"I assume I can tell Hieronymous that you had nothing to do with this?" Alice breathed, still a little shocked as soon as her father-in-law disappeared.
"Correct," her grandfather replied, "unless, of course, you can count my not being at my office today. I had hoped my work would not follow me home, but such is sometimes the case."
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Why did she suddenly have the feeling that navigating tonight would likely be more difficult than her freshman final exam?
"At any rate," her grandfather continued, "you should finish getting ready and then warn…tell your husband."
Alice could not stop a nervous giggle. "I think you were correct with 'warn.'"
Before allowing her back up the stairs, he directed her to a chest in his room to select jewels for tonight. She would have enjoyed selecting the sapphire and diamond necklace with matching earrings more if she had been less concerned over the new development. At the moment, the fact that she was wearing more than the value of her parents' house around her neck seemed immaterial.
Pausing only to collect her long white gloves and the clutch containing her opera glasses from her dressing table, she knocked on the door that connected her husband's room with her own. "Enter," he replied, and she opened the door to find a manservant finishing with Hieronymous' cufflinks. The servant left and her husband looked her over. "You look lovely, Alice," he said appreciatively, and then frowned. "Is there something troubling you?"
"I met your father downstairs not ten minutes ago," she blurted out, and her husband blanched. "Grandfather says he had nothing to do with it, your father said he intended to discuss business but then invited himself to the opera with us."
For the first time ever, she heard her husband swear. "Excuse the language," he apologized.
"You're excused, given the situation it may have even been appropriate," she replied.
Hieronymous sighed. "Well, we will just have to deal with it now. You are not to be alone with him, do you understand?"
She answered that she did, though what he thought his father might do to her remained a mystery, and then went downstairs to meet Clark and their grandfather. Her father-in-law appeared looking about twenty years younger with light brown hair, and somewhat tense greetings were exchanged. After putting on their coats, they Teleported to her grandfather's apartments in London with the aid of the older gentlemen, and climbed into a limo that was waiting for them outside.
"Alice, Clark, since this is your first opera there are a few protocols you should be aware of," Grandfather started. "The coats and top hats will be checked when we get there, I will lead you to the box and hold the curtain for Alice who will take the front seat nearest the stage. Clark, as the youngest male you have the duty of ensuring that the curtain is properly closed and you will be sitting in the back row. Since this is a Wagnerian opera, the times you are expected to applaud differ from those of most other operas, so just do what I do. There will be two intermissions between the acts when you may move about freely, but to do so at any other time would be very disruptive."
"All right," Alice answered before turning to her father-in-law. "I'm afraid that Clark and I are more familiar with protocol on a shooting range than at most formal functions."
The elder Grabiner smiled. "If you are at home with firearms, perhaps you would care to avail yourself of my hunting lodge next season? The grouse numbers were excellent this year."
"Perhaps," Hieronymous answered for her. His tone indicated that it was not likely.
Still, Alice could not help but feel slightly relieved that there was at least one skill she had that would be of use in the English social scene. It seemed odd, that even decked in jewels and firs as she was, that the remembrance of the smell of gunpowder in the air calmed her. It reminded her of simpler times at the range with her father. While she could not outshoot him it was a source of pride for her father that she could at least outshoot all of his local friends.
They soon arrived at a grand building that was being descended on by a crowd of fashionable people. They joined the crowd, and proceeded as their grandfather had instructed. She did not know if it was by her grandfather's design or not, but they had little time for chatter before the lights dimmed and the overture began.
Her grandfather wordlessly cast the spell so she and her brother would understand the German opera, and Alice managed to loose herself in the music and the story. The knight Tristan, who slew the former fiancé of the heroine Isolde in battle, is bringing her by ship to be married to his uncle King Marke. The furious woman decides to kill both herself and the knight with poison, and insists on a drink with him. Her maid switches the lethal poison with a love potion, and after the initial rapture between Tristan and Isolde, Isolde confirms with her maid that the potions were switched as the ship pulls into port.
