The Chocolatier's Wife (29 page)

“My
God.
You
are
a
hag.
I
tried
not
to
think
poorly,
because
of
William,
but... ” He seemed terrified.

“Hush.
I
am
not
a
hag.
I
shall
make
us
tea,
and
you,
you
shall
clear
off the table so that we may
sit at it in
peace.”

“But surely your familiars
can
do such a
mundane task
for
you?”

She
gave
him
a
shocked
look.
“Never, ever
ask
a
wind
sprite
to
make tea.
Or
cook.
Not
unless
you
love
the
idea
of
having
a
charred
pile
of
rubble rather
than
a
home.”

“Wind
sprite?”
he
asked,
as
she
opened
the
stove
door
and
knelt
in
front of
it,
coa
x
ing
the
banked
fire back
to
life
with
some
fresh
kindling
and
a little
nudge.
Soon
she
was
able
to
put
in
a
log,
and
then
shut
the
door, adjusting
the
draft
in
the
front.
William
had
a
dented
copper
kettle
bearing the
name
of
his
last
command
on
it
in
faint
script
that
she
always
kept
filled
with
water,
so
all
she
had
to
do
was
slide
it
onto
the
burner.
She
didn’t answer
Andrew,
so
he
began
moving
the
rest
of
William’s paraphernalia
tha
t
ha
d
no
t
ye
t
gotte
n
pu
t
int
o
a
cupboard
.
He
r
te
a
thing
s
too
k
u
p
par
t
o
f
on
e
shelf
,
an
d
sh
e
reache
d
fo
r
a
blu
e
glaze
d
cla
y
po
t
tha
t
looke
d
ou
t
o
f
plac
e
nex
t
t
o
William’
s
selectio
n
o
f
ivor
y
an
d
gol
d
porcelain
.

“The
y
ar
e
sprites
,
th
e
fae
,
fairies
,
yo
u
know.
”

“Yes
,
I
jus
t
can’
t
believ
e
yo
u
hav
e
the
m
tam
e
a
s
pets.
”

“
I
woul
d
neve
r
cal
l
the
m
tame
.
Pets
,
yes
,
i
n
th
e
fac
t
the
y
ar
e
affectionat
e
toward
s
m
e
an
d
I
ador
e
them
,
bu
t
that’
s
abou
t
a
s
clos
e
a
s
on
e
ca
n
get.
”

Willia
m
ha
d
a
se
t
o
f
cup
s
tha
t
wer
e
obviousl
y
no
t
fo
r
th
e
customers
,
fo
r
the
y
wer
e
dar
k
an
d
heavy
.
Sh
e
hefte
d
on
e
an
d
decide
d
t
o
us
e
the
m
fo
r
thei
r
tea.

“Ho
w
di
d
yo
u
manag
e
t
o
for
m
a
relationshi
p
wit
h
win
d
sprites?
”
Andre
w
too
k
the
m
of
f
he
r
an
d
place
d
the
m
o
n
th
e
table.

“I found
them
holed
up
in an
old
castle
that
was
being
demolished. They were mi
s
erable. Sprites need to attach themselves to something, a building, a person, it doesn’t matter what; they
need
a focus. So they
were all frightened because their anchor
was being destroyed around
them.”

Sh
e
coul
d
stil
l
hea
r
th
e
eerie
,
paine
d
crie
s
a
s
sh
e
climbe
d
th
e
rubbl
e
t
o
th
e
tower
.
The
y
ha
d
mad
e
themselve
s
know
n
t
o
her
,
thoug
h
sh
e
wasn’
t
abl
e
t
o
hea
r
the
m
a
t
tha
t
time
,
jus
t
sens
e
thing
s
fro
m
them
.
So
,
standin
g
b
y
hersel
f
i
n
th
e
castl
e
towe
r
shell
,
th
e
soun
d
o
f
th
e
win
d
screamin
g
throug
h
th
e
chink
s
i
n
th
e
stone
,
sh
e
ha
d
fel
t
pai
n
an
d
sorro
w
an
d
fea
r
s
o
dens
e
tha
t
she’
d
though
t
sh
e
woul
d
collapse.

“
I
though
t
mayb
e
the
y
wer
e
hungry
,
I
fel
t
the
y
wer
e
hungry
,
an
d
s
o I
too
k
som
e
chocolat
e
.
.
.
you
r
brothe
r
ha
s
sen
t
m
e
enormou
s
amount
s
o
f
chocolat
e
o
f
ever
y
kin
d
ove
r
th
e
year
s
.
.
.
an
d
gav
e
i
t
t
o
them
.
An
d
the
y
decide
d
tha
t
anyon
e
wh
o
alway
s
ha
s
chocolat
e
an
d
wh
o
seems t
o
understan
d
thei
r
thought
s
wa
s
goo
d
enoug
h
fo
r
them
.
S
o
the
y
sor
t
o
f
attache
d
themselve
s
t
o
me
.
‘Ti
s
highl
y
unusual
,
an
d
a
littl
e
morall
y
wrong
,
a
s
whe
n
I
di
e
the
y
wil
l
b
e
withou
t
focu
s
again.
”