*WARNING: This blog is intended for a mature audience. Its contents may include adult situations, violence and sensitive issues that some people might find disturbing. Please read at your own discretion.

18 December 2013

A Pair of Brown Eyes: Chapter 15 (and...)


"Aren't you glad we're finished for the day?" Andrew sighed, approaching Claire as she opened the clinic's door after ushering their last patient out. "I, for one, am compeletely tired out. Would you care to join me for a cup of tea before you go? I have some spare cookies my housekeeper baked for me the other day."

She just kept staring at him, not saying anything; then she nodded, while she endearingly bit her lower lip.

Andrew closed the door behind them, and attempted to bring in conversation again. "So, how have you been doing with your rehearsals lately? Are you going to play some songs of yours?"

"Y-yes." Claire answered, tentatively. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you I was going to perform at..."


He let out a small chuckle, dismissing her apology. "It's alright. Say you forgive me for having been so rude to you and we're even." But Andrew couldn't deny he had been a little hurt. Why couldn't she show more confidence in him? She wouldn't have told him anything at all? "Besides, you can make it up to me by playing at the festival as beautifully as you did at my sister's." He then shot her a warm smile. "And speaking of Ethel, who knows what she might have been telling you about me? I'm not the ogre she takes me for." He teased. "And if you'll excuse me for using such a lame excuse for my behaviour at her home the other day, I must own that sometimes her remarks get the best of me."

Claire stifled a laugh and remarked, "she says you're a great man."

Andrew knew his sister too well to believe Claire's words wholeheartedly. "I'm sure that's not the only thing she has been telling you." Andrew sincerely hoped that Ethel had not vexed Claire too much with her exuberant, medlesome ways, but he couldn't say he blamed her entirely if she had. Perhaps he could use her matchmaking abilities. "Anyway, are you of the same opinion?"


"Oh, yes!" Andrew's teasing was surprisingly rewarded by that unguarded response and a smile on her part. Faint as it was, it was a smile nonetheless. "I mean-" Claire never ended her sentence, as she froze and started to blush, apparently ashamed of her earlier enthusiasm.

"Good!" He was beaming. "Then, will you show a little more trust in me in the future? Everything you do interests me."

Claire looked at him self-consciously for a brief moment, then away again.

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When Andrew re-entered the clinic a few minutes later to tell Claire that a cup of tea was awaiting them at the dining room, he found her looking out of the window, absent-mindedly staring at the horizon as he had seen her doing in so many previous occasions. There was always that sad but dignified look about her that Andrew had come to love so much.

"Claire?" He softly called after her. At the mention of her name, she turned on her heels and gently began to walk in his direction.


By how her hands swiftly moved along her hips as she walked, Andrew could tell that, for once, she had dropped that careful, studied way of hers, and her demeanour had significantly softened.


And she was smiling again! That made twice in a row! It was obvious he had taken her off guard, and Andrew was in complete awe to finally get a glimpse of what he thought was her natural self. It still amazed him how strikingly beautiful she looked whenever she smiled. If only those amazing eyes of hers were smiling too...


She was now standing in front of him, her smile already on the verge of becoming her usual poor attempt of a smirk. Andrew didn't want that to happen, and suddenly felt the irresistible urge to take her hand in his to bring her closer. He was pleasantly surprised that her hand, shaky as it was, made no attempt to budge from his hold as he tenderly brought it to his chest.

"Oh, Claire," he spoke her name again, pulling her even closer to him. He immediately felt her arms wandering freely down his waist as he lowered his head to meet hers.


There was very little Andrew could do not to kiss her, and he was not about to lose his opportunity now that he had her exactly where he wanted her, right in his arms. He pressed his lips to hers, softly caressing them. Seeing as she didn't stir, Andrew took his chance one step further and gently parted her lips with his tongue to grant him full access to her mouth. Once again, he was met with no resistance. Yes, her body was still quivering, but with an eagerness she hadn't shown the first time he'd kissed her. This time she was actually kissing him back, and Andrew couldn't even begin to describe how happy this made him.