The lights turned on as the first intermission began. She noticed that some of the other box patrons were starting to enter one another's boxes to visit, so she excused herself to 'powder her nose' and her husband stood and followed her to ensure 'that she could find her way.' Apparently, there was a separate WC for the box patrons, and a small sitting room of sorts with long mirrors was outside the actual restroom. When entering back into the sitting room, she was startled to hear herself being addressed.
"Ali…Lady Grabiner. Do you have a moment?"
Alice turned around to see Adelaide Nielson walking towards her tentatively. Alice stopped in her tracks and, considering it might be good to know what Adelaide knew or suspected, nodded and walked to the end of the room where there was a small couch and sat down.
Her brother's former rival for Treasurer was wearing a blue gown with a neckline that might be considered a little low for good taste, and her hair was also up giving her the appearance of being a little older than she was. The girl was ruining the intended look by nervously biting her lower lip and her shoulders were slightly hunched. She came over to where Alice had sat, but did not join her until Alice patted the seat beside her in an obvious invitation.
"You seem uneasy. Is there something that you need help with?" Alice asked. Apparently, she was not the only one dealing with problems tonight.
"I saw you with your husband in Lord Carleton's box. Is your brother here with you? Please tell me he is," Adelaide practically begged.
Alice blinked, realizing that her brother probably could not be seen from all vantage points. "He is here, why?"
"Oh good," Adelaide sighed in relief. Her shoulders appeared to relax more as some of the tension left. "I don't know if you know, but my family doesn't have as much money as we use to."
Alice nodded. "I'm aware of that. Do you parents expect you to marry for it?" Dressed in the manner that the girl was, it was a definite possibility.
Adelaide grimaced. "I…sort of. Yes. They brought me here to see if they could 'encourage' any prospects for me. I really don't like the one they have here tonight. I was thinking if Clark would let me introduce him to them, they would back off a bit if they thought I had a prospect at school. I mean, Lord Grabiner's heir's brother-in-law wouldn't be that bad of a catch, even if he is a Wild…you know what I mean," she said, just barely catching herself. They were in public in the normal world, after all. "They would accept that."
Alice just stared at the girl for a moment, pitying her as she realized that Clark's suppositions about her were true. "Do you want to marry for money? If not, why are your parents insisting on it?"
Adelaide chewed her bottom lip. "I…my parents have always been rich. I don't think my mother would have married my father had he not been rich. She complains about not being able to live the way she used to, about the family artwork and artifacts going up for auction. Their marriage contract is only for 'as long as love shall last.'"
Alice sighed. "So you think that your parents will divorce if your mother can't keep her standard of living. You still haven't answered my first question."
"Says the girl that managed to hook her older, wealthy teacher as a freshman," Adelaide said staring at her feet, "and even got a title to boot."
"I didn't marry him for his money," Alice said dryly. "I swear that to you."
Adelaide's eyes came back up as she stared at her incredulously. "But I thought…. I mean, why else…?"
"I don't appreciate prying, and neither does my husband," Alice said sternly. "Back to the subject on hand, you appear not to want your parents to divorce. Personally, I think it is wrong of them to try to sell you off as if you were a piece of meat instead of their only child." Adelaide hung her head, and Alice continued. "If it is money they want, you have plenty of time to develop skills that would lead to a high-paying job eventually. It would be less of an intrusion on you to go that route than your current course."
"Work for a living? Me? But there might not be that much time…" Adelaide said.
"There's no shame in honest work," Alice told her. "My father supported my family through work, and we didn't love him any less for it. Actually, I respect him very much for it."
"But…" Adelaide started before trailing off.
"Everything has its price," Alice reminded her. "If rich, some people forget those that should truly matter and their families fall apart because of lack of cultivation of relationships. Or, their family may become spoiled and expect it as their right to be taken care of. If poor, some think themselves inadequate because they can't take care of their family. Often, the middle-income bracket possesses the fewest complications."
"So you are saying that my father probably thinks he's inadequate, my mother is spoiled, and it wouldn't kill me to work for a living?" Adelaide asked.
Alice nodded. "As for Clark, he would consider the setup you suggested disingenuous, since his interests lie elsewhere. I will ask him, though." She stood up to leave; the next act should be starting soon. "Ultimately, what you do is up to you. It might be more convenient for you to marry the largest wallet you can find, but the best way is not always the same as the easiest way. You might have to find a way to stand up to your parents. Remember that the choice is untimely up to you, and that there is a man attached to that wallet."
