Anything but Vanilla(36)
‘A teacher who thought she was being particularly clever gave us that nickname when I was at primary school. My mother’s name was Lavender.’
Was... He noted the past tense but didn’t comment. He already knew more than enough about Sorrel Amery.
‘The full set, then. So Fenny is presumably Fennel...’
‘Just Fenny, actually. No one would call a little girl Fennel. But you’ve got the general idea. Her sisters are Tara and Marji.’
‘Tarragon and marjoram? What would the baby have been called if she’d been a boy?’
‘Henry.’
He grinned. ‘Good King Henry?’
‘You certainly know your herbs, although actually it’s a family name on her father’s side. Look, I’m sorry I can’t offer you something more exciting by way of dinner, but I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow and you’re not dressed for any restaurant I’d care to be seen in. It’s The Herbs or nothing.’ Then, as he shrugged, ‘Do. Not. Do. That!’ She turned away before he could respond and he glanced down at his shoulder where the gap in the seam had widened noticeably.
‘I could take my T-shirt off if it bothers you so much,’ he offered, barely able to suppress a grin.
‘No!’ she said, with more vehemence than entirely necessary. ‘Forget the T-shirt. Here, taste...’ She stopped the machine, took two plastic spoons from the pot, tasted the mixture, then handed the second spoon to him. ‘What do you think?’
As he bent to dip into the mix his gaze intersected the point where the top of the silky thing she was wearing skimmed the top of her breasts and the last thing on his mind was sorbet.
He had absolutely no argument with her front. Or her rear...
‘Well?’ she demanded, when he took his time over filling the spoon, tasting the sorbet.
‘It sort of sparkles on the tongue.’
‘Right answer,’ she said, briskly.
She was a little underdressed for the part but she was back in Businesswoman of the Year mode. It should have been off-putting. On his brief trips home his chosen partners were party girls who expected nothing more than a good time for as long as he was around.
Having kissed her, he thought perhaps he was missing out. Maybe he should widen his horizons...
‘Is it sweet enough?’ she asked. ‘Bearing in mind that it’s served with a touch of cassis in the bottom of the glass to add sweetness and colour, and berries threaded onto a cocktail stick.’
‘I have to imagine all that?’ He managed to imply that it was a foreign concept, but the truth was that his imagination was focused on other things. What her hair would look like loose about her shoulders, how it would feel, sliding against his skin... ‘What kind of berries?’
‘Raspberries and blueberries.’
‘Pretty,’ he said, putting the spoon in his mouth and sucking it clean. ‘And—bearing in mind that I’m using my imagination regarding the liqueur and berries—there’s nothing I’d add, although...’
‘What?’ she demanded after a long, thoughtful pause, clearly anticipating another ‘eureka’ moment involving some magic ingredient.
‘I’m prepared to bet you a week’s rent that it’ll go long before the cucumber ice cream.’
‘You really need to get over your hang-up about savoury ice cream,’ she said crossly, switching the churn back on to freeze the sorbet. ‘Look at the whole picture, the combination of tastes. Too much sweetness is cloying.’
‘No danger of that with you, is there?’ he said, leaning back against the work unit.
‘Excuse me?’
‘Sorrel—genus Rumex—used for medicinal and culinary purposes, is characterised by a bitter taste whereas...’ Sorrel, torn between relief and annoyance that Alexander had teased her about the taste, paused in the act of dumping her spoon in the sink and turned to look at him ‘...lovage, pungent and aromatic, is used in herbal love baths and Angelica archangelica...’ He paused. ‘Is your sister angelic?’
‘Only if you’re an abandoned dog.’ She gave him a sideways look. ‘Of course, you’re a botanist.’
‘Only by accident. I’m actually a pharmacologist, but I specialise in medicinal plants.’
‘Which include herbs.’ She frowned. ‘Ria is incredibly knowledgeable about herbs. She makes a wonderful healing cream using lavender.’