Sweet Revenge Read Online Free Page A

haven’t heard the last from me.”

3
    From the chocolate notebooks of Dona Maria Castellano
    The cacao tree was a symbol not only of health but of wealth. A prized commodity, the beans were used as currency by Aztecs. The missionary mentions seeing a local document that listed some of the trading values—a tomato cost one cacao bean, an avocado cost three beans, and a turkey hen cost 100 beans. . . . The next few pages of his journal show some sketches of various drinking vessels for cacao. Oh, how I should like to find one of the ceremonial cups, made from a hollow gourd, that were used to serve the army its elixir. It would make a special gift for Sandro, and perhaps keep him safe. . . .
    Chocolate Stout Cake
    1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, plus 2 melted tablespoons
½ cup stout, such as Mackeson or Guinness (pour stout
slowly into measuring cup; do not measure foam)
½ cup packed soft pitted prunes (6 ounces), chopped
3½ ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate
(not unsweetened or extra-bitter), chopped
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
    1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly brush 6-cup Bundt pan or 8-by-3-inch ovenproof ring mold with half the melted butter and chill 2 minutes. Then butter again and chill while making batter.
    2. Bring stout to a boil in a small saucepan and add prunes. Remove from heat and let stand until most of liquid is absorbed.
    3. Meanwhile, melt chocolate and remaining stick butter together in a small heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.
    4. Beat together eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick, about 2 minutes. Add chocolate mixture and beat until just combined. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Stir in prune mixture until combined well. Spoon batter into pan and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into middle of cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
    5. Cool cake in mold on a rack 10 minutes, then invert onto rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

    “T hank you for coming to see me, Lord Saybrook.” Grentham didn’t look up from the document he was reading. “I trust that the request did not inconvenience you.”
    Without waiting for an invitation, Alessandro Henry George De Quincy, the fifth Earl of Saybrook, shifted his cane and sat down in the chair facing the desk. “Not at all. I am always at the beck and call of the government.”
    Grentham dipped his pen in ink and wrote a lengthy notation in the paper’s margin before setting his work aside. “How kind.” Narrowing his gunmetal-gray eyes, he subjected Saybrook to a lengthy scrutiny.
    The earl stared back, seemingly unconcerned that he looked like he had just crawled out of the deepest, darkest corner of hell. His long black hair was neatly combed and his face freshly shaven, but no brush or razor could disguise the ravages that pain and narcotics had wrought on his body. Sallow skin stretched over bones sharp as sabers, bruised shadows accentuated his hollow cheeks, and his clothes hung loosely on his lanky frame.
    Grentham, on the other hand, was immaculately attired in a charcoal coat of superfine wool, which set off the starched folds of his snowy cravat to perfection.
    “But now that we have met,” the minister went on, “I cannot help but wonder whether your trip here was a waste of both your time and mine.”
    “My uncle has explained the task at hand,” replied Saybrook, matching the other man’s sardonic tone. “If I did not feel myself up to its rigors, I should not have bothered coming here.” After allowing a fraction of a pause, he added, “One of the first lessons I learned as an army intelligence officer was that appearances can often be deceiving.”
    Grentham’s nostrils flared for an