When they parted, they were both out of breath.

"Oh, Claire!" Andrew inwardly chastised himself for not coming with a better response. It seemed as though this was the only thing he was uttering the whole evening. He quickly recovered, however. "My beautiful Claire. Such a lovely flower..."


The spell, if there had been one, was broken the moment Andrew said that last sentence, as Claire suddenly stiffened and broke apart from his embrace. "I'm no flower."

Why the sudden change in her expression? Andrew couldn't understand what he had said to cause her distress, and why she was looking at him as if... No, it couldn't possibly be! Andrew immediately brushed off that idea. It was absurd that she should be scared of him! No, of course not. It wasn't that what he read in her eyes at that moment. It was most likely just guilt. Her pained expression told him that she was probably not ready yet to be kissing another man so shortly after her husband's death.

How he longed to be able to cause such pain. But Andrew felt immediately ashamed of his own thoughtlessness. It must have been very hard for Claire to lose a husband, especially when she was still blooming with youth. And it must have been even harder, if he had been any close to her age, to have witnessed him meet such an untimely death. But what did Andrew know about the whole matter? He suddenly realised he knew anything about her marriage, and there were so many things he needed to know.


"I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that you've..." Andrew did his best to hide his disappointment behind a fake smile. "I don't think I've ever given you my condolences over your loss."

"My loss?" Claire looked at him questioningly. "Oh, you mean my..." she swallowed. "...husband..." There was a short pause and then she spoke again. "Thank you!"

"Had you been married for long?"


Her answer was hesitant. "Yes."

"I don't mean to pry, but, how did he die? I hope he didn't suffer."

This time her response came with a bitter undertone to it. "I don't think I ever saw him suffering. Not once in my life." And with that she was lost in thought again.

Andrew sighed heavily. He could understand this was a sore subject for Claire, but why did she have to talk about it in such a cryptic manner?

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Under normal circumstances, Andrew would be excited about this trip, but after what had happened between Claire and himself the previous evening, he was in no mood to go fishing.

He shouldn't feel jealous of the dead, that much he knew! It was unwise, unkind and useless. He understood she needed time to heal, but feeling like her second best wasn't a pleasant emotion, -one he wasn't sure to overcome-, and his patience was growing thin. This woman was destined to drive him insane!


He was glad it was still early for meeting Jack and their friend at the club. It meant he had still time for a quick stroll in the woods before the sun rose. Riding his faithful stallion at full speed was exactly what he needed at that moment to appease his ruffled mind.

Andrew spurred his horse encouraging him to go faster, as both sped deeper into the night.




Chapter 16Chapter 14



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Author's noteIf anyone is wondering about Claire's reaction to being called a flower, Chapter 09 will give you the answer: it's actually not the first time someone calls her such ;-(.

Okay, and now...

You didn't think I had forgotten Christmas is just around the corner, right? ;-)







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"En Nuey chelada" is a Christmas carol from my homeland that I hope you'll like. You can play it while you browse through these pics of my "staff" wishing you a Merry Christmas. Oh, and for those Spanish-learners out there, it's alright for you not to understand the lyrics, because it is NOT sung in Spanish ;-).

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Lots of hugs and best wishes for everyone,

Marta.

45 comments:

  1. *waves* *hugs* Merry Christmas! I'm listening to the carol as I type this. XD
    The chapter was so bittersweet and I felt sad for Andrew. He keeps trying and simply because Claire hasn't told him much about "him" he keeps unknowingly messing up. The kiss... ahhh. LOL. It was so sweet, but despite that, I was a bit scared that Claire's relaxed manner was because she was shutting down again and letting Andrew do what he wanted to her, but when she became stiff, I was unsure again. However, I do think she finally realized a little bit,, at least, that she doesn't need to be scared of Andrew.
    Beautiful pictures at the end! =D

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    1. Hehe, Merry Christmas to you too! I'm glad you were listening to the carol because it means it plays well. It's the first time I embed an audio clip, so I wasn't really sure ;-). Hope you liked it :-D.

