On the second floor, conversations continued even as more guests began leaving for dinner.
Some had been standing in the hall for over two hours. The excitement of the introductions had carried them through the ceremony, but now they were looking forward to sitting down, eating something substantial, and speaking without having to raise their voices over the people around them.
They could return afterward.
The evening was far from over, and there would be other opportunities to approach the people they wished to know.
For the figures everyone wanted to meet, however, leaving was considerably more difficult.
Each time a conversation appeared to end, someone else stepped forward. A student offered an introduction. A noble asked a question. Another guest lingered nearby, waiting for an opening.
It was not always a matter of being physically unable to move.
