To Be a Mother - Chapter Ten
The night evanesced far too earlier for Ciel's liking. It was only in slumber that he could wish farewell to the tumult of the evening's morbid endeavours. But upon the wings of dawn, he was most unceremoniously introduced to them once again, and in a moan of exasperation, Ciel shielded his eyes from the bloodless glow of the Winter's sun, too beyond grief to face its honest beams today.
"Come now, my Lord," spoke Sebastian's amiable voice from a distance away, possibly from the unsheathed curtains, an unwarranted amusement trickling playfully into his velvety tones. "There is much to be down today. Lessons. Meetings. Engagements. All kinds of fanciful things that my master must attend to."
"Cancel my schedule," Ciel strained out from beneath his fingers, the night's tears leaving an imprint of pain within his skull that hadn't quite left him as of yet.
"But my Lord -" cried the butler's voice again, this time nearer, a superficial fret buffeting from his words.
"That was an order, Sebastian."
The brittle finality of his tone served to slaughter the demon's retaliations in an instant, and with nothing more to be said on the matter, the butler simply replied, "Yes, my Lord. Although, I must insist that you return to your duties tomorrow. Abandoning them for too long can be portrayed as a sign of weakness on your part."
"Yes, I am aware of that," snapped Ciel with a cold civility, daring to peek his rather humbled eyes out from the measly reprieve of his palms. Upon doing so, he was relieved to witness Sebastian pouring his usual morning tea - Darjeeling Tea from the earthy scent of it.
"Can you stomach tea this morning, Master?" came Sebastian's routine question, as neutral as it always was.
"I believe so," Ciel replied with little uncertainty, finally producing the courage to remove his hands from his eyes and furl them swiftly upon his lap. "As usual, wait on breakfast. We shall see how the tea goes first."
"Very well, my Lord." And with no further room for interruptions, Sebastian handed Ciel his tea and the habits of the morning once again commenced.
However, perhaps several moments later, as Ciel made to sip the last drop of his tea and unravel himself from his bedsheets, a disturbance erupted from somewhere not at all very far beneath the room and both he and Sebastian lashed round to face the door, the strongest curiosity ailing them both.
"What was that?" Ciel inquired, as though the air might hold the answer.
"It sounds like a door slamming," injected Sebastian, his ear tilted ever to the side, as though attempting to zero in on the source of the commotion.
The ruckus appeared to not have quelled there, but was growing louder - no, closer to the chamber, nearing in a rather rushed concession of blundering steps. Mey-Rin's hopeless cries could be heard gushing down the hallways in waves as she pleaded, "Madam! You mustn't disturb the Young Master! Please, he might not be decent! Lady, I'm begging you, don't -!"
Yet, whatever Mey-Rin was about to say was instantly lost to the sound of a door unhinging wide as - to Ciel's utter astonishment and mortification - Elizabeth galloped into his chambers, rivers of anxiety emitting from her brilliant features.
With a rather shameful squeak, Ciel hastily shredded up his blankets to his chin, conscious of the slightly modest bump swelling out from is almost mournful abdomen, fearing that her emerald eyes may snag upon it.
"Lady Elizabeth!" He addressed in a tone far too pitched for his pride, cheeks flooding with a rather unpleasant hue of magenta. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry to bother you like this," Lizzy burst out, tears of panic frothing within her striking irises as she flounced over to his side, too frantic to notice him withering further into the mattress as she locked her hands with his and shook them earnestly. "I know it is wrong of me, but I couldn't help myself! I was so worried about you last night! You seemed awfully sick. Are you ok? Because if you're not, I'll call a doctor straight away and I'll -"
Ciel released the most mellow of chuckles, bidding Elizabeth's silence immediately. Grinning upon her fondly, he politely steadied her hands and allowed her fingers to pool in his own, softly replying, "Hush, Lizzy. It is okay. I am alright now. There is no need to cry."
His denial of her tears only appeared to make them all the more turbulent and with the most acute of hiccups, they streamed down her cheeks, causing small rivulets of makeup to run in multiple directions across her pale skin.
"A-are you sure?" She blubbered through wobbling lips, her nails pressing just the smallest amount into Ciel's palms.
"Yes, I'm sure," Ciel voiced with a smirk, and sifting out a handkerchief from the draw of his bedside table, he began to dab lightly at the tears now marring Elizabeth's face. "Now come, it is not suitable for a Lady to be in a man's room uninvited. Mey-Rin shall escort you to the drawing room. I shall only be a moment."
XXX
Upon entering the drawing room, Ciel was not fazed in the least to discover Elizabeth stationed by the mantle of the fireplace, eyeing the photographs now sorting residence there. Now clad in a dense azure overcoat, Ciel was inflicted by no concern at all of raising suspicions as he edged over to her side, taking in the pictures that he had not payed mind to in quite some time. Lizzy did not shift her gaze at all, but held all of her focus upon the images, murmuring the softest of amounts, "They are beautiful photos, aren't they?"
