The Chocolatier's Wife (55 page)

Tasmin
looked
out
the
window.
She
fancied
she
could
see
the
mountains of
her
home.
“This
is
not
exactly
a
comfortable
situation
to
be
in.
So
much is unknown.”

“It
still
would
be,
even
if
he
were
to
court
you
like
they
do
in
the
stories of
my
pe
o
ple.
You
never
know
what
you
will
get
until
it
is
too
late.”
Her
lips twisted wryly.

“I
could go home.
He told me to go home.”

“We could, I
have
always wanted to see the North.”

“Then
why
do
I
stay?”
She
put
some
of
the
letters
back in
the
box. She kept
seeing
him
the
way
Cecelia
had
first
seen
him.
He’d
gone
after
the raiders
with
an
axe.
While
they
were
sleeping.
If
Lavoussier
knew
of
this,
if
the
court
knew
of
this,
no
one
would
ever
believe
William incapable
of murdering
the
Bishop. But
that
was
a
silly
thought
to
be
upset
over.
After all,
she knew he had killed men.

“Because he is yours.”

Such
a
simply
stated
fact, as
if
Cecelia
had
told
her
that
the
sky
was blue.

“I
do
not
think he
wants
me.
I
think he
feels
as
if
I
have
forced
myself upon
him.” She
did
not
know
if
she
was
searching
for
an
excuse,
or
if
she really felt this was the case, and
was sorry
for
it.

Cecelia tsked. “Do not be a
silly woman.”

Tasmin slid her a look; she had been expecting her to reassure her that
William
i
n
deed wanted her.

“Who
cares
if
he
wants
you
or
not?”
the
other
woman
declared.
“If
you want
him,
take
him.
He
is
yours
by
right, no
one
else
can
have
him,
so
‘tis not like you are figh
t
ing
other women.”

“That
sounds
rather depressing, make
him
mine
because
he
has
no choice in
the matter?”

Now
Cecelia
rolled
her
eyes.
“You
and
he
both
overthink things.
You shall
never
have
children,
because
you
will
overthink
every
emotion,
every move,
so
much
that
you
will
be
barren
for
years
before
you
even
get
around to
child-making. What
could
be
does
not
matter.
What
is,
that
is
all
that matters.”

Tasmin
smiled,
refused
to
admit
the
other
woman
was
right,
and went back
to
reading
the
letters.
She
did
not
get
very
far,
for
a
servant
interrupted them. “Mistress Bonny
Almsley to see you,
Miss Bey.”

“Of
course.
I
shall
see
her
directly.”
She
placed
a
hand on
Cecelia’s shoulder.
“Pray,
stay
here
and
keep
reading.
I
shall
see
what
she
wants.
She is my sister-in-law, after all.”

“And
someone
who
hated
your
dress,”
Cecelia
rejoined,
and
settled
back with,
“May
I
take
this
letter
with
me?
I
wish
to
ask
William
what
exactly
he means by ‘she takes things far
too lightly.’”

Tasmin
took
the letter from
her.
“How far
did you get in
that letter?”

“Just to there. I
want to see what else he has to say about me!”

“Nothing
much;
after
all,
he
was
speaking
about
a
beautiful
woman
to
his
i
n
tended.
And
later
the
letter
gets
a
bit
...
ah
...
intimate,
so
perhaps
you should do something else.”

Cecelia’s
eyes
narrowed,
and
Tasmin
left
the
room
quickly,
managing
to get
to
the
parlor
without
getting
lost.
The
main
house’s
parlor
was
like
the rest
of
the
house,
a
little
too
exquisite
and
a
little
too
large.
Just
as
well
I shan’t
be
moving
in
someday,
it
simply
isn’t
my sort
of
thing.
‘Tis
just
too much.
William
and
I
would
be
moving
to
one
corner
and
sealing the
rest of
the
house
off.
I
far
like
the
coziness of
the
apartments
above
the
shop better.
The ladies curtsied to each other,
and
then they both sat.

“My
,
don
’
t
yo
u
loo
k
lik
e
yo
u
belong!
”
Bonn
y
sai
d
brightly
,
he
r
ton
e
jus
t
a
tin
y
bi
t
ironic
.
Fo
r
th
e
f
i
rs
t
tim
e
Tasmi
n
bega
n
t
o
wonde
r
i
f
th
e
othe
r
woma
n
migh
t
no
t
hav
e
a
bi
t
o
f
malic
e
i
n
her
.
Afte
r
all
,
the
y
bot
h
kne
w
tha
t
th
e
inheritanc
e
syste
m
wa
s
a
bi
t
lik
e
promotio
n
i
n
a
concern
;
whe
n
on
e
o
f
th
e
parent
s
passe
d
on
,
especiall
y
i
f
i
t
wa
s
th
e
mal
e
parent
,
th
e
inheritor
s
woul
d
mov
e
fro
m
thei
r
humbl
e
bu
t
lovel
y
littl
e
hom
e
i
n
th
e
shado
w
o
f
th
e
mai
n
house
,
an
d
int
o
th
e
mai
n
hous
e
proper
.
I
f
b
y
tha
t
tim
e
ther
e
wer
e
n
o
heir
s
t
o
mov
e
int
o
th
e
abandone
d
smalle
r
house
,
i
f
Bonn
y
ha
d
n
o
so
n
tha
t
woul
d
the
n
tak
e
o
v
e
r
th
e
business
,
Willia
m
an
d
Tasmi
n
migh
t
b
e
offere
d
th
e
no
w
empt
y
house
,
bu
t
sh
e
alread
y
kne
w
Willia
m
woul
d
b
e
agains
t
it
.
To
o
muc
h
i
n
th
e
shado
w
o
f
th
e
large
r
place
,
f
i
gur
a
tivel
y
a
s
wel
l
a
s
i
n
truth
.
W
h
y
remin
d
m
e
t
h
a
t
w
h
e
n I
loo
k
around
,
I
s
h
oul
d
t
h
in
k
t
h
a
t
i
f
m
y
h
usban
d
h
a
d
c
h
ose
n
differentl
y
I
mig
h
t
b
e
considerin
g
t
h
i
s
plac
e
mine
?
Sh
e
pushe
d
i
t
asid
e
an
d
smile
d
back
.