, for the tin
Butter and line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with cling film. Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer. Put the sugar and eggs in a heatproof bowl, then place over the simmering water and whisk until pale, thick and doubled in volume. Remove from the heat, plunge the bowl into cold water and continue whisking until the mixture is cool.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave on low (Tad shuddered when Hugh suggested this, favouring another bowl over simmering water, but he’s got more time remaining in his hourglass than Hugh has…) Stir, then fold in the egg mixture. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold into the chocolate egg mixture with the nougat and pistachios.
