CHAPTER 29: PAPER AND LACE

"There's nothing half so sweet in life

As love's young dream."

-Thomas Moore

Lenna was awake long past the hour she should've been asleep, staring at the empty right side of the bed. It was cool in her apartment, and the sheets and pillowcase were chilled. She pulled the blankets up to her chin and closed her eyes; as always she wished her fiancé were beside her. Or at least that she knew what he was doing… It had been a long week without him—or news of him. She looked at her clock. Well, a week and a day now. It had been longer before, but still…

Feeling as if she wasn't going to get to sleep any time soon, she sat up and lit the candle beside her with her wand. She reached onto her nightstand and pulled off of it the issue of Witch Wedding she'd picked up from the market earlier that day. Flipping through the pages, she browsed the photographs of beaming women in wedding gowns twirling in the arms of handsome men in dress robes. A hand was arranging a vase of orange and pink flowers in one corner, and the first article was about home-made decorations. Lenna was glad she wasn't one of those girls who'd dreamed about an enormous perfect wedding since they were little. She wanted something very small, low-key and relatively inexpensive, but that still had a lightness and an elegance to it. It could be achieved with small things: candles, flowers, the location, the people, and simple clothing.

She flipped the pages absently, chewing on her lower lip. Then she restlessly tossed the magazine aside and leaned back against the headboard, missing Regulus like an ache.

Her eyes flicked to the bedroom door as she heard the apartment door opening. She reached over to grasp her wand and held it next to her as soft footsteps came right to her bedroom. The door was slowly opened and a delighted smile spread over Lenna's face and the hand on her wand relaxed.

"You know, I was just wishing for you to be here," she said. "And now here you are."

Regulus smiled, dropped his cloak, pulled off his shoes at the end of her bed. "You should be sleeping," he replied gently.

"So should you."

"Mm. I haven't tried yet but it's always easier with you in my arms." Regulus got into her bed and crawled to hover over his grinning fiancé. He lowered his head to kiss her; she wrapped herself around him and threw herself into the kiss with abandon. They rolled slowly around the bed, molding themselves to each other. Lenna finally lifted her mouth from his with a sigh, pressing her forehead to his neck and closing her eyes. She breathed him in, cherishing this embrace, this closeness. His body against hers, his arms tight around her. Regulus was peppering her skin with light kisses; her face, her ears her neck. He breathed her name.

"You forgot to ask me a question when I came in," he chastised gently. His voice was somewhat hoarse with emotion.

"No one could duplicate your kiss," she breathed back. She felt his chuckle shake them both slightly.

"I've missed you," he murmured.

"I haven't missed you a single bit," she joked, but as she spoke her arms tightened around him. Regulus chuckled again. He lay back on his back and Lenna followed his movement, snuggling into his chest. He kept his arms around her and kissed her hair.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he replied. "But I'm going to be gone for a little while."

"How long?"

"It all depends on if I find what I'm looking for. Maybe a week."

"What're you looking for?"

"I can't tell you that, sweetheart."

Lenna nodded. "Is this dangerous?"

"Not really."

"'Kay."

"Have you picked a date yet?"

"For the wedding?"

"No, for joining the circus," he teased.

She smacked his waist and he laughed. "No, I haven't."

"Well, October's coming up, love."

"Do you want it as soon as possible?"

"To be quite honest, yes. Without rushing it, though."

She looked up at him, smiling. "Huh. Get a load of this. A man who wants to be married as soon as possible. What a rare creature."

Regulus rolled his eyes.

"Well, it just so happens that I've begun to plan a little already." She picked up the magazine she'd tossed to the end of the bed and Regulus chuckled.

"Anything you particularly want at it?" she asked him.

"You to become my wife."

Lenna laughed. "I suppose I can arrange that. My father's old friend Gregory can officiate. I'd like Stephanie and Ellen to be there as bridesmaids, but I know that wouldn't be smart. Only Cal and Grace and Mum and Dad can be there. Maybe not even Mum…I'll have to talk to Cal about whether or not we should include her in the secret. She would be vulnerable… Anyone on your side?"

Regulus almost said "Sirius," but he knew he shouldn't. The less people to know, the better. "No. No one from my side."

"Shall we set a date?"

