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The time had come and much to Lucian’s surprise he wasn’t nervous at all about standing up in front of practically everyone they knew and having to recite heartfelt words of adoration to a woman he didn’t know all that well. What he did know of Clementine was that she was seemingly kind, proper without being stuffy about it, and had a decent sense of humor. He could work with that much, and Lucian hoped that whatever he didn’t know about Clementine was not horrid enough to make him curse his parents for arranging this marriage in the first place. By all accounts it was a smart match. They were both of pure families with enough wealth between them to easily support them without worry and to ensure whatever children they produced would have a good life. Their political and social beliefs were in line with each other’s, as well, which was important considering Clem worked for the Minister and Lucian ran an illegal elixir ring out of the back of his apothecary shop, not that Clem knew yet about his side business. He was saving that bit of information until after she was officially a Burke. He had kept things behind locked doors for a reason and an engagement alone wasn’t enough to make him throw common sense out the window. She would come to know the truth in time, and Lucian half suspected she might have had an inkling already. She was quite clever, too, that was also something he knew of his future wife. He appreciated an intelligent woman.

Long ago Lucian had decided to make the best out of this situation by going into the relationship with a positive outlook and he truly did like what he had come to know of his bride. That made it all the easier to stand at the front of the church, his best mates and younger brother flanking him, all awaiting their arranged partners for the evening. In Lucian’s case, this would be his partner for all eternity. When the music changed, and the procession started, Lucian’s eyes were fixed on the back of the large, tastefully decorated room. Flower girls, the ring bearer, and a procession of bridesmaids. When Clem’s little sister Evie had reached the front, the music changed again, and everyone turned to watch a vision in white approach. “You look…” Lucian was at a loss for words when his bride was finally passed from her father’s hand to his,“absolutely stunning,” he finished, his words soft enough to be heard only by her and the officiant who stood between them.

The ceremony wasn’t a long one, but neither was it really very short. The officiant spoke poetic words of love and loyalty. The couple exchanged vows. Finally, Lucian slide a white gold band covered in diamonds over Clem’s ring finger, a thicker matching one already having been placed on his hand. Having finished signing their names to the marriage certificate, the couple was announced as man and wife. There was a buzz of excitement from their guests that slowly grew to applause as Lucian pulled Clementine in for a respectful but sincere kiss, holding her face in the palm of his right hand and her waist in his left.

The reception was spectacular, and Lucian took every opportunity to compliment Clem in her decisions. Occasionally she would throw him a compliment as well, on one of the few things his input was requested on in planning this magnificent soiree. The wedding party was required for pictures but Loosh and Clem were kept longer than the others, making sure every possible angle of their attire and expressions were captured on film. Clementine’s dress was perfection and to his credit, Lucian didn’t look half bad himself. He had tidied up his beard, it was getting rather wild and his mum had been complaining in that loving way that she did. She had wanted him to shave it completely, and if Clem had wanted that as well, he would have but Lucian thought he looked too childlike and innocent without a bit of facial hair. His jet black tuxedo was striking against the white waistcoat, a small boutonniere consisting of a rose and a peony to match Clementine’s bouquet.

The couple had prepared for weeks for their first dance, not that much training was required. They were both from well-off enough families that dancing lessons was simply a part of growing up, but they practiced their first dance nevertheless and it paid off splendidly as they glided across the dancefloor to the live band that played every romantically inclined song that had ever been invented. Lucian danced with Clem’s mother and his own, each of his sisters got him for a song, as did Clementine’s sister. He was happy when dinner was served and his feet could take a break but of course then there were toasts to the happy couple and a speech of gratitude from himself and Clem to their guests. Champagne. Cake. More dancing. There was so much of it and yet it all seemed to move quickly. Before he knew it, Lucian had swept his bride off her feet as they crossed over the threshold into their luxury hotel suite, ready to start their nearly month-long honeymoon.

The Ambrosia Lounge was a favorite of the Burke women. Sophisticated and elegant, and something of a hot spot for the elite. It was not uncommon to spy a pseudo celebrity within the tastefully decorated walls of Ambrosia and the clientele were high powered enough that the establishment knew to keep the riff raff out if they wanted to maintain their status as the “it” place in Whimsic Alley. It was the perfect place to catch up with his darling sister for a while. “I should have known,” he teased gently, his feet ushering them down the way.

Their journey was not a long one and soon enough they were out of the chill and standing in the entry of the lavish cocktail lounge. The hostess greeted them by name and asked if they would like a more private table off to the side or something closer to the bar. It made no difference to Lucian and he looked to Lilith for her input. “Depends on the lighting, doesn’t it?” he asked, harkening back to her earlier comments, the only hint that he was making a joke was the slight raise of his eyebrows. The hostess didn’t catch on to their inside joke and began to explain the differences in the tables and the lights, attempting to please the siblings. She was good at her job, but not quite bright enough to catch on that it was a game.

