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"David?" I closed o"

He pressed his hand over ainst the top ofin the Great Hall ended and another began with a fas of a violin

David bowed and kissedback "It has been a pleasure, my love"

"Thank you, David," I whispered "You don’t knohat thisthe wetness aith his thumb "Yes, I do"

I placed my other hand over his "I e of the balcony and David turned toapart means I’m not here with you I will always be with you"

I nodded "I love you, David"

"Co myself into his arms once more--dress, ht as possible He kissed"I love you, too, Ara I will miss you in every breath I hed once and stood back, closing his eyes as he traced his fingertip in a cross over his heart "I wish I didn’t have to--believe me"

I rested my hand over his wish "Me too"

That small moment, just a breath of silence between us before the inevitable farewell, would last a lifeti as my eyes stayed closed But I felt David lean in, his warm lips on my hand, and a cool wash of air where he stepped away I opened my eyes and the moment was lost

"Until we nextme in the emptiness he left behind

My heart sunk into ht feel soy "Love you," I whispered once aine stepped onto the balcony

"Hey, Morg" I sighed

"Are you ready now?"

"Not really"

"Well, ready or not, you have a roorinned, and the bea off her, with the contrast of a deep purple dress on her , you look so beautiful"

"Well--" she took ht"

"Who?" I asked, then sed "Intuition"

"H my bedroom door "Well, I don’t need intuition to smell a certain individual all over you"

"Oh" I looked down at my dress, then at a piece of fabric she held out to rabbed it and wrapped it overit?"

"It has David’s scent on it It was Arietta’s; he kept it after she died"

"Do I have to wear it all night?" I touched ers to it; it was delicate, black, transparent, and it looked nice against the red ofoff arlic You choose"

"The stole it is," I said "So, will this really be enough to disguise his scent on h the corridor to the stairs "But it will be enough to stop questions being raised"

"You hope"

She s the roo his violin aside He looked up, his eyesmine as if he sensedhis eyes for a second, then started toward us Mike watched Arthur aze, and when he looked up and saw lass on the piano top, farewelled his colances at Arthur

"Is he actually racing?" I asked Morgaine

She laughed when she looked at hientlemanly fashion, but yes, I believe he is"

"Oh dear If they both get to me at the same time, how do I choose which one to dance with first?"

"The one on the right," Morg said "You offer your right hand, so go with the one on the right"

My dress tugged lightly aroundout behind me like a shadow When I stopped on the last step, the roo counterparts I boweda wave of aine reassured under her breath

"Thanks," I said through a sain, joining to dance as a song began, and Arthur stepped up, beating Mike to the queen, and took my hand "Amara, may I have this dance?"

"It would beto look at Mike

We wandered, hand in hand, to the middle of the room, and Arthur took me in his arms like a delicate treasure "You are a picture of beauty, A ently where the heat in ainst ht escaped hihtly stiff He stood taller and looked across the roo onto the balcony

"Are you okay, Arthur?"

"Of course" He relaxed then and held lide But I felt the tension in his shoulders still, and ithe hadn’t s, A you"

"Oh, u how much I love the way all you old vahed, his cool breath brushing the corner of o down too well at one of these events"

"You can do the Nutbush?"

He just laughed again We passed Mike then, who still looked like he’d lost his best friend, so to speak I felt bad for him, but Arthur did, after all, make it tomy shoulder

"Yes" I looked up froht it ht less painful"

Arthur held y, like he was charged with the kind of adrenaline you get when you have to say so you don’t want to "I wish I could make a potion that would ease a broken heart"

"Friendship helps" I squeezed his hand; he squeezed back

"You’re very much like her, you know" He nodded to the bracelet on

"Like who?" I asked inquisitively

"Like his mother--Elizabeth"