A/N: This was written for a Secret Santa two months ago lol but I forgot to crosspost it.
Strolling down the bustling streets of London with a concerned Paula trailing after her, Lizzy's smile was as radiant as the Sun; the gloomy London fog hardly deterred her cheery attitude. She had just finished a fitting session with Nina for her new Spring attire. Nina's innovative and stylish designs had already stirred an overpowering feeling of joy in Lizzy's chest, but the fact that they had finished nearly an hour ahead of schedule left her practically skipping down the cobblestone street. Had it not been for her mother's training, she most likely would have been skipping, gossiping old ladies be damned.
"M-my lady, shouldn't we return to the carriage?" Paula stammered meekly, wringing her hands together nervously.
Lizzy paused, then pivoted on her heel to smile at her attendant. "But Paula," she emphasized, throwing her hands up into the air with a wild flourish. "My piano lessons are cancelled today and we've finished up at the seamstress's nearly an hour early. I'm not expected home until six since Mother's gone out to visit the Crawfords and Father was summoned by Her Majesty."
"If Lord Edward hears about this…"
"He'll be fine," Lizzy dismissed, her emerald green eyes twinkling. "Besides, he's too preoccupied with his Weston prefect duties to be extensively monitoring his little sister. How about we go shopping?"
Paula bit her lip nervously, unconvinced. "But…"
"Oh, come on, Paula," Lizzy wheedled, tugging on her attendant's sleeve. "I haven't been out and around in forever."
Under Lizzy's beseeching look, the mousy brown haired woman relented, shoulders slumping. "Please, at least stay by my side, young miss," Paula pleaded, knowing that it was already a lost cause.
Lizzy beamed. "I'll do my best. Thank you, Paula."
The attendant blushed under her praise, bobbing her head and shuffling after her enthusiastic charge. The blonde turned around and began admiring the displays in the store windows, her smile not faltering the slightest bit...even when a group of chattering girls in pointed high heels and fashionable maroon dresses walked past her.
"My, isn't this beautiful, Paula?" Lizzy breathed, her hand reaching out to touch the glass before abruptly dropping back to her side. She didn't want to smear the glass with her fingertips. Instead, her eyes trailed the cerulean dress wistfully, appreciating every subtle detail from the lacy ruffled neckline to the pleated out-layer skirt.
"The shade would certainly suit your eyes," Paula agreed amiably, her demeanor softening and anxiousness melting away from observing her charge's blatant happiness. The two lingered in front of the store, unsure if purchasing the dress would be a betrayal of Nina's trust. Fortunately, their musing was cut off by a familiar voice.
"My, my, what do we have here?"
Lizzy stiffened, then whipped around abruptly and squealed, "Sebastian! How are you? Are you here with Ciel?"
To his credit, the Phantomhive butler hardly flinched, despite the proximity and high pitch of Lizzy's squeal. His smile did, however, minisculely twitch. "Lady Elizabeth," he acknowledged, bowing deeply. There was a deceptively innocent smile on his face as he informed her, "I've just finished some errands and am doing well, thank you. I see you are in good health as well. The young master is in London for some business matters. "
"Business matters?" Lizzy echoed, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes. "I don't suppose said business matters relate to that dreadful incident on the Campania, do they?"
"Of course not. That case is closed," Sebastian answered smoothly, not faltering the slightest under Lizzy's penetrating stare. For what seemed like the hundredth time, Lizzy wished that she had her mother's ability to effortlessly exude confidence and coolness. Even though Lizzy was steadily working to become as physically strong as her mother, she still had much to learn when it came to the finer subtleties of conversation. Intimidation? Seduction? Hah, the thought of Lizzy successfully performing either of those techniques was laughable.
"And is the matter which Ciel is attending to extremely urgent?" Lizzy persisted.
Sebastian paused.
Although he did not answer her question, his hesitation was enough. "May you take us to him?" Lizzy requested, giving the Phantomhive butler her most innocent smile. "Somehow, I'm inclined to thinking that Ciel hasn't had much time to relax and enjoy himself. He needs to take a break every once in awhile, you know."
"My lady!"
