by Celia Imrie
She faced Theresa.
‘Can I start my apprenticeship now?’
‘If you’re sure.’ Theresa held out her hand. ‘Let’s go, kid.’
Theresa and Sally shook.
Theresa looked around the dining room and burst out laughing.
‘Everyone got their desserts?’
ÎLES FLOTTANTES with CRÈME ANGLAISE
Îles flottantes
3 egg whites
100g caster sugar
milk, for poaching
Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, gradually stir in the sugar and whisk till smooth and glossy. To poach the individual meringues, carefully drop tablespoons of the egg white/sugar mixture in a frying pan of warm simmering milk for 30 seconds, then turn and give them another 30 seconds. Drain and leave on a baking tray until the custard is prepared
Crème Anglaise
250ml milk
250ml single cream
1 vanilla pod, halved and scraped
5 egg yolks
120g caster sugar
toasted flaked almonds
Infuse milk and cream with the vanilla pod in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks with the caster sugar. Remove the vanilla pod from the milk/cream mix, then slowly whisk the cream mixture into the yolks. Return the custard to the pan on a low heat for a few minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Sieve into a clean bowl then serve on wide plates. Place the meringue ‘islands’ on top and decorate with the almonds.
33
After the shaky start, La Mosaïque became a winner. It was popular with tourists and locals alike. People liked the quirky atmosphere and the badinage between the team who ran the place, and said so (in glowing terms) on all the appropriate websites.
By the end of the season they were turning a profit and had also, thanks to Zoe’s cheque, bought the building and all its contents.
Costanzo’s Uncle Vito had since been picked up, arrested and imprisoned on separate charges by Italian police.
The Chagall medallion passed into the ownership of Costanzo, who, out of the profits from its sale, now runs a business along the coast, just over the Italian border, hiring out sea-bikes and kayaks.
Stanislav and his gang are in prison in France, awaiting extradition to various other countries around Europe, where the police have similar stories, and further charges to press.
Destiny and Mickey continue to lead a charmed and charming life. They send the occasional postcard from glamorous spots around the world addressed to Sally and all the staff at La Mosaïque.
Both Jackie’s and Diana’s projects found new, genuine funding and are in pre-production. They both hope that the films they make will get on the list for a future festival at Cannes.
Cathy works most nights at La Mosaïque. But she’s heading back to England once her mother’s current film contract comes to an end.
Zoe still regularly pops off to the hairdresser’s only to reappear with a new set of lips and a very shiny-smooth forehead.
William and Benjamin happily divide their time between squabbling and making up, while Carol is now renting a stunning studio apartment with a ravishing view of the sea. She slinks about town in her chic suits, with matching gloves and handbags, and few people ever notice the deep voice or Adam’s apple.
Sally’s son Tom has a small shop in Rue Droite in the Old Town of Nice, where he sells enough paintings to make a small but sufficient living, while his sister Marianne is working in the City in London, with little time for poets or trips to the South of France.
Imogen is back in London, now that her father has moved out, and Theresa’s grandchildren are doing very well in school, excelling in French. Theresa wishes she could learn as fast.
Now that they have settled permanently in Darling Point, Sydney, everyone has all but forgotten Sian and Ted. They occupy a very grand apartment overlooking the harbour and the Opera House. ‘Just as good as Bellevue-Sur-Mer – in fact better!’ Sian wrote to Sally on the back of a recent postcard. (She can’t help herself, thought Sally.)
Sally is enjoying her time working at La Mosaïque. On her nights off she goes for the occasional dinner or to the cinema with Jean-Philippe. There is nothing romantic between them. She is content to enjoy his company, their shared remembrance of being duped by a charismatic conman and the odd trip out to sea together.
Theresa is very happy to hear that her ex-husband has got back together with the busty former nanny, Annunziata. She is only too glad to be out of all that stuff.
She rises each morning with a purpose and the knowledge that she is surrounded by friends.
She still manages the occasional morning slumped in an armchair with a coffee and the morning paper, though, all in all, she prefers knowing that her days may be busy, but they will not be dull. She is sure that, in moving to Bellevue-Sur-Mer, she made the best decision of her life.
The Picasso mosaic is in Paris, waiting for its date to come up in the auction house’s sale calendar.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to:
Charles, Raymond, Daniel, Gilbert and all our friends at Le Safari
All my friends at La Civette
Daniel, Gianni and Fabrizio at Jardins du Capitole
Fidelis Morgan – superior five-star travel agent
My favourite Gardienne – Lina
Nerys and Patrick
The organisers of the Cannes Film Festival
Madame Jacqueline Harroch and Dominique and Gaëlle at Le 8 Couture, Nice
Manager at Terminus Nord
OGC, Nice
Manager at Auberge Saint-Antoine
The kind staff at Le Negresco
Kiaran MacDonald, managing director, and the staff at the Savoy, London
Angus
Constance Vanuxeem
A Note on the Author
Celia Imrie is an Olivier award-winning and Screen Actors Guild-nominated actress. She is best known for her film roles in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Calendar Girls and Nanny McPhee. On stage, she won Best Actress in a Musical for Acorn Antiques: The Musical and was nominated for Best Actress in Noises Off. Celia Imrie’s upcoming films are A Cure for Wellness, Year by the Sea, Bridget Jones’s Baby and Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, all due for release in 2016. Her autobiography, The Happy Hoofer, was published in 2011, and her acclaimed Sunday Times bestselling first novel, Not Quite Nice, was published by Bloomsbury in February 2015.
celiaimrie.info @CeliaImrie
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
The Happy Hoofer
Not Quite Nice
Also available by Celia Imrie
Not Quite Nice
Sunday Times Bestseller
Theresa is desperate for a change. Forced into early retirement, tired of babysitting her bossy daughter's obnoxious children, she sells her house and moves to a picture-perfect town, just outside Nice.
Once the hideaway of artists and writers, Bellevue-Sur-Mer is now home to the odd movie star and, as Theresa discovers, a close-knit set of expats. Settling to the gentle rhythm of the seaside, Theresa embraces her new-found friendships and freedom. But life is never as simple as it seems, and when skeletons fall out of several closets, Theresa starts to wonder if life on the French Riviera is quite as nice as it first appeared …
‘A hugely enjoyable romp of a novel with eccentric characters, a delightful background and a savoury tang of crime’ Katie Fforde
‘A very witty novel by a very witty woman. Hugely entertaining’ Julian Fellowes
‘Utterly delicious in every way’ Joanna Lumley
‘A shaft of early summer sunshine, a funny, spirited read’ Daily Mail
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First published in Great Britain 2016
This electronic edition published in 2016 by Bloomsbury Publis
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© Celia Imrie, 2016
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This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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