in bad company

[Adrienne Elkins]

Adrienne flitted outside for a moment, informing her father that he had company waiting for him in the parlor. All five returned minutes later, Alexandre in the front with his four children in toe, Adrienne flanked on each side by her brothers.

When one was to break down the de Marque family, they would often not believe that any of the children truly belonged to Alexandre at a first glance. Besides the height that all the men had inherited, where Alexandre had grayed hair and bright, blue eyes, all four children possessed dark hair and dark eyes. But if you were to look closer, young would be able to see the things that made it hard to deny that they were his children.

Etienne, the oldest boy, had taken his father's hooked nose and dignified face. Felix, the middle, had inherited the broad shoulders and trim waist. Dimitri, the youngest son, had inherited the long, toned legs and thin lips. Adrienne had, perhaps, inherited the most from him. She had the same strong jaw, the same hooked nose, the same smirk, and the same smile.

Adrienne stood quietly between her tall brothers as her father stepped forward, smiling warmly to his co-worker. "Bonjour, Monsieur Elkins. I am so sorry you had to wait for us to return. I hope Adrienne was able to keep you company well enough." He turned adoring eyes to his youngest, who smiled back, her own eyes glittering.

Alexandre then turned blue eyes back to his company. "My sons: Etienne. Felix, and Dimitri." He gestured to each in turn, each bowing their heads politely as they were introduced.

Adrienne looked at each of her brothers, noticing them still standing around as if there were not two men speaking in the room. The little French girl sighed and grabbed Etienne with one hand, and then Felix and Dimitri's sleeves with the other. "Let us go to the library." She then made to drag all three out of the room, and all three obeyed, making it quite apparent who ruled the roost around the de Marque house.

  

[Roderick Elkins]

It did not take long for the de Marque family to return. All four of the children were good looking, though they hardly resembled their father. Roderick assumed that their mother had to have been dark haired and dark eyed - there was no explaining it. His attention turned to his co-worker as he shook his hand in greeting, "She was the perfect hostess - I only feel as if I've been here for a minute." He knew that it was quite a bit longer than that, but it did not bother him. It had been a productive visit, much more so than he had imagined. He had a very strong prospect for a future wife, which was something that he hadn't expected in the least.



It was obvious by the way he looked at her that the man adored his daughter. He would not willingly give her away, Roderick though. A persuasive argument would need to be made. It wouldn't hurt for him to have Adrienne become fond of him either. It simply meant that he needed to spend more time with her so that he would have her vote on his side as well.



"It is a pleasure meeting you," He said to her brothers and shook each of their hands, in turn. He began to converse with his co-worker about what needed to be done. The siblings slipped away and Roderick pretended as if he did not notice. Her presence, once gone from the room, made him feel as if a light had gone out. The files were signed in a short amount of time and he bid his adieus to the master of the household. Then, he returned to the Ministry with a much more cheerful walk than he had started out with.