Lucinda is in the business of trading babies. (socialight) wrote in blurred_lines, @ 2009-04-12 10:13:00 |
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It was going to be a good day. This morning, Lucinda had seen a circle in her tea, which signified a successful completion, and truly her reading was made real. As she walked onto the Foundation’s grounds with a surprisingly not crying Daphne in her arms, and Hortense at her side at eight in the morning, her eyes scanned the lovely feat she and her sister-in-law had accomplished. “It looks perfect, Hortense.” Lucinda smiled happily, bouncing Daphne a bit before checking to make sure that the nanny was following at a far enough pace in case she should tire of carrying her. “Between the decorations and the caterers, it was quite an ordeal, but I do believe it will be a success.” She looked to her sister-in-law and then back to the empty and perfectly manicured lawn. Soon it would be filled with screaming children and chocolate stains, but for now, it was simply perfection. “Congratulations are most certainly in order, sister.” Hortense had never been a morning person. She would much rather spend the day in bed, resent her lethargy later and sequentially vow to put an end to the habit only to bury her head under the pillows the next morning. And holidays were not motivational in the slightest. Sleepily, she bumbled through her morning routine (not surprisingly, Hortense was never one for extensive primping either) and was happy to see the sun hanging brightly in a clear sky. Weather was the only thing left beyond their control. Hortense and Lucinda had spent the better part of the week checking, double and triple checking their tasks lists. The fussing was endless... and it had been worth it, Hortense decided as she surveyed their handiwork with her sister-in-law at her side. Even the early reveille, she admitted. Hortense tilted her head in Lucinda's direction, smiling quizzically. "Likewise... for now," she added with a short sidelong glance at Lucinda. "Perhaps we ought to leave the congratulations until the end," she laughed humourlessly and drew in a long, ominous breath. She was not sure that the children today would be quite as well-behaved and irresistibly loveable as her nieces and nephews. After all, this was open to the public. Aside from that unpleasant, inexorable detail Hortense was happy to have had such a project and to have shared the responsibility with Lucinda. "I daresay even with children running amok this event will be more sophisticated than some." She had a particularly low-class one in mind, too. One that she, coincidentally, was not invited to. Not that she wanted to be, of course. The warning left Lucinda the slightest bit unsettled. Of course, she was well aware that the running children would ruin the perfectly manicured lawn, and the screaming would drive her insane, and there was bound to be at least once argument over which toy each child got, but the thought of it all was simply what bothered her. She hated to think that all of this hard work would result to nothingness in just a few short hours. Instead, she justified it by knowing that Narcissa Malfoy would arrive early, see the effort put into the event, and congratulate both herself and Hortense on a job very well done, and that was what was important, wasn’t it? The nastiest of evil smirks crept upon her lips at Hortense’s mention of the uncivilised event. Who did that Chubb girl think she was, completely disregarding the Greengrass family? Death Eaters or no, the Greengrasses strongly supported the Cause, Horetnse’s father had been in Azkaban along with the others, and each lady was an active member in society; there was no reason to not receive an invitation, but then again, who actually wanted to attend what was certain to be a déclassé affair? “I was able to catch a glimpse of the invitation at Julianne’s; it was simply desperate to be something it could not and would not ever be.” Her face showed a sheer lack of amusement as she moved Daphne from one shoulder to another, but then her daughter seemed to giggle, which caused Lucinda to smile. “Even Daphne understands that some people will never belong..” "Perhaps it was a financial issue," mused Hortense, beaming smugly. It had better be, she added silently, for she could not think of another reason this girl would be allowed to be so selective. Agatha could not afford to have enemies and such a manoeuvre was foolish but Hortense understood that a lower-class upbringing did tend to produce idiots. Still, that did not placate her. Hortense wanted to be sure that the Chubb girl would regret her decision and for that reason, she was secretly glad that Lucinda had been spurned as well. Of course, they would do this in the most dignified manner possible. Hortense could not afford to jeopardize her own reputation in the process nor did she wish to stoop to such levels of pettiness... openly. "And to think," Hortense began in a low and uncharacteristically scathing tone, "we welcomed her so graciously when she wished to involve herself in the Foundation." Perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration but in Hortense's opinion, it could have been far worse too. "Of course, I would not have attended but it does go to show how -- " she paused abruptly. Many expressions (none of which forgiving in the slightest) came to mind but Hortense pushed the noxious words out of her mind as she continued on lightly, "some return gestures of kindness. I shall certainly not be making the same mistake twice," she scoffed and shook her head irritably. Hortense smiled at Daphne and stretched out a finger to trace along her plump little cheek as Daphne giggled. She was momentarily distracted by the beautiful little girl; she did not expect to feel such love for Daphne but she was her brother's daughter and therefore she was one part of her too. "And don't you forget it, little Daphne," Hortense warned mock-seriously. She did not wish to see her goddaughter grow up to become the next Andromeda Black. “Perhaps.” Lucinda gave her sister a bemused and aristocratic smirk. “She is, after all, marrying Severus Snape.” The name rolled off of her tongue with an automatic disgust. No matter the man’s devotion to the cause, he was halfblood, and practically penniless, and, she was certain, an array of other things she would not approve of. This marriage was a farce; a laughable attempt for two halfbloods to try desperately to be respected in pureblood society. No matter who the man was friends with, he would never fully be welcomed, nor would his frizzy-haired and socially inept fiancée; she would see to it. Financial problems or no, there was no excuse to her entire family’s lack of an invitation. Even Leoben, one of the Dark Lord’s most devoted servants, had been looked over. It was simply unacceptable, and Lucinda would make sure that it was known…in the most ladylike way possible, of course. “I do hope she will not be in attendance this afternoon, although I am afraid that is asking too much.” Of course she would make an appearance in an entirely inappropriate outfit, but what else could you expect from the girl who had registered for her wedding at Quidditch Quality Supplies? As Daphne giggled to her aunt’s touch, Lucinda smiled genuinely. When Daphne behaved and smiled and scrunched her nose just as Lucinda had done when she was younger, she truly felt a connection to the girl. It wasn’t until she cried endlessly that Lucinda wanted to give her away. “Daphne will be many things, my dear Hortense, but she will most certainly not be the next Agatha Chubb. We will see to that." "What a catch," remarked Hortense sarcastically. She felt the same way Lucinda did about the man: it did not matter if he climbed the ranks to one day be the Dark Lord's right hand man, he would never be in Hortense's good graces. She did not see how such a remarkable young man as her cousin Barty could be friends with the likes of him. "Yes," agreed Hortense thoughtfully, "she is making quite a habit of making appearances where she is not wanted, isn't she? Delusional girl," Hortense shook her head disdainfully. She did not want Agatha near any of their hard work but if she did show and wish to help, Hortense would be most compliant... and offer her tasks filthy enough to rival her blood. Hortense smiled deviously and tore herself away from her thoughts. She turned to Lucinda and shrugged innocently, "Of course, we can always count on her to amuse." It was peculiar, Lucinda mused as Hortense spoke, that she greatly preferred her sister-in-law to her husband. Wasn’t one supposed to loathe their in-laws and yet adore their spouse and not the other way around? But then, she supposed, she had to recall that she was none too fond of Persephone; Hortense was simply the only good one to come out of the Greengrass offspring. “If not by her actions, then by her outfit. Did you see what she wore to the wives and mother’s luncheon? It was simply atrocious. I can not wait to see what she is wearing today. I am certain it will be gauche and filled with clashing colours or a completely inappropriate amount of skin.” Judging everyone’s outfits would be the highlight of Lucinda’s day; there was bound to be a myriad assortment of Easter-themed catastrophes, and she would be certain to document every single one of them. “Perhaps we can send her off with Miss Pinkstone and be rid of two people who don’t belong in one task?” Miss Pinkstone, another person Lucinda had to worry about. Why was the woman offering to help? What was her ulterior motive? There was no way she simply believed in the cause. After all those comments the woman made about the wives and mother’s luncheon, there was no way Lucinda would trust her. “What are we going to do with her anyway?” "The neckline was far too low and the fabric was far too formal for a luncheon and - as you said - the loud print," she went on; the derision leaked unabashedly into her speech. "I do hope she keeps in mind that there will be children here today. We musn't allow her poor taste to reflect negatively on the Foundation. You remember what happened when Astra misspoke a short while ago? People can be sensitive these days - especially the media." "Ah yes, Ms Pinkstone," Hortense laughed humourlessly, "She's certainly singing a new tune suddenly. I wonder what accounts for the sudden change of heart." Her tone clearly conveyed her distrust in Ms Pinkstone and her motives. "Is there any way we could have her dealing exclusively with the children? I imagine they could keep her occupied. I do not wish to give her a chance to stick her nose where it does not belong." “Perhaps we could ask her to oversee the babysitters during the luncheon. That way, she wouldn’t be in the direct presence of Miss Umbridge, and wouldn’t have a moment to refute any of the statements made.” That seemed like a logical idea, but Lucinda did not know whether she actually wanted Miss Pinkstone near the children. Personally, Lucinda would do her best to keep her away from Daphne, but then again, Daphne would not be left with the Foundation’s babysitters; that was what the nanny was for. “And we will do our best to find the simplest task for Miss Chubb, if she offers to help, of course.” Hopefully, she would not. If she and Hortense were lucky, Agatha would arrive with Severus and stand awkwardly in a corner, waiting for Mirelle Gibbon to discuss Quidditch with her, or whatever it was those two had in common. “I am quite grateful Serephina Travers was the last person to offer help, and not Miss Chubb. Hopefully this means we will not be coming into contact with her assistance this afternoon.” "That is a clever idea," praised Hortense with a conspiratorial smile. The solution kept the woman out of their hair and managed to keep the children away from Hortense too. She thoroughly enjoyed time spent with her own nieces and nephews and their innocent antics amused her to no end but she could not say that all the children tomorrow were going to be as charming. Hortense nodded, signalling her agreement with Lucinda. "Seraphina is far more capable and has always been a positive representative of the Foundation." Hortense wondered if Agatha even wished to represent the Foundation. She could not recall Agatha partaking in the planning process of any event and yet there she was! She was present at their public events, tying her name to the Foundation's and reaping the credit of their hard work. It was intolerable and Hortense wished she could turn her away at the door without a word but alas, that was not the case and she would have to learn to endure the presence of that insufferable girl. "Perhaps we could have her collecting the rubbish," she smiled pleasantly, "Children can be very messy, after all." The mental image of Agatha Chubb picking up rubbish practically sent Lucinda into a fit of giggles, but of course, she caught herself before the unladylike urge captivated her. Amusement was clearly etched into her face, however, and she simply nodded along with Hortense. "If she so chooses to attend and offers to help, we will most certainly send her to that task; it is fitting of her blood after all." There were fullblood employees of the Foundation who had more menial tasks; why shouldn't a half-blood be asked to do a job worthy of her? Out of the corner of her eye, Lucinda spotted an unwelcome presence on the Foundation lawn and turned to see Carlotta Pinkstone and a Foundation employee coming towards them. "And so it begins." She looked to her sister-in-law, all the amusement of moments ago completely vanished, and handed Daphne off to the nanny. "Be good, Daphne." She smiled towards the infant before returning to Hortense. "Come sister, let us greet our most welcome guest." |