He tipped the box upside down, emptying the contents into the water. A large hunk of lightly grilled white fish and a single haricot landed on Sally’s windscreen.

‘Come on. Cough up.’ ‘Snooky’ thrust out his hand. ‘I’ll send the boy down for the cash.’

The teenager slouched on to the bathing platform. At least he was more suitably dressed, in a T-shirt and jeans. He bent down and whispered to Sally. ‘Wish I’d never agreed to come on this ship. He’s a pig.’ He held out his hand. ‘And those girls are more my age than his. Except they’re so boring.’

Sally had no cash on her other than the contents of her purse, a few coins and a five-euro note, and she wasn’t giving that up to Snooky.

She mimed putting money into the boy’s palm and muttered, ‘Tell him it will be credited back to the card he used.’

The boy leaned forward and said conspiratorially, ‘Thanks, Theresa.’

‘Sally,’ said Sally, dashing back into the wheelhouse. ‘You must have spoken to Theresa earlier.’

She started up the engine.

How odd of the boy to think that the same person who must have taken the call also made the delivery.

As she pulled away she glanced back at the gin palace. The boy gave her a furtive wave. The little boat swerved, and she could hear the two girls screaming abuse after her. But she pushed the throttle and manoeuvred the boat past the rocky shore, whizzing around the headland and away.

PART TWO

TARTE TROPÉZIENNE

St-Tropez Tart, a Provençal classic, is sold in all patisseries in France. It was created in 1955 and named by Brigitte Bardot to celebrate her home town. Serves 8.

For the cream

500ml semi-skimmed milk

1 vanilla pod, split in two

3 eggs

100g icing sugar

50g plain flour

200ml double cream, whipped

4 drops orange-blossom oil

2 pinches salt

For the brioche

5g dried yeast paste

50ml water

250g plain flour

salt, to taste

30g icing sugar

3 eggs

125g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and at room temperature

zest of 1 lemon

15g sugar crystals

50g unsalted butter, cubed

Decoration

50g icing sugar, sieved

First make the cream filling. Boil the milk with the vanilla pod, then vigorously whip the eggs with the icing sugar until it resembles a thick cream. Fold in the flour. Pour in the boiling milk and mix well. Put it back on the heat for about 3 minutes, or until thickened. Once the cream mixture is cooked, pour it into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool (as quickly as possible). When cool, whip using an electric mixer. Add a third of the double cream to the mixing bowl, still beating vigorously. Then gently stir in the remaining cream, orange-blossom oil and salt.

Next make the brioche. Dilute the yeast in lukewarm water. Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor. Add the eggs and the diluted yeast to the mixture and blend using a dough hook until slightly sticky. After 8 to 10 minutes’ low-speed kneading, the dough should be smooth and elastic. Then add 125g of butter and continue to knead gently until it is completely incorporated. Stir the lemon zest into the dough, then cover with a cloth and leave at room temperature to rise for approximately 1 hour (or until it has doubled in volume). Preheat the oven to 200°C. When risen, knead the dough by hand until it returns to its original size. Leave it to rest in the refrigerator for a minimum of 15 minutes. Spread the brioche mix into a 20cm-diameter greased cake tin. Leave to rise until once more doubled in size. Sprinkle the top with the sugar crystals and butter cubes. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Take it out and let it cool, then cut into two through the centre to make a sandwich.