BooksBarbecue
Back The Lollipop Shoes
Chapters (96)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Book
  3. The Lollipop Shoes
  4. Dedication
  5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  6. PART ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. PART TWO
  13. 1
  14. 2
  15. 3
  16. 4
  17. 5
  18. 6
  19. 7
  20. 8
  21. PART THREE
  22. 1
  23. 2
  24. 3
  25. 4
  26. 5
  27. 6
  28. PART FOUR
  29. 1
  30. 2
  31. 3
  32. 4
  33. 5
  34. 6
  35. 7
  36. 8
  37. 9
  38. PART FIVE
  39. 1
  40. 2
  41. 3
  42. 4
  43. 5
  44. 6
  45. 7
  46. 8
  47. 9
  48. 10
  49. 11
  50. 12
  51. PART SIX
  52. 1
  53. 2
  54. 3
  55. 4
  56. 5
  57. 6
  58. 7
  59. 8
  60. 9
  61. 10
  62. 11
  63. 12
  64. PART SEVEN
  65. 1
  66. 2
  67. 3
  68. 4
  69. 5
  70. 6
  71. 7
  72. 8
  73. 9
  74. PART EIGHT
  75. 1
  76. 2
  77. 3
  78. 4
  79. 5
  80. 6
  81. 7
  82. 8
  83. 9
  84. 10
  85. 11
  86. 12
  87. 13
  88. 14
  89. 15
  90. 16
  91. 17
  92. 18
  93. 19
  94. Epilogue
  95. About the Author
  96. Also by Joanne Harris

Oh, that’s good. I like that defiance. It’s what I have been hoping for. Identities are so easy to take. I’ve taken enough of them in my time. But the opportunity to face another witch on her home ground, with weapons of choice, to collect her life, to add it to my charm-bracelet with the black coffin and the silver shoes . . .

How many times do you get that chance?

I’ll give myself three days, that’s all. Three days to win or lose. After that it’s so long, goodnight, and off to pastures green and new. Free spirit, and all that. Go wherever the wind takes me. It’s a big world out there, full of opportunities. I’m sure I’ll find something to challenge my skills.

For now, however—

‘Listen, Vianne. I’ll give you three days. Till after the party. Pack up by then, take what you can, and I won’t try to stop you. Stay, and I won’t answer for the consequences.’

‘Why? What can you do?’ she said.

‘I can take it all, piece by piece. Your life, your friends, your children—’

She stiffened. That’s her weakness, of course. Those children – especially our little Anouk, already so very talented . . .

‘I’m not going anywhere,’ she said.

Good. That’s what I thought you’d say. No one hands over their life like that. Even mousy Françoise fought back a little at the end, and I’m expecting rather more from you. You have three days to make your stand. Three days to placate the Hurakan. Three days to become Vianne Rocher.

Unless, of course, I can get there first.

7

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Saturday, 22nd December

TILL AFTER THE party. What does she mean? Surely there can be no party now, with this strange threat hanging over our heads. That was my first reaction, when Zozie had gone to bed and I was left in the freezing kitchen to think out my plan of defence.

My instincts all tell me to throw her out. I know I could; but the thought of what effect that might have on my customers – let alone on Anouk – makes it quite impossible.

And as for the party – well. I am not unaware that over the past couple of weeks this party has taken on a significance far greater than any of us could have imagined. For Anouk, it is a celebration of us, an expression of hope (and maybe we still share the same perpetual fantasy, that Roux will come back and that everything will be made miraculously new).

As for our customers – no, our friends—