Paula's exclamation was nothing more than a token protest: Lizzy knew that her attendant silently agreed with the sentiment. Not only that, but Lizzy also knew that her attendant cared greatly for her happiness. And Lizzy's happiness...
Her happiness lay with Ciel.
Sebastian studied her unwavering expression, searching for something. Evidently, he found what he was looking for, as he bowed once more. "As you wish: I shall lead you to where my lord is currently located. Shall I call a carriage?"
"Is it far?"
"Not particularly, my lady."
"Then no, we walk," Lizzy decided firmly. "Ciel needs to come outside more, anyways."
Sebastian's lips twitched upwards into a roguish smirk. Lizzy envied the butler's chiseled face and pale complexion: sometimes it felt as if she was dealing with a being of perfection rather than an actual, flawed human. "Please follow me. If you have any other requests, please feel free to inform me and I shall perform my utmost best to follow them through."
The walk hardly took more than four minutes, but the sheer complexity of the route they took captivated Lizzy completely. Turns, twists, and past the more expensive London districts they went. Evidently, Ciel wasn't at his usual London abode.
Abruptly, Sebastian halted in his tracks. Lizzy nearly bumped into him, having mindlessly followed the raven-haired butler for the past few minutes, but her instincts honed from fencing saved her. Instead of colliding into the butler, she nimbly darted to the left, leaping over a muddy puddle and landing safely on dry cobblestone.
"My apologies, Lady Elizabeth. We have arrived," Sebastian informed her, gesturing to the café before him. "May I enter and inform him of your presence?"
"That would be great. Thank you," Lizzy acknowledged absentmindedly, staring at the café entrance with poorly disguised interest. New Jonathan's, read the wooden sign hanging at the door. Lizzy had heard of it before from her father: he often spoke of the stock trading going on in the coffee shops down Sweeting's Alley, but Lizzy had never taken much interest in such matters. After all, women were banned from cafés, much to her mother's irritation.
There was the signature click-clack sound of Ciel's boots, then the door to the café opened. "Elizabeth," he said crossly.
Lizzy scowled at his sullen attitude. "It's Lizzy. Lih-zee. Come now, Ciel. Is that all you have to say when your dearest fiance visits you?"
Oops, there was more bitterness that leaked into her question than Lizzy would've liked. Ciel's lack of presence at the recent parties had annoyed Lizzy to an extent, but she didn't mean to attack him. Lizzy winced, biting her lip and offering Ciel a sheepish smile and hopeful apology. "Sorry?"
Ciel gave her a long, suffering look before sighing resignedly. "Do you need something, Lizzy?"
Lizzy ignored the annoyance swimming in his sapphire blue eyes and instead focused on his demeanor. Usually, Ciel presented himself at his utmost best regardless of what company he held: straightened back, chin up, and all. However, unlike his usual confident demeanor, there was an air of weariness around the earl. His shoulders slumped and movements sluggish, Ciel concealed his exhaustion rather poorly.
No matter what her workaholic fiance said, he needed a break. And if she was to be hated for forcing him on that break — well, so be it. She cared too much about him to allow him to burn himself out from his Watchdog duties.
"I was informed that you were in town and guessed that you might need some cheerier company!" Lizzy said cheerily, reminding herself not to coo over Ciel's adorably petulant scowl. His attempt at intimidation had nothing over Mother's terrifying glower, but she pretended to look cowed all the same.
"Lizzy, I have work to do." A-hah, there it was: Ciel's patented excuse. Not that his Watchdog duties weren't important, but Lizzy was not to be deterred.
"And I, as your fiance, have been delegated the duty to ensure you don't overwork yourself," Lizzy declared obstinately, observing his irritated look critically. "I daresay you look rather vexed, Ciel. I know that your work is important to you, but what use is it if you are not in good health?"
"Lizzy," Ciel grouched, but there was a hint of fondness that leaked into his voice. The azure-haired earl really was a softy at heart. He hardly protested when Lizzy took his hand (once again, social rules be damned) and tugged him away from the coffeeshop and onto the bustling main street.
"Shall we attend the music halls? Or perhaps a shop— oh, Ciel! Let's go in here!"
"Lizzy," Ciel said patiently, his ever-prevalent scowl deepening, "that's a toy store."
"And?"
"I sell toys."
