I remember losing hope

Claude could spend an eternity in that room, she didn’t want it to end. For a few brief moments her life was bright and warm, but soon the sunlight would fade, and she would go back to the dreariness that was her life.

The gears were spinning in her brain as he spoke about the place. Could she get away, did she dare? With the blight over travel was mostly back to normal. She had heard Geralt talking about going to check on some of their vineyards in other parts of the kingdom. There would be spies to content with, but what was that but a little challenge. Besides, what if he did find out, how much worse could her life possibly get.

I could offer to check on things since the blight is over. See how the estate faired. Geralt should be travelling next week, if he sticks to his schedule. Was it too good to hope for, would she jinx it if she did? She nodded about the crossword. It was one of her rituals she’d kept after they’d been forced to part ways and she’d been forced to marry Geralt.

Of course, it’s a suitable manner for me to keep my wits about me. It’s also a little piece of you that I carry with me, in silent defiance to Geralt. She nestled into his arms, wanting more, but knowing she’d have to wait was almost torture, but a good kind of torture for once.