dedgulung "vexed italicizing trouble magnet" black (regulus) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2008-10-20 20:44:00 |
|
|||
Jittery, jittery. Smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles in his clothing (a fine, expensive set of dress robes, naturally), Regulus sucked in a steadying breath and stared at the Wilkes' door. He had arranged to collect Julianne at 6:45pm, sharp, to make their reservation at 7:00pm in a suitable amount of time. The thumping in his chest made him rather self-aware of his nerves, but to stand at the door for an eternity was not going to make those nerves go away. If anything, the suspense seemed to worsen them. With three swift and steady raps -- his own telling knock -- Regulus lifted his chin slightly as he grasped around for that sense of confidence that he knew he had hiding somewhere with him, just stubbornly out of reach in his time of need. Julianne had begun getting ready shortly after lunch. While she had tried to read, write, study, anything, the most she did was play with Bijoux and even then it was for a moment. Her mind was clearly occupied with other thoughts and so she decided to, well, start getting ready.. even if it was a good four hours before the time Regulus had agreed to pick her up. However, when the moment came with three sharp knocks on the door, Julianne began to feel quite not ready. She timidly stood at the top of the winding staircase, holding a small clutch purse in her hand, a section of her burgundy dress in her other. As the door was opened by Twinks, her mother quickly rushed over to greet Regulus, hardly able to contain her excitement. Julianne took in a deep breath, knowing that this conversation was not meant to be just a normal dinner out. Sirius had spoken to Regulus about how she felt and didn't give her any specifics as to what exactly was said. If anything, Regulus was absolutely furious and was taking her out to dinner so that he could tell her that never do such a thing or face the consequences. He was trying to be kind and gentlemanly by having such a conversation over a nice meal and Julianne's heart began to race once again. "Julianne!" came the sing-song voice of her mother and Juls closed her eyes, taking in one last deep breath before making her way down the stairs, her heels clicking softly on the wooden stairs as she made her way down. She approached the door timidly, without meaning to necessarily do so, but smiled at Regulus, who was looking rather clean and handsome. Mrs Wilkes continued to say things to Regulus as Julianne kissed her mother good-bye. As the door shut behind them, Julianne smiled once more at Regulus, her eyes meeting his gaze just once before dropping to the floor. "Evening." Something of a small (and jittery) smile flittered briefly on his face. She struck a rather stunning image, but he allowed only a politely-lengthed admiration before breaking his own concentration with a gentlemanly bow. Open staring was never a proper habit to fall into, and despite the light conversation with her mother, a sense nervous anticipation and uncertainty lingered stubbornly, not entirely eased (if eased at all). "Good evening," he responded, noticing she was no longer looking at him but batting the observation from his thoughts. At least it was slightly less nerve-wracking. "Are you ready to go?" A careful calmness coloured his voice, and he supposed the question wasn't entirely necessary…but propriety and social graces were not without their superfluous questions. Well, he didn't seem upset.. But perhaps the worst was going to come later. Julianne pushed such negative thoughts from her mind. She supposed she couldn't keep the fact that she was speaking with Sirius a secret forever, but he really didn't need to say anything to Regulus.. Especially when it regarded something like this. Regulus was just a really Good Friend and yes, she had already admitted that she did love him as a friend. "Yes, I am ready." After politely saying his goodbyes to Mrs Wilkes, Regulus gave a small nod to Julianne and led her out the door, closing it behind them as they stepped out into the already darkening evening. It was never a long walk from the townhome to the Apparation point, so they were still doing fine as far as time went: their pace was neither slow nor swift, but rather a purposeful gait. He could not help but mull over the conversation he would soon be breeching, and he felt uncertain of what he should fill the air with until then. Never a riveting conversationalist in the first place, he found it all the more difficult to manage with other, more important things to think about… The minutes stretched until the reached the Apparation point, silence filling the air as he lost himself in thought. He did have the ring (his mother's), and he did have the reservation, and she seemed to be in a positive mood…and truly, stress was entirely unnecessary because it was going to be fine, and he was perfectly prepared. He had thought of little else for at least a week. As they walked into the restaurant, Refuge dans les Étoiles, he had to admit it was a very classy-looking establishment, outside and in. He had done as Marius had instructed and acquired a small quiet table in a more secluded back area without the bothers of the other restaurant goers to bother them; stepping forward, he locked his sites on the maître d' to announce their arrival. Biding her mother good-bye once more, Julianne