The Chocolatier's Wife (85 page)

Andrew’s
face
went
slack
with
shock
and
pain.
He
stood,
shaking.
“I
can’t
sit here and
listen to this.
I
must go.”

“No,
no,
we
must
resolve
this!”
Tasmin sprang
up,
grabbing
his
wrist. “You
have
the
look
of
an
Almsley,
even
the
eyes,”
she
said.
“You
must
be
an Almsley, and
I
can
prove it.”

“As
if
I
would
trust
your
word.”
Bonny
was
hugging
herself,
looking
like
a defiant,
angry, and very lonely child.

“I
made
a
spell
before
these
revelations.
I
bespelled
William’s
pantry so
that
only
those
of
his
blood
or mine
(she
decided
to
skip
Cecelia
and Ayers
for
now)
can
open
it.
If
Andrew
is,
indeed,
William’s
brother,
then
he should
be
able
to
open
the
pantry
with
no
trouble.
If
Eric
Lavoussier
is
not who he says he is,
he certainly will not be able to.
What
say you?”

“I
say
‘tis
a
capital
suggestion.”
William
rose.
“She
had
no
idea
of
any
of this
at
the
time; she
could
not
have
known. Send
for
the
Admiral. Ask him to join
us at my shop, so that we may
see the truth of these matters.”

Bonny
licked
her
lips,
then
nodded,
once,
and
went
to
the
writing
desk. Tasmin
took
Andrew’s arm
and
stroked it gently. She could almost feel the anguish
running under
his
skin,
ready
to
boil
over.
She
leaned
forward
to see what Bonny
wrote.

My
Love,

They
know
all!
You
must
come
to
the
chocolate
shop,
prove yourself,
and
all will be
settled for good!

Love,

Bonny

Tasmin
led
Andrew
away
as
William
took
the
note,
folded
it,
and
called for
one of their servants
to deliver it.

This
time, their
little
group
was
quite
alone
in
its
walk, just
the
family and
a
stable
boy
who
had
been
pulled
from the
yard to
be
part
of
the experiment.
Tasmin
walked
next
to
Andrew
to
offer
comfort, and
was surprised when he spoke, his voice filled
with pain.

“
I
don’
t
blam
e
he
r
fo
r
wantin
g
t
o
believ
e
it
,
yo
u
know
.
H
e
i
s
quit
e
handsome
,
eve
n
charming
;
virile
.
An
d
sh
e
i
s
beautiful
,
an
d
elegant
,
an
d
ver
y
romantic
.
I
t
make
s
yo
u
wonde
r
wha
t
jok
e
th
e
spel
l
wa
s
playing
,
t
o
mat
e
her t
o
me
.
Bu
t
then
,
befor
e
I
go
t
sick
,
I
wa
s
probabl
y
a
bette
r
matc
h
fo
r
her.”

“The
spell
matches
souls,
personalities.
It does
not
match
the
outsides of
people,
the
outside
does
not
matter,
the
heart, who
the
person
really
is, that’s what matters.
Compatibility to get through the trials of life.”

“Then
why
does
she
no
longer
love
me?
God
knows, I
love
her
so.”
He bit
his
lip,
took
a
shaky
breath.
“I
loved
her
when
we
were
children,
playing together
in
the
street,
before
I
got
sick.
I
thought
of
nothing
else
when
I
was away.
I
was a
child,
but she was my princess, my whole world.”

“Do not think
about it now.
All will be resolved.”

“You do not say all will be well,” he commented wryly, as William pushed
open
the
shop
door
with
more force
than
strictly
merited,
making the bell clang in
displeasure.

She tried to say something comforting, but could find
no words.

“‘Tis well.”
He
did
not
try
to
smile,
but
there
was
something
in
his expression,
something
of
his
brother’s
constant
kindness,
that
told
her
that he was,
indeed, Wi
l
liam’s
blood.

They
gathered
around
the
pantry
door.
William’s mother
frowned, looking
at
the
presses
and
grinders
and
whatnot
that
dominated
William’s counter space. His father looked bored,
Bonny
secretly pleased.
She
thinks she
will
be
justified,
and
all
the
wrongs
done
her
repaid.
Poor,
silly
woman.
Tasmin folded her hands and waited; there was nothing else to do.

Th
e
bel
l
ran
g
again
,
an
d
Willia
m
looke
d
u
p
fro
m
idl
y
turnin
g
th
e
wheel o
n
on
e
o
f
th
e
grinders
.
“Ah
,
Admiral
,
d
o
com
e
an
d
joi
n
us
.
M
y
intended ha
s
a
presentatio
n
fo
r
u
s
,
befittin
g
th
e
day.
”

Lavoussie
r
cam
e
in
,
glarin
g
a
t
th
e
grou
p
o
f
them
.
“
I
d
o
hop
e
thi
s
is worth
y
o
f
th
e
interruption.
”

“I
t
wil
l
be,
”
Bonn
y
said
,
he
r
voic
e
caressing
.

Lavoussie
r
di
d
no
t
react
,
bu
t
Tasmi
n
coul
d
no
t
tel
l
i
f
i
t
wa
s
becaus
e
he wante
d
t
o
pla
y
hi
s
card
s
clos
e
t
o
hi
s
chest
,
o
r
becaus
e
h
e
simpl
y
di
d
no
t
car
e
fo
r
her.