Ordained

Chapter Fourteen

Clementine knocked at around five, letting herself in quietly. "Mistress, his grace has asked that you join the family for dinner."

Emmeline hadn't moved much since she had first arrived, a chair had been pulled up to the window and she had remained there, watching the sun set over the gardens. They were beautifully kept, and it had been a great distraction for her to study them from a distance.

She had to admit that she was mildly surprised to have been invited to dine. Her less than cordial reception had made her assume she would be excluded from the normal courtesies provided to guests. Perhaps their initial reaction had just been a mistake? Perhaps they had thought it over and decided she wasn't such a disappointment?

She tried to sell herself on these excuses whilst Clementine fixed her hair. Deep down though, as much as she might try and convince herself otherwise, she knew that the Marcellus' were not about to welcome her with open arms.

Changing into her next best dress she made sure she was presentable for this first opportunity to win over her potential in-laws.

"Come, sit." Carmen beckoned her as she entered the formal dining room.

Emmeline was hesitant but did as she was told. Having never had a mother figure, and her father never remarrying, House Elva had never had a matriarch. A part of her had longed for a maternal influence but taking once glance at Carmen Marcellus' hard expression made her doubt that this woman would ever fill that role for her.

Light music played, the flickering of the candles making the gilded frames around the room catch the light. It really was a far finer affair than anything she had experienced back home. Focusing on her plate, her eyes tracing the ornate pattern around the edge of the china, she tried very hard not to gawk at the luxury of the room. Her father had drilled this into her as a child. Never look impressed, never let them know you don't belong.

Carmen picked at her food with her fork, making tiny jabbing gestures as she picked apart her plate of meats and delicately dressed vegetables. Emmeline glanced at her out of the side of her eye, the antithesis between the tiny woman and her aggressive gestures somewhat unsettling.

"So, you know of our house." Carmen began, her tone arrogant.
Cassius made a noise. The first sound he or his father had made since she had entered. "Well, somewhat." He commented sarcastically. Emmeline frowned at him, so she didn't know the exact borders of their ridiculously large lands? Who cared?

Refraining from commenting she speared a piece of asparagus and popped it in her mouth, enjoying the taste even if the company was less than palatable.

There was a wicked glint in her eye as she rounded on her. "Did your father not have you properly educated?"

"My father educated me exactly enough." She replied a little flatly. She could've boasted about her skills as a writer, her avid love of reading, her excellent dancing skills, her knowledge of a great many topics but she didn't fancy justifying herself in front of the Marcellus'.

Carmen looked at her with an expression that reminded Emmeline distinctly of a bird of prey. Like a hawk hovering over a mouse she lunged in again to strike. "So you can speak French?"

"Oui je parle en francais." Emmeline muttered, her irritation growing by the second.

"How about in german?"

"Ja, ich spreche deutsch."

"Then perhaps latin?"

"My latin, just like my other languages, are perfectly passable. I am not uneducated."

"But you are not polite either it would seem." Carmen muttered to her fork.

Victor chuckled. "You remind me of your father." He noted whilst slicing off a piece of beef. "The same stubbornness."

Emmeline blinked. "You know my father?" She asked, making sure to be as polite as possible, proving a point.

Victor nodded, his smile still playing around his features. "I served beside your father many, many years ago. I was there when the old king, my father, gave your family its estates and titles. It was a pleasant day." He smiled mildly, his eyes sharp despite his kind expression.

Carmen pretended to be surprised. "Was it really so recently? I had assumed House Elva to be older than a single generation." She asked her husband with a dramatic raising of her eyebrows.

The insult was clear, but Emmeline said nothing, focusing on her plate. The pattern really was very pretty. A pair of ribbons, blue and gold chased each other around the rim, tiny leaves and berries poking out through the gaps between them.

There was absolutely no way that a woman of the nobility, like Carmen, wouldn't know the ins and outs of every house. It was the duty of noble women to know such things so as to help their husbands make alliances, and to help their children marry well.

The older the house, the better. It was a mark of respect to have passed down your lands and titles to generation after generation. It showed strength, wealth, and power. House Elva was brand new in comparison to the Marcellus' whose house was as old as the royal family itself. Every generation put a noble one step further away from the commoners and merchant class. If House Elva had travelled one step away from the lower classes, the family around her had travelled miles.

"So, Miss Emmeline. Tell us, what hobbies do you enjoy?" Victor asked. Cassius had remained mostly silent throughout the entire meal, focusing on his food and draining glass after glass of whiskey. It frustrated her, but at the same time she didn't expect anything else from him.

What did she enjoy? She wondered if he really wanted to know or if he was just filling the silence. Deciding it was probably the latter she gave the traditional answer, citing dancing, tea parties, music, reading. Not an entirely untrue answer, but superficial enough. What was she supposed to say? That she loved walks in the rain, even if it ruined her clothes; that she liked books that either frightened her or made her heart race? Was she supposed to explain how she loved to go shopping but was never given the money to do so, instead window shopping with her eyes instead of her purse? No. She didn't think the Duke would really care much about any of that. So, music and dancing and tea parties was her answer. Silly and superficial. She didn't care to be honest, because it was plain that the other people at the table didn't care either.

After dinner she was dismissed. It was rude not to invite her into the parlour where the rest of the family were clearly heading, but she just smiled, thanked them for a lovely meal and retired to her rooms.

It was a relief to be released from the interrogation, taking the steps two at a time in her haste to retreat back to the quiet safety of her bed chamber.

===========================================

Author's Note:

Carmen, Carmen, Carmen.....

Ugh.