Christmas Morning
On Christmas morning, Morgana awoke slowly and stretched lazily, expecting one limb or another to feel Lucius's warm body tucked up beside her as it had been the past six mornings. She was disappointed to find the bed around her empty. She drew the covers loosely around her naked form and shuffled up into a sitting position, hoping to see him somewhere else in the room.
There was no sign of Lucius, but a large box that hadn't been there the previous evening was now perched on the mahogany dressing table. The box was a rich ivory colour and was decorated with a wide plum-coloured silk ribbon.
Holding the sheets around her, Morgana slipped out of the four poster bed, her dainty toes sinking into the plush carpet beneath her feet, and wandered curiously over to the dressing table. On top of the box was a short note, written in a well-formed hand, on a piece of parchment.
'The first of many gifts on this day.
Ever yours, Lucius.'
She tucked the top of the sheet around her chest, fashioning herself some kind of toga, and gently eased the lid off the box's base.
The young witch gasped aloud, incredulously, when she saw what was laid inside.
A rich, deep scarlet red and gold brocade dress stared up at her. Morgana stood open-mouthed for a long moment, looking down at it in sheer wonderment. Hardly daring to touch it, she picked it up gently at the shoulders and the gown tumbled gracefully down to the floor, its true glory now evident, and Morgana gasped again. She held it up for a while before her arms began to ache, and then she gently laid it across the empty bed and hurried into the bathroom to wash.
Morgana stood in front of the ornate mirror, marvelling at her new attire. It was so very beautiful. The velvet overdress laced up at the front, sweeping from under her breasts in a figure-hugging curve, up and over her shoulders. The red sleeves fitted snugly to elbow-length and then cascaded in gentle gold brocade folds to past her knees. A matching gold brocade under dress covered her breasts and was exposed at the front of the dress where the velvet parted. A red hood with silk gold lining completed the gown.
She wore her dark hair down, it rippled in soft waves down over the bodice of the dress, a striking contrast to the gold. She wore little make-up, a brush of mascara and a dab of lipstick, she knew she needed nothing more. Her radiance and vitality shone more brightly than any make-up ever could.
Morgana smiled at her reflection, her black eyes alight. She straightened her back, and swept from the room.
Lucius Malfoy stood ramrod straight, as he always did, at the foot of the marble staircase. He was in his customary dark suit and white shirt, but there was a splash of colour this morning. His waistcoat was a deep claret red and in his hands he held a small plum-coloured box secured with an ivory ribbon.
Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Lucius looked up and immediately stopped short, his cool grey-blue eyes on the figure at the head of the stairs.
Morgana always looked beautiful, but today there was an aura about her, so radiant, so vitalizing, that she stunned him into silence. He gazed at her adoringly, and even from such a distance, her black eyes captivated him.
Holding the dress up just a little to avoid tripping, she stepped slowly down to greet him, the small heels of the matching shoes she had found at the bottom of the dress box tapping lightly on the marble.
She reached him with a shy smile and took his proffered arm.
Lucius genuinely couldn't take his eyes off her, uncomprehendingly offering her the box with a tender, "Merry Christmas, Morgana."
She accepted it graciously, her warm eyes gazing longingly into his.
"Merry Christmas, Lucius," she replied softly.