"And?"
"Why would I give more business to a competitor?" Ciel questioned rhetorically.
Lizzy rolled her eyes, huffing, "We can just peruse the store, if you're that averse to buying from it. Wouldn't it benefit you if you discover what your competitors are selling?"
Ciel paused, suddenly observing the toy store with renewed interest. "You may be right," he admitted grudgingly.
Lizzy sent him another bright smile before darting inside. The bell to the shop rung as the door swung closed, the telltale click-clack of Ciel's footsteps resounding behind her.
"Oh my, Ciel, look at this!" Lizzy gushed in adoration, picking up a stuffed blue bear and presenting it to her fiance. "It looks like you."
Ciel's eyebrows scrunched together as he eyed the toy with thinly veiled contempt. "It does not."
Lizzy giggled: his petulant scowl matched the bear's expression exactly, although she was mindful enough not to mention it. "Didn't you like board games?" she asked instead, gesturing to the games proudly displayed on the shelves. "Look, they even have some American games. I haven't seen this one in your shop."
Ciel drew closer, an thrilling feeling shocking her body as his shoulder brushed past hers. "I should have Sebastian ask Bard about these," he murmured, staring critically at the wooden board game and turning it over for closer examination. Then, he paused and turned to face her, his azure eyes meeting her emerald. Blatant disbelief shone in his face. "You...know what's in my shop?"
Lizzy's smile grew a little wider. "You know that the Funtom toy stores are probably the most popular toy stores in England. As your fiance, I have to prepare for more than just your Watchdog duties, you know," she informed softly, somehow unable to draw herself away from his steady gaze.
"I thought that you'd…" Ciel's voice trailed off, but Lizzy knew him well enough to finish his train of thought.
Lizzy pursed her lips. "I wouldn't make you give up toymaking, Ciel."
"It's hardly fitting of an earl."
"You want to make people happy, right? That's noble enough for me," Lizzy chided gently, her hand unconsciously reaching for his. Wordlessly, Lizzy found herself standing beside Ciel, staring at the shelves of board games while intertwining her pinkie with his. "And...it makes you happy," Lizzy added quietly.
Ciel froze, a curious expression on his face. A multitude of emotions flashed in his eyes, most of which Lizzy couldn't decipher. Then, in a similarly lowered voice, he asked, "Does it?"
"It does," Lizzy said with certainty, remembering the times when she would stumble upon a contemplative but definitely content Ciel testing out a prototype toy.
"Am I happy?"
And although Lizzy knew she was missing something important in this conversation, she answered truthfully, "I hope so."
Ciel's eyes darted towards her, then to her ever surmounting surprise, his lips tugged upwards in the tiniest smile. "Maybe I am."
His pinkie curled around hers a little tighter.
Lizzy hummed under her breath, fastidiously ignoring the scarlet tint of her fiance's cheeks.
They exited the toy store after perusing the various knick knacks for another half-hour. Lizzy felt rather accomplished: before, Ciel walked with a weariness that rivalled elderly men. But now, watching him stride down the street confidently with a slight bounce in his step, Lizzy felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
She was worried about him. She really was, but there was little she could do about his self-destructive tendencies without overstepping her fiance boundaries and Lizzy hated this feeling of uselessness. But at the very least— at the very least, she could do this for him.
"Lizzy, do you want to look at the dresses?
Obviously, the offer was made out of courtesy rather than actual desire: Ciel looked as if he'd rather die than step into a dress shop willingly with her. Then again, she knew him to always follow through with his promises: Ciel would join her in the shop if she wished to enter. He'd suffer through whatever long, tortuous ordeal of dress-up Lizzy would put him through just to make her happy, and it was these moments that reminded Lizzy why she loved her fiance so fiercely.
"I'm alright," Lizzy replied absentmindedly, staring at the cerulean dress displayed in the window. They must have came full circle, for they were back on the street with Nina's shop. "Why don't we—?"
Unfortunately, before Lizzy could suggest going to the nearby ice cream parlor, Ciel grabbed her abruptly and pulled her to his left. "Ciel, what—?"
"We have pursuers," he hissed under his breath. "Don't look behind us: they're armed. Sebastian will take care of them."
