Ben gave a fake dramatic shudder, as though the thought of society balls was like a dementors kiss. To be fair, Benevolences own finances were secure, and if her parents had lived she would have been a debutante and expected to go to all of those events that were the bane of Melody's life. worse, as a pureblood girl, and her fathers conservative pureblood views would have seen her in an arranged marrige. There had been a gentleman, an elder son of another pureblood family, who had father had always spoken very highly off. His father had owned a chain of apothacaries, and her father had thought that their business' would have made for a powerhouse of industry. Her fathers death hadn't exactly officially ended anything, but nothing had been official to begin with, they just dropped out of contact and Ben was happy to leave it that way.

'I don't envy you Mel, ' Ben admitted, 'I would rather spend a week stuck in devils snare than a week of afternoon tea parties with some of those society ladies.' she added. Leave me my busy shop, my greenhouses and blessed isolation', She fished in her purse, and pulled out a small bracelet of real living flowers, one of her latest creations, flowers which lived off the water in the air, held their shape as a circle andwere hardy enough to be worn. It wasn't 'fancy' jewelry, but they were cute. She slid one across the table toMelody, an early christmas gift.