The Birlings sat down to dinner on what would prove to be one of the most important evenings of their lives - for one reason or another. Drinking the atmosphere up, they were too joyous to notice the slight change in the taste of the port, and the fact that they were all acting a little bit different than usual.
Sheila was more defiant than she had ever been - although the girl was used to be looked down upon by her father, today for some reason she couldn't let him belittle her. Not that he noticed at first.
Eric, despite being a habitual and strong drinker, somehow lost control over his speech and movement, acting uneasy and changeable. The family didn't notice at first.
Gerald, Sheila's fiancee, to some extent was the same eloquent and flattering man he had always been, but aside from that he was a little empty than evening. He was devoid of the spirit and warmth that Sheila had been so drawn to once. Not that she noticed at first.
Mr Birling, often so certain in his beliefs that he would never even entertain the idea that he may be wrong, tonight felt the need to drill his ideologies into his children. Almost as if he could smell change in the air. Not that they noticed.
And finally Mrs Birling, who was at first uncharacteristically quiet. Her disposition was subdued. As the woman with the harshest tongue in the house, this was out of the ordinary. Yet, no one noticed.
Tonight was about to become one of the most important evenings of their lives - for one reason or another.