A/N: This is purely fluff, but I wanted to write a piece where it's just a normal day and Ciel decides to go shopping. Enjoy!
That Butler, Shopping
The tea service on the cart clinked slightly as I wheeled it down the corridor toward my young master's room. It was another morning at the Phantomhive estate and I was busy bringing my master his morning tea. Once again, I was thinking about the fact that I now had the care of a human child on my hands. I flattered myself that I knew something of the care of children, but daily I found myself with new questions and new quandaries, and my reading had turned up another one for which I had no answer. A great number of the child care books I'd read had been confusing on the issue of giving children tea. Some books stated that children should never have it, others said that it was all right in moderation, and others advocated a daily dose of it for the optimum health of children. Since I could find on consensus in books and since I'd seen my master drink it several times with no ill effects, I continued to follow his orders in regards to tea.
"Young master, it is time for you to wake up," I said after slipping into his room. I pushed back the curtains, tied them securely, and turned to pour his tea. "For breakfast this morning we have poached eggs with mushrooms, salmon patties, and toast, scones, or pain perdu on the side. Which would you prefer?"
"Hmmph." The blankets were bunched around him and his left eye glared at me before I saw his fingers take hold of the blankets and pull them up over his head.
Aah, it was to be one of those mornings. He had them every now and then, usually when the weather was foul. They were mornings when he didn't want to get up and when he wanted to stay in bed and go back to sleep. Usually, his mood during such mornings was foul, so I would have to be careful. I set the tea aside and began to set out his clothes, giving him time to wake up and rally his wits to face the morning. I'd heard humans say that they were not "morning" people and I had a strong suspicion that my master was one of this class. I finished pouring his tea, added the sugar and milk he liked on difficult mornings, and turned back to the bed to face the mound of blankets. "Young master?"
The blanket-mound twitched. "What?"
"You didn't tell me which bread you would prefer for breakfast."
"It can't be morning already."
Once again, I found myself puzzled by a human being. Why was he saying such a thing when the morning light was streaming in the windows? I waited.
"Scone," I heard as a hand snaked its way out of the blankets for the cup of tea I held. I placed it in his hand and it disappeared under the blankets and I could hear him sipping it a second later. I hoped he would finish his tea quickly; he would be an absolute trial until he finished waking up. Once he was done with his tea I would be able to get him dressed and return to my duties...
To my consternation, the teacup and its saucer appeared from beneath the blankets, were placed on the bedside table, and the hand responsible for their appearance vanished beneath the blankets again. There was no sign of my master. "Ah, young master?"
The bundle of blankets rolled over and sighed. "What, Sebastian?"
"It is time to rise, my lord."
"I know."
If he knew that, then why wasn't he getting up? I still had to dress him and make the bed before I could return to my other duties and I certainly couldn't dress him while he was still under the blankets and I knew for certain that I couldn't make the bed with him in it! Why did he still want to stay in bed? Oh, no, was he becoming ill again? "Are you feeling all right, bocchan? You're not ill, are you?" He'd had a cold only two weeks before...
Memories of my nursing him must have lingered in his mind and he sat up, emerging from his nest. "No, I'm perfectly fine!" he said quickly. "I don't need anything special, it was just taking me a bit longer to wake up, that's all!"
He must have remembered the ginger and cayenne drink I'd made for him and was eager to avoid a repeat performance. That much cayenne at once was like swallowing fire for a human, but I had to admit that the drink had been effective for his cough and for clearing stuffy sinuses. I had to fight down a smile when I remembered the fit and the drinking glass he'd thrown at me for that, but even he couldn't argue with the drink's effects. "Are you certain you're all right, young master?"
"Just fine!" he told me, at last climbing out of bed and getting to his feet. "What of the day's schedule?"
"The only item on your agenda is this morning at half-past ten you're to tour the London sweets factory and meet with its board to discuss the products currently in production," I said, pulling his nightshirt over his head and beginning to dress him. "After that, your day is free."
"Hmm."
That seemed to be all the response I was going to get. My master nodded and left the room, leaving me to make the bed and tidy up. Despite those tasks, I was still waiting for him by the time he got to the breakfast table and he sat down, ready for a little something to eat. I noticed that he had another two cups of tea, which meant that he'd had a hard time sleeping last night. Most nights he called for me to help him get back to sleep, but there were other nights when he only wanted to be alone. It looked like last night had been one of those nights. What he did or what went through his mind on such nights were things he'd yet to share with me, but I had my suspicions.
