Some 'Exciting' News

[Capricia Zabini]

Capricia was feeling very pleased with herself – she had only had the job for a little less than a week and not only had she felt a little more financially comfortable herself, but she had managed to secure her daughters financial future. Mister Malcorvus was a nice enough man – a little cold perhaps to begin with but he was exactly what Capricia had wanted for her children, a fine upstanding pureblood male. It was a good start.

Now she just needed to break the news to her daughter, she wasn’t entirely sure how Antonia would feel about an arranged marriage – she knew her daughter was prepared to marry for the benefit of the family but she wasn’t entirely sure that this was what she had signed up for. Still, it was too late to worry now, for the girl would marry Mister Malcorvus or be cast out on her own, a spinster with little prospects – it was a sad fate indeed.

Capricia asked the housemaid to fetch her daughter, they didn’t have much in the way a staff, a scullery maid who Capricia referred to as the housemaid, cook, parlour maid, and chamber maid in equal turns depending on who she was speaking to, but the girl functioned as a maid of all works for almost no wages and dutifully scurried off to collect the elder mistress of the house.

A few minutes later the door opened and Antonia entered. ’Ah my dear daughter’ Capricia gave her daughter a broad smile, and rose taking her daughters hands to guide her to sit beside her on the long sofa.

@'ANTONIA ZABINI'

  

[Antonia Zabini]

Despite her best attempts, Antonia's search for a husband was not going well. Since the man who'd courted her following her debut, she hadn't had any prospects that were nearly as strong. Some of that was down to the fact that she was terribly picky about her men. She wanted someone who rich, handsome, and reasonably intelligent who'd dote on her as much as she wanted. Antonia thought that wasn't asking for much in theory, but actually finding a man like that who was interested in her too had been a challenge.

As she edged into spinsterhood territory, she'd relaxed her standards a bit, but not enough to make a difference. Being twenty five and unmarried was her own fault and she chastised herself for it daily. If she didn't find a favorable match soon, she'd have to resort to a cousin and that wasn't ideal. At present, she was in her room mulling this over and trying to pull together a scheme to ensure her future.

Antonia was considering the running list of eligible men she kept in a journal when the housemaid appeared to say her mother had sent for her. Curious about what her mother wanted, Antonia set her book aside without complaint. She followed the girl to her mother and was immediately surprised by the older woman's affectionate words and gestures. Antonia knew very well her mother would do anything for family, but Capricia Zabini was rarely the soft and tender type. She was even more curious about the woman's motives now. "Mother," she began with a smile of her own. "What can I do for you?" Surely the woman must want something with her. Whether Antonia would like it or not remained to be seen.

@'Capricia Zabini'

  

[Capricia Zabini]

Capricia took her daughters hands, and led her to the couch to sit beside her, holding her hands on her own lap, and smiling in a very maternal and benevolent manner. There was a softness to her expression that was absolutely affected and not her usual shrewd calculating expression. Capricia fussed over her daughters hair, arranging an errant strand behind her ear. ’My pretty girl, you will do very nicely.’ she said, with a broad and self-satisfied smile on her face, and as she assessed her daughters looks. She was pretty, she had all the best parts of Capricia’s own looks, perhaps she would have given her a slightly narrower jaw, but then no one was perfect – even if Capricia often thought that she herself was.

She broke her gaze from her daughters when she asked why she had been summoned, the girl was sharper than she often gave her credit for. ’You know that I recently sought employment from a young man, an American who has recently moved to Hogsmeade.’ She paused, wondering if she should say it all in one breath, ’He is handsome, rich, quiet, and pureblood’ her eyes widen slightly, and flashed her intention as she mentioned his blood status. ’What do you think of that?’ hoping to assess her general thinking before breaking the final news.

@'Antonia Zabini'