the art of loving ; lord tewksbury

twenty-six

"A toast, to the engaged couple who will be blessed with nothing but happiness and an undying love for each other."

Chapter Twenty-Six

For the first few minutes of their meal, both families stayed quiet. Neither host nor guest spoke a word to one another, although the whole point of the luncheon was to do the exact opposite. The clanking of cutlery against porcelain plates were the only sounds echoing off the four walls of the dining area as they dug into their food, eyes focused everywhere else but on each other.

  The tension in the air was palpable and impossibly hard to ignore. Daisy didn't know how much longer she could stand it.

  She stared at her own portion of Cornish pasty, served to her no more than five minutes ago. It was a hefty one, almost double the size of her palm, and she had to admit it seemed a bit daunting. She wasn't very hungry despite skipping breakfast this morning, her lack of appetite undoubtedly caused by the trepidation bombarding her entire being the second she woke up.

But the longer she stared at the pastry before her, the longer she was entranced by the buttery scent of the golden, flaky crust wafting into her nostrils and encapsulating her senses. She was certain it would taste as heavenly as it smelled.

   Daisy picked up her silverware and sliced the pastry into half before cutting them into smaller, bite-size pieces. She shoved a piece into her mouth, her eyes immediately fluttering close at its taste. The sweetness of the crust mixed with the savoury, salty gravy oozing from inside sent tingles throughout her body as it erupted in pure satisfaction.

  William, the head cook, thought he was being discreet, but Daisy could obviously see him peeking around the wall and into the room, trying to catch a glimpse at everyone's reactions once the first forkful of pastry touched their taste buds. She reminded herself to visit the kitchen after, to say thank you to him for a wonderful meal.

  Just as she was about to take another delicious bite, Tewksbury's mother cleared her throat. She sat proudly at the head of the table with her shoulders squared and her back ramrod straight. Upon seeing the older woman's sitting posture, Daisy realised she herself was hunched over her meal and slouching. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and she quickly straightened up, reminding herself that it was no time for old habits to emerge.

Fortunately, no one bothered to cast a glance in her direction. In fact, no one even batted an eyelash at the older woman's attempt in getting their attention. They were far too engrossed with their meals, hungrily stuffing their faces as if the kitchen staff would waltz in unannounced and whisk their unfinished plates away.

Tewksbury's mother cleared her throat once again. She tapped her wine glass with her fork three times, the dark red liquid swishing from side to side upon contact. This time, heads swivelled in her direction. Everyone swallowed their last bites before setting down their forks and committing their attention to the woman who had called to them.

  "Apologies for disrupting your meal," she started, "But I do think it is important to acknowledge the reason we are all gathered here today. This joyous event signals the very beginning of our two families coming together as one."

  She paused, taking her time to look at each and every person sitting around her. When her gaze landed on Daisy's father, she smiled. "Your daughter and my son will be officially wedded very soon. The wedding is near, my darlings. It is something we should all be celebrating together. Marriage."

  Her tone of voice hinted at excitement, which Daisy did not like one bit. It was disturbing, to have so much enthusiasm when it came to arranged marriages. But maybe it was because she wasn't on the receiving end of the stick.