Her head bows when she nods, the multicolored shards pinning down her curls winking like treasure.
"We'll be quite busy, you and I." For her part, Clara's hand stays right where it is, clasped in Leo's grip without a hint of resistance. The Del Valles were nothing if not nurturing, and she has retained a great propensity for affection in adulthood, always ready to administer a genuine and tender outpouring at the slightest provocation. In the moment it feels harmless enough, though by now she's noticed that his touch has lingered, just like his eyes.
Anyone else might have felt dismay, but Clara's own response is delayed. She misses a lot, but never something like this, not when she can recognize the signs. After all, her beauty is not so pronounced, the way her oldest sister's had been, that men could not muster the courage to come near. Sympathy swells in her chest. Already she knows Leo is a much kinder man than her husband. She nods again.
"The ring's a little hard to miss, don't you think?" She wrinkles her nose in mock distaste, looking every bit more a child, before bursting into a laugh that lacks any bitterness or misgivings.
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"We'll be quite busy, you and I." For her part, Clara's hand stays right where it is, clasped in Leo's grip without a hint of resistance. The Del Valles were nothing if not nurturing, and she has retained a great propensity for affection in adulthood, always ready to administer a genuine and tender outpouring at the slightest provocation. In the moment it feels harmless enough, though by now she's noticed that his touch has lingered, just like his eyes.
Anyone else might have felt dismay, but Clara's own response is delayed. She misses a lot, but never something like this, not when she can recognize the signs. After all, her beauty is not so pronounced, the way her oldest sister's had been, that men could not muster the courage to come near. Sympathy swells in her chest. Already she knows Leo is a much kinder man than her husband. She nods again.
"The ring's a little hard to miss, don't you think?" She wrinkles her nose in mock distaste, looking every bit more a child, before bursting into a laugh that lacks any bitterness or misgivings.