Tainted Tokay
mayor. You know the type.”
    â€œWa s he handsome?”
    â€œI loved his blue eyes and his ass. So f irm and round.”
    â€œSo you’re an ass woman,” Virgile said, rolling over. “How does mine stack up?”
    â€œNo worries in that department. I’ve been ogling your posterior for a long time, Mr. Lanssien.”
    â€œReally, now? So what took you so long? You didn’t have to go get beat up to hop in the sack with me.”
    Alexandrine’s face went slack. She looked down and wrapped her arms ar ound her knees.
    â€œOh, shit. I didn’t mean that, Alex. But now that I’ve mentioned it, are you going to tell me what really ha ppened to you?”
    â€œIt’s complicated. I don’t know if I can. S omeday, maybe.”

26
    â€œG ood grief!” Benjamin cried out, patting Elisabeth’s cheeks to revive her. “ She’s fainted.”
    A few seconds later, Elisabeth came to. “I’m fine, Benjamin.” In truth, she looked pale and weak. “I just need some air.”
    â€œIt’s the black angels,” Zoltán muttered. He told his cousin to help her out of the cellar. “In this maze she’ll never find her way.”
    â€œLet me go with you,” Benjamin said.
    But Elisabeth refused his help. “Have your tasting. You’ve been looking forward to it.” She took Pavel’s arm, and the two started heading towar d the entrance.
    Benjamin knew that Elisabeth would be fine once she was outside and breathing fresh air. He felt guilty for insisting that she come along. “All right, let’s get on with it,” he told hi s tour leaders.
    Benjamin picked up his glass again, giving it the respect it deserved. The gönci barrels were never subjected to unnecessary intrusions. They were virtual safes, where the wine aged for as long as eight years. Here, the Tokaji was pr ecious as gold.
    Benjamin sniffed and inspected the wine and then carefully chewed his first s ip while Vilmos 
and Zoltán watched. A second later, the cel lar went black.
    The winemaker heard Vilmos call out to his brother. No response. Vilmos barked Pavel’s name again. Still, nothing.
    â€œNo panic,” he heard Zoltán yell. “He must be out by now.”
    Benjamin was wondering if he could feel his way out of the cellar, but he decided against it. Two steps, and he’d be walking straight into a wall. Better to let his guides figure out what to do. Surely this wasn’t the first time they had lost the ir electricity.
    He felt someone patting him. “Are we all here?” he he ard Zoltán ask.
    Two seconds later he heard the flick of a lighter, and the cellar took on an eerie glow. Benjamin looked around. For the first time he noticed a passageway filled with bottles wrapped in black crepe. Their golden caps stood out in the fun ereal ambiance.
    Zoltán lit a candle, which he handed to Vilmos. The cousin propped it in a glass next to Benjamin’s and Claude’s. The winemaker noted how the flame highlighted the amber color of the exceptional aszú. Then he glanced at Claude. In the candlelight his solemn face resembled a subject in a Maurice Quentin de La Tour painting.
    But where was Pavel? By now, he should have been back.
    â€œI’m worried about Elisabeth,” Benjamin said. “She might have fainted again. We should make our wa y out of here.”
    â€œI’m sure she’s fine,” Zoltán said. “She just needed fresh air. We shouldn’t miss this. Who knows if we’l l ever return?”
    Vilmos suggested they taste a new cask. Benjamin didn’t need much coaxing. Indeed, when would he have this opportunity again? It was an older vintage, perfectly syrupy, with tones of apricot and mango and a hint of gingerbread.
    Concentrating, Benjamin clicked his tongue against his palate three times to assess the aszú. He swallowed. Benjamin closed his eyes, as if

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