"First week in October. Saturday or Sunday."

"How about Sunday the 3rd?"

"Perfect." He kissed the top of her head. "At—when shall it be? How 'bout eleven in the morning."

"At Connoway Park."

"Yes, ma'am."

"That's only three weeks away, Reg."

"Were it tomorrow."

She laughed and kissed his chest. "Were it tomorrow."

Regulus tilted her head back with his fingers under her chin to kiss her. The world stilled and Lenna felt a familiar warm hook deep in her lower belly. She slid her arms up around him and there were no more words between them.

The morning light drifted in through the small window in Lenna's apartment bedroom and she found her face burred in a pillow, the covers up to her bare waist, and one arm hanging down over the side of the bed. She lifted her head and sensed Regulus' absence. She lay her head back down onto the pillow, frowning and missing him already. Blinking, she realized she was gazing at something new on her bedside table: a white vase with a piece of parchment rolled inside it sticking out.

She reached out a hand to the parchment and when she pulled it out, green stems slowly shot up from inside the vase, growing leaves and buds and sprouting into a beautiful arrangement of red, pink, and white roses that smelled lovely. Lenna smiled and unrolled the parchment so see Regulus' writing.

Good morning beautiful. I'll miss you. Stay safe.

I shouldn't be gone too long and I look forward to the 3rd.

I love you.

Always yours,

Regulus

Lenna placed the parchment back onto the table and snuggled back down into the pillows, wondering what Regulus was off doing. Work for You-Know-Who? Would he be hurting people? She knew it was necessary that he play by their rules to remain under the radar, but it was still hard to think about. She knew it hurt him every time he hurt someone else. She didn't know if he had been required to murder yet.

She pushed off her covers and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. She would send an owl to Grace to see if she could stop by today or in the next days to start planning for the little ceremony. She hadn't even told the two she was engaged yet. Lenna giggled to herself. That might be interesting.

Grace answered her owl that day that she only had morning classes and Lenna was welcome to come by. When she Apparated there, she saw the trees in Calun and Grace's neighborhood had begun to change color and the walk to the house was beautiful. There was the early, crisp smell of autumn in the air and Lenna breathed it in, smiling, as she walked up the drive and up to the porch. She knocked smartly and Grace answered the door, beaming.

"Hi Lenna—how are you?"

"I'm well, Grace, thanks. How're you?" Lenna shrugged off her light jacket and hung it on their coat stand.

"I'm great."

"It smells good in here."

"Oh, I was just readying something for dinner."

"Could I help? We can talk while we finish up."

Grace smiled. "Alright." She led Lenna into the kitchen and Lenna washed her hands.

"So what's on your mind?" Grace asked. "Your owl said you wanted to talk about something."

Lenna cleared her throat and then simply turned toward Grace and held out the hand with the engagement ring on it. Grace's confused eyes dropped to her hand and then they widened with surprise and understanding.

"Oh! Oh, he—"

"Proposed, yeah," Lenna finished for her, smiling. "It will be a very small under-the-radar affair on October 3rd. But I need help planning it."

Grace's expression was aglow. "Of course! Oh, I'd love to help! October 3rd! Does Calun know?"

Lenna shook her head. "Not yet."

Grace wagged a finger at her. "You could've at least sent an owl or something."

"I'm just getting used to the idea myself, Grace," she replied. "I'm only now ready for what I'm sure will be Cal's best attempts to talk me out of it."

"Oh, he wouldn't," Grace said, waving her delicate hand. "Anyone who has seen you two together can tell how serious your relationship is. And with all the danger that poor boy's facing…" She trailed off, looking at Lenna and biting her lip, obviously rethinking what she had been about to say. But Lenna finished, "The sooner the better because there might not be a later. Yeah."

Grace looked upset. "There will be a later, Lenna. There will."

Lenna smiled and lightened her expression with "Yes. He and I will have little black-haired children and get really fat."

Grace giggled. "Exactly. So where do you want the ceremony to be? Ooh, and what do you want to wear? You'd look gorgeous in soft off-white lace, Lenna. And what kind of flowers? Calun has told me you like lilacs and lilies and gardenias, and if you wanted to carry an autumn theme there are always orange roses and carnations…"