      Poor Andrew, I feel so bad for him :-(. But..., I think Claire enjoyed the kiss, as much as she can, anyway. Andrew may be misinterpreting a lot of things but..., I do believe he has, *ahem*, enough experience in that department to know if a girl is kissing him back ;-).

      Thanks for reading and for your compliment on my pics :-D.

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  2. Aww poor Claire. Every time I see her I just want to give her a hug. :( I'm assuming the rapist bastard must have referred to her as a flower for her to have such a negative reaction to the term.

    Man Andrew has it bad and he's so unsure of Claire's reactions to him. Boy, when/if he learns her background things will become super clear for him. But also I see him feeling like a bit of an ass, he already does for making moves on her while she's still in 'mourning'. I so want her to be happy but she's so scared. That comment she made about him not suffering, you could hear the anger she had towards him, and with good reason!

    Loved, loved, loved the Christmas pictures. I always think your shots are so pretty! :)

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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    1. Awww, I'm glad you want to give her a hug, she's in every need of a lot of those, poor girl :-(. Yes, he did: Chapter 09, I gave the link in my author's note ;-).

      Unfortunately he doesn't (yet) know anything about Claire's history, so her reactions will continue to bewilder him :-(. Yes, he feels guilty, and jealous, then guilty again... He has his share of conflicting emotions, I guess. And I'm not done with him yet *rolls eyes*. Oh, there was a lot of anger in her comment, that's for sure.

      Merry Christmas to you too! Thank you for reading and for complimenting my pics :-D.

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  3. So happy to see Claire let her guard down with Andrew, even if it was inadvertently at first. She and Andrew had such a beautiful, tender moment. Love how happy Andrew was that Claire actually kissed him back, finally. Then everything had to get ruined by Andrew calling Claire a term of endearment that was anything but dear to her. Man, just when Andrew caught a break, Claire's walls go right back up. I hope Claire is able to open up to someone, whether Andrew or Ethel, about what happened to her. Claire's going to have an awfully hard time moving forward otherwise, and Andrew will probably keep scaring her off without even realizing it. I want to see those two together. If you move all the baggage out of their way, I think they'd make a great couple.

    Awesome job with the Christmas pictures! I particularly love the profiles shot. Thank you for putting Andrew right in front where I can get a good look at him. I assume that was my Christmas gift from you. ;)

    Merry Christmas to you & yours, Marta!

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    1. Their moment was very sweet <3, I felt bad for 'ruining' it at the end, but I needed it that way LOL. Andrew was so happy for a moment... Hopefully, there'll come a time when Claire can open up to someone, but that's not in her cards for the time being :-(... Besides, I'm going with the assumption that back in those days, confessing such a thing would be a kind of a social stigma (as if being battered was her fault and she deserved it somehow). Aww, they'd make a great couple, wouldn't they? <3

      LOL! Why did I have the feeling you'd comment on THAT pic? I'm glad you liked it, and all the others, for that matter. Thanks for the compliment :-D

      Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas to you too! :-D

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    2. LOL ... It's funny ... you don't know me at all, and yet you know me SO well. ;) I simply appreciate a handsome man, even if he's only a figment of my imagination, inspired by a sim and a creative story. Claire's very pretty as well. Alas, it's the men who capture my attention, as always. :P

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    3. Hehe, I know, it's funny. And you're right: I don't know you, and somehow, when I was shooting THAT pic, I was thinking of you, seriously. The Internet is mostly a strange -sometimes scary, but mostly exciting- 'place'.

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  4. Wonderful Christmas shots! I'm always marveling at Claire, she is so pretty! :)

    It was nice to see Claire finally acting comfortable around Andrew, and she even did a little initiating there with the hands on his waist. ;)
    Auuuugggh poor word choice on that part of cluelesss Andrew, poor guy! She needs so badly to come clean about her past, it is really tying her up trying to hide it. The longer she holds it inside the longer it will have a hold on her life.

