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She leaned back against a wall and took great big gulps of air His rejection didn't just sting It stabbed It shot bullets And its airee

This was not like all those years when he had viewed her as a child Then at least she could be consoled by telling herself that he did not knohat he wasBut now he did Now he knew exactly what he was , and he didn't care a bit

Miranda could not reht, but she was not ready to return to the party, so she reen, but well proportioned and tastefully laid out Miranda sat down on a stone bench in the corner of the garden that faced back toward the house Large glass doors opened onto the ballroom, and for severalto the loves so she could wipe her nose with her hand "My kingdoh

Maybe she could feign illness and go hoh Maybe she really was ill Really, there was no sense in her staying the rest of the ball The ai, wasn't it? There was no way she was going to

And then she saw a flash of gold

Gold-touched hair, to be more precise

It was Turner Of courseHow could it not be he, when she was sitting off by herself, pathetic and alone? He alking through the French doors that led to the garden

And there was a woe lump rolled about in her throat, and Miranda did not knohether to laugh or cry Would she be spared no hu in her throat, she scooted down to the edge of the bench where she would be more hidden by shadows

Who was that? She'd seen her before Lady So-or-other A , she'd heard, and very, very wealthy and independent She didn't look like aTruth be told, she didn't look y to no one in particular, Miranda strained her ears to hear their conversation But the as carrying their words in the opposite direction, so she heard only the barest of snatches Finally, after what sounded like "I'm not certain," from the lady's lips, Turner leaned down and kissed her

Miranda's heart shattered

The ladyshe could not hear and returned to the ballrooarden, his hands on his hips, staring enigmatically up at the moon

Go away , Miranda wanted to scream Go! She was trapped there until he left, and all she wanted was to go hoet out But that did not appear to be an option just then, so she scooted farther along the bench, trying to cloak herself with even more shadows