The Chocolatier's Wife (106 page)

“Hardly the topic for
our
wedding night,
beloved.”

She poked him.
“Tell.”

A
long
suffering
sigh
was
her
reward. “She
realized
who
he
was,
one night,
when
Bonny
invited
the
new
Admiral
to
dinner.
He
has
the
same
eyes she
gave
me
and A
n
drew,
and apparently
favors
one
of
her
captors
quite
a bit.
She saw a
threat to ever
y
thing, and
she wanted him
destroyed.”

“How awful it must have
been.”

“The
whole
affair does
not
exactly
make me
wish
to
take
you
on
a pleasure
cruise.”
He
sighed,
stroking her
shoulder.
“Or
let
you
out
of
my sight.
I
do
hope
you
will
have
mercy
and
remain within
speaking
distance of me at all times.”

“Hardly,
and
you wouldn’t want me to,
either.”

“Never
say
that,
beloved.
Anyway,
one
night,
she
had
Bonny
take
him a
present.
Twas
meant
to
look
like
a
simple
gift,
a
bribe, of
ground
coffee. Mother
treated
it
with
poison, so
that
when
he
drank
it,
it
would
kill
him over
time. She
hoped
that
would
keep
the
coffee
from accidentally
killing anyone who happened to have
a
cup.”

“But the sprite would have
sensed the poison,
just as ours did.”

“Exactly
.
I
thin
k
h
e
wante
d
t
o
ge
t
mothe
r
bac
k
fo
r
it
,
bu
t
couldn’
t
ai
m
at he
r
d
i
rectly
.
He’
s
bee
n
plannin
g
thi
s
fo
r
ages
,
tryin
g
t
o
f
in
d
a
wa
y
t
o
wor
m
himsel
f
in
,
eve
n
sendin
g
hi
s
wif
e
her
e
t
o
f
in
d
a
plac
e
i
n
th
e
family.”

Tasmi
n
wa
s
thinkin
g
abou
t
th
e
othe
r
thing
,
f
irst
.
“Th
e
coffe
e
wouldn’
t
ac
t
fas
t
enoug
h
t
o
kil
l
th
e
Bishop
,
woul
d
it?
”

H
e
stroke
d
he
r
shoulder
.
“W
e
kno
w
tha
t
Bonn
y
lie
d
abou
t
stealing th
e
choc
o
lates
,
sh
e
confesse
d
a
s
muc
h
t
o
Andrew
.
Th
e
reaso
n
I
didn’
t
recogniz
e
the
m
wa
s
tha
t
Lavoussie
r
an
d
Frann
y
scrape
d
th
e
chocolat
e
off, melte
d
it
,
an
d
adde
d
th
e
poiso
n
in
.
The
y
injecte
d
th
e
almond
s
wit
h
dy
e
t
o
mak
e
i
t
loo
k
lik
e
I
ha
d
use
d
poorl
y
roaste
d
Ha
l
se
y
almonds
,
becaus
e
most peopl
e
don’
t
kno
w
abou
t
th
e
tast
e
o
r
smell
.
I
didn’
t
,
unti
l
yo
u
tracke
d
i
t
down.”

“Wha
t
I
don’
t
understan
d
i
s
ho
w
a
woma
n
ca
n
s
o
easil
y
betra
y
her vows
.
O
r
ho
w
a
husban
d
ca
n
sen
d
hi
s
wif
e
t
o
slee
p
wit
h
anothe
r
man.
”

“
I
thin
k
the
y
wer
e
jus
t
lookin
g
fo
r
opportunities
.
Certainly
,
whe
n
she becam
e
a
mai
d
fo
r
m
y
mother
,
sportin
g
impeccable
,
thoug
h
probabl
y
forged
,
references
,
sh
e
ha
d
no
t
bee
n
plannin
g
t
o
tak
e
t
o
m
y
brother’
s
bed. Th
e
reques
t
fro
m
m
y
fathe
r
mus
t
hav
e
bee
n
quit
e
a
shock.”

“
I
hop
e
yo
u
neve
r
becom
e
suc
h
a
har
d
man,
”
Tasmi
n
said
,
he
r
disgus
t
plai
n
o
n
he
r
face
.
“Bu
t
di
d
yo
u
neve
r
se
e
he
r
whil
e
sh
e
wa
s
workin
g
there?”

H
e
wa
s
silen
t
fo
r
a
moment
.
“
I
wa
s
carefu
l
no
t
t
o
spen
d
to
o
muc
h
tim
e
unde
r
m
y
parent
s
’
roof
.
I
usuall
y
slep
t
o
n
th
e
ship.
”

“But who wrote you to tell you were your chocolates were?  Was it really Bonny?”

She felt him nod.  “I think she was hoping to be able to keep everything…the house, the position, and get her revenge.  She just did not reckon the price.”

Sh
e
nodded
.
“
I
wonde
r
i
f
ther
e
wil
l
eve
r
b
e
a
tim
e
whe
n
thi
s
conversatio
n
doesn’
t
mak
e
m
y
hea
d
spin.
”

An
d
fo
r
a
tim
e
the
y
wer
e
silent.