Chris' eyes flicked suddenly from her future husband to her brother. Her stomach gave a painful swoop as he said he would play the gallant elder sibling, he would make it go away, so society need only mock her for her spinster status and not her failed marriage attempt. It was odd, however, to hear Ozy warning her off bad marriages when his own seemed like a catastrophe, as much as she liked Sina, she and Ozzy, fought so frequently and didn't even seem to like each other most of the time. She believed Victor liked her, even enjoyed being around her, but he hadn't said he love her - that had to be better than a spouse with whom you argued all the time - wasn't it?

His offer was kind, and infinitely more thoughtful than she expected. He had once told her that she could take herself to a hovel once he came to be the Dempsey patriarch. She wasn't entirely convinced he wasn't serious, so his sudden acceptance of her breaking off her engagement, hit her hard. She tried to read his face, assess if he was joking or teasing her. She didn't think she could see any signs of it, and she let out a long sigh, turning back in the direction of the dance floor where Victor was dancing with Beatrice.

'That's the problem Ozymandias, I think I do,' she managed with a smile that was perhaps more sad than genuinely amused. 'I love him' it was almost embarrassing admitting it but she felt strange, more forth write and warmer than usual, her emotions much closer to the surface than they were on a regular basis. She resisted the urge to lay her head on her big brother's shoulder. 'although if you make the offer to him he might accept it.' she laughed, she didnt mean for it to come out like it did, it had been meant as a joke but even as she said it fell flat.

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