Chapter Five
Walking back to the house, Narcissa could tell at once that Lucius was home. There was always more noise when her husband was around, house elves busy preparing his latest desires, his friends and acquaintances gliding in and out. Narcissa was feeling stronger now, calmer. Walking into the main hall she straightened her back, raised her chin haughtily and drew her wand out.
"Point me to Lucius" she said, and the wand spun to point in the direction of Lucius' study. Narcissa glided up the stairs and knocked briefly on his study door before entering.
Lucius and one other man were in the room, stooping over some papers on the desk. At Narcissa's entry the other man straightened up, and Narcissa recognised him as Rookwood. She stared at him. "Good morning." She said to them both. Lucius too, straightened up and vanished away the papers before Narcissa could see what was on them.
"Good morning, my dear. You remember Rookwood, of course." Rookwood was hurriedly pulling on gloves and his travelling cloak.
"Malfoy, I shall go at once. He will be waiting."
Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Don't let me keep you." He drawled. "But remember, Rookwood, I wrote those plans, and you would do well not to forget it."
Rookwood's face twitched slightly as though he was holding back a scowl and Lucius smiled. "We shall meet again, soon enough, my friend."
Rookwood did not reply but stepped up to the ornate marble fireplace and took some floo powder out of a bag in his pocket. He threw it into the grate, which immediately filled with roaring green flames. After a quick glance at Narcissa, he said clearly, "The Lestrages," and disappeared in a whirl of ash.
Lucius waved his wand at the clutter on his desk and it hurried to tidy itself away in his drawers. Then he stepped over to Narcissa. "I hope I find you well this morning, Narcissa?"
"Very well, my dear," she replied. Lucius stroked one finger down her cheek.
"Last night was simply wonderful, Narcissa. I had forgotten…" Narcissa looked up into her husband's face. Lucius bent down and kissed her lightly. To any outsider the pair would have looked perfect. Narcissa closed her eyes, glimpsing memories of herself and Lucius before they were married, when she had thought herself in love. Laughter and happiness had filled that time. Narcissa reached up and stroked her husband's hair, but as she looked into his grey eyes, she suddenly remembered her dream from the night before, and the way those cold merciless eyes had stared down at her as she fell. She drew back. Searching for something to say, she said
"Why is Rookwood visiting the Lestranges?"
"Oh, he has an issue of business with your sister… nothing your sister can't handle of course. In fact if I were you I'd be more worried for Rookwood." Lucius laughed. "I certainly wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of Bellatrix."
"Have you seen my sister recently?"
Lucius cast Narcissa a quick look before answering in an offhand tone, "Oh, fairly recently I suppose."
"And I trust your work is going well, Lucius, my darling?"
"Oh, all in the right direction…" He sighed. "The Dark Lord has plans beyond anything you can imagine, my pretty little flower." He kissed her once more, and then started walking towards the door. "Come, Narcissa, I have a suggestion."
Narcissa followed him out of his study. Lucius strode down the hall and up a flight of stairs. "We are very fortunate, Narcissa," began Lucius, turning around and waiting for Narcissa to catch up with him. They continued side by side. "As I say, we are very fortunate in our background. Both of us come from long, noble lines of wizards." Narcissa's heart fell. He was surely going to talk about their lack of an heir. To all pure blooded wizards the need to produce heirs was powerfully ingrained, it was seen as such a necessity to continue their line. She realised he had taken her into the portrait gallery and she looked up. Lucius was still talking. "And now of course, through us, the Blacks and the Malfoys have been united. What a powerful match." Lucius began walking down the gallery. He stopped at a painting ofa witch anda wizard with the Black family crest emblazened on their robes."Look, Narcissa. Your parents. How beautiful they are." Mr and Mrs Black in their flowing dress robes smiled smugly. Lucius turned around. "And over here, mine." A wizard and a witch both with Lucius' white blond hair gazed haughtily down at the pair.
"What, are you not going to call us beautiful too, Lucius?" asked the portrait of Lucius' mother. Lucius bowed gallantly to her.
"Mother, none could be more splendid." Lucius' mother beamed at him. "Except perhaps my own fine wife of course." He added, slinging an arm around Narcissa's slim waist. The portraits of Mr and Mrs Black smiled fondly down at their daughter.
"Tell me, my dear," Lucius said to his wife. "Is it not immortality that we all crave?" Both sets of parents looked at her expectantly. Narcissa couldn't bare it. She pulled away and walked further down the gallery, away from the watching eyes of their parents. At this end of the hall were older ancestors, mostly members of the Malfoy family that Narcissa didn't even know the names of. At the end of the gallery she pushed open the huge double doors and stepped out onto the landing. She did not wish Lucius to start berating her once more for the lack of a child. Not in there, of all places. Lucius caught up with her. "Why did you walk away from me, Narcissa?" He demanded. "What's wrong with you, are you not proud of all those ancestors?"
"Lucius, I - " Narcissa struggled to go on. She took a deep breath, reminding herself of her vow not to break down in front of him.
"Lucius, I simply did not wish you to bring up the subject of an heir in front of all our ancestors. It seems you love to humiliate me."
Lucius stared at her. Narcissa held her face impassive, wishing she had not let those last words slip out.
"Narcissa, I was not speaking of an heir." Narcissa raised one fine, challenging eyebrow at him. "No. And you needn't try and look at me like that." He drawled. "No Black can beat a Malfoy for haughtiness." He took a step towards her. "Though I must admit the expression makes you look all the more… desirable." He put his arms around her and kissed her, hard. Narcissa forced herself to kiss him back. She must not let any sign of her repulsion show. How could she not have realised before they were married that he only loved her for her beauty… her sexual appeal. How she wanted someone to understand her, to love her as a person, in her own right. She choked back a sob and clung to her husband as though he were the dearest thing to her in the world. Anything to cover the truth. Lucius' first night home had been proof enough of the way he would treat her should she seem unwilling.
The evening meal that night was a quiet affair, no guests had been invited and it was just Mr and Mrs Malfoy, alone at the end of their great oak table. When Dosky had finished serving the first course, Lucius put down his goblet of wine. "After all the fuss you kicked up this morning, Narcissa, I didn't actually get around to explaining my proposition. Though you can have no objection to it, I am sure. Not with your vanity." He smirked slightly. Narcissa said nothing, but took a small sip of wine. There was no point in arguing. If Lucius thought her vain, so be it. Her vanity was just one more mask from him.
"I would like to have our portraits painted. I already have an artist chosen. The Minister and his wife had theirs painted by the same man only last week, so I thought he might just be suitable for a Malfoy portrait." Lucius drawled.
"What a charming idea, Lucius. Of course, we can only have the best."
"My thoughts exactly, little flower. The man's name is Fenwick. He shall be here tomorrow afternoon. You will be here at three."
Narcissa nodded, submissive as usual to his demands. Portraits. She could deal with portraits. She should have guessed sooner that this is what her husband wanted. He had vanity enough, to be sure, to want to see a large painting of himself and his wife in their own portrait gallery. She went back to her meal, content that at least for the moment, neither her defects nor the subject of an heir was on her husband's mind.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you review.
Coming soon: Chapter 6, in which we meet someone already talked of, and someone new.