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Although he had always known it to be true, it was a relief to hear Clem say aloud that their child was a priority. She was a good woman, a good wife, and she would be a good mum when their child finally arrived, but she needed to start thinking of herself as a mother now, because her actions affected their unborn babe in ways Lucian was smart enough to recognize he didn’t completely know. She had accepted his request with as much grace as a crying, hormonal woman could, and Lucian thanked her by running his hand along the side of her face, wiping at the tears on her cheek with his thumb as he gently caressed her face. “I’m glad to hear it,” he replied honestly. He was glad and so relieved. The night would be much simpler now that they had gotten this elephant out of the room, or so he had thought. She took a moment to compose herself and Lucian afforded her the silence to do so respectably, but he was not expecting what came next.

She had a second job? The wife of a Burke did not need a second job to keep herself in the luxuries they surrounded themselves with. Sure, they weren’t the Lestranges but the Burkes had money enough to keep all five of their children living comfortably without need for dual income. The only reason his sisters worked was because they wanted to, not because they needed the money. Clementine’s work for the Ministry had been established well before Lucian had entered her life and he wasn’t the sort to insist she needed to leave her job simply because she was to be his wife, but a second job? What was this? Lucian was a smart man, but the dawning of what his wife was explaining to him came on slower than he would have liked to admit. Working with others. Revolutionize the world. The Dark Lord. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. A puzzled look formed on his face as he reconciled the news with the fact that it had been kept secret from him for months now.

He moved further from her on their sofa and eventually stood, pacing the room twice before he left for the kitchen and found himself a bottle of bourbon. Lucian unscrewed the cap and set it on the counter, then pulled a glass from the cabinet and returned to his wife, his secretive, Death Eater wife and stared at her. Empty glass and full bottle in hand, he looked at her. “You’re saying…” The sentence hung for a moment unfinished as his mind skipped ahead in the conversation. “In the paper, that..that Hit Wizard who disappeared? That was you? And that couple in Leeds, that you too? You’re a…” Stunned, Lucian couldn’t even say the words aloud. He wasn’t upset by the work itself, and the fact that it had been kept secret from him was staggering but he was more than a little flummoxed at the realization that the woman he had married, that was carrying his child, that slept in the bed beside him every night was a Death Eater. How had he not known? Lucian raised his glass to his lips but upon realizing he’d never filled it, he raised the other hand and tipped the bottle of bourbon straight into him mouth.

The stressors of a high ranking Ministry official were enough to contend with, but the effects of the pregnancy also took a toll on Clementine and Lucian was witnessing them all first-hand. His kind words evoked tears. Head tilting to one side in a compassionate manner, he stroked her cheek as he scooted closer to her on the sofa. This was not the first time Clem had broken down for seemingly no reason, and based on his conversations with her healer, it was not likely to be the last. “Honey, don’t cry.” Holding her face between his hands, he turned her face up to his and kissed the little crease that formed on her forehead whenever she wept or became angry. He dropped one hand and leaned forward to grab his wand from the table in front of them. “Accio tissue.” From a cupboard on the other side of the room, a little box of tissues came zooming through the air and straight into Lucian’s hand. He plucked one from the box and passed it to his wife.

Her emotional state created the perfect opportunity to return to their earlier discussion. “Darling, you really need to slow down. Just look at you.” He lifted her chin with his hand and ran his thumb across her lower lip. “You’re carrying our child. That should be your focus right now. Let someone else worry about the Minister. You’re there far too late as it is, and you’re going to have to scale back at least a little once our little one is here. Let the Minister hire someone to take up the extra work load. You need a break.”

Of course, Lucian had no idea that not all of her time spent “working” was actually at her Ministry job. He couldn’t know she was moonlighting elsewhere because he trusted her enough to not stalk her schedule and watch her whereabouts like some less secure men might have. All he knew was that Clem was working far more hours than she ought to, and it was no longer acceptable. How could she possibly be expected to keep herself healthy working overtime and bursting into tears whenever someone said something nice to her, which he assumed happened regularly as she was quite lovely to look at and also rather competent at her job. It wasn’t only compliments that could trigger her crying, but anything remotely emotional like when they had seen his sister’s play and one of the characters died, or when she had eaten the last of the strawberries but still had the craving. And the crying wasn’t the only worrisome new behavior. She was also completely knackered nearly all of the time, not to mention horny which of course Lucian wouldn’t be complaining about anytime soon.

