RP Log: Regulus Black & Celeste Lestrange Who: Celeste Lestrange & Regulus Black What: The mismatched pair goes house-hunting! When:[Backdated]: Thursday, February 4 Where: All over England, quite literally Rating: G, they're both super-respectable Status: Complete!
Celeste was more nervous about this than she cared to admit, though considerably less so than she had been the week before, before their lunch date. It had been comforting to see Regulus a bit on edge as well, then--it made her think that perhaps she wasn't alone in this, and that perhaps his indifference had something to do with nerves as well and not just that horrible Wilkes girl. She had spent a good part of the morning trying to make herself look pretty yet authoritative; she wanted to look lovely for Regulus, but intimidating for whatever realtors she would have to deal with, if they encountered any that day. She had finally settled on pulling her hair back into a loose chignon, which she thought made her look older and off-set the roundness of her face, and chose a set of dark blue silk robes. Her mother had approved of the outfit after a minute of careful deliberation, and Rodolphus had even raised an eye when he saw her and muttered something to himself about "growing up much too fast." All in all, a very pleasing morning.
Now she was waiting patiently in the day room for Regulus to arrive, hoping her mother wouldn't put him through too much formality and chatter before she allowed them to leave. She had already asked Rosalyn to keep it to a minimum, saying it was important they get to the listers as early as possible. She would try and refuse if they were made to drink some tea, but there was only so much she could do. And she knew Regulus would probably be too polite to decline.
Which really, was just what he needed at the end of the day: more complications in his emotional life. It was easier to betray Celeste's family when he didn't care about her feelings or opinions. It was easier to talk to Chloe that way as well.
But a life free of emotional complications wasn't in the cards, and Regulus had mostly made his peace with that. Knocking on the grand door to the Lestrange Manor, Regulus cut a classic figure in his expensive black cloak and navy jumper. The thought of a house of their own was enough to drive the-usually nocturnal heir from his warm bed, and he gave a loud rap upon the door and waited for admittance.
A few moments later, and he'd been led to the day room by a house elf. "Celeste," he greeted her, always feeling the most awkward in hellos and goodbyes. "You look lovely." And she did. There went the nerves, again.
She had been looking out the window when he entered with the house elf, and she immediately rose to her feet, crossing the room to meet him. Hellos and goodbyes were strange for her as well; she always felt as though she should be more affectionate than she was comfortable being. At least there was no one here they would have to perform for--the house elf hardly counted. She knew the proper thing was to kiss him, and so she forced herself to overcome her awkwardness and extend her hand to him, offering him her cheek. "Thank you, Regulus. You look quite dashing yourself."
She then gave her attention to the house elf with a raised eyebrow, "Bobsy, please go fetch my mother?" The elf immediately went into a frenzy of bowing, making her want to rub the bridge of her nose with frustration. Why couldn't they just say anything without a flurry of subservience? "The missus excuses herself, Miss Celeste. She says has headache."
Turning her attention back to Regulus, she lifted on shoulder in a pretty gesture of helplessness. "I suppose I will have to make my mother's apologies, then. I'm sorry, Regulus."
"No apologies necessary," he answered, privately rather glad that he needn't make the family rounds this morning. While he'd known Mrs. Lestrange fairly well ever since Bellatrix's marriage to Rololphus, that didn't mean that she didn't still send him into a paroxysm of overly-proper nerves with a well-timed glare. The kiss upon Celeste's cheek was executed quickly with a squeeze of her hand; Regulus was no more comfortable with physical affection than she. "I trust you're well and ready for the adventure?"
Truthfully, he was a little bit excited. Regulus had been aching for something that would be privately his, or at least nearly so; while Grimmauld was a large house, with his Mother in it the walls felt more closed-in day-to-day. The fact that Celeste would be sharing this house - and quite likely his bed - was something he wasn't really dwelling on at the moment. There was something exciting and new about finding some place that they both would enjoy - and really, whatever reservations he might've had about Celeste, Regulus had never been ungenerous with throwing his money around when it came to the whims of young women he wished to impress.
She was glad he executed the kiss with a minimum of awkwardness--she knew he was probably more comfortable around the opposite sex than she was. It was no secret he had had a fairly... passionate relationship when he was at Hogwarts, but she hoped that he expected her to be innocent. The thought of physical intimacy made her extremely uncomfortable, despite her mother's attempts to begin talking to her about the subject since her engagement. She knew it was something she would have to get over, sooner rather than later, but she hoped Regulus would understand it would take her time.
