“On the contrary,” Sam said. “You’ve caughteveryone’sattention tonight.”
“I have?” I asked. I waited for him to call me fair and then hated that I replayed Mr. Evergreen’s compliment in my head. “Does that includeyours?”I asked.
“You know it does,” he said. He scanned my dress. “Dare I confess that I like seeing you in white? You look like a bride.”
“A bride?”
“Do the women in Oreia not wear white gowns to their weddings?” he asked.
“Oh. We wear whatever we like. I’m sorry, I’m quite dizzy.”
He frowned. “You wear other colors? What? Like blue?” he asked.
“Yes; I’ve seen blue,” I said. “Can we slow down?”
“Blue!” he said. “No matter. You can wear what you wish. Whatever’s traditional for you then.”
“I can wear white. I just meant-”
“But I like knowing that the men here tonight, and in our circle, they’ll all be forced to remember you in this color. White is bridal here in Chalke, and you wearing it marks youunavailableto them.”
I swallowed. “I… You know your father made a few comments about my braid.”
“Were they nice?” he asked.
“No,” I said.
“Then forget them,” Sam said. “He’s an old man; he made my mother miserable.” He caught the crassity of his statement and then apologized quietly for it. “Your secret, then?”
“My what?”
“Something nobody knows,” he added. “I want to hear it.”
“...I don’t know what I could say,” I told him. “I’d have to think about it.”
“Alright. I’ll go first,” he said. He smiled ruefully. “My mother fell from her horse when I was a child.”
“That’s fairly common. I’ve fallen plenty of-”
“She died.”
“Oh, god.” I gripped his hand a little tighter. “I’m so sorry; I didn’t know.”
He nodded. “Horses don’t like me. I think they smell my fear.”
“They don’tlikeyou?” I asked. “I’m sorry, but an entire species impervious to your charm? I don’t believe it.”
“You flatter me,” he said.
“Icanbelieve your fear, however, and yes, they have a sense of those things, I agree. They also know when a person means well for them. They may sense fear, but they feel courage, too. I do believe they would appreciate yours if you mustered it. I’m rambling. Sorry. I’m not offended. If that helps?”
“It helps,” he said. “And it helps to know that you find me charming.”
The intensity was almost too much to bear. I stuttered with my response, stupid and giddy.
Sam leaned in and spoke softly. “I am trying so hard to dazzle you, my love. Tell me it’s paid off.”
“You wish to dazzle me?” I asked.
