Ciel cringed, hearing the front door slam shut from all the way in his office. His fiancee had arrived, unexpectedly, as usual. With a sigh, he motioned for Sebastian to open the door to his study before Elizabeth managed to somehow rip the expensive crafting from its hinges. In less than a second later he found himself drowning in his fiancee's curls as she constricted the air from his lungs in a brutal parody of a 'hug'.
"Oh Ciel I have missed you so much!" Her shrill voice assaulted his ears.
"Hello, Elizabeth," he wheezed as she finally released him.
"I've been so lonely, Ciel! With Edward gone and Mother so focused on her duties I've had no one at all, of course except for Paula, but I'm with her all of the time, her company cannot compare to that of my loved ones!" Ciel rolled his eyes at his fiancee's babbling. Since she had decided to visit, that meant that he was not going to be able to get any work done for however long she had decided to stay this time. He could only hope that her mother would be along to collect her before things got as out of hand as last time. Finny was still sneezing out glitter from time to time and one of Snake's snakes still had rhinestones glued to its scales.
"Yes, yes, it's nice to see you too, though I wish you would call before barging into my house."
"Oh but that would take the surprise out of it!"
"Yes, but it would allow us to better prepare for your arrival."
"No need, I won't be staying long, I just wanted to give you a little present! Paula!"
"Yes, my lady." Paula, who had finally made it up the stairs, handed Elizabeth a small white box, which she subsequently placed on the Earl's desk.
"Open it!" She squealed, her smile almost breaking her face in half. Ciel blinked in confusion,
"Well, now, what's this for? It's not my birthday."
"It doesn't matter, just open it!"
"Alright, alright." He leaned forward and briefly examined the box. There was nothing very remarkable about it. A royal blue ribbon decorated the top and served to keep the box closed, he suspected, and he could just barely smell the scent of something sweet in the air. With Elizabeth practically bouncing in anticipation, he wasted no time pulling the ribbon loose and opening the little box.
Inside sat a small tart.
"Well, well?" Elizabeth squeaked, her voice getting even higher. "Isn't it just the cutest thing? I saw it and thought of you immediately!" The tart was decorated with blueberries surrounding a bouquet of blackberries in the middle.
"It's lovely, Elizabeth, thank you very much."
"Won't you try it?" In a blink of an eye, Sebastian was offering him a small dessert fork. Ciel took it and with no hesitation took a piece from the middle of the tart. The differing flavors and textures exploded on Ciel's tongue catching him and tossing him among an ocean of sweet berries, cream, and a hint of citrus. Every bit was an adventure in which he was taken further and further into that ocean until he was sure he would drown, but he did not feel panic when confronted with that concept, instead he felt warm, and almost happy. When he found himself again, the tart was gone, not even a crumb remaining. He looked up to find Elizabeth's face beaming at him.
"You loved it! I knew you would! I can get you more if you like!" Ciel coughed, embarrassed.
"Ah, there's no need, where did you say you got this, Elizabeth?"
"Well, I heard of this cute little shop where, if you describe your love to the owner, she will make a special pastry for them that expresses your love for them in the most perfect way! Isn't that just the cutest little thing?"
"A pastry that expresses your love?"
"Yes! She even let me watch her make it so I knew it would be perfect for you!"
"Did she now? Perhaps I should return the favor and pay her a little visit then." Elizabeth's reaction to that was not unexpected. Her eyes widened and then began to fill with tears and then she pounced on her fiance once more, all the while screaming "You do love me!" repeatedly, at the top of her lungs. Ciel once more was subjected to the less than pleasant sensation of drowning, but despite it all, this time he decided to hug her back.
Elizabeth left as suddenly as she came. Apparently she had her lessons to attend to, and her mother most certainly would not tolerate her missing them. This left Ciel to return to his work, or at least attempt to. He could still taste that tart on his tongue, and his mind kept wandering back to it. He honestly hoped that Lizzie brought more with her the next time she visited, and that she visited again soon.
"You seem distracted, Young Master," Sebastian addressed him. It took Ciel some effort to focus again on the document in front of him,
"I'm feeling a bit tired," he responded, resting his head on his hand.
"Ah, yes. Keeping up with Lady Elizabeth's amount of energy can be tiring. Though I don't think that is what is on your mind."
"No? Then do tell me what is on my mind then."
"I can easily recreate whatever was in that tart that you enjoyed so much," Sebastian placed another stack of paper on his master's desk, "though the berries may pose a slight problem since they are out of season." Ciel raised an eyebrow at this,
"Are you saying that this poses a challenge for the great butler of Phantomhive?"
"Of course not, Young Master," Sebastian replied, bowing low.
"Good. Then I order you to make me one of those tarts."
"Yes, My Lord."