17 March, 1891 — Greengrass Home, North Bartonburg

It hadn't really occurred to him to be nervous about this when he'd first issued the invitation, any more than he would have been nervous about making arrangements to meet Lestrange at the club or schedule another expedition to a haunted house. Coming by for dinner occasionally was just the sort of thing friends did, wasn't it? It wasn't until the week of that it had really occurred to him that this meant he'd have to interact with one of his friends and all of his siblings (except Clementine) at the same time, but wasn't something he was looking forward to at all. He'd briefly pondered canceling yesterday, but that was stupid. He was just being silly; this was going to be fine.

He hadn't really wanted to tell any of his siblings beforehand, honestly, because he was afraid that as soon as he made the announcement at least one of them would start being weird about it. Ford recognized, though, that if he let an eligible bachelor by the name of Lestrange show up for dinner without giving Verity at least enough time to change her dress if she felt so inclined, she was likely to murder him. He'd spent a few minutes calculating what the last possible moment was that he could have made the announcement without being obvious about the fact that he didn't want to tell them all about it, and had decided it was probably about an hour before he'd told Lestrange to show up. He was in the sitting room, pretending to read but really just watching the clock hands slowly march on, when the moment arrived.

"Mr. Lestrange is coming to dinner tonight, by the way," he announced with practiced nonchalance, before looking down at his book again.

Audra Greengrass Ursula Black
Noble Greengrass Cassius Lestrange
@"Verity Greengrass" Melody Crouch
Grace Greengrass Holly Scrimgeour

2 days or 2 posts! Seating plan for when we get there:
------Cash -- Verity -------
Ford-------------------Audra
------Grace -- Noble -------

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Set by Lady!

The last few days had been a lot, to say the least, and Noble was reading in the parlor mostly because he'd just finished up with his project in the workshop and was hoping that nothing interesting could possibly happen in the parlor, especially because Clementine wasn't here.

Of course, Ford proved him wrong within about ten minutes.

"Mr. Lestrange," he echoed, in a light tone- Ford didn't usually manage to surprise him but Noble was surprised, and there was a mischievous little grin on his face as he looked from away from Ford and to Verity to Grace to their mother, wondering which of the Greengrass women was going to have the funniest reaction to this news. He hadn't known that Ford knew any Lestranges.

Noble could think of a fair few reasons that this wasn't an ideal day for him to have a Lestrange in the house, but the preliminary effects of his experiment today were largely a sense of relaxation, so he was having a hard time being concerned. And he was pretty sure that the major thing would actually be fine, so maybe he didn't need to warn Ford.

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set by Bee

Audra fumbled with the stocking she was darning and dropped it in her lap. "Lestrange?" She looked at her two daughters with alarm and willed them to get the hint and go dress to impress. "Why didn't you say so sooner?" Unless it wasn't one of the eligible Lestranges in which case it was marginally less important. Merlin's beard, what was wrong with Ford, didn't he want his sisters to make the best possible impression? How could she make sure they were all putting their best feet forward if she didn't know they needed to?!

"Which Mr. Lestrange, Ford?" She supposed it was also possible it was one of the less impressive branches of the Lestrange family. There was no real reason her daughters couldn't marry a Lestrange but she'd never thought it likely enough to consider. They were a respectable pureblood family but there were other debutantes out there from more advantageous connections and... economic situations. Even when her husband had been alive they had never been living the sort of lifestyle their dinner guest was surely accustomed to. "Oh, ducky, what have you done?" She didn't mean it unkindly but she was starting to slightly panic.

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"Mm," he said in response to Noble's question, keeping his eyes on the top of the book in his lap. He didn't respond to his mother's first question, because he assumed it was less of a question and more of a way to chastise him, but he didn't regret waiting. They were already starting to be weird about this. He could sense it in the air, even if neither of his sisters had spoken yet. They were making this out to be a whole thing, and it wasn't supposed to be that at all — this was just a friend, he was just being friendly and doing a thing that friends did for other friends. Lestrange might invite him to dinner sometime in the future, and it wouldn't mean that Ford was going to end up marrying his younger sister.

