The Chocolatier's Wife (86 page)

Tasmi
n
looke
d
t
o
William
,
an
d
the
n
steppe
d
forward
.
“Thi
s
pantr
y
i
s
bespelle
d
s
o
tha
t
onl
y
peopl
e
wh
o
hav
e
bloo
d
i
n
commo
n
wit
h
thos
e
wh
o
wer
e
par
t
o
f
th
e
spel
l
ca
n
ope
n
it
.
Bloo
d
key
s
it
,
an
d
s
o
bloo
d
relation
s
ca
n
als
o
ope
n
it
.
William’
s
bloo
d
wa
s
i
n
thi
s
spell
,
a
s
wa
s
mine
,
s
o
an
y
o
f
ou
r
relation
s
shoul
d
b
e
abl
e
t
o
ope
n
it
,
whil
e
thi
s
stabl
e
boy
,
wh
o
i
s
not relate
d
t
o
eithe
r
o
f
u
s
b
y
blood
,
shoul
d
not
.
Miste
r
Almsley
,
sinc
e
yo
u
ar
e
William’
s
father
,
woul
d
yo
u
attemp
t
t
o
ope
n
th
e
door?
”

Lavoussie
r
leane
d
agains
t
th
e
counter
,
managin
g
t
o
loo
k
bore
d
an
d
angr
y
a
t
th
e
sam
e
time
.
“Wha
t
th
e
devi
l
i
s
this
?
I
fee
l
a
s
i
f
I’
m
a
t
a
penn
y
magi
c
show
.
I
s
sh
e
goin
g
t
o
as
k
u
s
t
o
pic
k
a
card
,
next?
”

“Thi
s
i
s
you
r
chanc
e
t
o
prov
e
yourself
,
m
y
love,
”
Bonn
y
said
,
an
d
Lavoussie
r
gav
e
he
r
a
dangerou
s
look.

Justi
n
sighed
,
reache
d
out
,
opene
d
th
e
doo
r
withou
t
an
y
trouble, an
d
the
n
shu
t
i
t
again
.
Tasmi
n
gesture
d
th
e
stabl
e
la
d
t
o
g
o
next
,
an
d
h
e
approache
d
i
t
slowly
.

“
I
can’t
,
Miss
.
I
fee
l
quit
e
ill.”

“Pleas
e
try
.
I
promise
,
th
e
feelin
g
yo
u
hav
e
i
s
jus
t
that
,
a
feeling.
”

Afte
r
severa
l
attempt
s
t
o
approac
h
th
e
door
,
h
e
succeede
d
i
n
grabbin
g
th
e
kno
b
an
d
turne
d
it
,
jerkin
g
hard
.
H
e
worke
d
wit
h
a
desperatio
n
tha
t
coul
d
no
t
b
e
feigned
,
an
d
f
inall
y
Willia
m
said
,
“Enough
,
I
believ
e
tha
t
w
e
ar
e
al
l
satisfie
d
tha
t
th
e
doo
r
i
s
sealed.”

Andrew
nodded,
looking
very
pale,
while
Lavoussier continued
to watch, his eyes inscrutable.

Bonny,
however,
was
not impressed. She
charged forward,
determined to open it. “I am not a blood relation; you could have paid that lad.” She stopped
a
few
feet
away,
trying
to
force
herself
forward, but
eventually backed away. “All right; I believe it.”

Henriette
reached
over,
frowning,
and
turned
the
knob
without
trouble.

“Interesting,”
she
said,
throwing
the
pantry
door
wide.
William
proved
that he
was
an
Almsley
by
being
the
one
to
reach
over
and
shut
it
without
any ill effect.

“Well,
then.
Go
on,
Andrew,”
Bonny
said,
tauntingly,
no
doubt marking,
as they all were, his pale and
haunted visage.

He walked as if the door were a noose, not a test, and carefully, firmly, put
his
hand
on
it,
and
opened
it.
He
flashed Tasmin
a
relieved
half
smile and
ran
his hand
through his hair.

Bonny
blinked,
and
now it was her turn
to frown.

“I
suppose
it
is
your
turn,
Admiral. Or
are
you
going
to
deny
us?” William
stood next to Tasmin,
his arms
folded.

“Furthest
thing
from
my
mind.”
He
strolled
up
to
the
pantry,
opened
it, went
inside,
closed
the
door, and
then
came
back
out.
He
executed
a
little bow
and
smiled
at
He
n
riette
and
Justin.
“I
am
sorry
I
didn’t
tell
you
sooner; I
didn’t know
how you would we
l
come me.”

The
silence
was
absolute.
Tasmin
looked
at
William,
wondering
if
he’d known.
He
met
her
eyes,
clearly
as
shocked
as
the
rest,
but
he
smoothed
his expression.
She
wo
n
dered
what
to
do,
and
wished,
for
a
moment,
that
she were somewhere else.

Justin
and
Henriette
exchanged
a
significant
glance,
but
it
was
Henriette who
took
the
lead,
her
stony
glare
directed
at
Bonny.
“All
this
spell
proves is
that
your
lover
is
related
to
William by
blood.
Nothing
more.
If
you
are whore
enough
to
believe
the
word
of
a
stranger
over
the
word
of
your
family, then,
and
forgive
me
heaven
for
saying
so,
be
damned
with
you.”
She
went to
Andrew. “Come.
Let
us
go
home,
my
son.”
She
smiled
up
at
him
and reached
up
to
touch
his
face.
“I
shall
have
that
worthless
maid
your
brother foisted
off
on
his
intended
make
up
your
old
room
and
start
the
fire. You can forget
all
this
nonsense
for
tonight.”
She
led
her
son
off, and Tasmin went to William’s
side.