Courtship

Part 59

Tomorrow would be the first time, after several years due to her absence from the country that Georgiana would be meeting her sister's prospective husband. Of course she had seen the man before she had left to head over to Australia. And she remembered the way Marina had mooned over him back then. But now as she listened to her sister, she knew that young girl's crush was nothing compared to the way Marina felt about the man now.

Georgiana was home for the wedding. Georgiana is a year younger than Isabelle when she left for Australia. She worked at various places before she eventually ended up working for a young entrepreneurial vintner in the Yarra. And that was where she met her future husband, Michael. He didn't know about the Sojour D'Sa family, though he had at the time wondered where Georgiana spent the money she earned when she worked for him, given none of it appeared to be spent on her. She had told him of course, eventually, about the family, not that the name meant anything to him, which at the time annoyed Georgiana! She knew, from what she'd heard that he was the black sheep in his family! They did not have much money at the start, given he was building his boutique vineyard from scratch and without his family's assistance. But given he came from an established wine producing family it was only a matter of time before his knowledge and her hard work ensured that their boutique vineyard gained recognition. During that development time Michael had insisted that she keep sending what she could to her family in New Zealand, and he insisted that they could both survive on what was left after they paid the other workers and met their outgoing costs in developing their boutique. Their wedding was a small low key affair, in Australia. He had paid for her sisters and her grandmother to fly over. He was due to arrive the day before Marina's wedding. That would be the second time he'd meet Georgiana's extended family.

A small family affair they had said. Except it appeared to be anything but small, and appeared to be growing with each passing day. Georgiana was here to help prepare in the two weeks leading up to the wedding. She'd arrived in the evening and had spent much of the evening catching up with her grandmother, Isabelle, and Marina. Cara was out for the evening.

Georgiana had been home a couple of times over the last few years, because most of the money she made working in Australia had been used to help the family settle those debts. Flying to and fro would have been an extravagance. So, while she and her sisters had remained in touch over the years, most of that was done via the phone. She came back more regularly since they had climbed out of the red and gone into the black. She could afford to fly now as every cent did not have to be accounted for. But the last time she was home, Marina was single!

"He really does make you happy. And I know you've always said you were going to marry him!" Georgiana teased as she tucked her feet beneath her and snuggled more securely on the couch. It was a standing family joke that Marina had decided on her husband when she was a teenager! "But what is it about you that made him decide to marry you?"

Marina rolled her eyes, "Isn't it obvious, Giana? My good looks, charm, wit, personality."

"Modesty, humility..." Georgiana carried on.

"Ask grandmother!" Marina directed the conversation toward her grandmother, "She carried out an inquistion when I brought him home."

"Nan?" Georgiana smiled and propped her head on her palm as she looked over at her grandmother who was feigning innocence. "Spill, Nan!"

"Clearly spending time in Australia has ruined your manners. Spill? Really Georgiana!"

"Nice try, Nan." Georgiana smiled. "I'm just curious. What was it about Rina that he liked?"

"What he loved." Corrected their grandmother. That had Isabelle, Marina and Georgiana smiling at each other.

"Ok, what he loved."

"Well I imagine he's told Marina, why not ask her."

Two pairs of eyes flashed to Marina.

"I told you!" Marina chuckled. "My good looks, charm, wit, personality."

Georgiana snorted. "Never saw him as blind or gullible." She muttered and her sister threw a cushion at her.

"Girls!" Admonished their grandmother. But she couldn't help the smile.