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    1. Awww, thanks for the compliment! And I'm glad you like Claire's looks :-).

      Oh, yes, she's actually feeling a tiny, little bit more comfortable when Andrew is around, which is a really big step for her.

      She needs so badly to confide in someone, poor girl... But, we'll have to wait and see ;-).

      Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas! :-D

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  5. I get so excited when there is a new update on this story. This story is truly a gem. I couldn't tell you enough how much I enjoy reading this. You are talented and have me hooked. Right when Andrew called Claire a flower I KNEW right away that would effect her the way it did. How awful. :( I feel bad for Andrew because he has no idea why such an innocent compliment would effect her so. I just want to give Claire a big hug, and Andrew too....:(
    Also those Christmas shots were awesome!!!!
    (Lets see if it will even let me post this comment. I'm still having issues with blogger for some reason :(

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    1. You seriously want to make me blush, right? You're too sweet... :-D.

      It's so awful..., poor Andrew, of all the terms of endearment he could have used, he had to come up with THAT one! I should stop caring so much about him, because I feel so guilty for making him say that, LOL.

      Thanks for reading and for your nice compliments, you made my day! And Merry Christmas! :-D

      PS: At least, I see you've found my Wordpress site ;-).

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  6. One step forward, two steps back. Oh Claire. He didn't know. And I'm really rooting for Andrew's patience. Bless him.

    Love your Christmas shots! So pretty!

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    1. Hehehe, love this comment. You wonderfully captured the essence of the chapter :-).

      Thanks for reading and for the compliment. Merry Christmas! :-D

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  7. Aww, cute christmas scene! <3 What language is this song, out of interest?
    Have a great christmas! :D

    I already knew why she freaked out over flower!! Well, ok, I didn't catch it immediately, but when she looked scared and stepped back I realised why.
    I'm so glad she responded and they kissed properly!! But I really want to know about Claire's husband now please! And I think Andrew does too... He doesn't want to keep ruining the mood!

    That last line sounds ominous! I really hope Andrew isn't about to die!! :O

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    1. Oh, it's called Cheso, a lesser known language sparsely spoken in some areas along the Pyrenees :-D.

      I'm glad you caught that, as I was unsure how that part would turn out. Oh, yes they kissed! It may not seem much, but it's a big, big step for Claire. Sadly enough, that's as much of an initiative as she can take at the moment, but it's something already...

      LOL! Well, it was meant to sound rather dark, but he's not going to die, I promise! ;-)

      Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas :-D.

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  8. Andrew can't hope to have a relationship with Claire like he thinks he wants without knowing why she folds into herself so often.
    She surprised me with kissing him, then fell apart when he spoke on his feelings and thoughts. So sad. She had such a bad time of things when she was younger and will need a lot more than just distance and a new name to ease the memory. She really needs to confide in someone, and I think that Andrew would be the person best able to help her. But she won't let him. :(

    Cute Christmas pictures :) Happy, safe Christmas!

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    1. Yes, you're right. The main problem here is that he 'thinks' he knows the reason behind her reactions, and comes to all the wrong conclusions.

      That's simply because she's very conflicted and feels a million different things at the same time -or that is what I wanted to convey, anyway. Unfortunately, she's still far from being able to confide in anyone :-(.

      Thanks for reading and Happy Christmas to you too! I'm glad you liked the pics :-D.

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  9. Poor Andrew is so in the dark, fumbling to try to figure Claire out. Until she learns to trust him, that can't happen. And she'sso damaged by her husband, I fear it will be a long time before she can trust. =(

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    1. Unfortunately, that's how things are at the moment, yes. Taking one step at a time, fumbling and tumbling all the while... :-(.

      Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays! :-D

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  10. I just found this story today and I instantly fell in love with it! Your writing is beautiful. I love your style and I love your characters. Normally I don't go for non-modern settings because a lot of writers won't be able to make them feel natural and believable, but even back at the first chapter your story was enticing. I'm thrilled to add it to my list of sims stories I watch for updates!

