by Julie Caplin
Almost everyone had their cameras out, Mina included. Miriam would love this, she liked everything to be neat and tidy.
The wide cobbled street was quiet and spotlessly clean, and led up to a tiny, beautifully maintained church, with a tiled triangular peaked roof. The whole place exuded old-world charm and just invited people to come and meander through the streets, to explore and admire at their own gentle pace. It was completely enchanting, decided Mina, wondering which of the many traditional-looking restaurants with their rustic doors and windows they would chose for lunch. There was quite a choice, all offering authentic fondues.
‘There’s a place I’d quite like to visit,’ said Bernhardt turning to Mina. ‘I think you’ll like it.’ He checked the map on his phone. ‘It’s the Giger Bar. I’ve heard it’s like nothing you’ll ever see anywhere else.’
‘OK,’ said Mina always interested in something new and different. ‘What’s special about it?’
‘Wait and see.’ Bernhardt looked as if he were harbouring a particularly juicy secret, although halfway up a mountain in the shadow of a fairytale castle that looked as if it might have inspired Disney’s Cinderella’s castle, she couldn’t imagine what it could possibly be.
They followed the little blue dot on his phone and eventually came to the Giger Museum, and turned into the bar adjacent. It took a moment for Mina’s eyes to adjust from the brilliant sunshine outside to the dim interior, and then in a decidedly girly, horror film moment, she grabbed Luke’s arm.
‘Oh my god,’ she hissed quietly, as Bernhardt strutted in as proud as a peacock in full display.
Luke stared round, wide-eyed, and reached for her hand, giving it a quick squeeze under the cover of the gloom.
As they grew accustomed to the light they both stared around them in amazement, Mina’s gaze was drawn to the vaulted roof that looked as if it were supported by alien spines, with intricate rows of odd-shaped bones. At the bar, vast otherworldly chairs looked as if they’d been beamed straight from a gothic Star Trek set. The effect was both macabre and fascinating at the same time.
Bernhardt was extolling the virtues of the designer, Giger, who’d created what Mina considered the monstrous interior.
‘Not what I was expecting at all,’ she said, trying to take in the odd-shaped furniture and not-quite-human features of a set of skulls decorating a booth. Instinctively she edged closer to Luke. ‘It’s like the insides of a fossilised dinosaur,’ she whispered with a quick shudder.
Over by the bar, Bernhardt was holding court with Kristian and Uta listening intently. ‘Giger is an artist, but he’s probably most famous for his work on the film Alien and lots of famous album covers. He has quite a cult following.’
‘I’m afraid I’m not joining.’ Mina spoke in an undertone. Maybe it was a European thing but she really didn’t like it in here. ‘Can you imagine what his dreams must have been like?’ She shuddered, quite creeped out by the place.
‘You OK?’
‘No, I really don’t like it in here.’
‘Hey Bernhardt, we’re just going back outside. Mina’s feeling a bit warm.’ Without waiting for a response, Luke guided her out of the bar, back into the light spring sunshine.
As soon as they got outside he put his arm around her and gave her a hug, and without thinking she leaned into him and he enfolded her to his chest, looking down at her with a warm smile in his eyes.
Her heart did that funny miss-a beat thing and she swallowed. Don’t look at his lips, she told herself, but she wanted him to kiss her more than anything else at that moment.
‘Better?’ he asked, looking down at her.
‘Much, thank you.’ She hugged him back, loathe to relinquish her hold on him. ‘I’m not normally that squeamish, but that wasn’t for me.’
‘Don’t apologise. I’m glad to have you to myself for a while. Being part of a tour group wasn’t quite what I had in mind when I planned this trip.’ His smile was rueful. ‘I know you said you weren’t interested in a relationship, but I can’t stop thinking about you or wanting to spend time with you. I’m not very good at giving up on what I want. I’m of the opinion life’s too short not to keep trying.’
Mina took a deep breath. ‘What if I told you I’d had a change of heart, which is crazy because I’m only here for a couple more days.’
