"Ghia?" Jules' voice, barely a whisper, cut through her thoughts.
All at once it broke; she was back to normal. Normalcy filled her with an incredible longing. For that brief, shining moment she had felt completed, as if she'd found a piece of herself she hadn't known was missing until she stumbled upon it, only to drop it again and feel its loss all the more sharply.
Not immediately able to cover the despair that crossed her face, she gave Jules a wan smile and squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I'm fine," she half whispered, half sent, as she'd been doing all evening. He didn't look convinced but, when she didn't say anything more, he shrugged and returned the hand squeeze.
~
The banquet was lengthy, with many courses, as usual. Ghia sampled each course but did not stuff herself. She n
