The rest of winter passed quickly. While my chores were lighter, since I had fewer crops to tend, I kept busy in other ways: riding and ice fishing with Kana, long tromps through the snowy woods and fields with Cam, and violin practice with Mikhail. He came over to my house two or three days a week, and we'd play our violins for an hour or two, sometimes longer when we had the time and the inclination.

In addition, both Yun and Ina had asked Mikhail if he would give Ying and Rahi lessons. He'd balked somewhat at first, then after some consideration, he decided that if I'd agree to assist, he'd consent to give them a lesson for an hour once a week. So I was persuaded to join them, although he admitted to me later that he'd only agreed in order to have more time with me. And also, he admitted later, because he really loved to watch me with the children. "I like to imagine you and I married, with children of our own, and I think to myself that perhaps one day... you will play with our children as you play with those two," he had said, smiling down at me. Embarrassed, I had quickly changed the subject, to his obvious amusement.

New Year's Eve fell on a Thursday, so I didn't expect to see Cam at all that day. The villagers in both towns liked to begin the new year with their homes and lives in spotless order, and my parents had raised me to follow the old customs. So that day, I was so busy cleaning and doing chores and preparing for the holiday, I didn't have time to pay my usual social calls. I figured I'd see everyone in Konohana at the village party that night, and I'd go visit my friends in Bluebell on New Year's Day. Everyone else would be too busy for visiting, anyway. So I was surprised when I returned from my morning chores, ready to start my house cleaning, and found Cam waiting for me. He smiled when I walked in, saying, "I knew you'd be too busy to come and see me today, so I took some time out from helping Laney and Howard to come and see you."

I gave him a delighted hug, then said, "I'm so happy you came to see me, but I'll have to clean while you visit in order to get it all done before the party tonight. I hope you don't mind too much?"

He shook his head, saying, "Not at all. In fact, I'd like to help. I'm handier than I look—I do my fair share of housework at Howard's, you know. What shall I do first?"

I thought for a moment, then said, "Well... you could do the bookshelves for me, if you don't mind? You'll need to pull all the books off the shelves, carry them outside a few at a time to dust them off, then wipe down the empty shelves before you put the books back on the shelves. Could you do that? It really needs to be done—I neglect dusting my books just because it's so time consuming."

"Sure, I'd be happy to," he replied, and got right to work.

Meanwhile, I pulled all the linens off the bed, removed the curtains from all the windows, and grabbed all the bath linens. Then I washed everything and hung them outside to dry. Luckily it was not snowing that day—the air was nippy, but it sunny and beautiful outside.

While the linens dried, I washed the windows, then I pulled all the dishes out of the cupboards, wiped the dust off the ones I seldom used, cleaned the shelves, and put everything back. Then I wiped down the walls and the light fixtures, scrubbed the bathroom and the kitchen, dusted and polished the furniture, and finally swept and mopped the floor.

When I was done, I put on the kettle to make some tea. Cam had finished with the books and had taken the throw rugs outside, shaken and beat them until no more dust rose from them, and replaced them on the clean floor. He looked around in sheer amazement, everything sparkling clean—the only thing remaining was to bring in the linens, iron them, and put them back in place. He looked at me with admiration, and said, "Wow, you're amazing! It's only been a few hours, and you've cleaned the whole house from top to bottom!"

"Well, I hate cleaning... so I do it as fast as I can just to get it over and done with." I said with a laugh as I handed him a cup of tea. "Besides, you did some of the most time-consuming chores for me. Thank you so much!"

We sat at my table and sipped tea and nibbled some cookies I'd baked the night before as we chatted. Then he said he needed to head back to Bluebell—it was a long walk, and he wanted to get back in time to help out some more before cleaning up for the village celebration that night. I said, "Hey, why don't I take you back on Nimbus? You'll get there faster than if you walk. Besides, it's the least I can do after all your help! And you won't be so tired out if you ride back. It'd be shame to fall asleep at the party tonight!"

He hesitated a moment, but then he nodded and smiled. "Sure, that'd be great. And besides, then I'll get to spend a little extra time with you." I blushed, then returned his smile as I pulled on my boots and a jacket.

