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"I left before he could I knewonly those he could easily defeat So, I went to one of the fiercest land and declared myself his new squire" Marcus drew his thu at its softness "The Earl of Fos-terly was soh powerful and feared by many, Lord Robert was a kind man When I stumbled into his keep, half-starved, he took one look at my bruised and swollen face, acceptedlost relative I loved him like a brother and adave his hand a squeeze

"When I was … oh, sixteen or thereabouts … some problehboring noble the sa blue jeans, a tank top, and one of Robert’s spare tunics--rode in front of him"

She tilted her head to one side "Woo?"

Her query raised round Even people who never cracked open a book knew clothing had been vastly different in the Middle Ages

"No," he answered "Jeans weren’t created until the nineteenth century Bethany had traveled back through tiht time travel hadn’t been achieved here yet"

Here as opposed to where? he wondered "It hasn’t Or rather it has, but only by Seth as far as I know"

"Seth sent Bethany back in time? How--"

He held up a hand "Another long story and our dinner’s alet to the heart of it I fell head over heels in love with Bethany But she thought of rimaced in sympathy

"Beth fell in love with Robert, who absolutely adored her The two ed together, I never said a word about s to either of them"

She was quiet for a moment "And Robert is the man in so many of the pictures?"

"Yes"

Her eyes lit up suddenly "Are you the teenager in the older portraits?"

He nodded sheepishly

She smiled "You were handsome even then"

And dahten as the boy who lived in his lee, She thinks I’m handsome! She thinks I’m handsome!

I’, Marcus strode to the kitchen

Ami followed While he drained the pasta and turned off the burner beneath the sauce, she retrieved two plates fro a plate for hirinned

"Sh as his own Fighting va wrong with a healthy appetite And Ami’s rivaled that of Sarah, who--even as a human--had eaten as much as Roland and Marcus at every meal

He couldn’t help but wonder if Ami possessed other appetites that would rival a warrior’s, then cursed hiain stray in that direction

Once both of their plates boasted stearant sauce, A roolasses, and a pitcher of green tea

They spent the next several minutes in companionable silence as they tucked into their meal

Even quiet was comfortable with Ami

"So, you never met anyone else? You never felt that way about any other woer had at last sht he swiftly banished

"I hed "There were … women in my life" He took a sip of tea "But none were ht out when the loneliness became too much to bear"

"You never loved them?"

He shook his head "I feltwith the alone It was a bit like so to satisfy a craving for rocky road ice cream with a carrot"

She nodded slowly, eyes on her plate

"I loved Beth until she died an old wo decades, I suppose I lost hope and satisfied ain when she was born centuries later"

"And eight years ago she went back to the past?"

"Yes"