Daisy's father said, and she herself agreed, that the Weasleys were one peculiar bunch.
They weren't as affluent, sociable, and affable as her other neighbours. They never came to the local kids' birthdays, they never invited the local kids to their...
WHILE THE ALLEN Residence was decorated in a classic, English style and the Reeds' was minimalistic, industrial type, the Louvres' was... very French.
Their home was swarming with history —even the rugs had one.
Vincent pointed to random portraits in the house and told Daisy stories from some centuries ago, about some historical figures that were somehow related to the Louvres. Though the interiors were quite simplistic, walking out from one room to another felt like walking into a whole new world. Each room was an eclectic mixture of vintage and new, and they all reflected the family's persona: elegant, luxurious, advanced, powerful, brave.
After the house tour, guests were directed into the beautiful dining room, where they were greeted by dancing servants and served with food and drinks Daisy couldn't even pronounce properly. She only learned French for two years, seven years ago.
Vincent had the time of his life watching her try to keep up with his fluency.
Throughout dinner, conversations around the table were delivered in low voices and whispers, including theirs. Daisy didn't know why they were doing that. Manner, perhaps. Or the tension of being in an unfamiliar neighborhood with a lot of unfamiliar people.
"Was it chess?"
Daisy nearly choked on her food, laughing. She grimaced at her father, who eyed her disapprovingly from his seat. Swallowing, she asked, "What?"
"The sports competition you watched in London. Was it chess?"
"No. Why would you guess that?"
"It's the only academic, intellectually challenging instead of athletically, branch of sport I could think of. Which fits your profile."
"No, it's a ball game," Daisy said. She paused talking as she ate the last coquilles saint-jacques on her plate, then continued, "Do you remember Lucy?"
"Yes. Your housemaid, right?"
"I consider her more of a friend, but yes, she works in my house. She guessed the exact same thing."
"See!" Vincent exclaimed defensively, capturing the attention of some people sitting close to them. But he brushed them off. "It wasn't a groundless guess. You're more of a chess person than a ball game one."
"Oh, I heard you received your acceptance letter last week. Congratulations."
"Wow, thanks! I was going to tell you after the dance. Where did you hear about that?"
"My Father. He told me, I now have an upperclassman who'll give me a tour once I..." she drew a long breath, "Once I get into Harvard myself."
"Ouch," Vincent hissed and grimaced, "Sorry about that."
"Thank you, that's very thoughtful of you," Daisy chuckled, "How long are you planning on staying here?"
"February 2nd. Don't miss me too much, though. I'm planning to stay here in Mari's home once I graduate in June until my term in Harvard begins the next January."
✿ ❀ ✿ ❀ ✿
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
