Work Text:
"Sophie, are you coming?"
Leander stepped into the room to find his young wife fumbling around in her dresser drawer.
"I can't find it." She swallowed audibly and he could tell she was on the verge of tears. Something hit him hard, because that sob, and her heaving shoulders as she bent over her chest, took him back to the day he'd found her hiding, crying. It was so long ago, the seventeen-year-old wreck of a girl. And today, Sophie could certainly speak her mind, so something must be wrong with her.
"What are you looking for, dear?"
"The necklace."
"What necklace?"
"The pearl necklace."
"Uh."
She sat up and took a deep breath. "Never mind. I must have lost it in the chaos of packing when we were putting everything away after the fire..."
Sophie´s eyes darted around the room, flickering strangely with agitation. Leander stepped closer and cupped her chin, gently turning her face towards him. So, she had been crying. His heart sank and he tried to find the softest voice for her.
"The pearl necklace... the one your mother gave you?"
She nodded, lowering her eyes. "That one. I can't find it."
"It's important to you, since she gave it to you, isn't it?"
"No." Sophie shook her head and pressed her hands to her chest. "She only gave it to me to make me look pretty in some way. And more importantly, so that the young men at the party would notice that I was a well-situated potential bride." A tear rolled down her cheek. "That didn't mean anything to me. But you were the first to notice me as a real person, not like some prey to be checked out like on the stock market. You talked to me in a way that made me forget I even needed a necklace. It was as if it did not matter whether I had one or not.
Leander felt his heart break. Yes, he'd seen her, the teenage girl with the beautiful witty eyes, only she was standing in the corner like a grey mouse. Of course, she couldn't help it if all she'd heard all her life was how much prettier her cousin was and that she had nothing to offer but her dowry and her wit. How lovely he'd found her, how witty indeed, and how genuinely she'd spoken to him - though he was aware that the gossip must have reached her ears.
"While you were the first to talk to me like a valid human being, do you know that, Sophie?"
She looked at him and tilted her head, lips pressed together. "You were so handsome, and I felt so foolish because... I mean... you were an Abbé. God, I had naughty thoughts..." she reached for his hand and he pulled her into his arms, nuzzling her nose. "I've had naughty thoughts about you too."
"How come when you..." she trailed off, looking away. "I realised then that I could only compete with a pretty necklace. Konstanze... she was so beautiful."
"Beautiful on the outside, my love. But your beauty is true to me." He searched her eyes and brushed his lips along her jaw line. "And you don't know how lovely you are to me. Forget the pearls."
The smile that slipped across her lips was the sweetest. So shy, yet so longing. Sophie fiddled with his lapels and kissed him gently. "I was going to wear it to the tea party later. Because I feel pretty in it, and I wanted to show the other ladies how beautiful I feel on your arm."
Leander laughed heartily and pulled her towards him for a passionate kiss. “My dear, just be careful not to forget yourself and end up telling them how beautiful you feel in our marriage bed.”
Sophie's eyes went wide, and she gasped, slapping his arm. "Excuse me?!"
"Isn't it, my darling? Please correct me, but I get the impression that you forget everything around you when we are alone... privately."
"Why don't you speak your mind, my dear husband, and say what you're thinking? That I am melting like wax when you make love to me."
"I knew it. Thank you for saying it." He grinned and she frowned, but then sighed and squeezed his shoulders. "I know what you mean about being a true beauty. It's just so hard for me to believe it, you know. To believe that I am beautiful for you when there were... or are so many beautiful women out there."
"Sophie." Leander stroked her cheek and held her gaze. " I will not stop showing you how beautiful you are to me, either with words or in bed – until you see it for yourself.”
Now his wife blushed, seemingly aroused and excited by his premise. She leaned in and kissed the corner of his lips, sinking into his strong arms that held her. "I... I want to learn, Leander... show me!"
"Gladly!"
They still had time before they had to go downstairs. And he eagerly led her to their bed.