As it turned out, creating a tart to mimic the one his master had been served was a surprisingly difficult task, even for the Sebastian. As he had nothing but the leftover scent and his master's vague description to go on, the end result was Ciel being served 42 different tarts so far that day. All of which he had rejected. What few berries Sebastian had gotten hold of had to be used sparingly, lest he run out before he perfected the recipe. Mimicking the presentation was easy enough, but there had to have been something in the way that the original chef had made the filling that could not be determined by scent alone. Sebastian frowned, his pride as both a demon and a butler would not be sullied by one lowly tart. He certainly would not go to town and request the recipe, not that he was very sure that he would get it if he asked. The easiest solution would be to simply buy another one, though, if what Lady Elizabeth had said was true, he would be somewhat snagged at the "describe your love" part. What exactly did Lady Elizabeth say, he wondered. Even more so, what could the chef have used in reaction to her words?
Sebastian tended to his duties as usual and prepared his master for bed.
"Now you're the one who's distracted," Ciel muttered as his butler finished tying the ribbon on the collar of his nightdress.
"Indeed, it would seem that I am."
"Is a simple pastry proving too great a challenge for the great Phantomhive butler?" he smirked at Sebastian's brief offended look.
"Of course not, young master."
Oh, but it was. It had already been two days and despite how hard he tried, Sebastian found himself confronted with several dead ends. This tart, by far, was the toughest case he had yet to face. With disdain he glared at the plate on which he had served his master the latest experiment. Close. Ciel had said. But not perfect. It was still missing something. Just like the the curry contest, there was something he was missing, but the answer wasn't something he could find by way of logic alone. The solution was most likely something abstract and outside the bounds of typical European cooking. The plate cracked under the weight of Sebastian's frustration. Out of sheer annoyance for that action alone, Sebastian crumbled it into dust before sweeping it up with the utmost fury. There was an easier way to deal with this, but first he would have to find out a little more about this shop. Sebastian disposed of the innocent plate in the incinerator which then promptly sprang to life and died just as quickly. He'd make the call in the morning.
The subsequent chat he had with Paula and then Elizabeth, who intervened once relaying the details to Paula became tedious, left Sebastian no less frustrated than he had been the previous night. While Lady Elizabeth had thankfully given him the necessary information comprised from the business card they had taken from the shop, they also felt the need to recount every detail of their trip, and of course, the adjectives, if he could even refer to them as such, which the Lady had used to "describe her love" for the young Master, were complete babble which he didn't even know if he could repeat to the confectioner. Nonetheless, Sebastian somehow made it to the end of the conversation without his ears bleeding and did his best to not break the phone before he could call and make an appointment with the shop. Of course it would be his own fault if Lady Elizabeth decided to pay one of her surprise visits later in the day, after being excited by the mere mention of her fiance's name. On that note, he decided that it would be best to make preparations for said inevitable visit while things were still calm.
It wasn't even noon by the time Lady Elizabeth arrived. Sebastian had been waiting at the door ever since the carriage had crossed onto Phantomhive property, but even he barely had time to open it before the girl came crashing through, threatening to displace not only the door but also a portion of the carpet. His master, who had also been waiting downstairs, found himself flat on the ground, having been knocked over by the sheer force known as his fiancee.
"CIELIKNEWYOU'DLOVEITYOUSIMPLYHAVETOCOMETOTOWNWITHMETODAYIMADEANOTHERAPPOINTMENTFORTHISAFTERNOONAFTERALLANDIT'SONLYFAIRTHATYOURETURNTHEFAVORNOWLET'SGO!" It was highly doubtful that the young master had understood a single word of what was being screamed into his ear, however, Sebastian already had his coat and cane ready by the time she allowed him to breathe again.
"Lizzie, you can't just barge in here and demand that I leave with you!" Ciel protested as Sebastian helped him into his coat. "There is work to be done and," wisely he shut up just as Elizabeth's eyes began to water.
"I'm sorry, Ciel…" She began. Ciel shushed her and took the cane which Sebastian presented to him.
"One day wouldn't hurt," he placated, offering his arm and one of those cherished smiles.