In Which Lettie Gives a Perfect Present

September 29, 1174

Lettie peeled her lips off of her husband's and smirked. From the taste of him, the silly boy had been down to the kitchens for a bite of cake already; good thing the cook was a sly one and had probably prepared for such an event. "Happy birthday."

"Mmm... thank you." Searle placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her close, resting his forehead against her own. His eyes were so blue it was difficult to fathom anything but the sheer color of them--or at least, that would have been the case under normal circumstances. "Now, for the important question: where is my present?"

Lettie laughed. He was only a few months younger than she was, but there were times when that difference might as well have been years. But he could be silly on his birthday. Hell, he could be silly whenever he wanted; if he was adorable enough to pull it off, then why shouldn't he take advantage? "Funny you should ask, seeing as I was just about to show you."

Searle's brow peaked with interest. Shaking her head, Lettie pulled away from his embrace and took a step toward the door by the room's corner. "It's in here. It's not quite finished, though."

"Finished?" The was a boyish spring in his step as he trailed after her. She just hoped he found the surprise worth the excitement. "You made it yourself?"

She shrugged. "Well, I had a little help."

"How long have you been working on it?"

"Eh... maybe three months, give or take?" She could almost feel him gaping at her, like he thought he couldn't possibly be worth all that trouble. God, he could be so dense sometimes; at least he was pretty. "It might have been nice to have it done sooner, but you know... better late than never, good things take time, and about a thousand other cliches."

She stopped a few paces into the room and sent a loving stare toward the new addition. Meanwhile, Searle's eyes darted between her and the piece, a smile swelling on that kissable little mouth of his. "It's just what I wanted."

Thank God. Relieved, she winked at him. "That's what I was hoping. But if you want something else too, it's not too late for me to run down to the village and--"

He cut her off by lacing her arms around her and pulling her in for a kiss. There weren't many ways in which she could be rendered speechless, but apparently that was one of them. "It's perfect. I don't need anything else."

Damn, that blue again. Lettie found herself squirming. She was probably blushing like one of those giggly chambermaids she'd always ridiculed as a girl and she wasn't sure she cared--not right now, anyway. "You're sure?"

"You know I am."

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