He didn't eat very much...his restless night must have deadened his appetite. Well, I would have to ensure that lunch would be a hearty meal. Perhaps for his afternoon tea I could fix his favorite cake? Or perhaps something light if tea could be held out in the garden? I knew that sunshine could lighten even the foulest of moods.
Tanaka had the carriage ready to go in plenty of time for us to be at the London factory by half-past ten. I followed my master through the different rooms and hallways and I winced whenever one of the board offered him a sample. During the next two hours he swallowed bits of stick candy, caramels, spiced nuts, molasses drops, taffy, butterscotch humbugs...I was going to get a headache from all this sugar he was consuming, I just knew it. He had an excellent palate for sweets and could distinguish the best from the inferior, but all that sugar...also, all of the books I'd read had been emphatic about children and the damage too many sweets could cause!
"Would you care for one, Sebastian?" my master asked, holding a plate of filled chocolates out to me.
I could tell that he'd surprised his board by offering a butler something, but I gave a nod and selected the chocolate nearest me. "Much obliged, my lord." One taste was enough to confirm my suspicion and I nodded again. "The liqueur is too strong and the oils used to mix the chocolate were rancid. Who mixed this batch?"
"That's what I'd like to know," my master said, turning to glare at one man who'd turned red and began to stammer. My young master cut him off with a slash of his hand. "Enough. Our customers trust the Funtom Company because we are devoted to offering the highest-quality products, without adulteration or cost-cutting tricks. This is the only time we will speak of this matter, sir. Fix this problem."
The board knew that my master would give that man the one chance to rectify the situation. If he failed to take care of it properly, then he would be discharged.
"What a headache," my master said as he and I got into the carriage while Tanaka picked up the reins. "I shouldn't have dressed him down like that in front of the rest of the board, but did he honestly think I wouldn't notice or say anything if he offered that stuff to me?"
"Perhaps he was feeling optimistic," I suggested.
"Perhaps he was an idiot."
Ah, yes. That statement was my warning that he was still in a foul mood. "Would you like to return to the manor now, sir?"
He shook his head. "I'm not in the mood for lazing about at the house today," he told me. "I'd like to have lunch at Simpson's and then wander about the shops for a while."
This was the first time I'd been given this order so suddenly. Occasionally he'd taken me on shopping trips with him, but never had he made a snap decision like this. I nodded. "Very good, my lord."
Simpson's was one of the better-known restaurants in London offering British-style meals. The dark wood, chandeliers, gentle lighting and subdued atmosphere made it a restful place. It was particularly famous for wheeling a large joint of meat to a diner's table and carving a serving for the diner's meal. My master ordered the mock turtle soup to begin with, the roast beef with potatoes and two vegetables, and for dessert a peach bavarois. Once he'd eaten he seemed to be in a better mood and left a generous tip at the table for his waiter, something which was usually not done.
We left Simpson's around one-thirty and headed for the Burlington Arcade. This arcade was famous for its covered main thoroughfare connecting Piccadilly and Bond Street and for its uniformed beadles. While Tanaka remained with the carriage I followed the young master as he wandered the shops. He spared only a glance for the gentlemen's tailors and for the footwear shops, but he did step into Hancocks, surprising me. What on earth did he want in a jeweller's store?
"Ah, good afternoon, young man," the clerk behind the desk said. "How may I help you?"
"I'd like to purchase a gift for a young lady," my young master said in a very quiet voice. I could tell that he was hoping the two women at a nearby counter wouldn't hear him. They looked the type to gush over a youngster and hearing the purpose of his errand would only set them off.
"I see," the clerk said. "A special occasion?"
"Her birthday."
For the first time I realized that I had not known when Lady Elizabeth's birthday was. She had visited the Phantomhive manor several times since my master and I had taken up residence there and I had to admit that...well, her visits were memorable. Sometimes they annoyed my master past all patience and other times they helped him relax and I could tell that he enjoyed her company during those latter visits. So...he was looking for a gift for Lady Elizabeth. I hadn't known he'd had it in him.
The clerk brought out several items from their counters, cabinets and cases and spread them over the top of the counter for my master to examine. There were strings of pearls, necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, jewelled hair ornaments, brooches...how would he choose one? I knew that Lady Elizabeth preferred cute things, and while these things were elegant, they were not what she would consider "cute."
"These are not quite right," my master said at last. "She likes...well, cute things. Do you have anything that could be called cute?"
