A lice was so nervous she could hardly keep her hands steady to fasten the zip on her favourite black dress. She added strappy gold sandals with a belt to match, brushed her blonde hair and inspected herself in the mirror. She felt happy with what she saw. Her skin was slightly tanned from a recent walking holiday, and she seemed to have a bloom that was nothing to do with make-up.
‘Calm down, woman,’ she told her reflection sternly. ‘You’re old enough to know better than to get into a state just because an attractive Italian man pays you some attention.’
She hadn’t seen Roberto for a few days. He and his daughter Gabriella were visiting relatives in London and were due back tonight, New Year’s Eve.
Alice and some friends were joining them for a celebration dinner. Everyone was looking forward to a relaxing evening.
Gabriella was the owner of a local Italian restaurant. A couple of years ago, she had approached Alice, who ran a delicatessen, and asked her to