DrabbleWriMo 6: Vein

[igenlode]

So I decided *not* to jump all the way ahead in the plot to the episode where de Brencourt manages to shoot the Marquis in the arm but miss the artery :-p
I'm still at a loss as to what I'm going to do tomorrow with the prompt 'secretary'... and I'm hesitating to read on in the second half of the book, because I don't want to get to the tragic parts :-(

He'd meant the lie only as a surgical operation, to cut her free, not to wound.

And in all probability it was not a lie. De Trélan might very well be dead, for all anyone knew -- he crushed down his own recent suspicions with a ruthless hand -- and in any case clearly cared nothing for the wife he had abandoned.

But Valentine lay senseless in his arms, the great vein at her temple pulsing beneath the too-pale skin, and caught between remorse and desire he dared do no more than press his lips against the soft wisps of greying hair.