‘England’s not so far away,’ he said, lowering his face nearer to hers. ‘And I could be posted anywhere. It doesn’t have to be Switzerland.’
‘Funny,’ she said tilting her head up. ‘I’d just decided I’d quite like to stay here.’
His mouth was mere inches from hers and she wasn’t sure who closed the gap first.
Excitement like a thousand bees buzzed through her as his lips touched hers. How could she have forgotten this exhilaration?
Luke pulled back first. ‘Shall we go and find somewhere for lunch?’
‘Yes. What about the others?’
‘What about them?’ asked Luke with a grin. ‘Every man for himself. We’ll see them back on the bus at two.’
He held her hand as they wandered along the street trying to decide which of the charming-looking restaurants did the best fondue in the world. They finally settled on a traditional, rustic place doing a roaring trade.
Mina let out a sigh. ‘This is more like it. I think I’m quite a simple creature at heart. That place should be in New York or a trendy part of London.’
‘Bernhardt is obviously a fan. I think he’s rather proud that Switzerland could produce something of that ilk.’
‘Bernhardt can keep it. Not my thing at all. I can appreciate it’s clever and unique, but it made me feel quite uncomfortable. If I ate in somewhere like that, I’d spend the whole time looking over my shoulder convinced something nasty and bony was going to jump out at me. Restaurants and bars should be welcoming and homely, making you relax, not feel stressed. The lighting should be just right to give a glow, like a beacon guiding you home, the furniture comfortable but not too fussy so that you worry about spilling things on it, and the menu appealing without too much pretentious nonsense about it. You know, include those things that you don’t realise are exactly what you fancy. Things that are hearty but a treat as well. And of course it should be all about quality. Locally sourced ingredients and authentic overseas specialities.’
‘It sounds as if you’ve given it a lot of thought.’
‘Sorry, my sister Hannah would say I’ve gone off on one.’ Mina paused. ‘It’s my hobby horse, the perfect restaurant, although I don’t have any desire to open one of my own. I just know exactly what I want in a restaurant, but that’s not the sort of cooking I want to do. I prefer sweet treats, desserts, chocolates.’ Something glimmered at the back of her mind, an elusive idea that floated just out of reach. She knew from experience it was best to let things to percolate and come to her when they were ready, although she could do with the idea speeding up because, as she’d told Luke, she only had a few more days here.
They were just about to enter the restaurant when Kristian’s voice hailed them. ‘There you are. I’ve left Uta and Bernhardt because I wanted fondue. This place looks nice.’
Mina and Luke avoided looking at each other.
‘That’ll be a table for three then,’ said Luke dryly.
The others caught up with them on the coach, having opted to stay and eat at the Giger Bar. Mina hoped the food was more appealing than the avant garde décor. Next stop was the Maison Cailler in Broc, a five-minute bus ride away. According to Bernahrdt, who had done his research, Cailler was the first and oldest brand of chocolate in Switzerland.
The rich delicious smell of chocolate reached them before they even disembarked from the bus. Mina closed her eyes and inhaled, the air redolent with the sinfully decadent scent.
‘This could be the closest thing to heaven,’ she murmured with a little moan.
‘You’re not going to have a When Harry Met Sally moment, are you?’ asked Luke, amusement at the expression on
her face sparkling in his eyes.
‘There’s a distinct possibility.’ Mina linked an arm through his, ignoring the narrowing of Bernhardt’s eyes ‘Come on, you.’
Everyone from the coach crowded in, milling about in the foyer before being funnelled onto the tour, which did feel very much like a school trip. Informative and educational, with typical Swiss efficiency, the well-designed displays gave considerable insight into the origins of chocolate, where the beans were grown, how they were harvested and treated on the way to being made into chocolate. Mina, keen to learn as much as she could, paid attention to how chocolate was made and how solid chocolate as eaten today came into being. Bernhardt chipped in plenty of additional facts. Apparently, before a chap called Daniel Peter added milk to chocolate, it was a gritty bitter paste. His use of condensed milk produced by the Nestlé factory next door created the product now known the world over as chocolate.