The poor man looked stymied. "Ah, possibly, sir. Just a moment." He disappeared and returned a few minutes later with several small boxes, each one holding a brooch or ring. "Would these be appropriate, sir?"
They were charming and just what I would have chosen for Lady Elizabeth. Each box held a tiny boquet of flowers made out of silver or gold and ornamented with pearls or tiny gems. It took me a moment to discern their purposes as hair barettes.
My master reached out and picked up a box and examined its contents. "This one is perfect," he said, looking closely at the tiny boquet of silver and colored pearls. "She'll love it."
I had to admit that my master knew his fiancee well. I could imagine Lady Elizabeth squealing over his gift and hugging him. Arrangements were made for it to be wrapped and delivered to the Phantomhive manor and I could foresee a visit to Lady Elizabeth sometime in the near future. I would have to select an appropriate blue outfit for my master since his fiancee liked him best in blue.
"I think Lady Elizabeth will be delighted with your gift, young master," I said as we left the store.
"I hope so," he said offhandedly. "Sometimes she's so difficult to shop for. Cute things tend to be all the same and it's hard to find something unique that she'll really like."
"Well, I think you can call this errand a success," I told him. "Where would you like to go next?"
"Hatchards."
Ah, Hatchards. Of course my master would want to visit a bookshop. I'd learned during the past few months that he was a voracious reader. I'd visited London once shortly after Hatchards opened in 1797 and after almost one hundred years it was still going strong and it looked to last for another one hundred. Tanaka drove us to the shop and we spent the next hour or so wandering the shelves, exiting the shop with an even dozen of new books for the manor library.
"Where to now?" I asked, stowing the wrapped books in the carriage.
"The Royal Arcade," he told me. "I want to stop in Charbonnel et Walker."
I paused. A chocolatier's? Charbonnel et Walker was the shop that supplied the Queen with her chocolate, but why would my master want to visit there? As far as I knew, they did not sell Funtom's products...
After twenty minutes in the store I knew the reason why. We left the shop with a large box of assorted Charbonnel et Walker specialties in our possession and my master opened them as soon as we were in the carriage. The sugar fit I'd expected after our visit to the factory hadn't materialized, thank goodness, but this box of chocolates could lauch one for certain. He spent the next few minutes sampling them and my mind was filled with images of a sugar-fueled young master.
"Try one, Sebastian," he ordered, holding the box out to me.
"Thank you, young master," I said politely. The chocolate I selected was filled with strawberry cream and I had to admit that it was delectable. The chocolate I'd had that morning at the factory had been far inferior.
"I think we may have to increase the amount of cocoa or cream in our chocolates," he said. "These are far richer."
Ah, so he hadn't been indulging himself, he'd been conducting business research. Once again, the young master had managed to surprise me. (Then again, the fact that he got to eat high-quality sweets in the course of such research must have been part of his motivation to conduct said research.) "I agree with you, young master. Do you think the man responsible will see to it, or will you have to step in?"
"Either way," he told me. "I'd like to visit Hamley's, please."
Hamley's was a store on Regent Street beloved by all children in London. Its toys had been delighting them since 1760 and it was likely that it would delight them for generations to come. We wandered about the shelves, examining games, marbles, puzzles, building bricks, stuffed animals, puppets, kites, toy soldiers, locomotives, dollhouses, dolls, tea sets, and clockwork toys of all description. I wasn't surprised when he examined a display of Funtom's latest version of Bitter Rabbit and I could swear I saw him smile for a moment when a child rushed up to it, selected a rabbit, and scooted to the counter where his mother was, apparently ready to beg for it.
He turned to me, his face as impassive as ever. "Let's go to Fortnum and Mason. We'll be in time for afternoon tea."
Like Harrods, Fortnum and Mason was a shopping powerhouse. Any Londoner knew that you could disappear into it for an entire day and still not see everything they offered for sale. There were even a few restaurants inside the building so shoppers would not have to leave for their meals. I could tell that we were about to spend quite a bit of time in there after tea.
A host met us at the door of the St. James restaurant and led my master to his table. The man seemed a bright and intelligent individual but then he made the grave mistake of offering my master the children's menu.
The stony look my master gave him might have killed him if looks had been capable of causing one's demise. "No, thank you," my master told him. "I'll order from the regular menu, if you please."
