'I'm glad to hear sir' she said, her voice almost a whisper, although her parents had died many years ago, there was still a painful crushing in her chest when she thought of them - in particular her mother. Her father had been a relatively cold and distant man - but then there were few pureblood girls who would claim their fathers had been warm. Hers had wnated to arrange a match for her, he had expected Ben to make a debut and conduct herself a deb, none of which she had particularly wanted, and his death had prevented both, but had he lived she would have abided by her fathers wishes.

The song ended, and feeling a touch emotional she dropped her eyes from his face and gave a curtsey as she took a moment to regain control of herself. She was not prone to fits of uncontrolled emotions and would certainly not be inclined to do it in public. 'Thank you for the dance Mister Abbot, it was a pleasure to meet you.'

---