    Claire is so beautiful! All your sims are but she is especially. I keep changing my theory on what happened to her husband. Now I am speculating that she found a way to escape, hence the secret bank account and name change, or else she killed him. I love her and Andrew together. I hope she can see he's a good guy sooner rather than later. I really feel for her distrust, though. She's never had a good experience with a man, so why should she just blindly expect to now?

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  11. My gosh! I just read on your disclaimer that you're not even a native English speaker! To write so well in a foreign language is even more impressive!

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    1. Wow, your comment(s) just made my day :-D.

      Your especulations concerning Claire's husband are very interesting, I always love reading people's theories :-D. And sadly, it's very difficult for her to trust a man :-(.

      And, no, I'm not a native speaker, which makes me weary and self-conscious most of the time, so your words are really, really appreciated :-D.

      Thanks for reading and for your lovely comment.

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  12. Love the Christmas pics. But getting on to the good stuff lol, I hope that Claire can let her guard down an learn to love Andrew as he could make her happy. I think though if you had a bad past and bad experiences with men, it is hard to trust. Andrew should just slow down and try to learn about Claire little by little, or he risks pushing her away for good. He needs to proceed with kid gloves. Also Claire needs to judge Andrew on who he is not on the people from her past who hurt her. Not every man is a jerk (most lol j/k) but not all.

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    1. Agreed, that's what Andrew should do! But what he'll ACTUALLY do is a different matter altogether... As for Claire, she's slowly processing things, but there's still a long way for her to walk. And, no, not all men are jerks, hehe ;-).

      Thanks for reading and Happy New Year! :-D

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  13. I hope Andrew keeps trying. Oh, but, I know he will. I agree with whoever said it above, one step forward, two steps back, always, with these two.

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    1. Oh, yes, he has to keep trying -or else my story would end in no time, hehe. Hopefully they will eventually break free from that spiraling pattern they've been attempting so far...

      Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year! :-D

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  14. Oooh Andrew is in a tricky situation. He could try to pry for more information about her Husband because it is relevant information but it will bring up bad memories for her! I think he should leave the subject alone though.

    Heh, and he said he felt like her second best...if he only knew! He needs to remain persistent but patient at the same time! I mean he's made a lot of progress thus far and it is far too late for him to give up on her now. I doubt he'd give up any ways...

    The Christmas pictures were great and I figured that wasn't Spanish :P

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  15. Perhaps Andrew should stop prying, then again it's just natural for him to want to know... *sighs* Yes, as you said, he's in a tricky situation.

    He might be suffering from the worst case of misplaced jealousy in history ;-)! Keeping trying is the only thing for him to do, though...

    So you did, eh? Hehe. Well, it does sound a lot like Spanish... but it is not! I'm glad you liked the pics.

    Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year! :-D

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  16. Loved this update!!! And is something going to happen in those woods while he is taking a break galloping? ;)

    Andrew loves Claire so much, ha ha ha, he can't wait to be with her poor guy. Hopefully it all ends well for him, because he is one of the best male leads I have read on sims stories so far. I love him. I want to see him happy, and I also wish Claire to be happy. Okay enough with the wishes... can't wait for chapter 16 ^ ^

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    1. :-D. Hehe, no worries there, nothing bad is going to happen to 'our' Andrew. I promise! ;-)

      Aww, you're really rooting for him, aren't you? It means a lot to me that my characters can elicit such strong responses from people.

      Thanks for reading -you just put a big, big smile on my face- and Happy (belated) New Year!

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    2. You are killing me!!! ha ha ha. I hope I'm not doing the same to you with my story... every time I feel like I can't wait to read a chapter from someone's story I remember how I don't update mine so often as I should. :(
      But seriously, I miss Andrew already. :D

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    3. Hehe, I'm so glad Andrew has found such a great fan :-D. And I won't make any promises, but hopefully I'll have next chapter out by the middle/end of next week ;-).

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  17. LOL @ "I have some spare cookies my housekeeper baked for me the other day." It doesn't get original than that. Very smooth, Doctor, very smooth.