followed Regulus out the door. A beautiful afterglow streaked a part of the sky which Julianne took the time to admire as they walked to the apparation point with nothing but a slightly uncomfortable silence hanging in the air between them. Regulus seemed slightly preoccupied in his thoughts and Julianne did not push him in any way. He needed to speak with her, he had said, and to be honest, Juls was in no rush to hear about the impending bad news that probably regarded what she had said to Sirius or even about Sirius himself. Letting out a soft silent sigh before the apparated, all previous thoughts that had been plaguing her quickly disappeared as they arrived at the restaurant. Refuge dans les Étoiles; Julianne had heard about the place several times. And though she never had the chance to come to such a restaurant, she could hardly believe that she was actually here now that she stood outside of it. She followed Regulus behind once the fact that she was actually at this restaurant sunk in. Julianne quickly composed herself as the maître d' welcomed them warmly, addressing Regulus as Monsieur Black several times and leading them toward the back of the restaurant, spaced comfortably apart from others. The table was set for two, candles and a vase containing a single rose set to the side. The quiet was easing and unobtrusive, surrounding them with nothing but a soft murmur as Regulus and Julianne settled into their seats. Chandeliers glittered against the backdrop of the deep blue walls, the deep brown wood, the quiet clumps of people, but it was rather more difficult to spend so much time admiring the surroundings when Julianne was sitting just across from him, looking beautiful and quite unaware of any and all intents. Despite his fondness for the quiet and serenity, Julianne's particular silence did not help his nerves, and he couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she was not unaware, if her father had slipped and hinted, and she was thus lamenting the evening... ...But he was not thinking fatalistically. He was not, and she was not, and perhaps she simply was not feeling talkative. No panic was necessary. Taking in an anchoring breath, he allowed only a flicker of a glance at her before turning his attention to the menu to try to distract his thoughts again. He had seen her in evening gowns a multitude of times over the years, but did she need to look so beautiful when he was attempting to remain at ease about the whole situation? Relaxation. He had need to relax the whirling of his mind to match the calm exterior if he wanted to avoid bumbling his thoughts into some sort of incoherent and illogical mass of words as they left his mouth. It was only proposing. It was just marriage, and everyone in Pureblood society knew that marriage was meant to come for all of them. The worst case scenario would be her denial, in which case there were other girls of pure blood that he would be able to marry, but he did not want to marry anyone else – but at the same time, he did not want to not want to marry anyone else because that greatly intensified the pressure, and Mr Wilkes had given no guarantee. Her father would not force her into marriage, it did not seem -- not that he wished to force her -- Compliment. Compliments were good. Forcing himself to tear his anxious gaze from the menu (he did not wish for her to feel that he was more fond of the food choices than of her, lest there be confusion), Regulus turned his attentions again to Julianne. "You look…very lovely," he said after a moment, supposing that did not entirely capture the reality, but trying to pry anything more expressive from the safety of his mind was uncomfortable: he was always uncomfortable expressing his thoughts, for that matter, but he was -- calm. He was calm. He did not know why he was getting so worked up; the evening was no different from a societal party. For two. At an expensive restaurant. Alone. With the intent of engagement. Other than that, absolutely the same. Would he break the news now or was he saving the rather conversation for later? Whether it happened over ordering their meal or over dessert, it would still have to be said. Perhaps if he was in no mood to talk about it now, she might as well try to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere.. Afterall, Regulus had hinted nothing at it thus far, and other than being rather quiet, he didn't seem too upset.. However, the moment she felt Regulus' gaze on her, she couldn't help but flush slightly. It seemed like he was opening his mouth -- words were inevitable. She kept her eyes glued to the menu though she didn't register the words. She really didn't wish to be talking about Sirius or what she said to Sirius.. She was apologetic a million times, really. 