The Secret Ways of Perfume by Cristina Caboni Read Free Book Online Page B

holding her breath, she waited for the moment she could finally give her mother the present in Grasse.
    â€œFor me?” Susanna asked. “A perfume? Did you make it yourself, darling?”
    Elena loved the sound of that voice. It was light and delicate—perhaps because she didn’t use it very much. That kind tone made her feel better. And since Elena had arrived, the night before, evenMaurice had been kind. Maybe they would keep her with them, this time.
    â€œYes, Mom, I made it myself.”
    Susanna opened it very carefully, smelling the contents. Smiling, she tried it on her wrist and sniffed.
    â€œAren’t you clever, sweetheart? I like it; it’s delicate, but at the same time it has character.”
    She liked it! Elena’s heart was bursting; she couldn’t think of anything else. She went up to Susanna, one step at a time, as though she were afraid this perfect moment might vanish. But Susanna kept on smiling and talking to her.
    The sunlight streaming through the window lit up the polished wood floor. Her mother was sitting on the sofa and had put the bottle of perfume in the middle of the coffee table, still singing its praises.
    â€œAn original composition. I can’t work out the base notes . . . oh, but don’t tell me, darling, I want to guess. Would you believe it, my little girl made a perfume just for me! Maurice, come and see—look what Elena did.”
    The man came over. He was smiling, but his eyes were cold. He took the tiny bottle and once he’d smelled it, he put it back on the table.
    â€œYou shouldn’t encourage her so much. There are some serious mistakes there. The top notes clash, and really, what about the structural failure? No, Susanna. You’re not doing the kid any favors by deluding her like this. The perfume’s no good, and you know it. Stop leading her on.”
    â€œHow can you say that?” Susanna murmured. “She’s only twelve years old!”
    Maurice spun around, slamming his fist onto the table. The bottle rolled along the polished surface and fell to the floor. The smell spread through the room, filling the air.
    â€œIt doesn’t matter. It makes no difference how old she is. I’m just telling the truth, because you’re not brave enough to do it. That perfume is all wrong—it’s worthless.”
    A tense silence fell over them, shattering Elena’s dreams, crushing her hopes.
    â€œThere’s no need to shout,” Susanna told him. Then she bent down and picked up the bottle. She closed the lid and went back to Elena.
    â€œSpoiling a composition by using such bold notes is a mistake lots of beginners make. Make sure you have the olfactory pyramid and the fragrance families clear in your mind. To be daring you need knowledge that you don’t have yet. But thank you, anyway. It was a really kind thought.”
    Then she stood up, left the sitting room and shut herself in her bedroom. Maurice followed her immediately. The next day, Elena went to stay at Monique’s house, and Susanna must have approved of the decision because she sent her luggage over. A long time later, Elena realized what was wrong with that perfume. Too much pain.
    After that, she saw her mother less and less, and only on the most important occasions. From then on, their relationship became very formal. Fortunately, Maurice always managed to busy himself with something on the few occasions Elena went to Grasse, and Elena herself always found thousands of excuses to go to Monique’s house.
    She was almost seventeen when, in the laboratory where Susanna and Maurice were working, a gas leak caused a small explosion. Her mother almost made it to the door, but flames forced her back to the window. The fire spread in just a few seconds, fueled by the highly flammable liquids in the room. By the time Maurice managed to grab the fire extinguisher, the blaze was already out of control. The laboratory was