As the tour progressed, Mina’s hunger to know more grew keener, but the tour kept them at arm’s length during the actual processes, much of it mechanised behind huge plate-glass windows, and there was no one around to answer the questions she had.
When they reached the end of the tour, Mina felt a little edgy and irritated, and even more determined to press Johannes to let her go and see his operation.
‘You look like you’re planning something,’ commented Luke as they made their way out. ‘Are you planning to go into production?’
‘Not yet. But I am going to bombard Johannes with a gazillion questions. He can’t possibly have all that machinery. And I know lots of smaller, artisan producers who don’t have that level of production, so how do they do it? That’s what I’m really interested in.’
‘If Johannes won’t help, I have a friend in Vevey who has a cousin who runs a chocolate shop. Perhaps I could arrange a visit for you?’ Bernhardt offered.
‘That’s very kind, but I’m running short of time, and Johannes is on the doorstep. It’s alright, I’ll come up with something.’ A sweetener perhaps, like telling him what Amelie’s favourite flowers were, or when her birthday was.
The end of the tour led them into an all-you-can-eat chocolate extravaganza with a huge selection of different chocolates.
‘Willy Wonka eat your heart out,’ murmured Mina, watching the delight on two children’s faces as they double-checked with their parents that they really could eat the chocolate. The company had done a great job in designing the tasting room, and she studied the various stations which had been arranged to display both the chocolates and their ingredients. She nodded with approval, already thinking about the chocolate shop she’d been to in Zurich and how she would set things up. There was plenty of room here, which was probably just as well, as there were a lot of excitable children zipping about, unable to believe their luck, but it lacked the style of the shop. Although, much as she’d liked it, it had been a bit too stylish, making you feel a little self-conscious about tasting there, whereas here there was absolutely no concept of self-restraint. If it were up to her, she’d come up with a happy medium. Something a lot more cosy, perhaps small, beautifully decorated, round tables with room around them for people to gather, but with plenty of other things on display to draw the eye.
Mina shook her head and winced as a little girl careered past, holding a chocolate in either sticky hand, her eyes alight with happiness, calling to her mother. ‘And the trick is not too eat too much,’ she said to herself, her mind still buzzing with ideas.
Uta and Kristian had already tucked in, while Bernhardt was wandering around each station, his hands behind his back, perusing each carefully as if working out his tasting strategy.
It look far too restrained for Mina. She wanted to try everything.
She turned to Luke, who’d caught up with her having been caught in conversation with one of a group of women from their coach. She hadn’t missed how their eyes lit up when they’d seen him the first time they boarded the coach.
‘Funny,’ she said to him, ‘that this is the most famous brand in Switzerland, and the oldest, and yet in the UK we’ve never heard of it.’
‘The Swiss like to keep the good stuff for themselves,’ said Luke. ‘Where shall we start?’
‘At the beginning, of course,’ said Mina primly. ‘We have to do this properly.’
‘Is there a proper way to taste chocolate?’ teased Luke, following her to the first station, where cone-shaped swirls of glossy brown chocolate were arranged in uniform rows, like a small battalion of sweetness. He picked one up and popped it straight into his mouth. ‘Mmm.’ With dancing eyes he signalled that it was good as he savoured the chocolate.
‘Philistine,’ said Mina picking one up and delicately holding it under her nose. ‘You should smell it first; it heightens the experience.’ She inhaled the delicious scent, closing her eyes. It smelled of comfort, of warm kitchens, heaven. When she opened her eyes, Luke was watching her, a smile playing around his mouth.
‘What?’ she asked, feeling her breath catch just a little at the expression on his face.
‘You just make me smile, Mina. You have such a passion for life.’
He continued to watch as she carefully put the chocolate in her mouth and bit through the crisp hard shell, which gave way to silken praline inside, flavoured with hazelnuts, which made her squirm with pleasure. She savoured the smooth texture in her mouth, feeling the sensual pleasure which was heightened under Luke’s steady gaze.
