Read Online The Chocolatier's Wife by Cindy Lynn Speer - Free Book Online

in their bed, staring at his side—she knew it was his, because the table on that side had a cup, a partly used candle, and a book. It was also closest to the window. It made her smile, because she had told him once, in a letter, that though she liked sleeping near a window, she hated to be next to it, b e cause when she slept she got chilled. Maybe he didn’t remember; maybe he just wanted that side of the bed because he was used to it. Yet she buried her face partly in his pillow, one eye looking out at the night sky, and daydreamed that perhaps he had positioned it so on purpose, to give her the side that she favored, to use his own form to protect her from the cool of the night. After awhile the one eye dropped shut, and she slept the night through. When she opened her eyes again she felt wonderful and set out on her day, determined that she would begin setting things right.
    It was not to be.
    “And what exactly do you mean that I cannot have William of Almsley’s stores? Do you think they are infected?” she asked the officer in charge of evidence. She was se v eral floors beneath William’s cell, which was fortunate because she would not have wanted him to hear her yelling like a fishwife.
    The young man at the desk blushed. “No, miss. But they were confiscated and put under quarantine for a reason.”
    “And that would be — ?” she asked, her voice a sugar-coated dagger.
    “Because of the murder of the Bishop, Miss.” He was so earnest looking that she barely managed not to kick him.
    “I can understand keeping the prepared things for the investigation, but I do not see why you need to hold all the materials. If I had some of the chocolate, for example, I could make some candy for the shop.”
    “Eve n i f I coul d allo w that , whic h I cannot , yo u coul d no t ope n th e sho p fo r busines s anyway, ” h e frowned , a s i f wonderin g wha t sh e wa s tryin g t o pull.
    “Why not?”
    “Because only the owner can re-open a business after a criminal investigation.”
    “What about his wife? Could his wife re-open it?”
    “Well, of course. But you’re not. His wife, that is.”
    “So, as his future wife I could re-open the business, and since I am his future wife in desperate need to make a few pence you’d happily allow me some of the confiscated cacao so that I can do so?”
    “Good try. No.”
    Tasmin drew herself up and nodded graciously. “Have a good day, then.” And left.
    She paced the corridor twice, burning off energy, before ascending the stairs to where they were keeping William.
    William looked up from his book and smiled. “You’re early,” he said.
    “We’re getting married.” She sat on the barrel, shook her skirts agitatedly, as if tr y ing to remove a leaf from the hem.
    “Yes,” he said, and slowly shut the book. “That was my understanding of our rel a tionship from the beginning.”
    “Today.”
    “Ah.” The book was placed down, and he came over to her. “But you see, dear, I am in jail, and while it is possible for us to wed, it might create a rather depressing memory.”
    “Oh, that it might, but I am simply not letting them beat me. Do you know they won’t let me open the business again until you’re my husband? Every day those shelves stay bare is another day your business is closer to being unrecoverable.”
    “I hate to tell you this but... ” and she pointed at him and hissed, so he closed his mouth and waited a few beats. “So what will you sell, since they won’t allow you to have the chocolate?”
    She started pacing. “I don’t know. Tea! Little frosted cakes! Herbal potions! I don’t care, as long as the doors are open. Your brother thinks the next shipment of supplies will be soon, so I can start from there. They did not take your recipe books, thank the Heavens, and Cecelia thinks she can figure things out, having watched you work. All we need is a few simple, hard to ruin recipes and we will be in the clear.”
    He reached through