claude was not in love with him.

at least...

she didn't want to be.

you love leith! the fond memories reminded her

you could love luc more! her heart screamed at her

tugging

pulling

hurting

she didn't want to love him

~:~

luc was in love with her.

he was in love with

those doe-like brown eyes

and the curls,

those ringlets that had felt so soft beneath his fingers when they had -

no.

not yours luc, honey, never was.

~:~

she couldn't help it see

sometimes she just got so caught up

in the gentle smile

the kindness

the general goodness of him

but she had made leith a promise

and she had hurt him so much already

and she wanted to keep it, dammit,

she wanted to!

but she was falling in love again and again

~:~

he couldn't help it see

he had never intended to love claude

it was just a political match

but he got so caught up in that clever flash of her dark eyes

the way she flounced off away from him

that sound she made when he -

her honesty

the heart that she tried so hard to keep hidden

and he was in love just like that

~:~

so she wrote to leith

not expecting an answer, no, she knew better

just wanting to remind herself of where her heart belonged

she had made him a promise

and luc was nothing to her really

a marriage that they'd both been pushed into

at least that's what she told herself

as she avoided those kind (pained) eyes and

walked away from his open arms

~:~

luc knew and he wanted to understand.

he loved her. he dreamed of her.

but she was not his to dream about.

not his, never was, never would be

he loved her though! -

and that was why he let her go.