Between Wolves & Doves

Chapter 48 Soireé Part II

Authors note; If you want to do a little tappy tap on the google. Leo looks like Eva Green in Mrs Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children and Ascelin is the excellently sexy Johnathan Rhys Meyers as Dracula in NBC's Dracula - you won't be sorry looking them up I promise you. We love writing about sexy people 🖤👏🏻

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Iris is sure not much else can shock her after this splendid house in all its baroque decor, but she's still proven wrong.

The table was enormous. It stretched off into the horizon. At the far end from the doors, the cutlery and glasses winked in the candlelight like a glimpse of far off stars. There must have been close to forty or fifty chairs lining along the cream clothed table. In the middle stood such indulgent towers of food as she had never seen before.

Huge silver terrines of seafood on a bed of crushed ice. Crabs as big as dinner plates. Lobsters, shrimps, and oysters. Nestled between wedges of lemons and parsley. Huge skewers sticking from the top of the elaborate dish, impaled with crayfish and poached white truffles. Three whole sides of champagne poached salmon with slithers of cucumbers as scales.

There's poultry too. Enough to have fed a small farm. Several Capons lay on a silver platter, roasted crispy with butter and covered in snipped chives. Hard boiled eggs heaped around them on the silver. Game pie too. A great fat artwork of a brushed butter golden game pie. No doubt studded with layers of meat and vegetables.

There's smaller salads set between each plate within each diners reach. Fillets of beef and legs of lamb or pork, and while rabbits, ready to be carved up. Stewpot terrines on embers are set at various intervals. Chicken, duck and pigeon stews. A hearty rich smell of wine and stock simmering from under the lids. There's breaded foie gras and devilled kidneys on a dish near the Capons.

Pudding is crammed on the table too. Carêmes famous Pièce Monteé's crown the table in their high towers fashioned of spun sugar, nougat and marzipan. Grecian style Doric towers of confectionary. Only meant to be looked at, and never to be eaten.

Towers of cream profiteroles with a moulded crest of Célines house set in piped crowning the top. Rose petals scattered across it in yellow and pink. Cakes as tall as her, pink, pea green, and lilac-violet, piped with cream topped with cherries or cut strawberries. Aswell as fruit tarts steeped in syrup and bedded in cream. All sorts of varying kinds. Kiwi, apple, chocolate, lemon, strawberry, and blueberry. Tiered stands of macarons, millefeiulle, petit fours, madeleines, religieuse and rum and custard canelés.

"Ravi would die and float to heaven if he saw all this." Iris remarks to her husband. Eyes wide with wonder.

"I'll keep a look out for peasants with pitchforks and torches coming up the drive." Kylo adds to make her laugh. And she does.

"You and your satiric wit." Iris comments.

She's right though; could gorge on the sheer number of puddings alone. Kylo leads them to their seats. Neatly flourished and inscribed name cards set in front of their plates in silver holders. Lord and Lady Ren. They are set up near the head of the table where Céline takes her seat.

They even have petite little monogrammed cakes set in their place settings. Swirled in ganache icing on top of the cake are their initials. Everyone had one on their dinner plate.

Draegan is sat opposite them. Next to a flirty and very flamboyant duchess. She gives him air kisses and is wholly fascinated by his pale beauty. He is charming and polite in response. Shared a humour filled look with Iris when  she  places her hand on his knee and laughs loudly at something he says in French. She asks him a seeking question, if he's single, and he answers with a no.