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Veronica felt a warm presence behind her and looked up to see Monsieur Cloutier standing there. He held a glass of brown liquid that smelled sweet and alcoholic at the same time. She kept herself from wrinkling her nose. She wouldn't judge. Especially not since she'd grabbed a flute of champagne off a waiter's tray as soon as she'd reached the dining room and downed half the glass in one gulp. The burning steadied her, although she knew she'd have a headache later. Sparkling wine always did that to her—highlighted her regrets. She drank the rest of the glass much more slowly but didn't say no to a second one.
"I'm afraid I can't invite you to join me tonight," Captain Viero told them. "I have to entertain some dignitaries from Prussia." He sighed, and Veronica didn't envy him. He'd tol
