Susan eyed Lucy thoughtfully. "That dress is hideous." She announced finally. It wasn't really. It was a classic sundress, sleeveless and with the slightest hint of a collar. The buttons were white and the dress itself was jewel blue, a colour which made Lucy's skin glow and her hair seem like spun gold.
Lucy tilted her head, causing her golden curls to fall out of place. "I like it." She said simply.
Susan felt a prickle of unease. Why wasn't Lucy smiling? "We'll get you a better one today." She said briskly.
Lucy shook her head. "I don't need any more clothes Su."
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't buy some." Susan laughed. "Honestly Lucy, how do you expect to catch a man if you insist on dressing like an old maid?"
That hit a nerve. Lucy's eyes lit up with rage, a rage she'd seen once before in the eyes of a widow.
"I have many suitors sister. Not as many as you perhaps, but too many for my liking all the same." Lucy snapped.
Susan had the oddest feeling she would not be surprised if Lucy's eyes turned red, or if the air around her burst into flame.
"You could get even more suitors if you dressed better." Susan smiled nervously. Her smile faded as the rest of what Lucy had said registered.
"What do you mean, too many?" She demanded in shock.
Lucy tossed her head in the manner of an impatient, wilful mare. "I have no time for boys Susan." She replied heatedly. "Courtship was always your favourite pastime, not mine."
Susan ignored the hint at the child's game. "Lucy" You're young, beautiful. Enjoy it!" She ordered, distressed.
"I do." Lucy said coldly. "Without the restrictions of dating. If he does this, you do this, keep him waiting, wear this, say that..." Lucy shuddered. "It's all so boring, and pointlessly manipulating."
Susan scowled. She didn't appreciate being mocked, and opened her mouth to say so when Lucy's eyes met hers.
"And most importantly, it's not love." She said softly, so softly that Susan had to strain to hear her.
"You don't know what love is." Susan scoffed.
Lucy stared at her steadily. "Don't I?" She murmured. She smiled, so falsely that Susan wished she would go back to the unnatural calmness of before.
"Let's not try this again, Susan." Lucy spoke quietly. "We're more like strangers than sisters, and too different besides."
And, like Edmund before her, Lucy left without looking back.