    Things were going so well until the flower business. I figured as much that it was a trigger for Claire, and I think in a way too since she was violated in so many ways, I don't think she sees herself as beautiful or deserving of the endearment. I could be wrong.
    Anyway, with that out of the way, I really enjoyed their moment, especially their kiss. It's just too bad that Claire doesn't feel confident and comfortable enough to open herself to Andrew. Her shutting him out and protecting her heart could lead to so many misunderstanding and a lot of things left unsaid.

    Enjoyed, very much!

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    1. LOL. I needed a good 'excuse' for him to invite her, and -since I assumed he wouldn't cook, let alone bake- that's what I came up with ;-).

      Oh, you are not wrong. Claire's mind is conflicted in so many ways. Feeling herself ugly, and worthless in general, is one of them :-(. Besides, being called a flower reminded her of something... :-(

      Aww, I'm glad you enjoyed it. At the moment, Claire doesn't quite understand her own feelings, so it's unlikely she'll open up to him anytime soon. Let's hope the whole thing won't lead to many misunderstandings...

      Thanks for reading. I loved your comment :-D.

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  18. It's so brilliant to come back from the holiday break to have this treat waiting for me! Claire is so pretty, it's no wonder Andrew can't resist ;-) Can't wait to see how their story develops ... PS - Happy (belated) New Year!

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    1. Aww, so happy you think of this as a treat :-D. Claire is difficult to resist, right?

      Thanks for reading and Happy not-so-New Year to you too :-D!

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  19. Ah yes, I remembered her rapist calling her a flower. Poor Andrew. There really is so much he doesn't know. I hope in time she can find a way to tell him.

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    1. Aww, poor Andrew. He was just letting his heart speak, totally unaware of how such an innocent endearment would affect her :-(.

      Thank you for reading :-D.

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  20. The second he said "flower" my heart sank. Ugh! If only he knew. Poor guy keeps trying but he's doing things that trigger memories and feelings for her. I hope she gives him a clue about why she's behaves like this sometimes or at least he figures it out some other way.

    Really sweet Christmas pictures! :)

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    1. Poor Andrew is unfortunately clueless as to what he's just done to her. But how can he guess...? :-(

      Thanks for reading, and for your compliment on mi pics :-).

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  21. This chapter makes me sad. They will never be together as long as she's keeping such a huge secret. I'm not partial to flowers myself...

    On another note: Love the song, is it Portuguese?

    And something I meant to mention earlier. I love that the girls are always dressed alike. It's so cute!

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    1. They still have a long way to go...

      It's not Portuguese, but close enough. It's Aragonese, a dying language spoken in some valleys of the Pyrenees.

      Hehe, I always have so much fun dressing the children alike. Glad you like it :-).

      And, as usual, thanks for reading.

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    2. I often see myself wondering about Andrew's intentions with Claire. Is he just trying to seduce her, because she always places herself out of reach? Does he consider her a mere challenge, or is he falling in love?

      Because he is entranced with her beauty, but what else? Her talent as a pianist? Her ways with children and patients? But then, there is little less he can fall for, since she is so reserved, so distant. But then I recall this is another epoch, and people were much more discreet about themselves, and falling in love must have been based on subtler things.

      In fact, this is not going well, is it? Andrew is falling for a stranger, and a stranger who hides behind so many lies. Of course Claire has her reasons to be doing so, but still... It's going to bring her so many problems in the future.

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    3. Well, the reasons why any of us falls in love are usually a mystery, even to ourselves, and this is what I was trying to portray in Andrew's evolving feelings towards Claire. Does he like the challenge of bringing down the wall she's built around herself? Probably so. Is he falling in love with her? I'm inclined to think he is. Is he charmed by her looks? Definitely. But I think it's her brown eyes that are actually telling him all the things he needs to know, only they do so ever so subtly he can scarcely "hear" them.

      But, you're right, Claire is still very much a stranger to him, and this might bring many problems and misunderstandings in the future...

      Thanks so much for reading, and for such relevant and insightful comments :-).

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