Once they were seated and Lucian had ordered for them both, the blond looked to his sister with a small sigh of relief. “What wonderful adventures have you been up to lately, Lil? Have you incited a coo and overtaken the magazine for yourself, yet?” She certainly could if she wanted to. Pur magazine would fall apart without Lilith and Livia, holding it up on their own merits. He tried to tread lightly when it came to more personal subject matter, like her upcoming wedding. He knew his own fiancée was feeling the pressures of wedding planning and he could only imagine how tightly wound his dear sister would be in ensuring every last detail was utterly perfect and up to her incredibly high standards. He would let her broach the subject if she wanted to speak of it, and they were both well-rounded people with plenty to discuss besides their arranged marriages and quickly approaching weddings. They had work, hobbies, and the occasional family gossip to engage in. It had been a short while since he’d spoken with his youngest siblings, and if Lilith had any news of interest, Lucian would most definitely want to know.

It appeared the person he had asked for aid was also in need of assistance, and he chuckled lightly as she looked around with a perplexed expression on her face. “This place is rather confusing, isn’t it? It’s good to know I am not the only one getting turned around in here. Have any idea what floor we’re on?” If they were on Level one, which Lucian suspected they were not as their current surroundings did not look familiar to him at all, then he could simply track down his fiancée and have her escort him to the atrium, and give guidance to this witch who too was clearly a bit lost.

Clementine, or ‘Clem’ as he called her, was the Junior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic and had worked in the Ministry offices long enough to know her way through the maze of a building even in the dark, not that he expected her to be running around with the lights out. Lucian had come by on a number of occasions to see his fiancée at work, but he rarely made it a habit of wandering the many levels and corridors of the expansive government building. If he wasn’t here on business for his apothecary, and the occasional supportive efforts for the family run Borgin and Burkes shop, Lucian was usually just popping in quickly to bring his fiancée a treat or take her out for lunch, but sometimes his business with the Junior Undersecretary was more official such as getting her approval or veto on some aspect of their upcoming wedding.

He and Clementine Nott had been engaged for nearly a year now and their wedding was fast approaching. Lucian tried to keep out of the planning as much as he could without forcing all of the stress onto his bride-to-be and their parents. Whether they married on a cliff or a beach or a chapel made no difference to Lucian, the end result was all the same; an arranged marriage. There was plenty of time in their future to get to know one another and to hopefully grow fond of each other, but it wasn’t as if he knew nothing about his soon-to-be wife. They had attended school together, though she was younger than him, and their families had known each other for some time. Lucian wasn’t sure how much Clem knew of the woman he had once hoped to marry and out of respect to Clementine he never broached the subject with her or anyone else. There was nothing to be done for it and whenever possible he preferred to leave the past behind him and look to the future.

In some ways he was excited for April to arrive and in other ways it was coming way too swiftly but whether he was ready for it or not, come the seventh of April Lucian was going to be married and Clementine would officially become a Burke. Of course, the familial pressures wouldn’t end there. They would be expected to produce an heir, a few of them Gods willing. It was a known expectation but not one that he and Clem had had many conversations on yet. One thing at a time.

Lilith was always rather proper, a trait he admired in her as she was the example to which their sisters would look up to and her manners and poise would certainly ensure they had the best role model around. Lucian hugged his sister lightly, ensuring he didn’t wrinkle her fine dress – though he wasn’t sure there was enough give in her tight dress to allow for any wrinkles to be visible – and returned his kiss on the cheek. Lucian was the oldest and the heir to the Burke fortune and power, but Lilith was the real treasure of their family. Her work was respectable and completely on the up and up, unlike his own, and she was engaged to be married into the wealthiest wizarding family in all of Britain. Lucian hadn’t yet made up his mind about whether or not he liked Rabastan Lestrange for his sister and he would always keep an eye on her, but she seemed happy enough outwardly, despite not having much of a say in the marriage. Lilith’s engagement, like his own, had been an arrangement orchestrated by their parents. It was a common practice of the social elite, but their father and mother were sensible enough not to throw their children to the wolves for sake of a future fortune or respected name. And unlike the older Burke children, there was a very good chance that Lyra, Livia, and Lysander would be free to choose their own partners, so long as they did not drag their feet about it when the time came.

Never would Lucian suspect an ulterior motive to one of his sister’s visits. If she wanted something, she was perfectly capable of coming straight out with it and she wasn’t the sort to beat around the bush when she had a point to be getting on with. Lucian liked to think he had at least an ounce of the charm his sister had in her demanding yet still endearing manner but as a male he wasn’t very much worried about whether people he gave orders to liked him. Women, he had noticed, had the unfortunate curse of being labeled a ‘bitch’ when they were direct, men were called ‘leaders’. The double-standard worked well for him professionally, but he had rather wished such a term would never be used against any of his sisters and he strived to never speak of any woman in such a way.

“You’ve excellent timing, then. I’ve just finished doing inventory and I am sure Marcus will have nothing to say about me skipping out a bit early for a date with my lovely sister.” Lilith turned her attention to the boomslang skin displayed on the shelf. Of course she would be drawn to such a rare ingredient, the price for a small piece of skin was more than triple the cost of a whole skin from a locally sourced snake, and between what Lucian paid for the stuff himself, plus the cost of having it shipped from Africa, it made this particular item one of the more costly in the shop, aside from complete elixirs themselves. “You have expensive tastes, sister. I do hope you’re not planning something nefarious without my support.” Boomslang skin’s most popular use was in Polyjuice potion, though there were other uses that were not as well-known.