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But Luce could not make herself care about the masks "Oh, any of theed dully at the draped fabric of her ool dress

The girls erupted into laughter

"You’re not going to wear that co done up in our finest!" She collapsed dramatically across the wooden bench near the hearth "Oh, I would never want to fall in love wearing my dreary Tuesday kirtle!"

A uised herself as a lady in her one fine gown and sneaked into the castle rose garden That here she first met Daniel in this life That hy their ro Daniel had thought Lucinda sohter

That hy the thought of donning that fine red gown again and pretending toprospect to Lucinda

But Luce knew Daniel better than Lucinda did If he had an opportunity to spend Valentine’s Day with her, he would seize it

Of course, she could explain none of this inner turirls All she could do was turn away and subtly wipe her tears with the back of her wrist

"She looks as if love has already found and dealt roughly with her," Helen h with you, be rough with love!" Eleanor said in her bossy way "Sta slippers!"

"Oh, Eleanor," Luce heard herself say "You wouldn’t understand"

"And you do understand?" Eleanor laughed "You, the girl ouldn’t even put her name in Cupid’s Urn?"

"Oh, Lucinda!" Laura cupped her hands over herif Mother would let me put my name in Cupid’s Urn!"

"Which is why I had to toss her na the train of Luce’s gown and pulling her around the room in a circle

After a chase that toppled the bench and the tallow candle on the caserabbed Eleanor’s hand "You didn’t!"

"Oh, a little fun will do you good! I want you dancing tonight, high and lively with the rest of the maskers Come now, help me choose a visor Which color reen? Perhaps I shall trick aCupid’s Urn! How did that have anything to do with a Valentine’s Day with Daniel?

Before she could speak, out caown of red wool adorned with a narrow collar made of otter fur It was cut lower across the chest than anything Luce would wear back hoia; if Bill were here to see her, he would probably grunt a "Hubba hubba" in her ear

Luce sat still while Helen’s fingers wove a ste of Daniel, the way his eyes had lit up in the rose garden when he first approached Lucinda…

A rapping startled thenized her instantly as Lucinda’s , she ran into the safe warmth of her mother’s arht and affectionate It was the first of the lives Luce had visited where she felt a strong connection with her mother It made her feel blissful and homesick all at once

Back hoia, Luce tried to act mature and self-sufficient as often as she could Lucinda was just the same, Luce realized But at times like this--when heartbreakwould do but the cohters, so fine and grown up, you hed as she ran her fingers through Luce’s hair She had kind hazel eyes and a soft, expressive brow

"Oh, Mother," Luce said with her cheek against hernot to cry

"Mother, tell us again how you met Father at the Valentine’s Faire," Helen said

"Not that old tale again!" Theirin her eyes already

"Yes! Yes!" the girls all chanted

"Why, I was younger than Lucinda when I was a an "My own ave me this advice on my way out the door: ‘Shts to happy days …’ "

As her mother dove into her tale of love, Luce found her eyes creeping back toward the case the turrets of the castle, the vision of Daniel looking out Looking for her?

After her story was done, heraround her waist and handed it to Luce with a mischievous wink

"For you," she whispered

It was a se tied with twine Luce went to theand carefully unwrapped it Her fingers trembled as she loosened the twine

Inside was a lacy heart-shaped doily about the size of her fist Someone had inscribed these words hat looked to Luce like a blue Bic pen: