Book 1. Genesis (North and South Ed.)

CHAPTER IV. Tea Time

CHAPTER IV

Coming to Tea

"Consult not your fears but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed, but with what it is still possible for you to do." - St. John XXIII

It was a refreshingly cool Sunday morning in Milton when Lord Bell, accompanied by the Hales and the Shaws, arrived for church a few minutes early and sat at their normal pews in the Milton Cathedral. The seating inside, as by Milton norm, was designated by rank. As dragon rider (the only one of two left) and sole surviving High Mage of the Bell Clan, Lord Bell sat at the front pew on the left hand side facing the altar. To his left was Margaret, Edith and Fred Hale (the double). Lord and Lady Shaw sat with Lord and Lady Hale behind Lord Bell. Fred Barbour (the true Fred) sat towards the back with the other attendants. Queen Hannah came punctually with her son and daughter. Upon seeing Lord Bell, a heavy frown formed on her face as she looked disapprovingly at Lord Bell's pew, "The nerve of this man, to sit his "common relatives" at such a privileged spot. It should be filled by other mage masters, not commoners. That's the Milton way," she muttered to her son, John who quickly shot her a sharp glance, "Mother, please. You know how it offends me to hear your speak so. Lord Bell is our friend and Lord Shaw is your brother. Be civil, please," John said under his breath, in an attempt to silence his mother from continuing her remarks. "So we are to be civil, to these Hales, are we?" Hannah snorted back to her son as they approached their pew. Lord Bell, ignoring Hannah's look of disapproval, smiled full of felicity at her. He stood up with the rest of his family, bowing and curtsying to show respects to the Queen and the first family of Milton.

Although Hannah outwardly showed disapproval, she quite admired her childhood friend for his courage to follow his heart, no matter the cost or obstacles. Adam had always been the odd duck amongst his brothers; whereas they excelled in the martial arts of fencing, hand to hand combat and advanced weaponry, Lord Bell excelled in academics and diplomacy. He always had keen observation skills and could understand the heart of the matter quickly. Whereas his brothers would use brawn to get their way, Lord Bell would use incentives and negotiate a win-win solution. He was critical to the war effort: his negotiated agreements funded most of the extensive cost of the campaign. Whereas once he was ridiculed, for marrying a commoner instead of another mage; he now had the love and respect of all of Milton, due mostly to his contributions during the war and the reconstruction, and for his generous and very affable personality. "How I envy you, Lord Bell. You don't seek people's good opinions, yet you have them nonetheless. Everyone is so accepting and forgiving of your past behavior. I, a woman in this man's world, must work so very hard each and every day to earn and maintain such respect as befitting a queen. It comes to you with such ease," Hannah thought with pride for her friend, and no little envy.

Queen Hannah led her children to their usual seats on the front pew to the right of the altar directly across from Lord Bell's pew. Fanny kept glancing across and looked enviously at the outfits of Edith and Margaret. They were wearing the best of London fashion and looked very smart in their Sunday dresses. Edith was a vision in a light periwinkle lace A-line dress with long sleeves adorned by pearl buttons with a matching french hood veil. Margaret looked regal in a very elegant, yet much simpler, silver empire waist satin dress with shimmering chiffon sleeves topped by a very feminine matching silver top hat veil. With a sigh. Fanny looked at her own outfit with discontent, thinking, "These London girls always look so much more in current fashion than us Milton girls. Why does the latest fashion always comes so late to Milton?" Always so engrossed with her own selfish thoughts, Fanny did not notice that her brother, John, was also stealing admiring glances towards Ms. Hale discreetly, so as not to be noticed. But he did not succeed—nothing escaped Queen Hannah as she observed, with growing prickliness, how her children paid more attention to the pew across them than to the service.