by Karen Brooks
Dickon shrugged. ‘A gentleman … nay, a nobleman. I’ve not seen him before. Master seems to know him. Not certain if I should be telling you this, mistress, but he’s not been himself since the gentleman arrived. Not at all.’
The earth opened beneath me, a great maw into which I would sink. No. No. Please God. Had damnation come to visit me? I resisted the urge to clutch the locket hidden beneath my dress. Instead, I rested my hand briefly over where it lay against my heart, cleared my throat, and pretended nothing was amiss.
‘This man, he’s been here a while?’
‘Since the bells tolled three at least. Master told us to leave the workshop, even though tasks remain unfinished, what with the holiday yesterday and all.’
‘I see.’ This time when I met Dickon’s eyes, I saw something that reflected what lay in my own. Fear. I pulled my cloak tighter.
‘Lead the way.’ I mustered the warmest smile I could, considering the cold wrapping itself about me. The first drops of rain struck.
‘Nay, mistress,’ said Dickon, brushing water from his cheeks. ‘The master says I’m to stay in the house. You’re to go alone.’
The light was gloomy, the shadows growing. A gust of wind lifted my cloak, my kirtle, nipped my cheeks. The rain became heavier and still I didn’t move. A flash of lightning ripped the sky.
‘Vai,’ said Angela, giving me a little shove. ‘You go, Mallory. You must obey your Papa.’
Indeed, from now on, I must. I promised. It was what we’d agreed, after all. A condition of my return. I would be a dutiful daughter.
Gripping Dickon by the shoulder, Angela manoeuvred him before her, a shield against the weather. With one last reassuring look, she jerked her head in the direction of the workshop.
Left with little choice, I lowered my face and ran, wondering who this mysterious nobleman might be. The man who finally forced my father, a proud master locksmith, to acknowledge that he needed me still.
ISBN: 9781489261564
TITLE: THE CHOCOLATE MAKER’S WIFE
First Australian Publication 2019
Copyright © 2019 Karen Brooks
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