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"It’s an easy solution," she says, "that would make me very happy And I’m sure it would please your sister as well"

The words are et it

She’s not threatening to call off the engagerownSeb at whichever willing aristocratic lady crosses his path, it see the wo papped with Seb, I’ve now screwed up enough for this to be s harder for Ellie, I’ll go along with it

Moet it, too

"It’s just a few pictures, love," Mohs on et on the train or be smashed on the tracks," heme, her knuckles white, and I can see the violet shadows underneath her eyes, the hollows in her cheeks Iinto, but she wants to be here

A few pictures

Pretending to date a boy I don’t like very much who also doesn’t like , but not the hardest thing in the world, either And once it’s done, Ellie will be happy and secure on the road to princessdo--behind me

"Fine," I say "Sure Fake date me up"

And frorimace

• • •

I’d been on lots of dates since Mom decided I was allowed to date (Dad said he didn’t deserve to have a say in e started dating since his rock star past was so debauched, and none of us wanted to ask any more questions about that, Mo center just outside of Perdido I’d gone out with Matt Rivera and also seven of Matt’s friends, plus Isabel, so I’m not actually sure that counts as a date, but I definitely treated it like one in hly three seconds when his hand had brushed mine as he handed otten a lot of ink in my diary Then there had been the rade for out in various parking lots with Aidan Beck, plus this thing with Eht was a date at the time but had seemed kind of date-y in retrospect

And then, of course, Michael Soaround aiood handle on dates, but this? This is o well

For one, it is early I mean, like, insane-o early The ti or possibly in the grips of an aravel courtyard, our footsteps loud and crunchy in the stillmy eyes

"Is anyone believably rorin at me over her shoulder

"The royal fa," she says, "so that’s when the photographers show up"

I come to such a sudden stop that a little shower of rocks sprays around my sneakers "Ride?" I repeat "Please tell me you mean on bikes and not horses Bikes don’t bite last ti her head Her dark red hair glints in the sunshine "I never iined you’d be so funny, Daisy!"

"Super serious here," I say while she keepsIt really seems a shame that Glynnis doesn’t wear a Fitbit because she’d nail her daily steps every day, probably a thousand ti, I follow her tohat I now realize are the stables I hadn’t noticed because the building is so fancy--all heavy stone-and-slate roof--that I’d assumed it was a place where huet on