dark golden sponge suggested brown sugar as well as the addition of various rich, exotic spices. Inhaling their bouquet Trudy caught a note of coriander and a suggestion of nutmeg. The surface of the mini-cake was hidden beneath a smooth white layer of icing, decorated by curly slivers of orange zest.
‘Are you going to eat that?’ asked Nikki. ‘Or are you trying to sniff the flavour out?’
Trudy grinned. ‘I’ll eat it in a moment. First, I want to admire its beauty.’
She did take a bite, and enjoyed the rush of flavours and textures. The muffin was incredibly light and surprisingly moist. Trudy tried to occupy her thoughts by identifying the blend of mixed spices, the creaminess of the pecan nuts and the hints of orange and sultana that accompanied the subtle carrot flavouring.
It was a sensational taste experience. It was as good as any muffin she had ever made, and far better than some of those she’d sampled. Although Trudy knew Kali was good, the pâtissier was so quiet and modest about her achievements it always surprised Trudy each time she rediscovered the quality of the woman’s creations.
To Trudy’s mind, the only problem with the muffin was that it felt a little oily on her fingers.
She tried to work out how that could be addressed and eliminated. She re-examined the flavours to work out what fats had been used, her brow furrowing with concentration. If she was able to make something similar without the oiliness, Trudy thought her online catering company, Sweet Temptation, might be able to produce and supply a similar mini carrot cake to go with their current range of quality desserts. She also thought, if she was able to get a recipe out of the day, or at least expand her company’s product range by a single item, her attendance at the wedding would not have been the heartbreaking, soul-destroying trauma she had initially feared.
‘Trudy! There you are.’
Trudy fixed a grin to her face as she turned to smile at the bride. This was one aspect of the heartbreaking, soul-destroying trauma she had been wanting to avoid.
Aliceon looked beautiful in her silver-white gown. She was a tall woman with a willowy frame that looked like it was sculpted to model wedding dresses. Since she had now married Bill three times, Trudy thought, the woman could apply for a job as wedding-dress model, given all the amateur experience she had gathered over the years. She quietly chastised herself for the unkind thought and reminded herself that Aliceon did not deserve her animosity.
‘Congratulations, Mrs Hart,’ Trudy said cordially.
She put the mini carrot cake down and embraced Aliceon. It took an effort of willpower not to wipe the oily residue from her fingers on the back of Aliceon’s flawless wedding dress. But Trudy figured she was mature enough to resist such impulses. She would wait to wipe her hands clean until she was politely hugging Bill in his pristine morning suit.
‘You look absolutely beautiful,’ Trudy told Aliceon.
‘I know,’ Aliceon admitted. She twirled in her dress and said, ‘It’s a Caroline Herrera. Who couldn’t look gorgeous in a dress like this?’
Trudy smiled and nodded. Imogen, Aliceon’s daughter, had been sufficiently impressed with the dress’s design to talk enthusiastically about it when Trudy last saw her. It was a smooth flow of ice-white satin, set with snowy white lace and shiny white pearls. Regardless of how she felt about the woman, Trudy had to agree that Aliceon did look sensational.
‘Imogen looked very lovely as your maid of honour,’ Trudy said. ‘Where is she?’
‘I think she was getting the baby to rest in Bill’s office.’
Trudy thanked her and started toward the kitchen.
Aliceon placed a hand on Trudy’s arm, stopping her. She fixed her with a solemn stare and said, ‘Thank you, Trudy. It is appreciated.’
Trudy shook her head. ‘You have no need to thank me.’
Aliceon’s knowing smile creased the corners of her eyes. She released her hold on Trudy’s arm and stepped away.
An elderly, bearded man stepped in front of her. His expression was kindly. His eyes sparkled behind his small, wire-rimmed spectacles. ‘Are you holding one of Kali’s mini carrot cakes?’
‘Finlay,’ she smiled.
She hugged him harder than was needed. His was one of the few friendly faces she had seen today that wasn’t studying her with an expression of pitying dismay. Finlay, always the professional, seemed more concerned with the dessert she held.
‘Is it?’ he asked. ‘Is it one of Kali’s mini carrot cakes?’
She nodded. ‘Have you tried one yet?’
‘I’ve tried six,’ he admitted. ‘I’m still trying to work out some of the ingredients.’
They talked their way through the flavours, each interrupting the other in their haste to be the first to identify all the ingredients. Both of them had detected nutmeg and allspice. Trudy mentioned the walnuts whilst Finlay talked about the pecans.
‘I could have sworn I tasted cardamom in there,’ Trudy said.
Finlay slapped himself on the forehead. ‘Cardamom,’ he muttered. ‘Of course. Now that you’ve said it I know that’s what it is.’
She nodded, pleased she had named a spice that had eluded him.
Finlay’s grin faltered as he studied her face. He shook his head and considered her with sudden solemnity. ‘I don’t understand what’s wrong with that man.’ He nodded towards the centre of the room where the wedding vows had been blessed. Trudy knew he was talking about Bill. ‘I don’t understand why he’s let someone as special as you slip through his fingers.’
Trudy blushed and looked away.
Finlay cleared his throat and glanced toward the buffet stand. She could see he had decided to change the subject, away from the uncomfortable area of personal matters and back to safer exchanges about flavours. ‘I’ll go and get myself a couple of those mini carrot cakes whilst there’s still some left,’ he said. ‘It appears some greedy sod has been eating them faster than they can be put out here.’
Trudy gave him a rueful grin.
‘I’ll order you a consignment of the spices you’ll need,’ he called over his shoulder. ‘I can tell you’re desperate to try making these for Sweet Temptation.’
She was not surprised he had guessed her motives. She watched his formidable bulk meander easily back to the buffet table and Nikki’s resigned greeting.
‘That would be great,’ she whispered.
It pained her to know that Finlay was thinking of her as the wronged woman.
She pushed the back of her hand against the corner of her eye, trying to stop the threat of tears before there were any streaks in her mascara. Moving purposefully, she hurried towards the kitchen, desperate to find Imogen and baby Bill. She hadn’t wanted to come to the wedding but she had known it would look churlish if she simply declined the invitation.
She almost made it without being stopped. She kept to the sides
