The Chocolatier's Wife (92 page)

“Mois
t
air?
”
Willia
m
mused
,
bringin
g
i
n
a
bucke
t
o
f
wate
r
fro
m
the well
.
“W
e
coul
d
boi
l
som
e
water
,
perhap
s
hol
d
th
e
baske
t
ove
r
a
cauldron o
r
something?
”

“Maybe?
”

“Al
l
wil
l
b
e
right
,
sweetheart.
”
H
e
stroke
d
he
r
hai
r
befor
e
gettin
g
a
po
t
an
d
puttin
g
i
t
o
n
th
e
stove
.
Next
,
h
e
rigge
d
a
chai
n
fro
m
a
hoo
k
burie
d
dee
p
i
n
th
e
ceilin
g
beam
,
the
n
too
k
th
e
baske
t
gentl
y
of
f
o
f
he
r
an
d
suspende
d
i
t
ove
r
th
e
pot
.
“There
.
Tha
t
wil
l
d
o
it
.
N
o
sens
e
yo
u
holdin
g
it.
”

“They’v
e
bee
n
wit
h
m
e
fo
r
s
o
long
.
I
fee
l
s
o
guilty
,
leavin
g
the
m
here t
o
b
e
a
t
tacke
d
b
y
som
e
monster.
”

“An
d
I
fee
l
angry
,
wonderin
g
wh
o
th
e
devi
l
brok
e
int
o
m
y
home
.
Nay
,
I’
m
no
t
wondering
,
I
kno
w
who
,
an
d
I
a
m
greatl
y
vexed
.
H
e
ha
d
thre
e
week
s
t
o
tur
n
thi
s
buildin
g
ove
r
ste
m
t
o
stern
.
Ho
w
blood
y
dar
e
h
e
kee
p
comin
g
an
d
goin
g
lik
e
h
e
own
s
th
e
place?
”

“Mayb
e
h
e
feel
s
lik
e
h
e
does.
”
Sh
e
go
t
u
p
an
d
wen
t
int
o
th
e
back
.
Ther
e
wa
s
th
e
pantry
,
th
e
coolin
g
rack
s
i
n
thei
r
ten
t
o
f
wool
.
Sh
e
tried t
o
remembe
r
exactl
y
wher
e
th
e
doo
r
ha
d
been
,
an
d
a
s
sh
e
approached th
e
wall
,
sh
e
calle
d
fort
h
som
e
o
f
he
r
basi
c
elemental
s
training
,
placin
g
he
r
hand
s
o
n
th
e
rock
.
He
r
eye
s
fel
l
closed
,
an
d
sh
e
though
t
o
f
hersel
f
as insid
e
th
e
stone
,
par
t
o
f
it
,
seekin
g
th
e
pattern
s
i
n
th
e
stone
.
I
f
on
e
wa
s
goo
d
enough
,
on
e
coul
d
urg
e
a
hidde
n
doo
r
t
o
revea
l
itself
.
I
t
wa
s
lik
e
walkin
g
throug
h
a
cold
,
ungivin
g
maze
,
an
d
wadin
g
throug
h
th
e
mir
e
t
o
d
o
it
,
bu
t
i
t
wa
s
no
t
somethin
g
sh
e
woul
d
giv
e
u
p
on.

William
pulled
her
gently
back
from
the
wall,
out
of
the
way
as
the
door opened just a
crack.
She let out a
breath and
smiled.

“Your
aunt
would
be
proud
of
you
for
finding
this.
I
had
no
idea
this
was here.”

“Neither
did
I
until,
well,
the
first
night
I
was
here,
or
was
it
the
second?
The sprites were playing and
found it by accident.”

He
took
a
lamp
and
lit
it,
peering
into
the
tiny
room.
“Did
you
think
I
was going to make
you sleep here? Or
were you looking
for
a
hiding place?”

“A
hiding
place,
indeed.
You
see,
that
was
my
clever
plan,
the
day
they set
you
free.
I
was
going
to
have
the
wind
sprites
undo
the
lock
so
you
could sneak
out, and
then you could hide here!”

He did not look
overly impressed.

“I
thought you were going to get yourself executed. I
was desperate.”

His
expression
changed
abruptly,
and
he
kissed
her
forehead.
“Of
course,
sweetheart,
I
meant
nothing. I
was
thinking this
construction
looked
a
bit newer, see? The stones aren’t
the same type.”

She stood very
still. “Listen,
do you hear it?”

The
door
shut
behind
them,
and
he
started,
but
she
took his
hand. “Leave
it,
we can
get out. But listen.”

He tilted his head. “What
am
I
hearing?
‘tis
so distant.”

She
took
a
few
steps
away
from
him,
and
closed
her
eyes.
She
tried not
to
step
on the
makeshift
bed
as
she
turned,
her
hands
out.
“It
is
the wind.”
No,
not
there.
“It
is
the
rain.” She
turned
again, her
hands
seeking that feeling, that vibration. “It is the raging sea.” She wrapped her fingers around a
stone,
and
pulled.
It
came
out
of
the
wall
into
which
it
had
been blended so well, leaving behind a
small hole.