Backstory - Riches have never fascinated me, unless combined with the greatest charm or distinction.

[byrightsinhell]

The restaurant is elegant and simple, the kind lit by candles and without prices on the menu. It's a wizarding establishment, of course, a few streets away from the bustle of Diagon Alley. Lucius is quite pleased with himself as he selects his entrée. He hadn’t seen Narcissa Black on a regular basis since graduation, and when he had seen her in passing, there had generally been little time to study her. Now he had her to himself for the evening, and he was more and more certain he had made an excellent choice in pursuing her more seriously. The three years since he’d graduated had been kind to her; they’d certainly gotten a few discreet stares as he’d escorted her in. He’d given a lot of thought to what sort of woman he would settle down with, and Narcissa had so far done nothing but reinforce his initial thoughts on the matter.

She was, he admitted, a far cry from the girls he had been seeing. But then, what he looked for in a wife and what he looked for in a romantic partner were somewhat different. And it was time to settle down. For one thing, it would relieve him of middle aged witches throwing their daughters at him like a shotput. And, perhaps a bit morbidly, the thought has crossed his mind that if the Malfoy family is to have an heir, he may not have an infinite amount of time in which to father one. The three years since graduation have changed more people than Narcissa Black, whether he admits it or not. He has no doubt that, should the courtship go as planned, Narcissa will make a good mother and will run the manor with elegance. She’d never call herself mistress of it otherwise.

Those were all thoughts for another night. He intended to enjoy dinner, and to enjoy her company.

However, once the waiter has come for their order, he’s already planned his opening question. Taking a sip of his wine with a smile, he asks, “So. May I ask why your mother spent ten minutes reassuring me that you would warm up to me if I gave you a bit of time, before you came down this evening?” His lips quirk. “I believe she used the exact phrase ‘Let her get used to the idea.’”

Comments

[byrightsinhell]

"I have no doubt. Did you bring home any particularly lovely souvenirs?"

Lucius has been to France, once or twice, but it's been many years; after his father died, his mother was less interested in keeping a personal tie to the more distant branches of the family tree, trusting correspondence to be sufficient.

[vanities]

"I was rather spoiled, to tell you the truth. I very nearly didn't come back at all; I might have married an Italian wizard and stayed forever." Of course she wouldn't have done any such thing, and she says it as airily as it's meant.

[byrightsinhell]

"I hear Italy has a lovely climate." Unlike Russia, yes Lucius. "But I am sure all of England breathed a sigh of relief when you returned."

[vanities]

"You certainly have warmed to me," she says, dryly, considering him for a moment. "Dare I ask what brought on this change of heart?"

[byrightsinhell]

"Oh, Narcissa, I was never unwarm." This is, at least, partially true.

"You were still at school, and then you were on the continent and, well." He pauses, taking a thoughtful bite, then says, "You do remember my devilish schedule. The past few years, I've had little time for companions selected for more than adornment. You don't spring for caviar with guests who expect cucumber sandwiches."

[vanities]

The look she gives him - amused, a little lofty - suggests she's reinterpreting 'never unwarm' in her head, and a little more accurately. (They had such an interesting- friendship.)

"Ah, and so you were merely waiting until you had sufficient time to dedicate to me? Am I understanding you correctly, Lucius?"

[byrightsinhell]

"Perfectly. And, I suppose, if someone had come up in the interim who I thought deserved you, I might have ceded, but." But that was hardly likely, was it? "Regardless. I doubted you'd have had the patience for dallying around, so I didn't approach you until I was ready to be serious."

[vanities]

Narcissa's eyebrows rise. "Quite right. I wouldn't be at all patient with your dalliances."

There have been less tactful ways of suggesting that he ought to intend to be very, very faithful to her, but there have probably been more tactful ways, too.

[byrightsinhell]

Well, at least this way is hard to miss.

"Have I ever given you the impression that I do anything by halves, once I've decided to pursue a certain course?" It's a legitimate question, but one he is fairly confident she can answer; to a woman as bright as Narcissa, it's fairly evident which things he's actually expended effort on, despite the facade of everything coming to him without it.

[vanities]

"I seem to recall assisting you in some similar decisions," she says innocently, holding her hands back from the table when the plates for the appetizer are taken away. "But no, I would say you are quite dedicated."

[byrightsinhell]

"Ah, yes. You always did have an intriguing style of decision-making assistance, I recall. But." He leans back slightly. "We have been talking far too much about me. What about you, Narcissa? Have you thought about what it is you want?"

The question is delivered lightly, and she can leave it there if she wants, but it is genuine in its way. The marriage makes sense for a great many reasons that they're both aware of, but he'd like to know what she's thinking, if she'll tell him.

