mayor. You know the type.â
âWa s he handsome?â
âI loved his blue eyes and his ass. So f irm and round.â
âSo youâre an ass woman,â Virgile said, rolling over. âHow does mine stack up?â
âNo worries in that department. Iâve been ogling your posterior for a long time, Mr. Lanssien.â
âReally, now? So what took you so long? You didnât have to go get beat up to hop in the sack with me.â
Alexandrineâs face went slack. She looked down and wrapped her arms ar ound her knees.
âOh, shit. I didnât mean that, Alex. But now that Iâve mentioned it, are you going to tell me what really ha ppened to you?â
âItâs complicated. I donât know if I can. S omeday, maybe.â
26
âG ood grief!â Benjamin cried out, patting Elisabethâs cheeks to revive her. â Sheâs fainted.â
A few seconds later, Elisabeth came to. âIâm fine, Benjamin.â In truth, she looked pale and weak. âI just need some air.â
âItâs the black angels,â Zoltán muttered. He told his cousin to help her out of the cellar. âIn this maze sheâll never find her way.â
âLet me go with you,â Benjamin said.
But Elisabeth refused his help. âHave your tasting. Youâve been looking forward to it.â She took Pavelâs 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. âAll right, letâs get on with it,â 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 â¨and Zoltán watched. A second later, the cel lar went black.
The winemaker heard Vilmos call out to his brother. No response. Vilmos barked Pavelâs name again. Still, nothing.
âNo panic,â he heard Zoltán yell. âHe must be out by now.â
Benjamin was wondering if he could feel his way out of the cellar, but he decided against it. Two steps, and heâd be walking straight into a wall. Better to let his guides figure out what to do. Surely this wasnât the first time they had lost the ir electricity.
He felt someone patting him. âAre we all here?â 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 Benjaminâs and Claudeâs. 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.
âIâm worried about Elisabeth,â Benjamin said. âShe might have fainted again. We should make our wa y out of here.â
âIâm sure sheâs fine,â Zoltán said. âShe just needed fresh air. We shouldnât miss this. Who knows if weâl l ever return?â
Vilmos suggested they taste a new cask. Benjamin didnât 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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