The man follows her outside, punching a pocket into the chapped leather of the glove, and steps into the street, where she is already tossing the ball into the air and catching it in her mitt. Okay, he tells her, let’s see that fastball, and put a little mustard on it.
La moutarde? she asks, laughing at the absurdity of his idiom, just as her mother did not so very long ago.
Yes, he says, it means to throw it hard.
D’accord, she says, un fastball avec beaucoup de moutarde, pour mon Papa chéri.
She is in the midst of a comically exaggerated windup when she stops, evidently distracted by something past his shoulder. His first thought is that a car is coming, as they sometimes do on this street. But he sees upon stepping aside that someone is watching them. A girl in bangs and blue jeans. She is standing on the sidewalk, mouth agape and frozen in place—not that throwing a baseball in Paris is an everyday occurrence, but she appears utterly confounded by the sight of them.
Tu la connais, Papa? his daughter asks.
Non, ma chérie, je ne la connais pas.
Should we ask her if she wants to play?
Sure, says the man. Why not. Would you like to play catch with us? he shouts from across the street. We have an extra glove inside if you do.
The girl with the bangs and blue jeans is caught off guard by the question but responds with a hesitant nod.
Persinette Caroline scampers back into the apartment, reappearing moments later with an oversize first baseman’s mitt that she tosses the girl’s way. See if it fits, she says in perfect English.
Their line grows into a triangle, and the spring air, already ringing like rubbed crystal with the songs of fruit vendors and the knelling of church bells, is enlivened even further by the whistling of fastballs and the crisp snap of leather as two and a half Americans share a game of catch in the tenth arrondissement of Paris, on a little stretch of cobbles called Château d’Eau.
Acknowledgments
Contrary to what bylines might have you believe, completing a novel is never a solitary affair. And this novel, in particular, owes its existence to some extremely generous and talented people. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to Jim Fitzgerald for stewarding it along from start to finish, Brendan Deneen for providing crucial guidance throughout the editorial process, Nicole Sohl for tightening it up in its final stages, and Will Anderson, especially, for believing in it from the very beginning. Without their help, it would be nothing more than words in a drawer. Last, and with the utmost gratitude and humility, I’d like to thank my wife, who deserves far more than a dedication or acknowledgment for the innumerable ways in which she has saved me. She is my compass and she is my home.
ALSO BY DANE HUCKELBRIDGE
Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit
The United States of Beer: A Freewheeling History of the All-American Drink
About the Author
Dane Huckelbridge hails from the American Middle West. He graduated from Princeton University in 2001; since then, his fiction and essays have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Tin House, The New Republic, and The New Delta Review. His first book, a cultural history of bourbon, was published in 2014, and his second historical work was published in 2016. Castle of Water is his first novel. He is married and lives in New York City, although he travels to France with his wife whenever he can. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraphs
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Part Two
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Part Three
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Acknowledgments
Also by Dane Huckelbridge
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
CASTLE OF WATER. Copyright © 2017 by Dane Huckelbridge. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
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Cover design by Olga Grlic
Cover photograph: texture © CSA Images / Mod Art Collection / Getty Images
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-09822-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-09823-8 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781250098238
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First Edition: April 2017
Castle of Water Page 23