She too was excited about the house hunting. She thought their marriage had enough things stacked against it, and it would be incredibly difficult for them to ever get to know each other and be husband and wife if they were living under the watchful eye of either of their parents. A space of their own would help them be independent, and perhaps know each other as people and not simply a Lestrange and a Black. "I am, thank you. Shall we?"
"Let's." Regulus pulled out a list; he'd made a few notes on places according to location, age, and other relevant facts of note. "Any places of interest to start? I've everything from Brighton to London here; I confess to enjoying city life, but if you find something in the country, it really makes little difference, what with the floo connection." Handing her the list, he pressed his lips together to watch her as she looked it over. "Like I said earlier, my only preference is that it's got windows and that the library be large, and I would quite like a private study." And that really was it, for him. Regulus was nothing if not adaptable, especially if there was a strong-willed female involved. Unfortunately (or fortunately, for Celeste), he'd really been born to be amenable.
She took the list and looked it over, examining it with a false look of understanding. The truth was, despite their many holdings as a family, Celeste had spent most of her life living in this house. She had visited other homes, of course, but she didn't really know what it was like to live in other places. Whether she preferred city or country life was beyond her, as she had never really experienced living in a city. "I'm afraid I don't have very much expertise in the subject of location. I've lived here most of my life," she confessed to him in a rare moment of vulnerability. She smoothed back her hair as a gesture of nervousness. "If you would prefer the city, perhaps we should look there first? And..." she resisted the urge to shift her stance, "well, would you think it inappropriate if I had my own study as well? I have a reading room, here."
"I don't think it inappropriate," Regulus assured her. Really, he didn't find it insulting or inappropriate in the least. Regulus valued privacy, even amidst his best friends, and it didn't tend to surprise him or bother him when people required the same. As far as he was concerned, he'd honor nearly every whim Celeste had in regards to the house, provided that she suggest them honestly. Regulus didn't mind compromise, and he hadn't been kidding when he'd said a few weeks before that he wanted her input. City, country; it made little difference if neither of them was happy. "Perhaps let's do London first, and then work our way down the list from there?" He indicated the floo address, nodding toward the fireplace. "They're all connected for visitors, thankfully."
She smiled at his assurance, feeling immediately more at ease. That Regulus respected her need for privacy indicated he didn't expect her to stop her private study or work, and she deeply appreciated it. Though she was determined to bear children as soon as possible, she didn't intend to be a vapid society wife while she did it. It pleased her that Regulus didn't seem to require that of her, either.
"That sounds like a good strategy," she agreed, following his lead to the fireplace. She asked him for the first address and stepped forward, taking a hand-full of floo powder from a jar on the mantelpiece and calling out the location before stepping into the green flames.
The first location was grand, certainly, and wouldn't have required much enhancement to be ready for guests. Regulus didn't like how the home seemed to echo with the sound of their voices; while the gardens outside were nice enough, they reminded him of Andromeda. She would have liked them. He didn't particularly want to think of his errant cousin in a time like this. It was all he could do not to think about Chloe, a subject he would rather drown himself in liquor than deal with properly. Still, he kept his opinion smothered as he looked to Celeste. If she liked this airy, overly formal place, then he supposed he'd suck it up and deal. Standing together at the foot of the marble staircase, he was struck by how very straight his fiance held herself. Many years of training, he imagined. "Thoughts?"
The house was lovely, and suitably imposing, but massive. She couldn't help but feel a bit... young in comparison, and despite the fact that she knew her mother would approve, the house didn't make her feel like an adult, or like she could begin her life as a married woman there. The gardens were beautiful though, and she thought she might like to have some in the house they chose--they reminded her of Rodolphus, and she thought he might like to come visit her and walk there with her. As they stood at the end of the staircase, she turned and assessed him, trying to read from his expression if he was in love with the property. "Well, it's... it's certainly very grand. But you expressed a desire to have a home we could renovate..."
"It is grand," Regulus said, and he knew with a sinking feeling that his mother would have loved this house. It was stately, it was royal, and it advertised its fine architecture with all the subtlety of a squawking peacock. "This would be an excellent place to host a ball, certainly. But it's... I suspect it gets cold in the winter," he finally decided. "Too large not to have a draft. That means nothing if you like it, of course, but I could happily look elsewhere, if it's all right with you. I've at least four more on my list."
