The Gabrielli Man [antikvár]

CHAPTER ONE 'You're doing whatT Judy Liss set the teapot down with a thump which jangled every teacup in its saucer. 'Claudia, you're out of your mind, you must be. After what you went through! And then to calmly sit there and tell me you're going back to Italy for a holiday, to the very same place. In your shoes, I'd rather opt for the North Pole.' 'But you're not in my shoes, are you?' Claudia raised a dark eyebrow and gave a careful little smile which didn't reach her hazel eyes. 'They wouldn't fit you—too big,' she took a bite at a sizeable hunk of jam sponge and chewed it reflectively. 'This isn't up to your usual standard, Judy; it's chewy.' 'My new mixer. . . .' 'Not as good as the old one?' 'Of course it is, it's better and quicker. I whipped the thing up in half the time but I forgot to put the oven on earlier so the tins were a bit cold going in and the mix didn't rise properly— Drat you, Claudia, you've changed the subject.' 'As I've every right to do,' Claudia pointed out gravely. 'Now it's up to you to talk about something else. Show a little delicacy.' 'I won't,' Judy was cheerfully obstinate. 'I'm not delicate, I'm like a bull in a china shop—always have been—^it's part of my charm.' 'It's part of your custom,' Claudia corrected. 'This habit you have of crashing in where angels would fear to tread, specially when you've seen the notice, "Keep Out"!'