June, 1916
San Francisco
Veronique rinsed the strawberries in cold water; she looked forward to having them for dessert after dinner. Maman and Beau-Pere had invited Leander Merritt to join them for supper, and she wanted everything to be perfect.
Lee was busy flying, of course. He was still learning to pilot the big deHaviland aircraft; Major Dana Crissy was teaching him well. It was so exciting, even if a wee bit scary; Lee would be going over to France to fly with the Lafayette Escadrille ... to fight in the war over there. The round of parties for the pilots was constant, and Lee took Veronique with him whenever he could.
They’d met at one of Maman’s musicales; Veronique was playing her father’s violin. “Bonaparte’s Retreat,” it had been. She had noticed the handsome young lieutenant watching her; he had black hair and flashing blue eyes, and he wore his uniform well.
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the room,” he had whispered after introducing himself. Veronique could not remember anyone else declaring her beautiful; at age 24, she was nearly on the shelf and had resigned herself to a spinster’s life. She could always teach violin.
But now Lee had come along. They were in constant company, and Veronique allowed herself to hope for a proposal.
Claire came back in from the garage that housed her precious Stanley Steamer automobile. There were some leaks in the roof, and she’d been out directing the handyman who repaired them. She plucked a strawberry from the colander her daughter was using and grinned at her.
“Let’s finish up the menu that we’re feeding that young man of yours,” she said, wrapping an arm around Veronique’s waist.
The closeness between mother and daughter had improved as Veronique grew up. Claire sometimes had a hard time believing that she had an adult daughter. Most of all, she wished that Erik were still alive to see their child flourish.
Veronique pulled out the old recipe file and the two sat down at the kitchen table.
“I thought maybe we could make one of Tante Ornella’s dishes,” she said.
The two women put their heads together and conspired.