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“Why don’t you leave? Why stay if you’re unhappy?”

“You reht? This was all her idea Cassy’s having a ball I couldn’t ask her to leave”

“Loyalty ’Tis a rare quality in a person”

“Maybe, but Cassy would do the same for me if the situation were reversed So I’ll stay and deal with all the stares and pointing for a few days The tourna—should be fun

Have you been to one before?”

“Aye, I’ve been to them once or twice”

“What about after, the ceremony? Have you seen that?” She picked a flower and started plucking the pedals one by one

“Aye, but not quite the way they have this one planned”

“Gwen told us all about it Handfasting is like an engageeht words are eht people Does the cereed her shoulders “How bad could it be? It’s not like I’ in a play”

Duncan’s sives lass down

“Why?”

“First, is her name Gwen She doesn’t look like a Gwen I’ll bet it’s soe name Second, her smiles always look so fake It’s as if she wants everyone to think she’s this great person, when under it all she’s doing all of this for soins? I think if I could read people like her, I would use the gift for so as personal as one’s virginity to the world”

“Do you think she has a gift?”

“Oh yeah, she has one! When Gwen looks at you, it’s like she is looking through you” Just talking about Gwen turned Tara’s hands to ice “You don’t believe in those kinds of things, do you?”

When he didn’t answer, Tara looked and found hiuess maybe you do Which makes us both a little crazy”

“It isn’t crazy to see beyond your own thoughts

You called it a gift a e your vie?” Duncan watched her lips as she spoke

“It sounds crazy, believing in a psychic ability to read so?” The wind blew Tara’s hair across her face He reached out and pushed it back Duncan let his fingers linger on the side of her cheek Heat rose to her face with his gentle caress

Duncan’s touch distracted her train of thought

She had to force herself to answer his question “Itlips

He aze drifted back to hers

She should back away, but like twoshe kneould happen