We arrive all too soon. The youngest Annotte daughter comes out to greet us. She is about my age, and is wearing a huge pink ball gown with a sweet heart neckline. She smiles, but not with her eyes.
"Welcome, House Crosingfert." she says.
Mother stiffens. I can tell what this means. All of tonight will be making "polite" conversation with lots of snide remarks. I know that they'll bring up Leah, but we have a few comebacks AND a few topics to bring up ourselves. It is time for battle of the Houses.
"Isabelle! How beautiful you look. I feel absolutely under dressed, compared to your ball gown. Say, you're not very modest tonight, no? Is there somebody you're seeing?" Grandmother is practically gloating while she says this. Isabelle is dressed very inappropriately, which is frowned upon. Moreover, Grandmother is an elder, which means that if the Elder Council doesn't know about a relationship with her, she will not be allowed into the Houses again.
"Oh, no, I'm not seeing anyone. Leah didn't dress like this, did she?" as Isabelle is saying this, her mother, Lady Annotte comes outside.
"Tch-tch Isabelle, don't be rude. It is very wonderful that the Crosingfert House was able to come. Crosingfert House minus one, of course. Such a shame, Leah. Well you know how it goes. If the young ones are not educated, then they make grand mistakes," Lady Annotte remarks, full of venom. I get the feeling that they have practiced what they are going to say and when they are going to say it.
"You know how we say," mother reminds, "Every House has it's values, and may it's values rule it's House. Our values are about bravery. To each their own."
It's true. Our House, House Crosingfert is about bravery and courage. Annotte is about education, Weber is about justice, and so on.
"May we come in?" asks Peter, "I wish to see Elder- , oh right, my condolences for your loss."
It's going to be one heck of an evening.
YOU ARE READING
Hidden World
Novela JuvenilElla lives in a mansion on a hill, separated from the rest of the world. All she wants is to discover how other people live, but without separating herself from her society. Zinnia is a poor peasant, trying to help her family survive. She is about t...
