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"How did they even knoould be hoed

"Victoria just assumes you will" He looked back at me, his eyes a little wide "That wohed "I can reht and perfect and always looked like she was thinking She was so serious, even back then and I rean, look down her nose at her as if to say 'How did this bug get into our house?'

"One thing about Megan though, she never seemed to pay her much attention Victoria's comments slid off her back like ice cubes off a hot plate"

"Which had to drive Victoria crazy" I said

"Exactly Exactly" He laughed "If Megan gave her ht, she'd be upset I suppose Even back then I nicknaet this faroff, dreamy look and crawl into her shell of fantasies to escape Victoria"

"Megan is like that with everyone" I muttered, more to myself than to him

"Um," he said

I hadn't told Jake anything about Megan being my real mother and I hadn't told him about my real father at all Since the funeral and all that followed, he and I hadn't really spent ether This was the first trip, the first ti me anywhere when I was by myself,

"So, have you decided to return to England Princess?'" he asked me

"Probably," I said "I'll stay in the dorms this time, of course,"

"I understand, Leonora and Richard are two pieces of work, all right Frances used to shake her head and laugh at how regal and how English Leonora had become"

I wanted to tell him there wasn't all that irl who had a defective heart valve and it had left land, he had iaret whohter of Great-uncle Richard's driver Boggs, the aret knew Both reat-aunt were people who created their own iinary world to replace the reality they couldn't face and Mary Margaret had been forced to be part of Great-uncle Richard's fantasies

"You didn't happen to find yourself a nice young English

man while you were there now, did you, Princess?" Jake asked

"No, Jake" I said