'You look very lovely.' It took an extra second to register for Julianne to look up, her expression seemingly rather innocent and questioning before turning into a soft smile. Relief. Safe, for now. "Thank you," she replied. "I hope I'm not under-dressed.." Wait. Was she under dressed? Perhaps Regulus was saying the things he was saying because he didn't want to make her feel awkward. But no, she was fine really. If she had known beforehand, she would've been wearing very much the same thing. Perhaps her faux-fur shaw, though it was faux-fur -- having dead animals on her skin was not her thing and, to others, may just seem like she was being cheap -- or she could've put on her best jewelry.. But what's done was done, and she could hardly excuse herself to powder her nose and then apparate back home, run into her room, then return looking different. And while she didn't think Regulus really would notice slight changes to her appearance, he was Regulus and seemed to notice everything. "Not at all. You needn't worry," he assured her before turning his attention back to the menu. Perhaps foie gras for the hors d'oeuvres? Goose would have been preferable to duck, but goose was not on the menu, and while he supposed he could request that they swiftly acquire a goose (after all, they were wizards, and it could not be exceedingly difficult), it would still take notably longer for their food to arrive, and it did not seem worth the effort required. "What do you think for h'ors d'oeuvres? I am considering foie gras, but do you have a preference? Or perhaps crêpes...Also, do not fret about pricing, as I will be paying for us both," he said without pulling his eyes from the menu he was still looking through – a wonderful method of refocusing. Venison, perhaps, for the main course… Julianne nodded once, turning her attention to the menu as well. The familiar French words on the elegant menu made Juls feel an odd sense of calmness.. perhaps because it reminded her of the comforts of her own home as she read French novels. As she read through the soups, salads, and appetizers, her eyes then rested upon the price. Her eyes widened slightly as she involuntarily looked up to Regulus, as if he could read her mind. But alas, there he was looking through the menu as if he was reading through simple instructions of an easy potion. While she refocused her attention to the menu upon mentioning of h'ors d'oeuvres, Julianne felt slightly burdened as Regulus mentioned the prices. She didn't necessarily expect Regulus to mention a splitting of the bill but she didn't want to have the mentality of being pampered and such.. especially when he said that he needed To Talk. "Crêpes sound lovely.." "Crêpes, it is, then." He was only just scanning desserts when the waiter came up to their table, poised and ready to take their order. Prompt service, Regulus mentally noted, and thus far they had not been let down, standards-wise. He trusted Marius in that they would not be. "Je me prends les crêpes farcies de homard avec la mache et une emulsion de garrote et gingembre, s'il vous plait," Regulus ordered in a quiet and clear voice as he set down the menu, the jittery feeling still flitting in his stomach. "Nous partagerons," he added as an afterthought. He did not wish to leave either of them without a plate, after all. When the waiter had gone, Regulus looked back to Julianne, taking notice of the persistently uncomfortable air she seemed to have. Certainly he felt nervous, but he had reason to feel nervous..."Are you alright?" Julianne hadn't really heard Regulus speak French before and she was, to be honest, slightly surprised at his fluency. Well, then again, she didn't really put it past Regulus to be able to do everything as well as he did.. Following his lead, Juls set down her menu as well.. She pulled the corner of the soft napkin on her lap, her only form of distraction at the moment until.. Caught. "Umm.. Yes." She said, a short nervous laugh before smiling. "I just--" am extremely nervous about what you need to speak to me about. "It's a lovely place. I've always wanted to come here." Fashioning a smile more certain than he felt, Regulus nodded and drummed his fingers over the pocket which contained the ring. Focus on the restaurant. "I am glad it is favourable to your preferences. It-" (came highly recommended) "-certainly is proving itself worthy of acclaim. Hopefully the food will be just as wonderful, yes?" This time was Julianne's turn to smile as she nodded. "Yes, I'm sure it will be." She kept her gaze on the flame of the candle, burning softly. 'Focus on him,' she thought to herself. Everyone liked talking about themselves, didn't they? Given that it wasn't too personal, that was. "So how has your week been? Have you started on your costume?" Regulus nodded, feeling a slight relief start to ease the edge of anxiety as they focused in on the small talk. He needed to just...remain calm. Do not say or do anything embarrassing or offensive in any way… "Barty's mother had us fitted and our costumes sent out to be made last Tuesday, yes – and yours?" The corner of his mouth pulled up just slightly. "How is it coming along?" "It's.." Julianne let out a small laugh. "It's coming. It's much harder than I assumed that it would be." She had received the fabrics from Paris and measured everything out. But handling the very expensive material did make her slightly nervous. If she made any mistakes, Juls didn't really know what she would do. "But I am glad you have already started on yours." "I'm sure it will be lovely. There is still plenty of time to finish." The laugh was comforting -- a nice, pleasant sound that suggested something like happiness, which was a good sign. "The masquerade is certainly sneaking up quickly." "It certainly is." And then a pause. Did Regulus still want to go to the masquerade with her? Wait, was this what the talk was about? She hadn't thought about this before.. She cautiously continued. "I'm honoured to be attending the ball with you.." "It is my pleasure and honour, I assure you," he said with a small smile. By the time the h'ors d'eouvres arrived just