Chapter 7 - Dinner plans

By the end of the day, Ezra Huxley had managed to pull a few strings – or rather about a dozen strings – to get himself and his wife reinvited to the dinner at Mr and Mrs Basile's house the following evening.

Jenny wasn't pleased to hear this news as it meant she would have to cancel the secret dinner she had had planned for her and Rowan. She would have met him in the park and taken him out to a small restaurant she used to frequent before she was married to Ezra. She had loved both the food they served and the ambience of the place, so full of life and chattering. But Ezra had said that it was no place for a lady of her standing and he could certainly never be seen there, so she hadn't visited it since.

Those planes had to be cancelled now and she and Maia instead began planning what she would wear to the dinner. It would have to be something showing her status and wealth of course, but at the same time, she could not appear bragging or outrageously bejewelled. Jenny didn't care much for jewels anyway and highly preferred simple wooden or brass necklaces and bracelets.

Lora wasn't exactly thrilled either. She of course hadn't been invited; she hadn't been expecting it either – and she didn't want to anyway. But still, something in her didn't like the way this was going, and she spent the entirety of that night trying to distract herself from thinking about it. It would be better to just let it go, she told herself that she would think about that issue later when it was all well over, so there was nothing he could do to change it anyway.

Lora had dinner alone in her room the following day, as Jenny and Ezra left in the Ferrari.

Jenny was wearing a simple white dress, that flew comfortably around her in the light wind, with a brass bracelet and a necklace with a tear-shaped brass ring. She had done her hair in a loose styled way – or rather Maia had done it – the way she normally had it at these types of events. She normally preferred having it done in an updo, tight or loose, as it allowed her to have her hair out of her face.

"Don't embarrass me tonight," Ezra said and kept his eyes on the road.

Jenny didn't turn to him, but also stared at the road, although she wasn't the one driving. "That's an aggressive way to start a conversation," Jenny responded. "That also might just be the first thing you have said to me today."

Ezra didn't say something for a while. "So?"

Jenny shook her head, "all I'm saying is that you could have said just about anything else, and it would have been better." She tried to smile, and she did. Smiled at the irony of it all, the stupidity, and the offence he took to her meetings with Rowan, although he had gone out that road a long time ago and walked much further than she had done.

Ezra didn't say anything, but Jenny noticed his finger twitching on the steering wheel.

"Also, please don't embarrass me," Jenny said, and they drove the rest of the way in silence.

The car drove up in front of Mr and Mrs Basile's house. It was a grand place, but entirely different from the house Ezra had built. This was old, tradition, and family, whereas Ezra's house was new in every way it could be, build for him, his needs and his dreams.

"Mr and Mrs Huxley," Mrs Basile greeted them kindly. Jenny returned her smile, trying to read her thoughts in her eyes, and she quickly saw the spark of confusion in her eye. Mrs Basile's eyes kept moving back and forth between Jenny and Ezra, as if she could figure out what feelings they had for each other and what drama there was between them, just from looking at them.

"Mrs Basile," Jenny greeted her with a kiss on the cheek, always a pleasure to see you.

Mrs Basile was the typical kind-looking woman in her midst forties; a little fat on her hips and stomach, from giving birth to three children, a button nose and … speaking of children, "what is your children up to these days?"

"Oh," Mrs Basile smiled more genuinely knowing that the topic was on her family. "They are off to school - the boys are in Switzerland."

Jenny lifted her eyebrows, but Mrs Basile didn't need any more motivation to continue her speech.

"But actually, we have someone to introduce you to," she said and waved someone forward, who had been standing behind her in the shadow. "This is my niece Catelyn."

Ezra took a step forward as he noticed the young woman. "Pleasure to meet you miss Catelyn," he said and kissed her hand in greeting.

Jenny greeted her with a kiss on the cheek as she had greeted Mrs Basile. Catelyn was about the same age as herself Jenny estimated, with blue eyes and black hair.

Catelyn took a step back from their greeting, "please, aunt, we should be…" Catelyn began but her aunt cut her off.

"Yes, Catelyn will you escort Mr and Mrs Huxley to the dining room, and your uncle and I will greet the rest of our guests."

Catelyn nodded and Jenny and Ezra followed her through the house.

"So, are you staying with Mr and Mrs Basile for a while, Catelyn?" Ezra asked taking a slightly larger step, so he stood beside Catelyn instead of Jenny.

"Yes," Catelyn said and showed them their seats at the table.

"Wait a moment," Ezra said and grabbed his place card, "I think we can switch these cards a little so that I will be next to you, don't you think so?" Ezra grinned lightly, and Jenny and Catelyn just stared at him in disbelief for a moment.

Catelyn glanced to Jenny, who couldn't come up with a single thing to say either. "I suppose so," Catelyn said vaguely, looking around in pure panic.

Jenny just shrugged lightly to let her know that she had no response or tactic either. Except… She was highly considering getting very angry and leaving this very moment, but that would leave this seemingly kind woman in a bit of a pickle, and Jenny didn't have the heart to that either.

It seemed Ezra was planning to embarrass her after all.