Joyce Middleton ❦ Constance Langdon (cursedwomb) wrote in thereincarnates, @ 2015-04-04 14:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | elsa lawrence, joyce middleton, lucy mallory, raegan mallory, tori middleton |
Who: The Lawrence Family and guests (tag yourselves in!)
What: Easter brunch - party thread
When: Forward dated to Sunday, April 5; mid-morning
Where: A rented banquet hall in Minneapolis
Warnings: Well, the whole family is evil, but Joyce would kill them if they got blood on the tablecloths, so...
It was true, the setup for brunch might have been easier if Joyce had simply held the meal at her own home, but with all the children getting older and wanting to invite their friends to family events, and inviting the people who Ben and Lucy had asked to be attendants at their wedding (including Lucy's cousin, who Joyce doubted would eat much of anything, from the looks of her), as well as a few crucial business partners... well, it they might have all fit in their bigger dining room, but they'd be far more comfortable in the rented room. It was easier for the caterers, too, and the decorators who had covered all the round tables with fine white linen cloths and arranged crystal vases filled with pastel colored flowers around the room. The windows that lined one wall were covered with gauzy white cloth, just enough to soften the sunlight streaming into the comfortable room. Along the opposite wall, long tables were set up with food laid out buffet style. Joyce had tested all the offerings to make sure that the selection was acceptable. Quiches, strata, coffee cake, potato galette with smoked salmon, as well as more standard breakfast staples like several different sorts of eggs, pastries, breakfast meats, and fresh fruit, all of it perfectly made and delicious, a good balance of sweet and savory options. Joyce would have allowed nothing less than perfection, and by now the catering company she'd hired knew that.
The guests were all in attendance, with caterers circling to offer mimosas and coffee to the adults, and sparkling juices and cocoa to the children so they could feel like the had the same options. As soon as Joyce gave the signal, the caterers would pull the silver lids off the serving platters. She did hope that no one had tried to move around the place cards arranged at the tables; she had put a lot of thought into seating arrangements, and who would be least likely to offend who, for those guests she was familiar with. For those she wasn't, she simply made a point of putting them next to whichever person she did know who had invited them. That was simple enough. So long as no one attempted to mess with her organization, the entire brunch should go beautifully.
Joyce surveyed from the next room over, where she could see the room but no one in it could see her. All was in place, and the only thing still waiting was for her to go over to Ben so the two of them (well, Joyce, standing next to Ben as a symbol of his approval... that was she was there for, after all) could announce the beginning of the meal. She stepped forward, intent on doing so because the children could only be expected to wait so long, but a harsh grip on her wrist from behind her stopped her in her tracks. Her shoulders tensed, but she kept her voice level. "Joshua, take your hands off of me."
"I just heard that Smith got the promotion." Joshua spoke low in her ear. To anyone who happened to glance over at them, it would probably look affectionate. The force with which he squeezed the delicate bones of her wrist wasn't enough to bruise, but it was enough to hurt. Joyce didn't give him the satisfaction. "I was supposed to get that promotion. What good was marrying you if I'm stuck in this position for the rest of my life?"
"You know very well I don't stick my nose in Ben's part of the business, Joshua. If the promotion went to someone else, it was because he earned it." Joyce had known from the start that her husband had only married her for her family's company. It had never offended her, but he'd never been so blatant about it before. "Now let go. You remember what happened the last time you tried this, don't you?"
His breath was hot against her ear. Once, when she was a teenager and he was the handsome older man courting her, it might have made her shiver. Now, the only feeling it roused was disgust. "Your mother isn't here, this time. The two of you aren't even doing a good job of playing nice for the cameras anymore. Do you really think she's going to do a damn thing about this?" As if to prove his point, he tightened his grip on her wrist even more.
Joyce winced, but bit back the small whimper of pain that tried to force its way out of her throat. "My mother isn't the only one in this family that you need to worry about. Let go of my wrist, unless you want me to have to explain to my brother why there are finger shaped marks there. You certainly wouldn't be up for any promotions then, would you?" Her heart was beating wildly, even after he listened and released her. "I think you'd better go find your seat, Joshua. Smile for the nice people."
After he'd gone, Joyce pressed her hand to her chest, lips in a thin line. Something needed to be done about her husband.
For the moment, however, starting off the brunch was far more important. The sleeve of her dress covered the faint pink marks on her wrist well enough, and would do so until they faded in a matter of minutes. No one but her would notice the wrinkles in the fabric. Satisfied that, to the casual observer, everything would appear in order, she made her way through the crowded room to stand next to Ben. In place, she nodded to the caterers, who started lifting lids. "Well, dig in, everyone! We're all family here, we don't stand on ceremony." An obvious lie, as Joyce would have rained fury down on anyone who lifted a lid before she was ready, but there was the polite laughter she'd expected before people started moving toward the food.