Historians

05.

01.24.4010

Tonight... Where do I even begin... I am so confused right now. A million thoughts course through my head as I try to understand what exactly happened tonight. What is worse is when I try to foresee the after effects of tonight's events I struggle. Will it affect my position; will it cause a strain on the feeble link of friendship I've established with Jeremiah? Does it matter what happens between the two of us? So many questions bombard me and only a handful seem to be ones I can answer.

All day she had gone back and forth as to if she was going to come to the dinner party but upon contacting her friend she had been reassured that it was just going to be a few people. Standing next to her was one of Jeremiah's goons. He was her own personal shadow, he watched her every move but he also watched everyone around her. "Miss, should we go the rest the way inside?" Anastasia wanted to retort, goons should be seen but not heard, but he was right. She had been standing outside debating about taking those final steps for too long. The double doors of the house seemed to glide forward as she approached. The foyer sparkled as if thousands of stars had fallen They were greeted at the front by the family butler. "Ms. Fenwick, a pleasure to see you again." He bowed before directing her down the hall. "All guests are meeting in the rear parlor." Anastasia nodded as she slid her coat off and handed it to a footman. "Thank you"

As she entered the parlor she had a strange sense of déjà vu. The room fell silent as she walked in just the way it had at the Gran Seim's house. Would she always have this effect on a room when she entered? A small cry of joy soon erupted though. "Anastasia! I'm so glad you did decide to come!" Her friend Maria moved through her guests quickly approaching Anastasia. Anastasia grinned as she was ensnared in the warm embrace of her friend. "Maria, I thought you said it would only be a few people." Maria laughed as she looked around the room. "Ah yes, well I wanted you to come so..." Anastasia stepped away from Maria and frowned looking at her. "So you pointedly lied to me about the number." Maria shrugged and wouldn't meet Anastasia's eyes. "I mean we have attended dances that were far bigger than this." Anastasia sighed. She looked around the room as Maria locked arms with her and began to move her around the room. Thankfully most the people Anastasia saw were people she had once thought of as friends female wise. She did not recognize any of the men in the room though. Which meant that while they were likely entitled men they were not heirs. "Anastasia, you must see who decided to join us this evening. All of the girls are talking about him!" Anastasia frowned as she was dragged further into the room. Maria dove through the people regardless of what they were trying to say to her. She was a woman on a mission and Anastasia was clearly just along for the ride. Anastasia wouldn't have been surprised to find Jeremiah crashing the dinner because he didn't trust her to do a well enough job representing herself. She, however, was surprised as Maria drug her closer to a tall man with dark brown hair. "Anastasia, this is Mr. O'Brien. As in son of the Gran Seim himself." As Sheamus heard his name he turned to find the hostess that seemed to cling onto Anastasia. "Ms. Fenwick," Sheamus grinned. "I had heard you might be attending tonight." To her right, Maria batted her eyelashes up at Sheamus. "See I told you I could get her here." It had been a setup, right from the start. Anastasia pulled her arm free of Maria's vice grip, and Maria was so focused on Sheamus that she didn't even bother to fight the release. Anastasia shook her head and sighed. Maria had been underhanded but getting the Gran Seim's elusive son to attend a dinner party was rare enough to exploit one's' friend. Anastasia felt a tap on her shoulder which caused her to turn around. "Anastasia, I see my wife found you." Anastasia smiled and nodded. Maria had married, Bastion, one of the most successful businessmen in the capital. He was head of all shipping in and out of the capitol. "You can see the gleam in her eye at all the attention she will be gaining tomorrow." Bastion sighed. "I told her she should lie to you the way she did but she was convinced you would understand." Anastasia shrugged, she would have never stooped to such a low but she was also aware of how dangerous it was to be the center of attention, and that had never been where she wanted to be. "It is what it is. So few people invite me to dinners anymore. Getting some socializing in with people I don't see every day would likely do me good." She smiled at Bastion and then turned back to see Maria prattling on to Sheamus who wasn't even looking at Maria. His gaze seemed intently focused on someone across the room. Anastasia looked in the direction he was staring but she couldn't make out anything that would be of concern but then again see also didn't see her goon. Anastasia had just turned back to Bastion when the dinner bell rang.