Ginevra didn't care about giving Astrid any shares. She was already upset enough loosing her kid the first time. If nothing else, maybe Peregrine granting her some shares will make up for it at least a little bit.
Iona got a sum of me in the Greenwood family way, for I owned several interlocked directorships in that family; it was quite as distinguished and just as Frenchified as the Bennett. Ginevra was the daughter of it.
She might have just given Iona the Greenwood family's shares at that point.
Ginevra started preparing once Peregrine announced the welcoming supper.
She felt bad about losing her daughter, and she and Astrid became somewhat strained after what happened with Iona. She wanted to use the opportunity of this weekend to make things right with Astrid.
There was always one member of the Bennett family who officially ran any dinner party they had. They had a butler on hand at home for their own family dinners. Outside caterers were brought in for large formal affairs. Ginevra would hardly have to get involved.
This time round, she would get involved in every little thing herself. She wouldn't leave it to chance and she would try to make it perfect.
There was someone who turned up at the Greenwood's. It was Ginevra's sister, Tamsin Greenwood!
Tamsin had to laugh when she saw her sister fussing over a million little things the moment she arrived at the Bennett house, even asking what type of flowers to bring for the day of the meal.
Shaking her head in disbelief at her sister's antics, Tamsin took Ginevra over to a corner of the kitchen and mimicked her. "Ginevra," she drawled sarcastically, "why are you bothering with that?"
It perplexed Ginevra. "But shouldn't they count?"
Tamsin seemed at a loss for words. "Ginevra, I think you're being too shallow about things that don't matter — like the dinner details which you really shouldn't think twice because there are people paid to take care of it for you. Astrid should be your main concern.'
Ginevra was still bewildered.
Tamsin sighed, as if troubled. "My sister, manners," she said. "Your sister has spent eighteen years on her own – did you even know that? She's not overly skilled in finding employment or a husband, let alone in matters of manner. Your focus needs to be on dressing and presenting her. Find her a groom and skincare routine."
Eating would not be an important matter right now. Also, a brief intense course in wine etiquette and I did not think I'd have time to eat that day either. There WILL be toasts that day where Mr. Peregrine takes her.
"Oh, yes. Oh, yes! Oh, yes!" Ginevra suddenly realized she'd forgotten something very important. "Thank you for telling me Tamsin," she told herself.
Tamsin had asked her the previous evening. "Does Astrid have any remarkable skills? If she was able to put on a show at the dinner party, that would be quite something. Because if not, well … then all a girl of such means can really do is get married, isn't it?"
And making an impression at the dinner party was kind of extremely important to Astrid.
There would be many marriage proposals from other families if she did. She didn't need to think about if she'd ever find a good husband. In fact, by allying herself via marriage, it might also help the Bennett Corporation to strengthen their family company. 'It's going to start getting tough around here from now on if she can't.'After all, she was someone's else child and those at higher social circles would surely start hating her if that was the case. If it came down to it Ginevra thought–how low her status has to be for me become her companion?
The 18 year-old daughter of the Bennett family had finally reappeared. This announcement had caused an uproar in Woodmere's high society community. Something like this had never happened before... a lot people were paying attention how things would unfold.
The Voss family were the most worried of all the people who had read it, on account of Merritt Voss, a son in that family, was going to marry Iona.
Peregrine and Alden Voss originally signed this marriage agreement. It was Merritt and Iona who agreed to marry each other.
That said the "Iona" in the marriage contract was not the same person as the current one. Astrid, specifically, is who should be named in the marriage contract.
This was the case. Iona, the youngest daughter of the Bennett family was lost and Ginevra, her mother had been so distraught that she had become mentally ill. To make her better Casper adopted a little girl from an orphanage and told them all that it was their missing daughter.
In Ginevra's defense, she had mental health problems at the time and couldn't recognize anyone. She just took the baby in and named her Iona.
It wasn't until three years later when everything was back to normal that Ginevra found out the truth.
Ginevra had, however, already felt something for the daughter she'd brought back – that child too was named after her own. So had silently bypassed, without solution.
As a result, the Voss family was now beside itself wondering whether the imposter Miss Iona, who had spent over a decade growing up in the Bennett household, or the real Miss Astrid was going to live up to their agreement and marry Merritt.
I felt sure it was Iona whom Merritt's mother preferred. After all, she had seen her raised. She was sweet and thoughtful and beautiful. And she adored Merritt.
Astrid on the other hand, never belonged. It was either she had character problem or her own identity is errorneous. But this Karen couldn't be the judge of that, two families needed to decide on that.
The Dreyer family were also invited and the Voss family, who were friendly with the Bennetts, were also invited.
They came with fancy notes in a envelope addressed to Cormac Dreyer at his work. Cormac is the head-of-house hold of the Dreyer house.
The secretary knocked on the door. "Mr. Dreyer."
Cormac was reading over a contract and with a raised brow said, "Yes?" He set the paper aside when he heard the soft tap of knuckles against wood.
There was a careless lazy casualness about the voice. He seemed in good spirits but only the secretary, who knew him well, detected the note of unspoken unhappiness and minor irritability beneath his gay manner.
"Five years ago Mr. Dreyer returned with a bright attractive little boy and resumed his position as head of the family.
The secretary thought, "Since then, this kind of irritability has often appeared in him."
Cormac scared the secretary so much. The Dreyer family's firm had grown a lot since that time. Once upon a time considered one of Woodmere's four most prominent families, the Dreyer family had lately far outstripped and left behind the Voss, Bennett and Greenwood families—left them and the rest of everyone else too—in the dust.
But instead Cormac's strength and terrifying presence only grew, along with his increasing nastiness. "I don't WANT to go in there because I'm scared; maybe this time Mr. Dreyer will be pleased with me." The secretary gingerly turned the knob.
Wearing a crisp white dress shirt, suit jacket hanging on the expensive office wall by a brass button from its hanger, sleeves folded just enough to rest his powerful arm on the soft leather of the armrest; Cormac sat regally in his plush leather chair. His eyes were calm as he barely acknowledged her entrance with his usual feigned evanescent air of majesty.
"Say it," he said.
Walking up to him like a cat, the secretary handed him the invitation.
Cormac looked over it, laughed with a sneer and tossed the invitation on the desk before the secretary. "What in hell has come over you to send me this?"
Clearing her throat, the secretary added quickly, "It was signed Mrs. Isabella."
"Oh?" Cormac looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
"The banquet that the Bennett family is holding to commemorate their lost daughter, Miss Astrid. She went missing 18 years ago," the secretary said nervously as he licked his dry lips.
The secretary said, then glanced up to steal a quick peek at Cormac.
In my opinion, whoever wants to get married would have pressure, no matter how pretty and rich they are.
But Mr. Dreyer is just too picky. He had hundred of girl friends for him to choose in the last few years but he didn't want any of them because he said he has no time for dating as he is taking care of his kids.
"Afterwards, he just mentioned that the future Mrs. Dreyer would be personally selected by Mr. Ellis to keep him from being harassed," the secretary muttered to herself.
In truth, when Mrs. Isabella had first begun drafting her daughter-in-law's qualifications list it was several pages long: She must be attractive, she must be intellectual and have a pleasant disposition, and she must come from a respectable family – one could have written a book simply listing the prerequisites there were so many!
But now Isabella was down to two.
living and a lady.