[vanities]

The question takes her almost by surprise - not that he asks but that upon second glance she thinks he's looking for an honest response. (Or as close to one as Narcissa ever gives.) Druella dotes on her youngest daughter, it's true, but she's also the last shot the Blacks have at a success and with that comes more obligation than anything else.

Something about it strikes her as amusing, and she lowers her eyes to her wine with an obscure kind of smile quirking the edges of her mouth.

"I have given it some thought," she concedes.

[byrightsinhell]

"That is not entirely surprising. I wager you give many topics some thought." Which is almost a compliment, Lucius. "But, given that the form of what we're doing makes my intentions rather clear, I'd be intrigued to know what your thoughts are, as much as you feel at liberty to share."

[vanities]

"If you'll pardon me for being so blunt, Lucius, I could certainly do a great deal worse- couldn't I?" Considering some of the things they've said to one another in the past, she suspects to be too charming now wouldn't be entirely trustworthy. And he did ask. "Besides the practicalities that I feel certain you've already considered, I don't think we'd bore each other terribly."

[byrightsinhell]

He laughs, short and not too loud for a restaurant, but with real amusement.

"No, I daresay not." If she'd wanted to ensnare him, she couldn't have done better. "Good. I would prefer us to start out the match in agreement, at least, though Merlin knows how long we'll manage to stay there."

As the food arrives, he says, "Besides which, you were right when you once commented that I would tire of someone who agreed with me constantly for the sake of it. If I wanted that, I could always marry a pretty house elf and have done."

[vanities]

"Katerina married a Flint," she remarks - ever so mild - as though his house elf remark reminded her of it. (That's not nice, Narcissa.)

[byrightsinhell]

That is a bit cold, though given the social fallout of Narcissa dropping her, you'd have thought Katerina was dating Narcissa, rather than Lucius.

"I heard. I'm sure they'll have many strapping children with immaculate taste in shoes."

Katerina has never quite forgiven Lucius for not trying to patch up their last fight; they haven't spoken more than a few polite phrases in years.

[vanities]

"The wedding was nice enough, though I don't know that it quite warranted making the trip back to England for a mere day or two." Narcissa thinks that her wedding will be much better; it's briefly startling how easy it is to imagine Lucius in the groom's place.

[byrightsinhell]

"That is a shame. If one's to be married, one could at least have the courtesy to make the ceremony memorable." Lucius is not a fan of flashy, of course; that's for new money with things to prove. But elegant, and on a grand scale... those are givens.

[vanities]

"A wedding should be an event suitable of the marriage it marks." And the Gamp-Flint wedding was certainly that, in Narcissa's opinion, but rather than dwelling on it she considers what she might want for her own. (This is typically the part of the conversation where she'd mention that; it strikes her as slightly awkward to do so when Lucius has recently announced his intention to court her.)

[byrightsinhell]

"I suppose that is fair," he allows. He'd sent a gift to the flints, but hadn't attended the wedding, so he's basing this off her word. "But I suppose we're rather skipping ahead, with this topic, aren't we?"

Just because he's made his intentions clear doesn't mean he's going to press her for an answer tonight. Things are done in sequence. "Shall I inquire about the health of your family? How is your sister?"

...of course he knows about the pertinent one, and he knows she has two, but he's not supposed to acknowledge either fact at the moment.

[vanities]

She shoots him an amused look for that - they were hardly discussing their own wedding and besides, he doesn't give a damn about how Bella is unless it involves her lurking outside the restaurant laying in wait for him - but she concedes to the topic change as gracefully as possible.

"I think she finds the management of a household rather dull, to tell you the truth. I am forever offering suggestions of my own, but you know how Bella is." Headstrong, willful and disinclined to accept any help; Narcissa shrugs.

[byrightsinhell]

Weren't they?

However, given the subject change, he commits to it. "Most likely. From what I've observed, she's always been high spirited." Why yes, that is a euphemism. "I am sure your suggestions are apt, however. I was always told an eye for detail is essential."

Bella's eye for detail was selective, of course, but his knowledge of that was not dinner conversation for a number of reasons.

[vanities]

Not in so many words.

"I suppose it suffices to say that I have listened more closely to our mother on the subject." And corrected in her head anything she didn't agree with, revising Druella's ideas mentally as she considered how she'd implement them in her own household - when she has one.

[byrightsinhell]

Well, this change of topic has led to something of a cul-de-sac, as he has nothing to say on the subject of housekeeping. And he finds bringing up his mother creates awkwardness, nine times of ten. He decides upon: "Perhaps I will ask your advice myself. I was thinking of throwing a party sometime soon, and planning social events has never been my strong suit."