Valeria had said the L word and it made her feel peculiar, mainly because she considered love to be a rare and elusive concept. She believed that very few individuals actually fell in love and simply entrapped themselves in marriage contracts on the basis of infatuation or lust, or thought they were in love after they'd married in an effort to make the best of things. The fact that she'd said such a thing to Caius bothered her, even if it had been meant in jest. The casual use of the word seemed to gnaw at her somewhere in her hindbrain, even as she tried to repress the discomfort. It became more a niggling sensation, vaguely present but still constant.
"Did any of us think things through at sixteen? Fates, do we think things through now?" she asked with a laugh. Still, the niggling continued, even with her good humour, even when she should have been distracted by other things like her own appearance. Perhaps it would have been quietened enough by her delight at the dress, or even remained so while she scolded her friend but then he said that he was buying her silence and she rocked back on her heels, stunned. She gaped at him, unable to believe the implications of that single sentence. Even though he was grinning away at her, she couldn't believe that he jokingly talking about bribing her and sure enough, he wasn't.
"Caius, are you serious? Did you think I was going to climb to the highest rooftop and roar it at the top of my lungs or something?" the blonde asked, staring at him with a mix of disbelief and indignation. The Burhan found it difficult to believe that he thought she was so loose-tongued. She would have thought that he knew her better than that. After all, how many things did she know about that she'd never breathed a word about? She'd certainly never said anything about their own dealings with one another. The noblewoman knew how to keep a secret, she wasn't a gossip or a rumourmonger!
The blonde was ready to rip his head off over it but she saw the panic in his expression, fleeting though it was, and her eyes expression softened, eyes shifting to lilac. She regarded him silently for a few moments before she responded softly, "I won't say anything, Caius." Her gaze fell, the young woman unusually quiet as she considered what his request conveyed. The Gawyne truly cared about Darcy, cared very much about her, perhaps even more than he was willing to admit or could convey. Perhaps it was love after all. It certainly seemed to be something powerful.
She eyed the dress that she wore and the gorgeous pair of heels, reluctant to acquiesce to the man but also desperate to possess the items. The blonde could keep her mouth shut because she always would have done so, not simply due to the "present" that he was providing her with. However, despite the fact that she'd allow men to pay for things like drinks for her, she wasn't thrilled at the idea of this sort of gift, especially when it hadn't been called for.
"It's a loan, understand? I'll pay you back when I'm a bit more... financially stable. I mean it, Caius. I don't want you to think that I need- It's just a loan," she promised, assuring herself more than anyone else. She turned on her heel, marching toward the changing room so she could get back into her street clothes. When that was done, she returned with the dress draped carefully over her arm and the heels dangling from her grasp.
"I'll take these please, Ericor. If you'd be so kind as to wrap them appropriately," she ordered politely, thrusting the items into the clothier's hands. With that done, she turned her attention back to Caius, flipping her hair back over her shoulder, a steely grey glint to her gaze.
"As I'm sure you're aware, Lord Gawyne, I've never been one to gossip. Your sister has always trusted me as a confidante," Valeria informed him coolly, making it clear that he'd struck a nerve with her.
"Did any of us think things through at sixteen? Fates, do we think things through now?" she asked with a laugh. Still, the niggling continued, even with her good humour, even when she should have been distracted by other things like her own appearance. Perhaps it would have been quietened enough by her delight at the dress, or even remained so while she scolded her friend but then he said that he was buying her silence and she rocked back on her heels, stunned. She gaped at him, unable to believe the implications of that single sentence. Even though he was grinning away at her, she couldn't believe that he jokingly talking about bribing her and sure enough, he wasn't.
"Caius, are you serious? Did you think I was going to climb to the highest rooftop and roar it at the top of my lungs or something?" the blonde asked, staring at him with a mix of disbelief and indignation. The Burhan found it difficult to believe that he thought she was so loose-tongued. She would have thought that he knew her better than that. After all, how many things did she know about that she'd never breathed a word about? She'd certainly never said anything about their own dealings with one another. The noblewoman knew how to keep a secret, she wasn't a gossip or a rumourmonger!
The blonde was ready to rip his head off over it but she saw the panic in his expression, fleeting though it was, and her eyes expression softened, eyes shifting to lilac. She regarded him silently for a few moments before she responded softly, "I won't say anything, Caius." Her gaze fell, the young woman unusually quiet as she considered what his request conveyed. The Gawyne truly cared about Darcy, cared very much about her, perhaps even more than he was willing to admit or could convey. Perhaps it was love after all. It certainly seemed to be something powerful.
She eyed the dress that she wore and the gorgeous pair of heels, reluctant to acquiesce to the man but also desperate to possess the items. The blonde could keep her mouth shut because she always would have done so, not simply due to the "present" that he was providing her with. However, despite the fact that she'd allow men to pay for things like drinks for her, she wasn't thrilled at the idea of this sort of gift, especially when it hadn't been called for.
"It's a loan, understand? I'll pay you back when I'm a bit more... financially stable. I mean it, Caius. I don't want you to think that I need- It's just a loan," she promised, assuring herself more than anyone else. She turned on her heel, marching toward the changing room so she could get back into her street clothes. When that was done, she returned with the dress draped carefully over her arm and the heels dangling from her grasp.
"I'll take these please, Ericor. If you'd be so kind as to wrap them appropriately," she ordered politely, thrusting the items into the clothier's hands. With that done, she turned her attention back to Caius, flipping her hair back over her shoulder, a steely grey glint to her gaze.
"As I'm sure you're aware, Lord Gawyne, I've never been one to gossip. Your sister has always trusted me as a confidante," Valeria informed him coolly, making it clear that he'd struck a nerve with her.