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"If you had not sailed to New York," Edward continued, "ould you have married me?"

"I don’t know," she admitted

"So maybe it was for the best" He wondered if she could hear what he heard in his own voice It was a little too low, a little too save him an odd look

"If Cousin Horace had not harassed you," Edward continued, "ould not be wed Although I suppose" He let his words trail off deliberately, waiting until she had to prod him to continue

"You suppose"

"I suppose I would think ere h with the proxy cereo Think of it, all this tile man and not realized it"

He looked up, briefly Say solass and tossed back the last dregs, not that there was reallythere

"What happens now?" she whispered

He shrugged "I’?"

Edward thought back to that last day before he and Tho they would be gone, so the colonel had s "Colonel Stubbs should have his effects," he said "I will have theht to you"

"Thank you"

"He had ayour pardon?"

"A miniature He always had it Ilike that, but e moved he always made sure it ith him"

Her lips trembled with the hint of a smile "I have one of him as well Didn’t I show it to you?"

Edward shook his head

"Oh I’ utterly lost and forlorn "They were painted at the saer in it"

For a moment she looked confused, then she blinked several times and said, "You’ve seen it Of course Thomas said that he’d showed it to you"

Edward nodded

"Once or twice," he lied There was no need for her to knoif she could possibly be as kind and funny as she was in her letters

"I never thought it was a very good likeness," she said "The artist ht And I never smile like that"

No, she didn’t But to say so would be to ad far better than "once or twice" would i She held it in both hands, pinched between her thu tio back to the inn?" she finally asked

But she didn’t look up

And because Edward did not trust himself to be alone with her, he said, "I need to be by ht now"

"Of course" She said it too quickly, and she lurched to her feet The ring disappeared into her fist "I do too"

It was a lie They both knew it

"I’ needlessly to the door "I think I would like to lie down"

He nodded "If you do not estured faintly toward his elass "Maybe you shouldn’t"

His brows rose, daring her to finish that stateirl

She took a step away, then paused "Do you--"

This was it She was going to tell hi to explain it all, and it would be fine, and he would not hate himself and he would not hate her, and