.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
"Hello Oliver, darling." Elspbeth said, gliding over towards the quiet man who was still taking in the overall grandeur of the Manor House that he had only just arrived at what felt like moments earlier. "Oh what beautiful eyes. Oh how wonderful!"
"Yeah I told you he wasn't a minger." Felix said with a scoff as his mother turned to him, her golden hair flicking over her shoulder as she still grasped Oliver's hands in her own.
"Oh but darling you are so kind about everyone, you can't be trusted." His mother said, turning back to her sons friend who still stood stiff before her as she studied his features with a bright smile. "Oliver, I have a complete and utter horror of ugliness, ever since I was very young. I don't know why."
"Maybe because you're a terrible person." Felix teased, staring at the floor as his mother sent him a look as she returned to her seat on the crimson couch that Felix was leaning against.
"Has Alexandra seen you yet?" Elspbeth asked, leaning back onto the pillows with all the elegance Oliver had always hoped his stout mother could achieve but never did. At the slight shake of his head, Elspbeth sighed. "Oh my god she'll die. You're like a character out of her books."
"Books like Oliver Twist..." Farleigh said under his breath, just loud enough for all the others to hear and for a slight flush to appear on Oliver's cheek bones.
"Oh do stop the poor boy has only just arrived." James Catton said, heaving himself up from his armchair as he interrupted the rooms speculations as he reached out his hand for Oliver to shake. "How good to finally meet you. Trip alright?"
"Yes, thank you sir."
"Oh god don't with the sirs! No, no, no. We won't have anything like that here. " Elspbeth exclaimed, still reclining on her seat as she pressed her forefinger to her brow in frustration melodramatically before gesturing to the open seat beside her. "Here, come sit by me. This is Pamela, she's been staying with us."
"Heyy." Pamela, a woman with brightly coloured red hair and an outfit that stood out among the casually dressed people in the room, said as she shook his hand and he set himself down between the two women on the sofa.
"Pamela darling will you go see Annie about the tea?" Elspbeth said with a pointed look to the woman who seemed to pause before sputtering something or other as she slowly stood.
"But... which ones that?" Pamela asked, brow furrowing as Elspbeth sent her an expectant look.
"You'll find her, darling, Annie." Elspbeth said, gesturing with her eyes for her to get a move on as Pamela made a move to ask another question on the way out. "You'll work it out, darling, of you pop."
Oliver could only star forward at the intricately woven carpet as Pamela's stilettos disappeared behind the doorway.
"Poor dear Pamela. She's been staying with us while she get's back on her feet. She's had an awful time this year. Hideous." Elspbeth said almost immediately after her friend's heels clicked against the marble flooring, only lowering her voice by what felt like half a decibel as she spoke. But then, she pounced on him. "But oh, Oliver, so have you. God I'm so sorry to hear about your father. How utterly, utterly tragic. I've lost so many friends to addiction. So, so many dear, dear friends. It's the root of poor Pamela's horrors too I'm afraid."
"And the only interesting thing about her." Farleigh drawled from behind them, not even lifting his eyes from the screen of his laptop as he spoke.
"Farleigh!" Elspbeth exclaimed, reprimanding him with but one word before she turned immediately to Oliver with a sheepish look on her face. "She is rather dull isn't she, but she is so beautiful. You have to admit, she is very beautiful. But it's only ever really been a curse I mean the men Oliver you wouldn't really believe it..."
