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Mariah smiled cordially. "I'd much rather hear your story," she said, not looking at Thorn, who sat with them. |
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Between huge bites of food washed down by hearty swigs of ale, Ambrose orated. His version of the saga made him sound like a conquering hero rather than the loser in a fight in which he'd been conked on the head. |
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Soon Thorn was the center of attention, describing how he had saved Mariah and the others from the Indians, only to be caught up immediately in the fight to save his inn. He responded with no reticence, laughing heartily along with the others. |
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Mariah compared him with the man she'd first met, who joined his guests for meals only on the insistence of his friend and employee, René. Who'd listened more than talked, and seldom, if ever, laughed. |
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He seemed to be changinglike the Thorn in the screenplay, who'd shunned other people but gradually became reacclimated to his society. |
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Just in time to die in the duel. |
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She'd had something to do with the change in Thorn, she thought. She hadn't let him get away with his moody avoidance of people any more than René had. She'd insisted that he hire her, and Holly, too. She'd been friendly to their guests, and some of it had probably rubbed off on him. |
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Alone in the kitchen later, washing the dishes, she wondered if she should just have left him alone. |
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Mariah was delighted when Holly and René returned late the next morning, though she'd already spent the time since dawn feeding their guests, seeing them off, then cleaning up the inn. |
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She was glad, at least, until she saw their grim faces. |
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"We were at Pittsborough," Holly told Mariah as they stood in the kitchen, putting away goods the two had brought. |
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Thorn walked in just then with René, the two carrying a barrel of flour. Mariah looked away as Thorn tried to catch her eye. |
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"Now is not the time to speak of this, Holly." René cast |
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