minutes later, the two of them had fallen into a gradually easing flow of conversation spanning Quidditch, her debut, the years past at Hogwarts, and Regulus had felt the jittery tension subside to a less wholly consuming anxiousness. Dinner passed far more quickly than he had expected, but when the time came to clear their meals (roasted venison for him, roasted Chilean seabass for her) and wait for their dessert -- chocolat soufflé et profiterolles, s'il vous plait -- Regulus rather jarringly realised that the window of opportunity was growing steadily narrower. Before dessert? During dessert? After dessert? He couldn't risk waiting until after – what if she wished to leave just after? During dessert would be too awkward and Merlin that meant he needed to focus. Focus. Should he try to ease back into conversation? Or just say it…? A mind as innocent as Julianne's led her to honestly forget about The Talk. In fact, for a good chunk of the dinner, Julianne forgot that they were at Refuge dans les Étoiles, only realizing where she was and why she was there each time she tasted the delicious foods and when the occasional waiter came by. There were several times where she felt self-conscious once more, hoping that she wasn't under dressed or that she had ordered the incorrect dish (because really, what would Regulus think of her if she had ordered Le Tournedos de Boeuf [too masculine of a dish] or Les Tagliarini Fraiches [her mother always gave her a discouraging look when she ordered strictly from the vegetarian side of the menu]). The lingering idea that Regulus had called her out to dinner for a very specific talk crept up several times, and it did once more now.. Julianne still had on her smile from their last conversations -- a victory for the Slytherins in regards to Quidditch and the day a potion for a seventh-year's project had gone extremely awry -- and a sudden thought occured to her. Perhaps Regulus just wished to talk and not To Talk. Maybe he had decided to completely ignore what Sirius had said or perhaps Sirius hadn't said anything to him at all! Regulus was merely being a gentleman and taking her out to have a meal. At a really expensive classy restaurant. Without any sort of chaperone. Just the two. Alone. Calm calm calm – relaxed – the mental demands were not doing him as much good as he would prefer. It felt suddenly as though the area wasn't private enough, that even the comfortably separated sections and tables were too revealing, even far in the safety of the back, separated still from the other restaurant-goers. His hand rested on the ring and he made a subtle move to stand – hesitated and froze. He needed to stand. Stand, move, kneel, speak. Stand, move, kneel, speak. Stand, move, kneel, speak. But he did not stand, did not move, did not kneel, did not speak, no matter how many times his mind demanded it. It felt off, and he did not know why it felt off because it had worked for Marius, and what could possibly be off about something Marius had done? …Regulus determined that was not his true question, but the restaurant was perfect. It did not add up as to why he could not propose to Julianne when he actually wished to propose to Julianne… When their desserts came, he felt somewhat of a deflation in himself. Technically, it was not over, but he could not imagine the doing so during dessert was actually a viable option. He took care to preserve his neutral expression as he ate his soufflé, attempting to not feel like a failure – it was not the end. She hadn't said no – she just…hadn't said yes yet. Because he had not asked… The quiet awkwardness had undoubtedly returned and Julianne felt nervous once more. While she didn't wish to push Regulus to tell her anything, she didn't want to end up not necessarily knowing what he wished to speak to her about in the first place.. given that he needed to speak to her about something, which he hadn't said. If memory served her correctly, Regulus had merely said that he 'wished to talk' and that was that. Dessert went by rather like how their hors d'oeuvres went by: quiet and awkward. The check came which Regulus handled quickly as Julianne sat somewhat awkwardly, unsure of what to do other than thank him for the wonderful meal. The maître d' came by once more, thanking the two for dining and said his goodbyes and come agains. When Regulus arose from his chair, Julianne paused. Was this.. it? He really only wished to speak to her? But why was the atmosphere slightly different from before? She wasn't sure what she was expecting from the dinner but if all he really desired was a conversation, she should've been more thoughtful and kind.. All this time she had been worrying.. As Regulus helped her out of her chair, she smiled and thanked him once more as they left the, by far, most beautiful restaurant that Julianne had ever been to. Within minutes, they were back at the apparation point in St James, the park to their right, and the Wilkes' townhome just several minutes ahead. Julianne kept pace with Regulus who looked rather thoughtful. "I wish to thank you once again for dinner," she said, turning her attention to Regulus, despite not wanting to disturb his thoughts. But her home was not too far ahead and she wanted to end the night on a positive note like how it had been during their main course at the restaurant. "It was my pleasure…" he said with an element of distance to his voice. Each step closer to the Wilkes' townhome felt