A Legacy of Pain: Rising from the Ashes

Chapter 2: Part of Your World

Last Time: Elizabeth dreamt of her actions during the battle for the repository only for the dream to shift when Callista appeared to praise Elizabeth for being like her. Soon the corpses of those she had killed directly as well as those killed by her negligence and recklessness began to surround and tell her how vile she was. After collapsing to her knees Poppy appeared to tell Elizabeth that loving her was too difficult and would get her killed before bleeding from her eyes and a hole in her chest. With that Elizabeth woke up and took a combo potion before going to scrub her body clean of the blood she saw upon her skin in the mirror. After breakfast she went to speak with her mother about the potions she had given the older woman so that she could become pregnant with Abigail's child. With confirmation that the baby was in fact Abigail's Elizabeth gave her mother several vials of tincture that both women had to continue taking. The mother and daughter had a heartfelt conversation before parting ways so that Elizabeth could prepare for the upcoming tea party that afternoon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a little before three in the afternoon as Elizabeth hurried around the garden to make sure all the decorations were in order and that the tables and chairs had all been set up with proper shade. It wouldn't do for the ladies who had been invited to the tea party to bake in the heat of the summer sun. The majority of the guests were set to arrive starting at four, however with a few families being set to arrive early she needed to make certain everything was perfect now. While the auburn haired witch was obsessively moving one of the tables with some of the servants only to step back, take a look, and then move it back she heard an exasperated sigh coming from the veranda. "Darling, that is the sixth time you have moved that table. It is perfectly fine where it is."

Elizabeth turned around with a nervous smile upon her lips to see Evelyn standing behind the railing watching her while using the hand fan the witch had gifted her on Christmas. "Are you sure it will be okay there? You don't think the sun will become too much once it moves further across the sky do you?" She asked before looking back at the table again with a frown. Her violet eyes narrowed at the large floral decorated parasol that stuck out from the center of the tables. "That won't provide enough shade. I should have gotten larger ones..." She mumbled to herself, her hand hovering above the hidden pocket of her light blue tea gown where she kept her wand. If she sent the servants inside first maybe no one would notice if she resized the parasols for the tables...

Suddenly the young woman felt hands on her shoulders from behind and her breathing instantly increased due to the action being so similar to her dream that morning. Yet the voice that soon sounded sent a wave of calm through her. "Breathe Elizabeth. Everything looks fantastic. I am certain the guests will appreciate all the hard work you put in." Elizabeth turned around to see Evelyn beaming down at her with pride in her deep blue eyes. "I know you are nervous because this is the first time you have been responsible for managing one of these gatherings. However; you shouldn't be. I have been watching from the sidelines and you have done splendid work. I could not have planned a better tea party."

The ravenclaw shut her eyes to take a deep calming breath before releasing it as her eyes fluttered back open. "Thank you Mother. I know I am going somewhat overboard; but I just want everything to be perfect. What if something goes wrong and I tarnish the family's reputation the very first time I am co-hosting an event with you? You are trusting me to take care of this. I just don't want to disappoint you." Elizabeth admitted with a soft sigh.

Evelyn chuckled as she waved a dismissive hand. "Darling, you cannot account for every unforeseen variable. If something goes awry then that is just fine. Things like that happen to even the most experienced of us. No one expects perfection from you on your first outing into being a hostess." The older redhead smiled affectionately. "I certainly don't, and not because I don't think you are capable of it. I just know that making mistakes is how we learn. As long as no one gets hurt, a minor inconvenience such as having to adjust the seating arrangement mid party for better shade is perfectly reasonable." Her mother assured her.