She was glad that they seemed to be in agreement, though privately amused that neither wanted to state an opinion out-right. That seemed to be a common enough trait among those with as much breeding as they had--the complete inability to say something that might step on someone else's toes. Smiling at him, she stepped a bit closer and glanced at his list again. "Let's look at another location. I don't think this one is for us."
The next home on Regulus's list was in a state caught between disrepair and utter desolation. "The pictures looked nothing like this," Regulus said, a little saddened. On paper, the home had seemed perfect - a large library, a rambling garden, and a good number of guests rooms that might have been converted into nearly anything they'd like. But this? This was a leaking roof with mold and more holes in the walls than the Hogs Head had alcoholics.
"I should think not," he said succinctly as he assisted Celeste with managing a creaking step; restoration was one thing. This was quite another.
She couldn't help but smile at his sad look, surprised but pleased to see how invested he was in the hunt. It made her feel unexpectedly comforted that he cared about finding a home for them. Her insecurity about her standing with him was starting to loosen, and with it she was relaxing bit by bit. If she thought they were in this together, she wouldn't need to maintain the iron walls around herself. "I'm in full agreement," she said, holding on to him tightly as he helped her down. This place looked as if it might collapse at any moment, and it was certainly not worth the money they were asking just to put twice as much into restoring it. "Shall we?"
"Honestly, we might as well sleep beneath a pub's overhang for all the good the roof will do us," Regulus muttered, not impressed in the least. While he might've had his reservations about the Dark Lord, he was nonetheless a snob about his living conditions, and there were some things that he would simply not abide by. "Come on then... the next one it is."
Two more houses. The first was too hoity-toity; Regulus had been living in fear that Celeste would actually like the floral wallpaper and hand-painted Impressionist idiocy in the dining room, but thankfully she had merely wrinkled her nose and moved on. The next was slightly more promising, but the windows were narrow and reminded him too much of church, and the Black family had never really approved of church.
"One last one? If you're tired, we can give it a rest," Regulus said, his cloak dusty from the day's flooing.
He looked a bit careworn, but she thought it was charming. She was used to seeing him look immaculate, so it was a nice change. She herself was looking a bit worse for wear, strands of hair starting to slip out of her carefully arranged style. She was in desperate need of a powder room--no lady would ever let herself be seen like this. Fortunately, there was a mirror in the hallway, and it took only a moment of careful smoothing to restore herself to a semblance of grace. "I think I can manage one more," she said, turning to him with a smile. "Thank you for waiting, I'm afraid I wilted."
"We owe ourselves dinner where we're waited on properly after all of this," Regulus muttered. "The lives of the fantastically wealthy are so difficult. All the decision-making. Merlin, it makes my head spin." That bit of sarcasm aside - and sarcasm he had a feeling she wouldn't mind - he took a last handful of floo powder and gamely tossed it into the fireplace, saying out loud the address to the final home he'd found in the listings.
The hall he stumbled into was filled with light. The walls were a mish-mash of old wallpaper and paint beneath; he saw at once that they'd have to be stripped down and re-done. But the living room, at least, was quite lovely with a set of bay windows taking up the expanse of the side wall, a view of well-manicured countryside pressing against their glass.
She laughed gamely, knowing she could use a good meal following this adventure, and strangely hoped his offer was a serious one. Their last meal together had been pleasant, if a bit stiff. Today they had spent enough time around each other to actually relax, and she thought this meal might go a sight better.
She stepped out into the house and immediately felt calmed, though the walls needed work and the floors would definitely have to be stripped and redone. There was so much light, and the gardens were too lovely for words. Stepping toward the window, she looked back at him over her shoulder, her face lit with a glow she had never had around him before. "Regulus," she said softly, unable to continue. She was almost afraid to look at the upstairs, afraid that it would ruin the effect this house had on her. It was the first time she had been somewhere she felt like she could call home. After plenty of work, of course.
"Very nice," he said, cautious as always, but he had to admit that this section of the home was, at least, very pretty. It wasn't like Grimmauld; it opened out into the world rather than hulked away from it. Still, he needed to see the rest of the house before getting too excited one way or another. So he slinked out the door of the living room into what appeared to be a cheery breakfast area connecting to a large kitchen. Regulus, who had nothing to do with kitchens in the least, thought that it at least looked a decent sort of kitchen. He was more interested in the large staircase and the rooms just beyond it. There it was - a private study overlooking a fountain, and another disused room that might've been converted to just about anything. He walked up the stairs - they creaked horribly, but that was an easy charm - to find several lovely bedrooms, including a spacious Master. He cleared his throat a little, unwilling to look Celeste in the eye about that, but it, at least, seemed a good room.