like a step closer to failure and frustration. He had thought about scarcely nothing else for days – for a week, practically, and the more he had allowed himself to think about it, the more he hated the idea of her marrying anyone else, or of him having some unpleasant arrangement because he could not ask one question. He still could not figure out what had gone wrong…everything was so well-planned so that this wouldn't happen… Walking through the park brought a feeling serenity in itself, however. The night was still and silent, cloudy and without a soul in sight as they padded through the grass, and it was easier to forget the stifled clutch of anxiety. Of expectation… The ceasing of his gait was without much warning, hesitating to a stop and staring at nothing in particular. "Wait…" His voice was quiet, seemingly lost in the expanse of the area's nighttime inactivity. His fingers twitched slightly over his pocket, heart thumping is nervous thumps as he redirected his attention to Julianne. "There…is still something, before we get back to your house…" The tone of Regulus' voice was surely noted, though Julianne wasn't sure of what else to really say. She was genuinely thankful and overall, it had been a fairly pleasant night with a wonderful dinner. Perhaps he was preoccupied with more important thoughts and she almost felt apologetic if he had other things to tend to but did not wish to break his word and thus, reluctantly had dinner with her. Or perhaps it was something that was completely over her altogether, something that she would never know about. The park was rather quiet, or extremely quiet perhaps fit better. Not even crickets seemed to be out tonight and the soft clicking of her heels on the cobblestone path made her wish that she could be walking bare feet. Several lamps that were rather spaced out provided subtle light, the moonlight providing the rest. Julianne heard Regulus' speak before she noticed that he had stopped walking and she slowly turned around. He still wished to talk to her. She was doomed. Perhaps she should just explain first. That she had been speaking to Sirius but that it was just to warn him off Bellatrix Lestrange. That she knew that she had been overstepping her boundaries when she mentioned that she believed that she wasn't good enough for Regulus when it came to those sorts of matters, but at the same time, she didn't wish to interrupt him and so perhaps she wouldn't say anything at all until he had spoken first.. Julianne just realized that she had been holding her breath and she inhaled deeply, as quietly as she could. "Yes?" she asked, her voice clearly uneven, her brows furrowing slightly. Drawing in a steadying breath, Regulus took a moment longer to simply look at her, calming that jittery feeling into control once again. She truly did strike a lovely image, and now, in complete privacy, in the comfort of their particular place of familiarity and contentment, Regulus reached a hand into his pocket. "I realise this might seem…rather out of nowhere…and I have spoken to your father…" Just say it. Do not stall. Just say it… Carefully, deliberately dropping to one knee, Regulus experienced a less smothering but no less nerve-ridden twist in the stomach. Pulling out the ring with a movement less steady than he would have preferred, Regulus looked up her and held the glimmering piece of jewelry up into clear sight. "Might I have the honour of your hand in marriage?" There was a pause, not too long nor too short, but a nice good pause nevertheless. Julianne's face went from surprised, to even more surprised, to taking in the situation of what was happening, and finally, a look of understanding followed by the classic genuine smile of hers. "Of course, Regulus. The honour would be mine." Something like relief broke through his own tense breath-holding, slowly pulling up the corners of his mouth as he was graced with the air he did not realize he was missing. The squirmy feeling became a more pleasant variety of squirmy feeling, one of pleasure and accomplishment – the answer was, in fact, yes! Remembering after a moment the he was still frozen in his kneeling position, Regulus run his thumb over the band of the engagement ring and snapped his mind back to the immediate attention of Julianne. His fiancée… He went through with it without any difficulty too tragic. Once again he felt pettiness and defeated orientation of his alternate expectations: he was a Black, at the very base of the matter, and there was even that chance she did actually fully appreciate the projected idea of his extended, exclusive company in the marital sense… Re-focusing on Julianne (his mind had run away with him again), Regulus took her hand and slid the ring onto her finger, placing a gentlemanly kiss on her hand to seal the gesture. He felt awkward, still, as he stood up, but it had not been a rejection; for that, he could breath easier. That and the lack of any agonizingly lengthy and silent wait… "That…that is wonderful news, then." Marriage? Marriage? So this is what it had all been about! Although Julianne wasn't sure if she would have been any less nervous (if anything, probably more) about this dinner if she knew beforehand, the idea of being engaged to Regulus was a pleasant thought, though awkward in some respects. Did her Sirius conversation play a part in all this? And when had he spoken to her father?