Tea for my young master that afternoon consisted of Earl Grey, ham and cucumber sandwiches, tiny spinach and cheddar quiches, madeleines, petit fours, and scones with clotted cream. I noticed that he merely nibbled at most of the sweets and instead made great inroads on the savouries. (Perhaps all the sweets he'd had during the day had already quelled his appetite for them?) Two cups of tea fortified him for a few hours of wandering the different departments and we left the store just as dusk was falling. In my arms were several parcels intended for different rooms in the manor and as gifts for business associates.
"Where to now, young master?" I was becoming rather nervous. It would soon be time for me to begin preparing dinner and if we did not return to the manor soon dinner would be late.
He paused and thought. "I think I'd like dinner out tonight, if you don't mind, Sebastian."
"Not at all, my lord." If he ate dinner out tonight, all I would have to prepare for him would be an evening cup of tea. "Where?"
"The Cafe Royal," he told me. "Let's go, Sebastian."
We went back to Regent Street and my master was seated with little trouble, Tanaka and I following our master like ducklings following their mother. During the past few months word had gotten around about the Earl of Phantomhive and how he did not like to be treated like a child, so the staff at the cafe Royal were ready for him. A waiter was on hand, wine list and menu at the ready, and I had to give the establishment points for being prepared. My master glanced over the menu, ordered, and then sat back to await his dinner. In short order his appetizer of Champignon Portabella aux Quatre Fromages arrived and I took advantage of his distraction to whisper a few requests to Tanaka. He nodded and left to carry them out while I stayed behind to guard the young master.
My master worked his way through Soupe a l'Oignon and Salade d'Epinards for the next half-hour and was sipping at a glass of watered wine when I felt the mood in the room shift. Someone was watching my master and I could tell that they were not approving what they saw. I glanced over the other diners and spotted a woman seated not five tables away, watching my master with shock and rank disapproval in her eyes. I would have to watch her to make sure she did not upset him...
Carre d'Agneau arrived and I poured the appropriate wine to go with the meat. The waiters here had learned to let me pour my master's wine myself, otherwise, they would have me to reckon with. I knew that most of them were trustworthy, but there were a few that would bear watching due to money troubles. A man desperate for money might stoop to poisoning or drugging a young lord's wine and then arranging a kidnapping, but it was fortunate that the young master had me to watch over him. I would not allow anything drugged or poisoned near him since I could usually smell such things. (A few times, though, I had to taste something to be sure. That one time I'd sipped my master's wine before handing it to him had scandalized the maitre d' at a hotel and the man had threatened me with charges, but fortunately for him the wine was not poisoned or drugged, only inferior to what he'd claimed it to be.) I was just placing the wine next to my master's plate when the woman I'd been watching rose and approached my master's table.
"What do you think you're doing, child?" she demanded coldly. "A child your age should not be drinking wine or eating such rich food."
Uh-oh. She'd chosen the absolute worst possible thing to say. He hated to be thought of as a child.
"I fail to see how it is any business of yours, madam," my master told her just as coldly. "Have I marched up to your table and demanded why you're enjoying your dinner?"
"You'll make yourself ill by eating such things," she continued. "Believe me, I know how children should eat and what they should drink and..."
She was right about too much sweets and rich food being bad for children, but it wasn't as if my master was glutting himself on heavy viands.
"Oh, do you?" I could tell that the young master's patience was slipping.
"Yes," she insisted. "I'm the head trustee for the St. Matthew's Orphan Asylum and I've made it my business to know just what is best for children."
"I thought trustees left such things to the matrons of such...establishments," my master said, pausing to take a sip of wine. I could tell that he thought any such place to be of dubious repute as to the care of their charges.
"If I am trustee, then I will do the thing properly," she insisted, missing entirely what his tone of voice had implied. "Where are your parents? Why are they not here with you and seeing to it that you're not poisoning yourself with rich food?"
Oh, dear.
My master's eyes blazed as he glared at her. "My parents are dead, madam. That is why they are not here. Besides, my butler always ensures that I have only what is wholesome and I dare say he knows me far better than you do. If you don't mind, then I would like to continue my meal. Have a pleasant evening."
The poor woman had probably never been so quickly dismissed in her life, and I saw her speaking a few minutes later to a waiter and then to the maitre d'. I was pleased when I saw the maitre d' escort her out and I made up my mind to do a little something for the staff here. Perhaps a fine gratuity for all?
Tanaka reappeared just as dessert was served, Tarte Tartin. With dessert came the master's preferred hot chocolate drink rather than the coffee that might have been served. I knew that he didn't care for coffee and complimented the waiter who brought it while the master was busy decimating the tarte. (The poor thing didn't stand a chance. Not while he was armed with a dessert spoon, anyway.)