"Yes, they are," he hummed, observing the photo of his mother most dearly, with her silken hair floundering in the breeze and her frock dancing about her heels, her colours lost in the black-and-white of the picture, but the dashing curl of her lips leaving a beautiful scar that would remain forever. Glaring into her dewy eyes, he desired for just a moment to suck her into himself, to ask the questions he so desperately longed to answer. How on earth was he supposed to give birth to a child? A demon child, no less? And how in the world was he supposed to love it? Care for it, as she had him? Surely her truth was just upon the very rims of her curled lips, only inches from being eclipsed, but encased amidst the silence of a photograph, a mere memory that could never hope to stir again.
Abruptly, Ciel tossed his head, sending his unbidden wonderings on their merry way. Huffing, he relapsed his gaze upon Lizzy, who immediately responded to his keen attention, positioning herself to face him once more.
"Sebastian shall prepare breakfast shortly," he announced, offering out his arm for her to take. "In the mean time, would you like to walk with me. The white roses are quite beautiful this time of year."
Lizzy took the arm brandished to her with a contented smile. "I would be happy to."
XXX
The vibrant light of the sun brought no warmth to the fields that resided beneath it, the very bones of its life chiseled away by the unrequited chill riling upon it, brushing away all pleas of heat with a single breath of its crass gale. Still, it had not perturbed the roses from thriving to their highest of heights, blossoming upon the horizon like torrents of ivory droplets within the fronds of thick, frosted leaves that served to shield them. Ciel could only express pleasant amusement for the amazement that spilled from Elizabeth's features as they dwindled in the tranquil quiet of the morning, overwhelming themselves with the niceties of the garden, the enticing fragrance of the flowers filling the two with such zeal it could've very easily slipped into Summer during that moment.
With a gasp of pure wonder, Lizzy goaded a finger towards a particularly small rose situated on its own within one of the hedges, quant in size, but so flamboyant and open in its appearance, it could've been just as exquisite as any other rose compared to it. "Oh, Ciel! Isn't that one just adorable?!"
With a tiny tug on his lips, an idea transcended upon Ciel's mind and unhooking his arm from Elizabeth's, he strode over to the rose and attempted to yank it free. However, to his evident chagrin, pulling upon it served nothing but to make him appear as a total fool. Gritting his teeth upon a rather abrasive growl, he dipped his head and began to spitefully chew upon the thorny stalk of the flower with all of the dignity he could possibly salvage in such a predicament. The watery juices of the plant fizzled bitterly upon his palette and his features wrinkled slightly in barrage against the taste. Eventually, when he'd finally managed to nip the last threads of the rose free, he whipped around and with cheeks bright with embarrassment, he graced the rose upon Lizzy's fingers, mumbling nothing more than a, "Here."
With a humoured giggle, her grasp upon the flower tightened by a marginal amount and she thanked him most exuberantly, her eyes brimming with gratitude.
His smile was aggrieved by the smallest of wavers as a prickle of guilt assaulted his heart, but internally shaking it free, he coiled his arm around hers once more and kindly coaxed her onwards, saying, "Come, Elizabeth. I need to speak to you about something."
"O-ok," was her timid response, her nerves clearly muddled by the suddenness of his action as he guided her to a fountain sprouting from the very centre of the garden and seated her and himself upon its ceramic edge.
Now seated, Ciel took a sturdy grasp of her hand, his brow contracted, his air gloomy, and in a manner of compassion, and yet equal restraint, spoke. "Lizzy, this may be difficult to hear, but please, do try to understand. It is not what I desire either, but it is my duty, and with duty, there does come much sacrifice…"
He paused for a moment to suck in a calming breath, before finally steeling himself and looking Elizabeth straight in the eye."Due to circumstances...I have been asked to travel to Switzerland for a while."
A blatant horror configured upon Elizabeth's appearance as she ogled at him, a terse gulp resounding anxiously from her throat. "How long?" Was all that she could possibly employ from her feeble voice, to which Ciel immediately blamed himself for causing, a far greater loathing accumulating inside him at the prospect of what he was going to say next.
"Twelve months."
"Twelve months?!" she exclaimed, a fresh instalment of tears making their presence known in her forest-green eyes as she infatuated her gaze upon Ciel's, an earnest devastation bleeding out from it. "But that's a whole year away!"
"I know," was all he could justify, stooping his chin low in resignation, his slate strands making a nuisance of themselves over his singular sapphire eye.
"But that's not fair! She can't expect you to do that!"
"I know, Lizzy," he affirmed again, true feeling seeping into his rich tones as he claimed, "Believe me, I did not desire this either. Not at all. But it is something that I must do. I don't have a choice in the matter."
Exploding in tears, Elizabeth wound her arms around him and sobbed fervently into his shoulder, her voice sounding miserably ill as she inquired, "W-when do you l-leave?"
"As early as tomorrow morning," he sighed into her grand spirals of golden hair, utterly deflated.
Another rightful sob escaped her, and with it came her pleading cry, "Please, write to me, Ciel. I couldn't bare not hearing from you!"
"Of course."
And as she clutched him, he felt poorly for his actions against her. It was all a fraud, a tease so she wouldn't discover the true reality of his condition. But it was better this way. As long as she did not abruptly grace the manor with her presence during the coming year, she would never possibly suspect a thing...
XXX
Hey guys!
Here's just a little moment between Lizzy and Ciel. I just adore them!
Anyway, thank you all for reading this far! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and stay tuned for more!
HeartElyse