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I tell her about my classes, and how stressful yet rewarding working at Van den Bosch industries is. She’s thrilled with me, and it’s like a breath of fresh air to be just complimented and appreciated for once, without either being under Andries’s shadow or only receiving the praise as the means to an end.
Aunt Maud, the more conservatively dressed of the group and also the quietest one, decides to speak up eventually when I’m in the middle of some story about my dad. “Tell me, Elise… is my sister really not coming?”
I shake my head. “No, sadly. Dad and Mom are… well, they heavily disapprove of this.”
“If Andries and Roxanne have gone already to such lengths to be together, your parents will regret dying on that hill for the rest of their lives,” Maud muses.
“I simply can’t believe they’d spurn my poor grandson like that,” Oma Margaret laments, before wetting her lips with some champagne.
“To be fair, I don’t think Andries sent them a physical invitation,” I tell them.
Oma shrugs one delicate shoulder. “Oh, but I did.”
“Scheming around without me?” I hear a female voice I recognize well asking from behind me.
I pivot and my eyes land on another aunt that makes my lips twist into a big smile. “Just catching up on things,” I say to Aunt Yara, before greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.
I rarely speak to Aunt Yara, who’s known to keep a busy schedule due to her polo games, but of all of Margaret’s children, I sometimes think I’m most like her. She’s forged a path for herself, captaining internationally successful polo teams and even winning championships. She isn’t in a dress and is wearing a sleek one-piece black romper instead, the muscles of her strong legs obvious through the fabric.
“Julia is only putting up a fuss because her husband is,” Yara continues, giving large gulps of her champagne between thoughts. “Otherwise, I think she’d be weirded out by their age gap, but a slightly older escort isnotthe worst thing in this family.” I see her slide a glance over to my Uncle Alex and his young wife Petra, free of their children for the night. “Definitely not the worst,” she repeats, more to herself than anyone else.
Okay…I think,Keep that in mind; no Yara and Petra seated together during any future events.
I only have a second to wonder what the problem between the two women could be before Yara links her arm with mine. “Let’s walk, niece, and have a chat. What do you say?”
Looking down at our linked arms, I rightly assume there really isn’t another option. “Uh, sure.”
We walk through the gardens, and Yara regales me with tales of winning her championship polo matches. “You ride too, from what I recall?”
I’m pleased she remembers. “Yes, actually, I do. But nothing like you do.”
“Regardless, I’d love to go riding together next time I’m in town.”
“I’d like that too.”
Yara pauses for a minute or two before speaking again. “Elise… do you truly think Julia will spurn Andries if he goes through with this marriage? I’m concerned that my sister would behave that way, and it’s also bothering me thinking about how it might harm the family image in unexpected ways.”
I frown in confusion at her unexpected statement. “What do you mean?”
Yara heaves a sigh, before moving one step closer to me and, lowering her voice, she then says, “Once all the nonsense settles with Andries and this court case with your father’s employee, I think the media will turn to Roxanne and Andries’s private life. Most of the country is becoming more and more tolerant of prostitutes in general, and I can just see the headline, ‘Van den Bosch family disowns eldest son for marrying sex worker.’”
I contemplate it for a second. With the whole memoir Roxanne intends to publish and market around the country, this headline and others similar are way more plausible than I’d like to admit. “Huh. I never thought of that happening. As of right now, though, Mom and Dad want nothing to do with this whole thing. Dad called it a ‘shit-show,’ verbatim.”
Yara sneers. “I guess we’ll have to see how it all plays out, but I’ll call your mom and try to talk to her in private. The last thing we need is more bad press right now.” She leans over and hugs me quickly. “I mean it about that ride. I’m holding you to it, my little niece. After all, you’re my favorite.”
“I’ll remember that!” I tell her with a laugh, watching my aunt walk back to the group of my family, and wishing I could just spend the rest of the evening with all of them. At least they understand the way things work in this crazy world we live in.
Unfortunately, there is still the rest of the party to get through, and many more people to greet. I look longingly at Dan, who is sitting with his parents, and wish he was making these rounds with me.
I take a flute of champagne from a passing server, take a bracing drink, and continue.
I’m actually tired by the time I’m able to sit down as dinner begins to be delivered, my assigned seat placing me with Andries, Dan, Roxie, Lili, and Robin. Possibly the most uncomfortable grouping Roxanne could have managed, but she probably did it on purpose, just as a way to get back at me for forcing her hand.
Little does she know I’m quite happy to be sitting with Dan, at least, and Lili and Robin are completely neutral parties as far as I’m concerned.
“What an amazing turnout,” Lili comments happily, smiling at her date.
“I agree.” Then looking at Roxanne, I add, “You two really have a lot of people who love you.”