"I…thank you," Adelaide said, getting up.
Alice smiled, and the two young women went separate ways. Inwardly, she sighed thinking that it might be all over school when she got back that she had traveled to England with Hieronymous. Adelaide would probably assume that Hieronymous had been invited by Lord Carleton for political reasons. She wondered if there would be parties at school over the rumor that her husband might be leaving Iris to take over his father's position. After all, why would he allow himself to be entertained by his father's rival if he was not seriously considering it? On the other hand, Adelaide seemed to be less of a gossip than she had at the beginning of the year.
She would have to tell Hieronymous about it after they got back. In the meantime, she took her husband's arm, smiled, and allowed him to escort her back to her seat. She noticed that the elder Grabiner was not there when she returned, nor was her grandfather.
"He wanted to know how many children you were planning on having," Clark whispered to her.
Alice sighed. "I'm not surprised," she whispered back. "What did you tell him?"
"That as the oldest in the family, you feel uncomfortable if you are not mothering someone," Clark replied.
"Appropriately vague, as Hieronymous and I have yet to discuss the particulars," she noted.
"Anything I need to know?" Hieronymous asked.
"Oh," Alice said slightly louder. "I ran into Miss Adelaide Nielson in the powder room. Her parents have her here to meet eligible men, and she wanted to introduce Clark as a prospect of hers so they would leave her alone."
"Introduce me how?" Clark asked, apprehensive.
"As Lord Grabiner's heir's brother-in-law," she answered, and Clark sighed in relief.
"At her age?" Hieronymous remarked. "They should be waiting a year or two, if only in the interest of good taste." Then his mouth clicked shut. Alice guessed that he had just remembered how old she had been when they had married.
Clark shook his head. "If I let her introduce me to her parents, do you think she might stay quiet about seeing us here?"
"She seemed pretty desperate, so she probably would," Alice noted.
"If I had known that the opera was going to be this complicated, I would never have suggested it," Clark said.
The attendant was instructed to find out where Adelaide sat, and then tipped when he came back with her box number. The elder two members of their party joined them just before the lights dimmed announcing the second act.
In the second act, the lovers come together as most of the rest of the court goes out on a hunt, with the maid standing watch. They are discovered and betrayed to the king by a friend of Tristan's, and in the following duel Tristan is wounded. The king is grieved that his nephew Tristan and his fiancé both betrayed him, and that Tristan was betrayed by his own friend.
The lights went back on again, and refreshments that had apparently been ordered during the last intermission arrived. Clark excused himself, resigned to go find Adelaide. After a few minutes, Alice put down her tea, and used her opera glasses to try to see if she could find the box her brother was visiting.
She was not able to find him, so she put glasses down and took another sip of her tea. Strange, she thought that it was slightly warmer than it had been a moment ago. The three men seemed engaged in a conversation among themselves, and she smiled briefly at how nice her husband looked in a tux. Suddenly remembering that they were in a very public place, she blinked and returned to looking for her brother.
Her brother returned in time to have the last of the refreshments before the lights dimmed for the next act. The wounded Tristan waits in his castle for Isolde's arrival, and when she finally comes, he dies in her arms. The king's ship comes, the maid having revealed to him that a love potion was to blame. Tristan's servant, supposing that they have come to kill his master, duels the man that wounded Tristan killing them both. The king declares that he had come not to part the lovers, but unite them, which wakes Isolde who describes Tristan risen again in her vision. She then dies.
After the opera finished, the senior Lord Grabiner took his leave and thanked them for a pleasant evening after the coats had been collected. Tension seemed to melt from her husband as his father walked away.
When back comfortably in the limo, her grandfather addressed Clark. "What did you think?"
Clark thought for a moment. "The opera itself is a very social, political place. It is a grand place of artistic works, and I did enjoy the show. Also, one should never mix up their potions, pick your friends with care especially if you are up to something you don't want to be generally known, and hear each other out before resorting to duels. It's also probably a bad idea to have the man that killed your bride's previous fiancé escorting her to your house…she might do something everybody regrets."