‘Good?’ he asked.
‘Very.’
‘Here,’ Luke picked up the little cup-shaped chocolate and held it up to her nose, the rest of his fingers lightly grazing her chin with a tiny touch that sent a frisson racing across her skin in hair-raising ripples.
‘Caramel,’ she murmured, as he lifted the chocolate to her mouth. Their eyes locked as she took it from his fingers and put it into her mouth. The intensity of his gaze as she tasted the rich sweetness of sugar made her pulse hiccough.
‘Here.’ She picked up one of the chocolates and with clumsy fingers shoved it towards him, without an ounce of finesse, but he was making her feel a touch jittery as well as hot and definitely bothered.
He opened his mouth expectantly and she stared at his lips, feeling a ridiculously ill-placed spark of lust shoot through her. Hastily she popped the chocolate in with the urgency of a basketball player shooting a hoop in the dying seconds of a game. Feeling a flush racing along her cheeks, she moved along without waiting for him. She busied herself, studying the case of ingredients rather than picking up one of the rounds of chocolate with a coffee bean on the top, waiting for her heart to stop playing silly buggers and return to an acceptable rate. Did Luke have any idea of the effect he was having on her? She prayed she wasn’t giving herself away.
‘Want to try a piece of this?’ she asked, moving on to a display of white chocolate in large bars, even though she wasn’t a fan. She always found that it had a cloying texture and left a greasy mouthfeel. She preferred milk chocolate to any other.
Luke shook his head. ‘That’s not proper chocolate. It sticks to the roof of your mouth.’
‘I think we might be twins separated at birth,’ she said with a laugh. ‘That’s exactly how I feel about it. Largely decorative.’
The next station was much more appealing: tiny rounds of dark chocolate flavoured with orange. They both nodded in shared appreciation.
‘That’s good. The best yet,’ said Luke, his hand already reaching for a second piece.
‘You missed a bit.’ Without thinking she reached up to away the smear left just below his lip, and as soon as she did, a big klaxon went off in her head – a few seconds too late, because the damage was done. At the same moment his tongue slipped out to lick away the streak of chocolate and touched her fingertip. A thousand volts rocketed through her at the unexpected intimate contact and she gave a startled gasp at the same time as Luke’s eyes widened.
‘Sorry,’ she said hurriedly.
‘I’m not,’ said Luke
, holding her gaze and smiling down at her with a look in his eyes that was hard to resist. It held sincerity and tenderness rather than cocky confidence, and it made her yearn for things that she had no business yearning for in a busy tasting room.
Unable to help herself, she smiled back up at him. She couldn’t fight off the pent-up longing, and when he lowered his head, she lifted hers…
‘What’s your favourite?’ asked Bernhardt, suddenly appearing behind her with Kristian and Uta in tow. ‘Uta likes the pralines best. Kristian can’t make up his mind. What’s this one? Chocolate and orange?’
‘Er… I…’ Mina gave Luke a panicked look, flushing bright red before turning to face Bernhardt, hoping that he hadn’t just seen what had happened. A second later and they’d have been kissing. Luckily he seemed to be more interested in the decorative display behind her of dried orange slices and little hessian sacks of dark cocoa nibs.
‘Mm, these are good,’ said Uta, trying one of the orange-flavoured chocolates and making room for Kristian to step forward and try one.
Mina nodded, trying to appear normal, while her system still pumped with adrenaline and excitement, her pulse rocketing along like a runaway train. It felt as if her hormones were in revolt, so close and yet so far, sending a hot flash through her as if to say, how could you do this to us?
Luke shot her a quick, rueful smile as the others fell into to step with them, and she wondered if he was suffering from the same sort of hormonal fallout. The others began talking about which they thought was the best chocolate and Mina tried to join in, biting back keen disappointment. What might have happened if the others hadn’t joined them at that moment? She shot a sidelong glance at Luke, now engaged in conversation with Uta, and sighed softly to herself.