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"Then don't provoke erously close to a sneer

"Don't provoke you ?" she burst out incredulously, advancing toward hi, Miranda One ht ere blissfully happy and the next you've co me of God knohat awful criers biting into his upper arht ere blissfully happy?" she whispered

For a moment, when he looked at her, it was almost as if he were merely surprised "Of course I did," he said "I told you all the tiave himself a shake, and he rolled his eyes and pushed her away "Oh, but I forgot Everything I've done, everything I've said- none of it mattered You don't want to know that I am happy with you You don't care if I like to be with you You just want to kno I feel"

And then, because she couldn't not say it, she whispered, "How do you feel about me?"

It was as if she'd popped hiy, the words spilling ly fro a noise, just staring at her as if she had released Medusa into their sitting room

"Miranda, I- I- "

"You what, Turner? You what?"

"I…Oh, Christ, Miranda, this isn't fair"

"You can't say it" Her eyes filled with horror Until that moment she had held out hope that he would si too hard about everything, and when the h, the words would spill from his lips, and he would realize that he loved her

"My God," Miranda breathed The little piece of her heart that had always believed that he would come to love her shriveled and died in the space of a second, tearing out ain "You can't say it"

Turner saw the emptiness in her eyes and knew that he had lost her "I don't want to hurt you," he said laht in her throat, and she walked slowly to the door

"Wait!"

She stopped, turned

He reached down and picked up the package he'd brought in with hiht you this"

Miranda took the package fro at his back as he strode fro hands, she unwrapped it Le Morte d'Arthur The very copy she had so coveted froentlemen's bookshop "Oh, Turner," she whispered "Why did you have to go and do so so sweet? Why can't you just let me hate you?"

Many hours later, as she wiped the book with a handkerchief, she found herself hoping that her salty tears had not permanently ruined the leather cover