THE CELEBRATION AT RAPHAELS…
The stylish restaurant with its dark polished floors, wooden furniture and soft candlelight was noisy, atmospheric and itself pure theatre, into which they made an entrance. The whole group was soon seated on the long table as the staff busies themselves opening the bottles of Dom Perignon, and filling glasses. Jane and Kambiz raised theirs: ‘All at Raphael salute the theatre’s latest star.’ Other diners and fellow playgoers, delighted to see the whole cast, clapped and cheered. Constance Cummings and David Knight rose and generously gestures to Rachel to join them, and all three acknowledged the applause.
Ian looked over the candlelight at this wonderous young woman, his woman.
‘Do you know that this building dates back to 1730?’ Marcus was telling John Jacobs.
Rachel caught Ian’s eye, winked and spoke to her father, sitting next to him. ‘Daddy, the show moves to Oxford, and I’ll be coming home when it closes there. Can I invite Ian afterwards?’
‘Surely, if that’s what you would like.’
‘Very much so. All right, Ian? Can you drag yourself away from your beloved firm for a few days?’
Ian, taken completely by surprise, nodded.
‘You’ll meet my friends in London.’ Rachel turned away in answer to a question about the Oxford opening.
John Jacobs smiled at Ian. ‘You are very honoured Ian, you are the first young man she has ever invited home.’
The meal had been chosen by Marcus and Susan and was magnificent. English asparagus picked that morning at Valley Spring nursery garden, on a rocket salad with mustard vinaigrette. The Gressingham duck with chive mashed potato, and a cannellini bean, bacon and rosemary sauce. The elegance of the Puligney-Montrachet with the first course was followed by the ripe black cherry aroma of the Haut-Médoc, perfect for the duck. The fresh English strawberries picked and brought with the asparagus and a home-made meringue, finished the most perfect meal Ian had ever eaten.
Another extract from chapter fifty-four of – ‘Go Swift and Far – a Tale of Bath’ The first book of The Westcott Chronicles of Bath