The Blackcoats’ chances of winning the war had never been better, and though my guilt over Amanda’s death was a deep,constant ache that I knew would never leave me, as I drifted off to sleep, for the first time I let myself picture what my life could look like when this was all over.
Several weeks passed, and Greyson and I continued to be virtually imprisoned in Amanda’s room together. We had a small Christmas celebration that didn’t include much more than a sip of champagne for us both, and we rang in the NewYear by watching the news anchors report on a story about a bombing in New York that Richardassured us hadn’t happened. Daxton continued to avoid us, and by the time mid-January rolled around, I had become certain we wouldn’tsee him until the war was over. The few times I tried to go