Lizzy's eyebrows must've raised above her hairline. "Ciel, I can't just ignore the fact that several armed men are strolling down the streets of London and following us. And didn't Sebastian run off to finish some errands?"
"Just — get in the store," Ciel ordered, tugging desperately at her sleeve. "Come on, Lizzy."
Lizzy softened at the worry reflecting in his sapphire blue eyes, then straightened herself. "Ciel, do you trust me?"
To Lizzy's surprise, his response was immediate. "I do."
Feeling her cheeks toast, Lizzy glanced to the right in an effort to avert his gaze. Mustering her confidence, Lizzy managed to sound relatively commanding. "Then follow my lead."
Immediately, Lizzy swerved to the left, rounding the corner and quickly pulling Ciel and herself into the first shop she saw. "How many?" she asked quietly.
"Three."
The perfect number: too many, and people would take notice. Too little, and they'd be unable to take out the Queen's Watchdog. Lizzy watched their pursuers round the corner and grinned when she recognized the guns hanging on their belts: Lancaster pistols. That made things easier for Lizzy: compared to the Webley revolvers, which reloaded much faster, the pistols were practically ancient.
Slipping her swords —Lizzy had gotten into the habit of carrying two swords instead of one after the Campania incident— out of their sheathes underneath her petticoat, Lizzy counted to three before slamming open the door and lunging forward.
Their pursuers, taken off guard, only noticed her after she had already knocked one of their comrades unconscious. Immediately, Lizzy felt two gunshots whizz to her left and barely dodged.
Leave them no chance to reload, echoed her mother's voice in her head.
Spinning around, Lizzy decided that now was the ideal time for experimentation. She'd seen her parents and even some other talented fencers —a certain Queen's butler came to mind— slice through guns easily with their swords, but had never tried such herself. After all, the walking corpses on the Campania hardly needed arms to be dangerous.
Her feet nimbly dancing around the men, she lunged forward and was delighted to see one of the men's guns slice in two. She had forgotten the feeling of exhilaration that accompanied engaging enemies. Of course, she had also forgotten that in attacking the man, she was now right beside the other man...who still had a loaded pistol.
Lizzy made a mental note that if she survived this encounter, she should work on her common sense.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
To her astonishment, Lizzy didn't feel any holes tear through her body. On the contrary, she was staring numbly at the two remaining men groaning on the ground, clutching their legs. Lizzy turned around to see Ciel standing behind her with the most furious expression on his face, the gun in his hand still smoking.
Stowing the gun back in its holder, Ciel glanced to their right. "You're late, Sebastian."
"My apologies. I'm glad to see that you and Lady Elizabeth are unharmed, young master," Sebastian returned, his eyes flashing with an emotion that Lizzy might've called amusement. "Should I take care of these three?"
"Take them out of our sight," Ciel ordered.
The smirk on the butler's face almost made Lizzy shiver. "As you wish, my lord."
"Ciel…"
"Don't," Ciel cut off, scowling at her. "That was reckless, Lizzy."
The anger that surged from that comment shocked herself. "What was I supposed to do, Ciel? Let them shoot at you?"
"Sebastian would've taken care of it."
"And how would I know that he'd come fast enough? For all I knew, he was on the other side of town!"
"We could've distracted them long enough!"
"And how could you ensure that they wouldn't start shooting at us before we could distract them long enough? They clearly don't care about hurting the public, considering they attacked in broad daylight."
"I can't lose you!"
Lizzy's breath hitched. She stared at her fiance with rounded eyes, her mouth parted in the tiniest 'o' shape, unable to turn away from the intensity of Ciel's gaze.
"I can't lose you," he repeated again, his fists clenching and cheeks splashed with a rosy pink. "Not you, too."
Lizzy didn't know how she managed to find her voice, but she did. "And I can't lose you, either," she replied simply, meeting his unwavering gaze with a certainty and confidence she didn't know she possessed.
Ciel flinched, as if her words had physically struck him. Then, his shoulders slumped and he relented, "Please don't...please try not to put yourself in such danger again."
"I make no promises," Lizzy returned evenly.
A small, almost sad smile quirked on his lips. "You really have changed from the cheery, oblivious girl I remember."
