Ember (11 page)

Alice’s
e
y
e
s
lit
up
.
“
O
h
-
ho?
A
we
dding
dr
e
ss
,
p
e
rh
a
ps?

You
r
beau
fi
na
ll
y
come
up
t
o
snu
ff
,
has
he?
”

How
irrit
a
ti
ng
t
ha
t
at
t
he
age
of
t
wen
t
y,
M
ir
anda
cou
l
d
s
till
be
sub
j
ec
t
t
o
b
l
ushes.
Alice
l
aughed
and
edged
t
he
mu
ffi
n
c
l
ose
r
.
“
I
’
m
t
h
i
nk
i
ng
Hec
t
o
r
doesn
’t
know.
”

“
No.
I
’ll
no
t
t
e
ll
h
i
m
un
til
…
”
T
r
u
t
h
be
t
o
l
d,
she
’
d
r
a
t
he
r
no
t
t
e
ll
he
r
f
a
t
he
r
un
til
she
wa
l
ked
ou
t
t
he
doo
r
.
She
d
i
d
no
t
wan
t

to
h
ea
r
how
sh
e
ruin
e
d
his
lif
e,
lost
his
fortun
e.
M
ir
a
nd
a
took
a
br
a
cing
sip
of
coff
ee
b
e
for
e
sp
ea
king
.
“
I
f
you
wouldn’t
m
ind
…
”
M
ir
a
nd
a
shouldn’t
h
a
v
e
op
e
n
e
d
h
e
r
m
outh
.
T
h
e
thought
of
h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r
finding
out
a
bout
h
e
r
e
ng
a
g
eme
nt
ma
d
e
h
e
r
ill
.

“
Say
no
mo
r
e.
”
A
t
oo
t
hy
sm
il
e,
g
r
ay
and
sh
i
ny,
fl
ashed.
“
Now,
t
ake
t
he
mu
ffi
n,
w
ill
you?
Cons
i
de
r
it
a
p
r
esen
t
.
”

“
A
pr
e
s
e
nt
,
you
s
a
y?
”
c
ame
a
lighth
ea
rt
e
d
ma
sculin
e
voic
e.
A
w
a
r
m
h
a
nd
sn
a
k
e
d
a
round
M
ir
a
nd
a
’s
wa
ist
a
nd
g
a
v
e
a
squ
eeze,
whil
e
a
noth
e
r
h
a
nd
r
ea
ch
e
d
ov
e
r
h
e
r
should
e
r
a
nd
c
a
ught
up
th
e
m
uff
i
n
.

M
ir
a
nd
a
s
m
il
e
d
as
sh
e
turn
e
d
in
ti
me
to
s
ee
Ma
rtin
E
v
a
ns
t
a
k
e
a
bit
e
out
of
h
e
r
m
uff
i
n
.

“
A
p
r
esen
t
f
o
r
me.
”
She
t
ook
back
he
r
mu
ffi
n.
“
Ge
t
you
r
own.
”

H
is
grin
wa
s
w
id
e
as
h
e
ch
ewe
d
.
“
F
ro
m
wh
a
t
I
h
ea
rd
,
it
wa
s
an
e
ng
a
g
eme
nt
pr
e
s
e
nt
,
which
wou
l
d
i
m
ply
th
a
t
th
e
gift
wa
s
for
both
th
e
int
e
nd
e
d
bride
a
nd
th
e
groo
m.
”

“
Ve
ry
logic
a
l
d
e
duction
.
”
S
h
e
a
t
e
th
e
r
e
st
of
th
e
m
uffin
b
e
for
e
h
e
could
t
a
k
e
it
b
a
ck
.
I
n
so
me
w
a
ys
,
Ma
rtin
still
tr
ea
t
e
d
h
e
r
lik
e
th
e
girl
h
e
h
a
d
pl
a
y
e
d
pir
a
t
e
s
w
ith
b
e
for
e
h
e
r
m
ist
a
k
e
h
a
d
n
ea
rly
gott
e
n
th
em
kill
e
d
a
nd
ruin
e
d
e
v
e
ryth
i
ng
.
I
n
oth
e
r
w
a
ys
,
w
e
ll
,
sh
e
wouldn’t
think
a
bout
thos
e
oth
e
r
w
a
ys
in
front
of
Alice
th
e
coff
eem
ong
e
r
.

Ma
rtin’s
gold
e
n
-
brown
e
y
e
s
twinkl
e
d
.
“
C
o
me
a
long
th
e
n
,
”
h
e
toss
e
d
Alice
a
copp
e
r
,
“
l
e
t
me
t
a
k
e
m
y
b
e
st
girl
for
a
w
a
lk
.
”