We headed to the barn, and I saddled Nimbus, led her out, and mounted her. I walked her over to the fence, so that Cam could climb up behind me using the fence. He scrambled up kind of awkwardly, but fortunately Nimbus was a very calm mare. Once he'd managed to get situated, I told him to wrap his arms around me and hold on, but to make sure to leave my arms and legs free. He held on tightly, squeezing a little hard in his nervousness.

I started Nimbus at a slow walk, to allow Cam time to get used to her movement. After we passed out of the village gates and were climbing up the mountain path, I sped her up gradually until at last we were moving at a gentle canter. Most of the snow had melted, so the path was pretty clear and relatively dry. Cam eventually relaxed, once he started to become accustomed to her gait and to holding on to me and gripping with his knees. After we passed the peak and started to head back down, I slowed her down to a quick walk—I didn't want her to have too much momentum in case she hit a slippery patch.

Cam had relaxed enough by this point to loosen his grip; he still held me tightly, but now it felt more like an embrace than a death grip. He leaned forward, rubbing his cheek against my hair, and murmured, "You know, this is pretty nice. I think I could get used to this." I smiled but said nothing, just slowed Nimbus a tiny bit more to make the ride last a little longer.

When we arrived, Cam panicked a little when we arrived at Howard's. "How do I get down?" he whispered frantically into my ear. I stifled a laugh, and told him to just swing one leg over, taking care not to kick the mare in the backside, and slide down, holding onto the back of the saddle. He did so, almost as awkwardly as he mounted, but at least he avoided startling my mare.

Once he was down, I swung down too, and thanked him for coming to see me and for his help. I gave him a kiss, and told him to have fun at the party. He wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my head, and said wistfully, "How can I really enjoy it, when you won't be there?" Then he gave me a kiss on the top of my head and went into the café. I watched him leave, waving back to him when he turned at the door and waved to me. I mounted and hurried back to Konohana to clean up in preparation for our village's party.

That night, I wore a new dress that Nori had just finished making for me a few days ago. It was a mid-calf length cheongsam in red silk with sprays of ivory, gold, and pink flowers scattered across it and thigh-high slits on either side of the skirt. It had turned out beautifully, thanks to Nori's skill and exquisite taste. I wore it with matching red heels and gold jewelry, and I piled my hair on top of my head in the way that Laney had taught me recently, held in place with a beautiful cloisonné comb that had been my grandmother's. Pleased with the overall effect, I wrapped a delicately lacy shawl of soft black wool around my shoulders, grabbed my tiny handbag, and headed over to the town hall.

My preparations had taken a little longer than I'd expected, so I was the last one to arrive. I left my wrap and handbag in the cloakroom and hurried on in. I breathlessly apologized to Ina, who had been greeting the party-goers at the door into the main hall. She just smiled, saying, "It's fine, there's still plenty of time before we really get things going. You look lovely, Alice!" I blushed happily at her praise, thanked her, and returned the compliment. I went into the hall and began to make the rounds, greeting everyone, wishing them a happy year, and making small talk. There was music playing in the background—loud enough to dance to, but still soft enough for conversation. Tables along one side were laden with food and beverages, flowers and pine boughs decorated the tables, and bright red paper lanterns hung from the beams. Chairs and small tables had been set up in little clusters around the periphery of the room, leaving the center clear for dancing.

I was chatting with Yun and Dr. Ayame when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned, and Kana was there, smiling at me. He was dressed all in black: jeans, shirt, tie, leather jacket, and boots, with his dark hair tied back into a short ponytail as usual. He had two glasses in his hand, and he offered one to me, saying with a grin, "Care for some bubbly?" I smiled and thanked him, and we clinked our glasses. He took a sip of his, then said, "Wow, Alice, you look... incredible. Really, really beautiful."

I blushed and thanked him, saying, "You look pretty fantastic, too, Kana. I've never seen you dressed up before!"

Looking self-conscious, he shrugged helplessly, saying, "Well, ya know, there's not much point in dressing up to work with horses and muck out stalls!" I laughed in agreement.