"Cassius Lestrange," he answered, still carefully looking at his book — until his mother called him ducky. This caused him to startle, not because it was unusual for her to say things like that or to use silly pet names he'd outgrown ages ago, but because it had just occurred to him for the first time that she might call him ducky in front of Lestrange, which sent a pang of panic through him. He stared at the wall across the room as dread settled into his stomach. This was not going to be fine. This was going to be a disaster, but it was too late to cancel.

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Set by Lady!

Verity was happily working on an intricate embroidery piece when her blood ran cold. Mr. Lestrange was coming to dinner. Mr. Cassius Lestrange, as in the younger brother to Claudius Lestrange, as in the only reasonable remaining in to the Lestrange family. Her hands fell dumbly to her lap as her eyes widened like saucers.

Cassius Lestrange was coming to dinner.

"Are you insane?!" She demanded, carelessly abandoning her embroidery to stand and glower at Ford. "He'll be here in a hour and you're only informing us now?!" Her voice was shrill with the obvious panic coursing through her system. Her best dress wasn't pressed, her few jewelry pieces not perfectly polished. Merlin, her hair was a proper disaster!

"Have you informed Cook?! Does she know how important this dinner is? Really Ford, what were you thinking?!"

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   Fortitude Greengrass

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set by mj

Noble laughed softly, but hid it behind his hand, at the response of their mother. Cassius Lestrange, that was the Quidditch one, and he was going to be here. There was another vague note of concern in Noble's head but he ignored it, settling instead for another laugh at Verity's words - this one was hid less well.

"Verity," Noble said in a measured tone, "Have you ever considered relaxing for about, I don't know, seven minutes?"

The Lestranges had been out of the Greengrasses financial reach even before their father died, and Cassius Lestrange was still pretty young, so - whatever. A Lestrange was coming to dinner. This was definitely going to be fine, or at least amusing.

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set by Bee

Verity was screeching at him, but she hadn't yet threatened to murder him, so he thought he'd gotten the timing just about right. She couldn't really have been that upset about how short of notice he'd given her, because she apparently still thought she had time to berate him before going to change, so.

Noble laughing at her probably didn't help matters, though. Why was Noble laughing? That seemed a strange reaction, under the circumstances, but not one that Ford felt he could stop to examine too closely with all the rest of the chaos in the room.

"I told Cook about it already," he confirmed. "It's not really that important. We're friends, and he's coming to dinner, that's all," he said, again trying to sound nonchalant — though he may not have been managing it quite as well, since he was still a little rattled from the ducky thing.

He probably ought to have stopped there, because Verity was clearly already wound up, but he was feeling equally wound up and Noble's (almost certainly rhetorical) question had maybe emboldened him a bit. With a light shrug and a subtly teasing undercurrent to his tone, he continued, "I thought Quidditch players were beneath your notice, anyway. How was I to know you'd take an interest?"

  

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Set by Lady!

Mr. Cassius Lestrange was coming to dinner, and suddenly Grace felt as though she was about to vomit.

It was not the fact that Mr. Lestrange was coming to dinner that made her feel that way, but rather sudden bickering that had erupted amongst her family members. She had no problems with guests, provided they were announced well before the evening had arrived; at least then she would have time to settle her nerves, dress herself appropriately, and make sure she planned responses to any conversational topics that might pop up with certain guests.

But she did not know Mr. Lestrange, but she knew he was a Lestrange—and that was enough to add an extra weight to her shoulders.

"Do you think he'll be offended if I don't talk to him?" she asked quietly, in hopes that her siblings' banter would drown out her question.

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The venomous glare aimed towards Noble wouldn't be missed by anyone, she knew. In fact, the glare was her only means of response as the immediate replies to come to mind would paint her as a rude, undignified woman. Noble's sense of humor grated on her more often than not (the comment about drowning on a rowboat still irked her). No, she wouldn't respond, but when she one day worked her way into his workshop all his ingredients would be rearranged in the most nonsensical order.

"You're friends?!" She continued shrieking. "You have three unwed sisters and never once thought it prudent to mention you're friends with what is essentially magical royalty?!" She was wasting valuable time yelling at him, but Ford had to realize why this was such a grave mistake. Even if none of the Greengrass girls were to marry him, just the connections and potenial invitations to the parties alone was worth the effort of impressing him.

