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"Have you seen Mr Hartley?" Emeline asked before her hostess could flit away

"Yes His sister is quite pretty and a good dancer I always think that helps, don’t you?" And Lady Hasselthorpe was off, singing about turtle soup to a startled-looking matron

Emeline blew out a frustrated breath She could see Rebecca now, pacing gently with the other dancers, but where was Sa her way to the far end of the ballrooirl’s ear that made the child blush, and then Emeline was blocked by a phalanx of elderly ossiped

"I saw the book of fairy tales you left in my room," Melisande said from behind her

Eray-brown that made her look like a dusty crow Emeline raised her eyebrows but didn’t coed her friend’s attire a wit "Can you translate it?"

"I think so" Melisande opened her fan and waved it slowly "I only looked at a page or two, but I could decipher soood"

But her voice must’ve been distracted Melisande looked at her sharply "Have you seen him?"

Sadly, there was no need to explain who hio out onto the terrace"

Elass doors had been opened to let in the night breeze She touched her friend’s arm "Thank you"

"Humph" Melisande snapped her fan shut "Be careful"

"I shall" Eh the crush

A few steps farther and she was at the doors leading to the garden She slipped through Only to meet disappoint the stone terrace, but she didn’t see Salanced around as she advanced, and then she felt hi" His breath brushed her bare shoulder, raising goose bumps on her skin

"Thank you," she ht her hand and tucked it in his elbow

"Shall we stroll?"

The question was rhetorical, but she nodded anyway The night air was a relief frouests faded as they crossed to wide steps leading into a gravel path Tiny lanterns hung froarden, and they sparkled like fireflies in the autumn dusk

Ehtened on hers "If you’re cold, we can go back in"

"No, I’lanced at his shadowed profile "Are you?"

He gave a soft snort "More or less You must think me an idiot"

"No"

They were silent then, their steps crunching on the gravel Eht try to lead her off the path into the dark, but he kept to the proper, lighted ways

"Do you miss Daniel?" he asked, and for ahe meant her dead husband

Then coht be having nightmares They sometimes trouble hilance at her "What was his father like?"

E Very young" She glanced at hi to say, but it’s true I didn’t realize it at the ti, too He was only a boy e married"

"But you loved him," he said quietly

"Yes," she whispered "Desperately" It was almost a relief to admit it, how terribly she’d been in love with Danny How prostrate with grief she’d been at his death

"Did he love you?"

"Oh, yes" She didn’t even have to think about it Danny’s love had been easy and natural, a thing she’d taken for granted "He said he fell in love with ht It was at a ball, like this one, and Tante Cristelle introduced us She knew Danny’s

"And he sentthat was expected I think our faeed" Those days were golden but a little blurry now Had she ever been that young?

"He was a good husband?"

"Yes" She saive me presents, pay e sounds ideal" His voice was even

"It was" Was he jealous?

He stopped and faced her, and she saasn’t jealousy in his eyes at all "Then why, after an ideal, loving first e, do you want a loveless second one?"

She gasped, feeling as if he’d hit her She raised her own hand, al it, either in defense or to strike hi her unshielded

"Why, Emeline?"

"That’s none of your business" Her voice shook no ht to control it

"I think it is, my lady"