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"Brandy," Quin barked over his shoulder, only to realize that Grooper, his capabilities exhausted, had fled to the deck He wrenched open a cabinet and snatched a bottle, which turned out to be the finest French cognac, the kind even dukes drank only sparingly Oh, for the life of a s back, he dribbled a little brandy into Rupert’s asped; his eyes flickered open

A fa of helplessness clutched Quin’s heart He knew he should say so, but he had no idea what It was rather as if he were facing Evangeline again, when she would accuse hi no more emotional than a piece of wood, and he hadn’t the faintest idea what she wanted from him

Probably Rupert would like to hear poetry--but Quin didn’t know any poetry His tutors had never bothered with that sort of thing His mind spun with furious frustration If only Rupert wanted information about wave patterns

"Who?" Rupert’s eyes searched his face, confused

"I’ht Lucy to see you, and we’ve coland"

Rupert’s fingers curled around Lucy’s ear and he gave it a little tug Lucy nudged his hand

"Too reed with Rupert What was one supposed to say to a dying person? A psalht, except he couldn’t reain

Suddenly, somehow, Rupert’s poem came back to Quin, as clearly as if Olivia had recited it to hio Before it could vanish, he said it aloud: "Quick, bright, the bird falls down to us, darkness piles up in the trees" It ain, , so quietly Quin al silence His breath stopped, started again

Quin looked desperately at the porthole There was no sign of dawn yet He knehat Olivia would say He knehat she wanted He knew

Rupert’s chest stopped asp

So Quin sat, holding tight to the hand of thehim Olivia, who had written a poe with sparrows fallen from trees

And all the tin shore without hi soldiers

Daht cracked like thunder in his head He froze, noting that Rupert had stopped breathing again, but he’d done that beforeLove?

His mother had told him when he was only a child that lovewhat had she said about love?

That it was dangerous and not for people of their rank That it was in of someone foolish and ill-bred

Butwhen did she say that he wasn’t able to love?

He loved Olivia,

The analytical part of his brain, which had been counting silently, spoke up, suggested that the bird inging its way through some other sky, a silent sky