Lizzy rolled her eyes, an undoubtedly unladylike gesture that would never win her mother's approval. "No, Ciel," she corrected. "I'm still her. I'm just...this, too."
"I'm...starting to see that."
"You're not...scared?" To her mortification, Lizzy's voice came out much more hesitant than she wanted to. She was supposed to act flippant and confident, not needy for her fiance's approval! Ciel already had enough on his plate: a shy and unsure fiance was not what he needed right now.
"Of you?" Ciel looked visibly surprised at the question. The answer slipped off of his lips without hesitation. "Never."
He probably didn't even realize the impact his nonchalant answer had on her. Lizzy swayed precariously on her feet, feeling her cheeks flush a light pink. Her eyes, funnily enough, were fixtated on her low-heeled shoes. "Thank you," she whispered. "For saving me."
"You saved me first," Ciel replied, the blatant affection in his voice making Lizzy blush again. "And...well…"
Lizzy glanced upwards to find her fiance blushing and frantically looking for Sebastian to save him. "...and?" she prompted, staring at him in confusion.
"...youreimportanttome."
"Pardon?"
"You're...important to me, Lizzy," Ciel said uncomfortably, eyes darting from side to side and looking at everywhere except her. "I...you...you might not need my protection, but I promise I'll do my best to keep you safe."
Lizzy's lips quirked upwards. "You're important to me too," she chimed in, reaching out to him and squeezing his hand gently. "And thank you, Ciel."
"My lady!"
Lizzy squealed, whipping around and spotting Paula running up to them in the distance. "Oh, Paula...I'm so sorry! I completely forgot about you," she babbled.
"My lady, we must hurry back. Your brother's returned home early," Paula explained hurriedly. In a moment of seconds, Lizzy's rather scarlet face turned a pallid white. "And—"
"Paula?"
The servant blushed. "I-I'm so s-sorry for interrupting! Continue on!" Paula stammered, wringing her hands and stepping backwards. Lizzy followed her attendant's gaze down to their intertwined hands and immediately flushed scarlet once again. Hurriedly, both of them jumped back, stuttering and babbling nonsensical excuses.
"H-he was just—"
"—I was just—"
"Oh, don't worry, earl," Paula reassured seriously, "I won't tell Lord Edward. Carry on."
Lizzy was surprised she wasn't a complete tomato at this point, but she couldn't bring herself to meet Ciel's eyes. Suddenly, the cool London air felt extremely hot. "P-Paula," Lizzy attempted to explain, "We were just...checking…"
"Checking?"
"...our...temperature?" Lizzy tried.
"Your...temperature," Paula repeated haltingly, utterly confused.
"Never mind," Lizzy said hurriedly, cheeks flushing even more when she heard Ciel snicker to her right. "Let's just go. Ciel, I'll see you later. Please take care of yourself, alright?"
"I make no promises," Ciel replied, eyes twinkling just the slightest as he threw her words back to her. "But I'll do my best. Thank you, Lizzy."
"For…"
"Everything. This. You." Ciel gestured to her in general, unable to find the words to properly convey his sentiment. Eventually, he gave up and dropped his hands limply to his sides. Behind them, the rumble of the Midford carriage grew louder as it approached the pair. Neither of them paid the carriage any notice. "I...had fun."
Lizzy beamed, feeling a weight lift off of her chest. "I did too."
Stepping into the carriage, Lizzy bit her lip and the turned around, giving him one last smile. "Goodbye, Ciel."
"Until next time, Lizzy."
Two days later, a package arrived at the Midford household. Inside was a sky-blue satin dress and a note addressed to one Elizabeth Ethel Cordelia Midford.
Lizzy,
I saw you staring at this earlier and had Sebastian pick it up. Honestly, if you wanted to enter the store, you could've just told me. I've been handling your impromptu dress-up sessions for the past few years.
Anyways, Sebastian approved of this dress. I hope you don't mind that I picked out a different color for you — I think this suits your eyes more.
Please don't go making a habit out of confronting dangerous men with guns. It'll worry your brother and parents.
And here, hastily crossed out:
Are you heading to the Crawford-
Would you like to-
I will be attending the Crawford ball in two weeks. It would be nice to see you there.
Ciel.