The stresses of politics and office life were beyond Lucian’s comprehension. He was smart enough to recognize his blank spots, but he certainly didn’t think a bit of proof reading was dire enough to call a pregnant woman in after hours following a full day’s work. He would have enjoyed spending more time with his wife, they were still newlyweds despite her growing belly and there was more to learn about each other that this time could have been used for if she wasn’t always off working, but that really wasn’t Lucian’s first concern. Hell, it wasn’t even his second. She was carrying their child. Any stresses that Clem felt would be transferred to their baby as would the fatigue, the poor diet, or anything else that affected his wife as she worked herself to the bone. She laughed off his concern with a flirty look and redirected the subject but Lucian would bring it back ‘round again. Her health, and the health of their future baby, depended on it.

Asking after his work, Clem sat up eagerly as if he was about to detail an exciting story she’d been waiting all day to hear. It was nothing so interesting, at least not today’s order. Had she asked a few days ago, Lucian had been brewing a very strong love potion for a young witch desperate to have her friend return the feelings she’d been holding for the other woman for years. And the week prior he had made an anti-aging potion for a certain celebrity who would remain nameless, and age-less if his handywork did the trick. Today’s work was nothing nearly as exciting, though the potion required no less attention to detail. “Just an order for one of the regulars at the shop. Her son’s having a bit of trouble with acne and she’s wanting something stronger to send him to clear it up.” It really wasn’t exciting at all, but without a healer’s prescription, it was technically not something he could sell to the woman. “Luckily our child won’t have to deal with that sort of trouble,” he remarked, popping a piece of meat into his mouth and swallowing before he continued. “If he inherits your skin, there’ll be no need for potions.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “So long as he’s healthy.”

She was attractive, but her mannerisms conveyed an ignorance of that fact. The woman’s eyes turned toward the floor and she gave a short, airy laugh of nervousness as Lucian approached her. His greeting was returned, a clipped but polite ‘hi’ before she began to explain what she was looking for. Lucian waited, expecting more details to follow but when it became clear that there was nothing else coming, a perceived understanding dawned on him. “I see,” he said softly, his eyes lighting up in a knowing fashion. Her timidness now became clear, or so he thought. She had the same coy look as so many who were looking to get high for the first time, or dabble with something a little stronger than what their friends peddled in the clubs. “Why don’t we step over here,” he suggested, gesturing gently toward an alcove typically used for private consultations with patrons who had an affinity for a certain type of potion.

The alcove was a circular space, cut into the wall off the shop floor, set away from the heavier trafficked areas of the shop. He pulled a navy blue curtain shut behind them to afford them more privacy and then sat in one of the three chairs available, opposite the remaining two which were separated by a spindly legged table. Thinking the woman was looking for something that wasn’t completely legal, Lucian dropped his voice. “Do you know the name of what you’re looking for, or are you shopping by effect? We stock a few over-the-counter potions but if you’re looking for something more potent, I’d be happy to create a personalized experience for you. Special orders can take up to two weeks to fulfill, depending on the potion.” Lucian was not a stranger to the types of elixirs the elite favored. He was of the mindset that everyone, of every walk of life, deserved a little relief from their life and he could offer a high like no one else.

He had heard Clementine’s arrival and the fading of her footsteps as she headed away from him towards their bedroom. It afforded him just enough of a lapse in his arrival in their bedroom to startle her, and he almost looked apologetic for half a second before a look of amusement overtook his expression. Her small but growing belly wobbled as she jumped but the good-mannered smile on her face showed she held no ill will against her husband. He really was far too lucky to have had such a union arranged for him, despite the lack of true feelings he felt for her. His heart would forever lie with another, but he would not pine for a woman who chose to love someone else and he would not put Clem through the heartache of knowing her husband’s affections resided outside of their bedroom. Lucian wasn’t the cheating sort, but if it ever did come down to that, he hoped to Merlin that he’d have enough sense to keep his infidelity a secret. “Just finishing up some private orders,” he explained, not wanting Clem to think he was hiding from her in their own home.

She mentioned getting food, and Lucian smiled. She ate much more now than she had on their honeymoon and he could tell the old adage of “eating for two” was much more than just a saying. “Why don’t you sit and let me bring you something. You’ve likely been on your feet all day. You deserve a little waiting on.” Lucian enjoyed fussing about in the kitchen, so it really wasn’t putting him out any to prepare her something delicious and healthy while she rested, but he couldn’t deny to himself that he was perhaps attempting to butter her up a little before addressing her busy work schedule.