"Let's see the East wing, then," he suggested, having not found the library as of yet.
The upstairs was lovely as well, with what seemed the perfect private study for him, and another room that could easily be converted into her own space. There were several smaller bedrooms, which she was surprised to find herself imagining turning into children's room, and then the large Master bedroom that brought a delicate blush to her face. She knew sooner rather than later she would have to confront the reality of her marital duties, but now was definitely not the time for that.
Walking with him down the hallway, she couldn't help the anticipation that built in her chest as the neared a set of stately if careworn double doors, which she took the honour of pushing open to reveal an enormous, beautiful library with absolutely magnificent windows that let in more light than she thought possible. Unconsciously, she slid her hand into his, squeezing it lightly as she took in the room. It was absolutely perfect.
It was a grand library. Certainly something Regulus could see himself enjoying in the latter years, provided that he lived, of course. There was a large fireplace in the center, and though the room was spacious, it gave no sign of pretension. And yet, he couldn't help but imagine a different brunette with him, staring at the library and planning their lives together. It wasn't right, he thought firmly to himself, to think of Chloe Wilkes in a time like this. It wasn't right, and it wasn't fair. Celeste was growing on him despite himself, in the sort of enforced way that people in stressful situations sometimes did. He had his duty as did she, and even if it wasn't what they both would have wanted, he owed Celeste the security and attentions that he would have given any wife, any fiance. And if there was one thing that Regulus Black took seriously, it was duty.
He looked back at her, taking a breath. "Do you want it?" he asked, knowing that the price was a little more than he'd prepared to set down, but really, what was money, anyway? "Would this make you happy?"
She was embarrassed when he didn't return her gesture, and quickly withdrew her hand from his and looked away. She was made to adapt, she had been raised by her father to obey orders, and to always do what was expected of her. She knew her marriage to Regulus was supposed to be magnificent, so she was determined to make it so. She didn't know why she kept hoping Regulus would show the same determination--yes, he was being kind to her now, and going through the motions, but he didn't feel anything for her. She didn't love him either, but she was determined to make herself love him. Otherwise she would be too miserable for words. The thought that he wanted to be with Chloe made the gorge rise in her throat, and she quickly looked away from him and stepped further into the library, determined not to let him see her thoughts. "It would," she answered with false brightness, although she wondered if anything truly could make her happy.
There was a note of sadness to her voice that even the steeliest determination couldn't hide. Regulus hadn't grown up with Narcissa Black not to hear one thing and understand another. This situation wasn't fair for either of them, and as unhappy as it made him, he knew that it wasn't as if she had designed it herself. Best to make the best of it, and try to meet halfway.
He followed behind her, a small, sad sort of smile on his face, un-fooled. Gingerly, as if she were made of glass, he placed his hand on the curve of her back, looking forward at the small seating area in the back of the library. When his hand neither fell off nor the world ended, he relaxed slightly, chancing a glance at her. "Then you shall have it," he promised, and damn the price.
She stiffened a bit in surprise when he touched her, though she forced herself to relax when he didn't pull away. She looked back at him when he made his promise, surprised that he would spend so much money on making her happy. It was a gesture, and a grand one, and she knew she should appreciate it. Grand shows of money didn't floor her the way they might have with others, because she was used to always having more than anyone could fathom, but it was still sweet of him to commit to the house to make her happy. She managed a genuine smile for him, and leaned over to kiss him chastely on the cheek. "Thank you, Regulus."
"You're welcome," he muttered, already turning red at the physical affection that was so unlike them both. "I think it's a good place," he added, feeling the need to explain why he'd made the decision as he had, at least outside of attempting to impress her. "It's well-connected, it's well-established, but there's enough of it left to make our own. You know?" Fantastic, he was babbling. At least they'd have good news to bring back to their parents, Regulus reasoned. The world needed some good news.
She couldn't help the smile that came to her face when she saw his embarrassment--it made her feel better that they were both so uncomfortable with physical affection. Although, of course, it would be better if he was okay with it. At some point they would need to touch each other, more than just hand to hand, and it would be best if one of them had the confidence to take charge. "I think it's beautiful. And I very much look forward to making it our own." She did a little spin, taking in the library. She was already a little bit in love with the place.