Christmas Lunch

[adifferentlife]

The best way to celebrate any holiday is to share it with people that one care's about, Sybil is sure of that. It's why she's organised this, a luncheon for any and all that she's friends with. It's not something she's done before, and it feels very adult to be hosting a party within her own home. It's not something she ever imagined doing in such a small space, or without a staff to support her, or even before she was married with her own home, but those aren't things that are considerations here.

Instead she's let everyone know when to come and to bring something to share with the others. She's ordered in the main part of the meal, a roasted turkey instead of a goose and a roast of lamb as well. There's champagne and wine, and she has the record player Kaine gave her in the corner playing christmas carols by Bing Crosby. There's a small tree of real pine with strings of beads strung through its boughs and little elecric lights twinkling. Henri has helped her to decorate and do the cooking that she's tried, even if most of the cookies she made needed to be thrown our they were so burnt.

Once people start to arrive she relaxes, allowing herself a glass of wine once she's sure everything is in order and things are going well. At some point there is nothing else she can do, other than talk to her guests; her friends. It's nothing like a Christmas at Downton, but her second one here in Darrow and it feels like the Christmas it's supposed to be.

Comments

[badtotheclone]

"Nice to meet you too," I say, nodding firmly. "Sybil has told me nice things about you."

Not that I've asked all that much. I'm happy for her but digging into Sybil's love life isn't something I'm comfortable with. She is happy though, that much is easy too see and if Henri is the reason... then good for him.

[adifferentlife]

"See," she says looking between them, thinking it's all sorted and well now. Sybil slips her hand into the crook of Henri's arm, staying between them both. "Henri is from France, before here. Kaine lived in America, in Texas."

[jaimemieux]

“Ah, yes?” The fellow’s steely scrutiny did not lend itself to smalltalk, but Combeferre forged ahead all the same. “And you have been in Darrow for some time, I gather?"

[badtotheclone]

"About a year and a half," I say with a nod. It's longer than I've spent anywhere else in my life, which is a really weird thing for me, especially since I might like it.

"What part of France are you from?"

[adifferentlife]

"I should leave you two to get to know each other," Sybil says, knowing she's a party to get back to. She kisses Henri quickly, and squeezes Kaine's hand one last time before heading away and to the kitchen.

[jaimemieux]

Startled by her swift departure, Combeferre stared after Sybil with one eyebrow raised. He chuckled and shook his head. "I think we have been tricked," he noted with a mock-conspiratorial sort of smile. "Ah, oui- I was raised in Provence, though Paris was my most recent home, before coming here."

[badtotheclone]

He's right, we have been tricked, but it was so cleverly done I can't mind. Plus, this guy is so polite and genuine seeming that I can't dislike him. At least not too much.

"I've been to Paris before, very nice city."

[jaimemieux]

Combeferre inclined his head, accepting the compliment on Paris' behalf with a smile. "I was very fond of it. I fear I know little about Texas, save where it falls on a map. I do not believe it existed yet, not in the world I knew."

[badtotheclone]

"You're not missing much," I reassure him. Not a lot of people outside of Texas really enjoy being in Texas. Of course, a lot of people still imagine it's just one step away from the wild west. That's pretty much how I thought of it before going there.

"I don't think many Europeans would enjoy Texas."

[jaimemieux]

“Oh?” Combeferre raised his brows, curious and surprised. In his own time, half of Europe had been trying to capture their own piece of North America, while they still could. “Why would that be?"

[badtotheclone]

"It's about as opposite of Europe as you can get," I say. It's not necessarily a bad thing, the people of Houston are pretty great. It's just a completely different culture there is all.

"When are you from?"

If I know that, I can have a better idea of how to explain it to him.

[jaimemieux]

“1832,” Combeferre answered, still puzzled by the response, and curious if Kaine would offer further explanation. True, plenty of people from his own time would have called America - especially its further reaches - the opposite of Europe, but not, he suspected, for the reasons this fellow means. “As I said, no Texas yet. Barely a United States. ‘More freedom, more ease, and less misery,’ Jefferson said of it."

[badtotheclone]

"It's generally more conservative than the rest of the world," I say, then I realize that 'conservative' might not have the same meaning in his time. I probably shouldn't have even started this discussion because I'm not really sure how to describe it.

"At least about some things. It's just very different cultures. Like... city life versus country life."

[jaimemieux]

“You only make me more curious to see it,” Combeferre said with a chuckle. “Though I will confess, the wilderness of America did not appeal to most of my countrymen in my own time, so perhaps less has changed than we would like to imagine."

[badtotheclone]

"Well, it's not too different from here," I admit. Every day life in Houston isn't a whole lot different than life in Darrow. It's just when politics comes up that Texans really start to get up in arms. Darrow doesn't have a lot of politics that I've noticed.