We stood together for a little while, sipping our drinks and chatting. After a time, I noticed Mikhail standing to one side with Nori and Reina, who were eagerly chatting with him. I could see the reason for their obvious admiration—Mikhail, always careful of his appearance, had clearly gone to extra pains tonight. He was dressed in immaculate platinum grey trousers, vest, and shirt, his black shoes and tie the only departure in color. The light grey of his clothing complimented his silvery-blond hair and icy blue eyes perfectly. But he appeared not to be giving the girls his full attention—every time I spotted him, he was staring at me, even while he was speaking to them.

After a short while, he excused himself and came over to me. He nodded to Kana, then turned to me and asked if I'd care to dance. I turned red, not sure what to do—I loved to dance, and Kana had not yet asked me. But at the same time, I was talking to Kana, and it seemed rude to walk off with another man like that.

"Don't you like to dance?" Mikhail asked with a smile as I hesitated, knowing full well that I loved it.

Kana glowered at Mikhail, but despite his rough exterior, he was a gentleman at heart. So all he said was, "It's okay, Alice. I should go find Dirk. He's interested in having me train a horse for his brother. You go on ahead. I'll catch up with ya later." He started to turn to leave, then with an odd, defiant look, he turned back, pulled me to him in one swift, smooth move, and kissed me. He released me a moment later and walked off without another word, leaving me staring after him, speechless with surprise.

Mikhail said nothing, just glared at Kana's retreating figure. Then he pulled me out onto the dance floor, where soft, beautiful music set the mood for a slow dance. Holding me close, Mikhail's angry expression softened as he looked into my eyes. "After all," he said a moment later, "I can't really blame Kana. You look entrancing. Every man's eyes are on you tonight, and Kana certainly is a man. Even young Hiro and Dirk have had eyes for no one else. Or hadn't you noticed?" he asked, his tone amused and lightly teasing.

"Oh, quit it, Mikhail," I protested with more than a little discomfort. "Nori and Reina are much prettier than I am. And I'm absolutely positive Hiro is interested in Nori, not me!"

His teasing expression softened into a tender but serious look, and he replied, "Alice, my sweet, innocent, beautiful Alice, you just have no idea what an effect you have, do you? You are... irresistible." He leaned in, holding me more tightly and nuzzling my hair, as he whispered, "You are more intoxicating than wine—more even than music. You are the song my heart sings all day, the melody that weaves through my dreams every night." I shivered, my skin all a-tingle at his touch and his words. Reluctantly, I pulled back slightly, wishing to maintain a more decorous manner in such a public place.

After taking a minute to compose myself, I commented, "You know, that reminds me of something Cam said a while back. About the effect I have on people, I mean. He said I have a charm—charisma, he called it—that people find irresistible. That mostly it makes people love me and want to help and protect me, but that sometimes it backfires, and makes people go a little crazy. He's right, I've seen the effects myself. But I don't see why it happens. It's not like there's anything so special about me, or like I try to attract attention." I puzzled over it, frowning in concentration.

Mikhail reached a hand out and smoothed my furrowed brow, saying, "No... maybe you just can't see it. But it's there—trust me. I should know, since I've felt its pull on me for more than a decade—even in your absence, even when I tried to make myself hate you."

I gave a small sigh, and replied, "Well, Master Emil certainly didn't seem to feel any such thing."

"No," Mikhail admonished gently. "You're wrong. He did feel it. He just resisted it better than most. And that, I think, is why he felt it necessary to separate us—he knew I couldn't resist you. I can see that now in hindsight. And he was right—I couldn't then, nor can I now. I'd give anything to be with you, Alice. I'd even give up music completely, if that was what it took."

I gasped and pulled back in shock. The idea of Mikhail giving up music was too awful... completely unthinkable. It would be like tearing the wings from a butterfly. With a flash of insight, I finally understood Master Emil's fears. If Mikhail was willing to give up anything, even music, to win my love.... I shivered in dismay, holding him tightly and burying my face in his chest. I'd never ask him to give up music, but if he somehow thought that doing so was what he had to do to convince me to return his love.... I had to be sure that never happened. Because if he gave up music and lost me anyway—he'd have nothing.