She was fuming, steam rising from her ears. How she would be expected to simmer down in time for dinner was another serious affront by Ford. "Of course it's that important! He's a Lestrange!" There were exceptions to every rule, and Cassius Lestrange was the exception to her quidditch one.

"And of course he will be offended, Grace! Merlin's beard! How does anyone expect us to have a successful season with such nonsense!" She fumed as she stalked from the room to go order their housekeeper about.

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set by mj

It was amazing how fast chaos could descend, it probably had something to do with so many of them in such a small dwelling. She was very grateful to her son for putting them up and she loved having her children so close but larger rooms really did make for more harmonious living. The house wasn't going to get any bigger between now and Cassius Lestrange's arrival, however, so there was no point dwelling on it any longer.

"That's enough!" Verity was - understandably - panicking and Grace was... Grace. Neither of them had taken her subtle hint and at least if they were off changing the tension would ease some. "Girls, no more fussing! Go upstairs and change into something more suitable - don't wear the same color and don't wear clashing colors. I'll deal with your brothers." She had no intention of saying much more than she already had - perhaps a stern word to Noble - but Verity seemed ready to argue and might go more readily if she thought her brothers would be scolded in her absence.

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Noble managed to contain any sounds, but his shoulders were shaking with silent laughter until after the girls went back upstairs and he finally settled. He was going to have to get it together. "Yes, mama?" he said, with a modicum of seriousness, this time.

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set by Bee

The whole scene with Verity and Grace and his mother was playing out more or less as he'd assumed it would. For all of their complaining about not having enough time to prepare, however, he didn't regret having waited until now to tell them. If he'd told them three hours ago, or yesterday, or last week, he was sure they would have acted just the same way — their anxieties were like goldfish, and would grow to fill whatever living space was available for them. Noble, however, was being very weird about this. Ford didn't mind that he seemed to think it was funny, particularly — if Ford hadn't been worried about Mama and his sisters embarrassing him in front of one of his friends, he might have thought it was funny, too, so he understood that Noble with nothing to lose would probably think that. It was unlike him to be so unsubtle, though, especially when it was clearly bothering their sisters.

He raised an eyebrow at his brother, but then turned his attention to their mother, and whatever 'deal' she was about to unpack. "Should I furnish Verity with a list of all my friends?" he asked sarcastically. "So that she can let me know which ones are royalty?"

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Set by Lady!

She let out an exasperated sigh. "You know your sister well enough to know what will and will not upset her, it would be nice if you could both put that knowledge to better use, don't you think?" Not that she condoned Verity's quick temper but Ford really had been unkind springing this upon them at the ninth hour.

"Could you not have let us know earlier?" This was obviously directed at Ford.

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Yes, obviously he could have, but he was unwilling to just come out and admit to his reasons for wanting to keep it from them. Ford was too kind and polite to want to say anything uncharitable about his siblings (at least while they were out of the room; sometimes he did so to their face with very little problem), and there was no charitable way to say yes, I could have, but it wouldn't have helped matters because they're both nervous wrecks.

He shrugged instead, pretending indifference. "They have plenty of time to change. I promise Mr. Lestrange won't be put out." He glanced at Noble, then added under his breath, "Even if Grace doesn't talk to him, probably."

  

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Set by Lady!

"Be that as it may it's called common courtesy, you could've at least have told me." Assuming his reluctance had stemmed from Verity and Grace's reactions to the news. Audra didn't imagine she had anything to do with it. "When you're married you'd best not spring such things on your wife, you'll make yourself very unpopular."

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Grace had sauntered back to her bedroom, her head low and lips zipped. It did not take long for her to get changed; off went her brick red afternoon dress and on went a mousy grey one that she thought would stop her from drawing any unnecessary attention. She modified her hairstyle, too, but really she jus re-braided it into a different style of braid and then wrapped it up into a basic updo on her head.

She was so perfectly ordinary that perhaps Mr. Lestrange would think she was not worth talking to. She even smiled at her reflection as she walked towards her bedroom door.

She reappeared in the dining room minutes later, pausing at the entranceway just long enough to ensure that Mr. Lestrange had not yet arrived before making a beeline for her chair.

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