"Hello?" Pt. 1

This is Where I Leave You.

Ok, here's your chapter. And there's a big reveal at the end! Also, do NOT mess with Sophie. 

Sarah, xx

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The funeral had been the hardest part of the day. Walking into the church on the family estate, I hadn't expected to be hit with the feeling of loss, but seeing Laurence's casket sitting at the front of the church, a photo of his face to the side, brought home the fact that my father was dead. 

Sophie had been a rock to me during the service. She held my hand, whispered soothing words into my ear and made sure that Veronica was as far away from Samuel and me as possible. Sophie, along with Connie and Evelyn, had made sure that Veronica knew her place in the pecking order, relegating her and the Swedish masseur to the second row, next to Baxterley and other staff that had been with my family for years. 

Several of the elder generation on townspeople came to pay their respects at the service, many of whom acted as pallbearers, but it wasn't until the garden party earlier this afternoon that most of the guests came to bid their farewells and to give their condolences on our loss. It took all my energy not to roll my eyes whenever someone said that Laurence had been a 'wonderful man' or that 'he'd be sorely missed in the community.' 

I can't say the same for Samuel, though, who promptly told one visitor that he was 'cooked in the head' if he thought that Laurence was, in any way, going to be missed. Jasmine, to her credit, quickly stepped in and smiled dutifully before dragging my brother towards the open bar.

The garden party had been Connie's idea. In part, it was a way for the villagers to come and pay their respects, but it also gave them the chance to see the next generation of the family take over from the previous. That's why she insisted that Sophie stood next to me in the receiving line as we greeted our guests. Sophie smiled and welcomed each and every person warmly, introducing herself as Sophie Delaney, instead of Clément. I'd raised an eyebrow questioningly at that, but she simply dismissed the change in name and turned to shake hands with the next person in line.

Veronica, sensing some competition from Sophie, had tried her best to be as pleasant, but she was lacking the people person skills that Sophie possessed. My fiancée made it look easy to be personable, remembering names and faces and taking a keen interest in those that either lived on the estate or in the village nearby. Veronica, meanwhile, turned her nose up at those she considered beneath her and kept throwing sideway glances at Sophie. 

"She doesn't like me," Sophie whispered to me as we walked to the next table to speak to more of the guests. I nodded in reply. With a smirk, Sophie said, "I must be doing something right, then."

Ever since Sophie and I had arrived late last night, Veronica had gone out of her way to be rude and dismissive of mine and Sophie's relationship, stating that she couldn't see Sophie taking over as Duchess of Kendal as she wasn't of our 'class.' It didn't take long for Connie to reply that Veronica hadn't been all that classy either, before or after her marriage to Laurence. The comment hadn't gone down well and Veronica was quick to retreat to her room, where she stayed until she descended this morning to put in her Oscar worthy performance of the devastated wife. 

The act would have been better received if she hadn't been hanging off the arm of some other man that was younger than me. 

Still, she hadn't kicked off quite yet. No, that was bound to happen this evening when the Last Will and Testament are read out. Samuel and I had debated for hours when the reading should be made, but eventually, Connie decreed that it was done this evening after supper.  

Today hadn't been like any other funeral. First, there was the committal service followed by then interment, where Laurence was buried in the family plot on the estate. After that, the garden party was held in celebration of Laurence's life, and finally, the day would end with the family dinner, where we'd all have to sit together around the table.