I was pleased when my master sat back and sighed, replete with good food and relaxed for a change. The bill was brought, I paid it, and Tanaka and I followed our master once again like ducklings. I stayed with our master while Tanaka went to get the carriage and we were waiting on him when the woman appeared again, to my vast annoyance.
"I've asked questions about you, Lord Phantomhive," she said.
"I fail to remember that anyone introduced us, madam," he said, ice entering his voice. "What business do you have with me?"
"You are aware, aren't you, that children are not allowed to live on their own with just servants to watch after them?"
My master smirked. "Hmph. I'm no different than any other child whose parents leave him to be raised by servants while they're off traveling or amusing themselves. The only difference is that my parents have died."
"How do people know that your servants are taking proper care of you and your property? Will there be anything of your fortune left by the time you're an adult? That butler of yours could be stealing everything out from under you and lying to you the whole time you're growing up."
I knew that the public at large often had trouble trusting servants, but this impugning of my honor was almost more than I could bear. I was holding myself to the aesthetic of a perfect butler and a perfect butler did not do such things! He was entirely and wholly devoted to his master! How dare she?
"Sebastian doesn't lie," my master told her. "He has never lied to me, and he never will. You forget yourself, madam, to make such accusations."
"We will see," she said. "I'll be consulting..."
"Don't bother with consulting anyone about me," my master said. "They will only laugh at you. Save yourself the mortification and let me be." Tanaka pulled up the carriage then and my master hurried to get in. "By the way," he said, pausing on the carriage step. "I think you owe an apology to Sebastian."
"Hardly!" the woman snapped.
"Sebastian, once she's apologized, join me in the carriage," he ordered.
I bowed. "Yes, my lord." I turned while he took his seat and I regarded the woman and gave her a little smile, waiting for my apology.
"I've nothing to say to you!" she spat. "How dare you take advantage of a child like..."
She trailed off as I allowed some of my true nature to show. My eyes glowed and I could tell that she could see the shadows of my wings. If I allowed my true self to show much more she would run screaming in terror, but right now she wasn't sure of what she was seeing and was transfixed where she stood.
"I...I...apologize," she stammered, still staring at me while I hid my true self completely.
"Apology accepted, madam," I said with a little bow. "Have a pleasant evening."
"Didn't you get carried away a bit?" my master asked as I took my seat across from him.
I smiled. "Not really, young master. She's had quite a bit of wine tonight and in the morning she'll question what she saw, if she's not already doing so," I assured him. "As for that ridiculous assertion that she'll consult someone about you, we took care of that within the first month after your return to the manor."
"I know she'll get nowhere with that," he said dismissively. "Let's go home."
The carriage ride back was uneventful and we were about halfway to the manor when my master fell asleep, undoubtedly lulled by the sounds of the wheels and the easy movement of the carriage. After we pulled up to the house I carried my master inside and settled him on a sofa while I went to get his evening tea. I took the liberty of preparing chamomile tea and took the tray upstairs. I found him just sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
"Sebastian? I fell asleep, hmm?"
"You did, young master. Your evening tea."
He blinked sleepily and took the teacup after I added plenty of milk to the cup. He sipped at it and remarked on the day's events and finally, was ready for his bath and bed.
"By the way, I'm hosting a surprise birthday party for Elizabeth," he said, settling into his pillows.
"How kind of you, young master. When will Lady Elizabeth be coming?"
"Tomorrow afternoon."
To...morrow? Well, I was glad that I'd sent Tanaka shopping for groceries while the young master had been at dinner. All I had to worry about were the appropriate cute decorations and those could be procured tomorrow morning. Still, a little more warning would have been appreciated... "Very well, young master. We will entertain Lady Elizabeth with all the hospitality that the estate can provide."
"Quite. Good night, Sebastian. I'll leave it to you."
"Please do, sir. Sleep well." I left the room but I stayed just outside the door, listening to him breathe. As soon as he was asleep, I headed off to my office to review inventory and to arrange recipes for tomorrow. One of those recipes would be for a tall, multi-layered birthday cake covered with pink hearts and roses. I was sure that Lady Elizabeth would love it and it would make my master cringe due to its overwhelming cuteness. A butler was unworthy of stooping to revenge for a short notice about a party, but I thought this little bit of revenge worthwhile, for some reason. Perhaps it would remind the young master to be a little more considerate of his servants.
A butler who could not help his master remember common courtesies was not worth his salt.