--who now completely made sense now if he had spoken to Regulus beforehand and then decided to talk to her. Julianne could feel the unease and a million different thoughts ready to converge together and so she did her best to try and not think about all this until she could go home. She had already accepted his hand and to be engaged to Regulus.. It was overwhelming, in light of what others had been saying (namely Barty, Jacqueline, and Sirius), and to actually realize that she had wanted this -- that if she was to be engaged to anyone, her first choice most As the ring was placed on her hand, the cool metal sliding into its place, Julianne admired it for the moment. The kiss on her hand, while a very gentleman thing to do, made Julianne blush. Her whole face felt rather warm and she was glad that the park was somewhat dark and empty. All of a sudden, Julianne wished she had spoken to Narcissa and Astra about these things.. What was she to do after accepting proposal? Was it just a 'yes, I will be your fiancee, now take me home it's chilly out' or was there a set action that she was supposed to do. 'Thank you' did not seem sufficient and merely accepting it seemed rather snooty. This day was supposed to be the day, the day that she had always imagined as a child, the day that her mother had raised her up for,.. but it seemed, despite the periods of awkwardness, rather pleasant and not as horrible as she could have imagined. To be engaged to Regulus (engaged! A word rather new to her vocabulary) brought butterflies to her stomach and she laughed, perhaps out of nervousness. "Why yes! It is wonderful news! And the ring is so beautiful.." The awkward feeling of the proposal's following uncertainty (that precise feeling he had attempted to avoid in his original plan) lingered, and he found that his mind was void of anything he felt he could follow the question with that did not feel incredibly trite or superfluous in its lack of necessity. She seemed pleased enough, and the impending disaster was adverted almost as soon as it had begun; he supposed he ought to escort her back to her home before anything had the chance to go dreadfully wrong. "Shall we...resume?" He would have much preferred to at least sound certain, and he had at least attempted to manipulate the tone as such, but at least in his mind, he felt as though he had been unable to prepare for the post-proposal etiquette. Not that he could imagine Marius Lestrange ever feeling awkward and thus Regulus doubted he could have acquired much assistance in that way -- nor could he imagine the same for any Lestrange, nor anyone else in his own family for that matter, so he did not know why it wished to inflict itself on him... "We shall," she replied with a small nod. Julianne couldn't help but glance at her hand whenever she thought Regulus wasn't looking, an involuntary smile seemed to be permanently on her lips as if she had some sort of secret to tell. The air about them was filled with a pleasant contentness, the kind of silence that she found so comforting with Regulus. The townhome was only steps away and Julianne felt unsure of how things would be; if things would be different or if it would remain very much the same. Perhaps all she could really do was to see where these turn of events would take her, and unexpected but quite pleasant nevertheless. As they arrived by the steps, Julianne turned to Regulus, a shy smile as she looked down (and taking another subtle glance at the sparkling ring). "I suppose thanking you for dinner would be quite an understatement," she started, before looking up at him, a small laugh following seconds after. "It was a pleasure," he said with a small smile in return. The were back at the house -- was he just supposed to leave? There was a hesitancy, but at least this brand of awkwardness was an awkwardness with the solid guarantee that this was working out properly...far different from the constantly spiking emotions from the rest of the evening. "I imagine we will have people to inform at our convenience, yes?" he said, the air of pleasantness still colouring his voice. A smile from Regulus. Julianne returned the gesture, although she had been smiling for quite some time already. "Yes, although I'm sure mother won't be able to contain her excitement for long." Looking up to the rather clear night sky, she let out a soft silent sigh. This was really happening.. With one last smile to Regulus, she, without much thought, leaned and kissed him on the cheek. "Good evening. Return safely," were her last words as she made her way into the house, her cheeks flushed and warm. As Julianne stepped through the door, she was met with the warm and comfortable atmosphere of her own home. The night out seemed almost like a blur, a dream, a fairytale. "Julianne's home!" came the voice of her mother as Hester made her way down the stairs. "Well?" as her mother eagerly, Jacqueline joining the other two Wilkes women in the foyer. Julianne shrugged slightly, taking off her robe nonchalantly. She could feel the eyes of her mother and twin upon her and she noticed that her father had taken a step out of his study. The excitement was much too much to bare and she knew that she couldn't contain such happy news for long. Julianne raised her left hand, showing her family the Black heirloom, sparkling on her finger as if it had always belonged there. The family went up in laughter and questions, Julianne being led into the family room to explain the whole night which she would surely do. |