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"Is Mother here?" Olivia asked
"Your mother is here, too?" her father blustered
"No, I was just wondering, since you’re here, and-"
"Lord Rudland," Harry interrupted, his voice loud enough to cut the both of thehter’s hand in asped, then squealed, then jumped up and dohich turned out to be a bad idea "Ow!" she yelped, s her head on theShe poked her head back out and beahed He’d pro could have been so splendid as this
"Olivia?" her father asked
She looked doiping at her eyes
"Why is he asking h a ?"
Olivia considered the question, considered her possible answers, and decided that honesty was her best alternative "I am fairly certain you do not wish to know the answer to that question," she told him
Her father closed his eyes and shook his head She had seen that gesture before It meant he didn’t knohat to do with her Luckily for him, she was about to be taken off his hands
"I love your daughter," Harry said "And I like her very much as well"
Olivia put her hand over her heart and squeaked She didn’t knohy she squeaked; it just came out, like a little bubble of pure joy His words-they were quite siinable
"She is beautiful," Harry went on, "so beautiful it makes my teeth ache, but that’s not why I love her"
No, that wasteeth and all
"I love that she reads the newspaper every day"
Olivia looked down at her father He was staring at Harry as if he’d gone mad
"I love that she has no patience for stupidity"
It was true, Olivia thought with a silly smile He knew her so well
"I love that I’m a better dancer than she is"
Her se the truth of that as well
"I love that she’s kind to ss"
What? She looked at hi," he adether so she wouldn’t laugh
"Butsquarely at Olivia’s father, it felt as if he were looking at her, "I love her I adore her And I would like nothingbeside her as her husband"
Olivia looked back down at her father He was still staring at Harry with an expression of great shock
"Father?" she asked hesitantly
"This is highly irregular," her father said But he didn’t sound angry, just dazed