was louder tha

no

...

ht spilled from chandeliers overhead. Servants moved carefully between tables, quiet

rstood t

t le

body

room without thinking, her movements aut

n h

that

rom th

ep came

one this hundreds

he was disappearing in

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snapped her fr

ged her arm lightly

ed up im

fr

the center

ide

y A

ll felt unrea

ross the table said, posture elegant, expression

perf

studied how A

used t

used t

herself to

t st

t w

owering her gaze as she poured tea in

nk y

beside Emy

ili

on

htened slightly a

r guest lau

r Emy really are clo

n smiled

lways be

ntly at the tea

like

op

ate attention

y when conversations

t

while the woman beside him a

ly how much affecti

sur

re

ept

alized what fel

erforming

livi

urprisingly patient with

e laughe

e him tilted he

said lightly. "He's

m laugh

opped

asn't

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u

ing wasn

ticed

sli

use in his

hat nobody els

Ari

exactly how he re

he us

ed smiling effort

tely u

the teapot

she could

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le

n't co

lose

hat she had do

la

looked toward h

eside Emy b

xcuse

unded painfull

id

ds had alre

her eye

it like that,"

silence

r thi

end of the table

e servant's

sened slightly

ot en

de Emy was still watch

ecogn

ere

ed and

d I say wrong?"

allowe

uldn't

n't co

sed too heavily agains

Ari hesita

qui

like you p

m still

up fully

ile remained p

nderneath it sh

understand," s

se she

problem wasn

erything

r grip slightly

ou're pretending to be

aced painfull

cof

nig

became laughter

," Ari continued quietly. "And

ed heavily ac

y specific," so

o late how stra

ble this wa

ide Emy smile

cef

tro

time listening to conversat

le w

p me

ests laugh

her gaze i

.So

came automat

ated

ked up her te

sof

ocus on your

ai

ed heavily in

mi

s, Lad

the title

re anyone could see the

carefully through

dy s

ght p

led bre

the corridor outside

mbled slightly

up

en unbeliev

gainst the wall, clo

ced," she

ho Ar

some

in the pe

interrupted

tst

ed up in

ar the doorw

on

ai

ghtened i

ung M

d you s

ame before she

fr

ped clos

an

fus

the way sh

hroat t

he not

ot cons

ough t

t you mean," Ari

eak

wned sl

ke like

d away im

ger

bout this wa

pped," she

not what

s weren'

made them har

ayed s

her for a

qui

really never

urt even more

d herself

N

d her face

ng for something hi

slo

Stra

eat quickene

he knew t

hing bothered him enough t

some

than if he had remember