Some things were hard to face when presented to you so swiftly and without any sort of fluffy filling to soften the blow. Marion was reluctant to respond to the invitation delivered to her home one early morning.

She knew that it was going to arrive, the day in which Rosalie would send the invite for the wedding that she was determined to see through and Marion couldn't really blame her, not for wanting to ensure that she lived a happy life. It was the norm for the time, and if it had been later in the future, perhaps they would have been lucky enough to be allowed to be together.

Holding the invite like it was something precious yet burning to the touch, Marion brought the delicately printed lace lined paper to her family that sat reading towards the back of the home, hidden from the sun by a high porch shadowing the window of the simply decorated dinning room. It wasn't much, the expensive things hidden away in trucks and cabinets to keep them from breaking - a lesson Marion had learned many times before from when they got hyper and broke anything that got in their way in their spontaneous 'adventures'. She placed the paper down gently, as though scared it would get ruined, and allowed the two to inspect it for themselves, the results instantaneous in the way Hugo was at her side in a moment acting the role of older brother as her daughter fumed silently to herself.

"Maman, I will snap her neck if it pleases you! No, no, no, I will pour red wine over her dress the day before her wedding, ruin the entire thing when it is trop tards to correct!" Estelle cried rather passionately, fingers twitching with the urge to do something against the human girl.

Marion, for her part, believed she had stayed rathe calm and collected throughout the entire affair, giving them the time to get their wits about them and calm down before she spoke up.

"That will hardly be necessary, sweetheart. She had a life once before we had even arrived, and it will continue after we leave as well," Marion explained, placing a hand on the cheeks of her family with a loving smile as she tried to express her feelings to them, willing them to make peace with it as she had - or at least pretended to because could a vampire ever be at peace knowing that her mate choice another? The French woman wasn't certain but she could allow her family to think so for the sake of their experience in New York. "I am hardly in danger now of doing something foolish when so much time had already passed between us."

"Sister, I believe you are in more danger than ever of making the human girl fall in love with than ever before," Hugo exclaimed, the French ringing through the home so loudly that it was possible even for the neighbours to hear.

She didn't move to silence him, the burst of happiness that she felt at his optimistic nature always worked wonders at raising her spirits and washing away the negativity that settled within her core.

"But the woman would continue to torment you with dress shopping that she will sure to invite you to," Estelle snapped, baring her teeth in an angry snarl at the mere idea.

Marion shook her head. "It was my fault for volunteering my assistance. I will not revoke my words regardless of the outcome. I am not so careless a person as to give my promises without the intent of seeing them through."

"But maman, you cannot expect to go and not feel distressed at the prospect of seeing her prepare herself for someone else," Estelle whined, eyeing her mother helplessly.

"It is not so sad that I will go so far as to say distressed, sweetheart. It is more a matter of being more concerned for her happiness and less for an awaited sadness," Marion argued, hoping to end the conversation quickly sad that she may broached the next subject, one destined to be just as delicate as the previous.

The girl huffed, always the temperamental type, and turned away with a pout. Frowning at her daughter's displeasure, Marion wished to lighten the girl's mood, to ease her daughters mind with reassuring words but did not know the way to lighten the burden of the girl.

It made her feel rather useless as a mother sometimes, as though she was inept to the daughter that had long outgrown the need for a mother. Often times she had thought of freeing her Estelle, allowing the girl to go as she pleased, live a life away from her parent free to do as she wished.

Perhaps it was time do attempt so again, to urge her daughter to create her own adventures like she had ought to so many years ago without pressure or looming stress.

Estelle, an angry little thing, deserved more than following her mother around. There were times she missed the sweet child that hugged her skirts looking up at her with rosy cheeks and a bright eyed smile.

She didn't dare bring it up now, not when things were already so tense and other topics need be brought up.

Pulling a another page from her bosom, Marion carefully unfolded the paper and let it flutter down to the table.

"We have been invited for dinner with the two families and I intend to accept," she announced, swiftly turning and leaving the room with a click of her heels and swish of her dress - ignoring the quiet murmuring that gradually began to grow louder, her mind already going to the outfit she planned to wear.

Blue velvet smoothed over a thin waist and narrow hips, a pretty cocktail dress decorated with trimmings of white and a pretty little bow in front.

Marion was silent as she worked her hair up into a twisted bun, holding carefully curled locks in place with deft fingers as she worked her way through the style. Pearl earings caught the lights reflection as she moved, matching the ones that sat around her neck - an expensive set that had been gifted to her by her daughter some odd years ago.

It was a classy outfit, a subtle thing that she did not wish to draw too much attention but wished to look nice regardless. Whether to raise to the standards that had been set to her by the expectations of Rochester's society or to impress Rosalie, Marion would never admit to herself no matter how much she knew the answer. Both, in a sense, were a little damning to her character simply for the fact that she cared of what they thought of her.

White leather shoes were resting on her bed, their box placed carefully to the side, and ready to be matched with her outfit - a pair from London, something that she had simply found cute while passing through the country.

Grumbing could be heard from an adjacent room, an intentional shuffle that came from the ire of her daughter at having to 'play dress up' for the evening instead of being free to attend to her usual plans of nothing. Marion let the girl be knowing that it was the most the girl would vocalize her disdain for the matter.

Ready to go and knowing that her family would not take more than a few minutes to finish preparing, Marion sped to the front hall, looking over her coat rack in the foyer for a plain overcoat to match the outfit, something that would support the current chilled air of the still chilly spring.

Settling herself in a coat of greys and brown furs, the brunette was unsurprised by the appearance of Hugo and Estelle, both readily slipping on their coats and leaving through the front door, the red glow cast by the setting sun over their exposed akin something not of concern to them as they moved from sight as soon as possible to flash through the empty streets that were cast in shadows.

Arriving at the colossal home that was the King family residence, the trio were unimpressed by the extravagance that had not tried to be masked as they flashed hints of their wealth. The Dupuis were better off than any within the house could fathom and were hardly moved to appreciate the sight they took in.

With a grand show of rolling his eyes, Hugo sharply rapped on the door and leaned back towards his sister that stood clearly in the center - giving the immediate impression that she was the head of the family.

The door was answered by a butler, a straight faced man that looked rather annoyed with his job. She could see how he would be upset with his profession - ladies and gentlemen such as these in advanced cities were rare to find these days even among the more wealthy.

He wordlessly took their coats and steered them to a sitting room where the Hale and King familes sat in enthused discussion. Individuals she did not recognize were talking animatedly to the side, drinks in hand as they clasped hands and laughed with Royce at the center.

Rosalie was in the midst of it all, flitting between the different crowds like the pretty birds that she filled with envy.

Estelle veered away, moving off to the side to speak with a fidgeting Vera and her husband, both seemingly out of place until her daughter came up to their side so confidently that the others shot them curious looks. Hugo was easily directed with a subtle motion of her hand to the gentlemen drinking together, joining the conversation easily as they no doubt would fawn for his attention and money.

It took her quite a bit to keep from smiling at the silly game that it was, the navigation of a gathering as though it was a chess board so that she controlled the setting was something she had come to master many years ago. The upper echelon of society had to be adept at turning things in their favour and Marion had much practice in her long life.

"Marie! You're here!" The vampire found her hands captured by warm ones, holding them tight through the lace and satin of her chosen gloves for the evening. Rosalie brought their joined hands up, clasping them close to her chest - close enough for Marion to feel the rapid beat of her heart - and smiled brightly in a way that made the pink of her cheeks glow.

"Of course I would come, Rose. As though I could pass any invitation you send me," she quipped, giving a gentle squeeze to the other girls hamds before reluctantly releasing them. "Now tell me, who has gathered here this evening. You must introduce me!"

"Oh, yes, I must," the girl mumbles, shooting a glance around the room. "I wish I had more guts so we could just burst out of here and cuddle something fierce."

Marion was quite glad she couldn't blush at the moment with the way her family burst into choked laughter at different ends of the room.

"Ah, but then I will not have the pleasure of seeing you shine as the center of so much attention, ma chérie," Marion works as a reply, hoping her words are as persuasive and enticing as she intended.

The human flushed then, a pretty thing that Marion wished was received for her eyes only. There was no way she could be anything other than intoxicated by the one that linked itself around her elbow throughout the evening.

It was something quite of a blur for the vampire that found everything very boring that night. Everything aside from Rosalie that clung to her side as much as humanly possible.

Not once would she complain, no matter how much all seemed to be paraded before her like a teasing to her soul.

No, she could not complain when Rosalie's wonderful eyes always found their way back to her own.

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2018-09-14