Escorting her to the lounge, his hand at the small of her back, he guided her over to the sofa. Allowing his hand to gently graze her rounding belly, Lucian smiled. “Any requests?” he asked, wanting to take stock of today’s cravings before popping off to the kitchen where he prepared just enough food to satiate her without making her feel as though she’d eaten too much. He returned a short while later with a platter, preparing her a plate first, then his own. His mother would throw a tantrum if she saw them eating on the sofa, but Lucian didn’t care.

It would appear that his playful teasing about having her in the kitchen had not struck the wrong cord. Clem made a face at him that put his mind at ease, and then she turned stepped into the kitchen and began putting together a little plate for him. As directed, Lucian fixed himself a drink, and a second one for his fiancée, and he levitated the glasses into the lounge as he stole his snack plate from Clementine so that she would not have to carry anything the short distance from the kitchen to the living room.

Time moved quickly as the pair chatted, discussing the more surface level bits of their past. Lucian skipped over any mention of Kathleen, his first and only love, and the heartbreak she had orchestrated against him with her deceit. At some point the subject would need to be broached, not because he thought Clementine would care that he had had any serious relationships before her, or even that he was quite possibly still in love with a married woman, but because the Gods had deemed it humorous to place Kathleen’s new family in the same circles as the Burkes. There were several affairs in which Lucian had the awkward pleasure of not only seeing his true love dance and lean on her husband in public, but he had also been in the position where he had had to speak with the man. Several times. It had been a nightmare for him and the tension was palpable.

Lucian wouldn’t allow Clem to be caught off-guard by their meeting at such a public event, and he certainly would have loathed having her discover his past from a third party and jumping to conclusions that any awkwardness with Ronan Foley, Kathleen’s husband, was due to an affair. Lucian wasn’t the sort to cheat on his girlfriends, or his fiancée as the case may be, but as their union was arranged, Clementine wouldn’t know this of her future husband yet. He would put her mind at ease, but not tonight. Tonight they would share stories of the good times, discuss their impending future, and with any luck, shed their clothes and explore each other’s bodies as they became further acquainted with each other.

There was an ease about spending time with Clementine that boded well for their future together. He was certain they could be friends. A friendly marriage was more than some were afforded and Clem seemed to truly be a lovely woman. She was well mannered, poised, and attentive but there was also a bit of humor to their interactions which made her more than just a Stepford Wife. Lucian wasn’t sure whether love would be in their future. He had already loved someone, madly and deeply, but the gods did not wish it to be. Clementine wouldn’t replace Kathleen in his heart but perhaps he would find her own space there.

Lucian chuckled lightly at his fiancee’s assertion that her lunch with their mothers had been ‘rabbit food’. He turned his back on her lounge, which he had been admiring – she had good taste, if not a little on the bland side, but it was certainly better than some apartments he had seen – and turned to face Clementine. “Please don’t tell me my mother was bullying you into watching your weight.” His mum meant well, of course, but Lucian had witnessed her far too often noting what his sisters could do better to keep their trim figures, reminding them that they would not always be blessed with the metabolism of a young women. It was done out of love but that hadn’t stopped his younger sister Lyra from sneaking out of bed in the dead of night to steal a cookie and then exercise while eating it, thinking no one had seen her. Lucian knew everything his siblings did while they had lived together. It was his duty to know, in order to keep them safe.

“Don’t be silly,” he said, his hand raising in a friendly gesture that wiped away any notion that she needed to prepare him some meal that he would be eating alone in her presence. “The whole point of my visit was to pamper you, not to force you into the kitchen. I’ll just have some crisps or something easy. I’d much rather spend the evening together, there will be plenty of time to watch you dance around the kitchen when we’re married.” He smiled but almost immediately wondered if his joke had not landed as he had expected it to. Yes, as his wife there was some level of expectation that she see to meals and the housekeeping, but they would have staff for most of that and Lucian actually enjoyed doing a bit of cooking himself. Clementine, however, didn’t yet know that about her fiancée. She may have made an educated guess, knowing his skill with potions making and how the skills transferred easily from potion to supper, or his mum might have mentioned it during one of their many wedding planning dates, but Lucian had yet to share this little hobby with his bride-to-be and he now wondered whether she thought he was insinuating that her role would be as a laboring housewife and nothing more. These were the joys of an arranged marriage.