Beaune

CHAPTER TWELVE

     When Bond was in London he had his own burgundy especially made for him by Domaine Camille-Giroud of Beaune but this was Stockport so Oddbins had to do. Nevertheless he was able to buy a very acceptable Nuits St Georges from the classic 1985 vintage and it was this bottle that Bond presented to Mrs Snockers on arriving at her brick built semi-detached on Greenheys Lane shortly before seven thirty.
     “Oh you shouldn’t have bothered Mr Band, scolded Mrs Snockers, taking the bottle off Bond, before adding. “Although I must confess I do like a nice glass of red of an evening. Australian is it?”
     Bond inwardly shuddered at the suggestion that anyone might think he was such a cheapskate as to palm a host off with what the Australians laughingly call wine. (Bond had once drunk a glass of Australian red wine by mistake and it had given him an upset stomach for a week, although his doctor had suggested to him that the cause of the upset might be rooted in Bond's prejudice against new world wines rather than what had been in the bottle) He gave no sign of this to the woman who had been kind enough to offer him dinner however, his inherent good manners disallowing it. “I’m afraid the wine shop didn’t have any Australian wine, Mrs Snockers. Must have had a run on it so I had to make do.”
     “Shame. But never mind, I’m sure this will be very nice,” she said, looking dubiously at the label on the bottle. “even if it is a bit old. Now sit yourself down and make yourself at home. Oh and by the way, just in case you was wondering. There’s no Snockers. He died a few years back.”
     Bond commiserated with her. “I’m sorry.”
     “You’ve no need to be, he was a swine, a wastrel if ever there was one. Spent half his life in the betting shop and the other half hiding from people he’d borrowed money off of to go in the betting shop in the first place. I'm better off without him, believe me. The only good thing he did in his life was give me Gloria.” She smiled fondly at the thought. “And that was the best thing. Oh and just in case you was wondering, I’m not looking for a husband. I invited you for your tea because you seem like a nice man and you like Toad in the Hole, I’m not after you or anything like that.” Her smile got broader as a thought occurred to her. “Mind you, I can’t speak for my Gloria.” With that Mrs Snockers disappeared into the kitchen with the bottle of wine, calling out on her way: “Gloria, that nice Mr Band is here.”