Burke’s remark had made Ursula attentive in a blink. Why had had that awful man to stress his words like that and gave her husband such a meaningful look? She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. And not enough. Phineas was clearly uncomfortable with it. As if he knew exactly why Burke had said that. But she had no chance to investigate the cause of that odd behaviour. Yet. Because she would sooner or later. Phineas swiftly changed the topic and gestured towards the sofas for their guests to sit down, offering them tea. The formalities of conducting such an evening seemed to be the only lifeline that remained in dealing with the Burkes. Not for the first time, etiquette helped ease up a tense atmosphere.
Of course, Burke was the first to sit down (had the man no shame?), planting himself on one of the sofas which gave an ominous creak. The horrible man then had the audacity to unceremoniously stretch himself out on the piece of furniture, arms behind his head, grinning broadly as if he owned the salon and the rest of the house. Ursula fought the urge to shake her head and sneer in distaste. Not one of their guests (and they had had many) had ever behaved like that. Well, with exception of her brother perhaps. But Orson was family after all, even if his brother-in-law always vehemently tried to deny it. And her dear brother was…special to say the least.
Ursula watched her husband take his seat beside his guest of honour with gritted teeth. She knew him too well to miss the clear but short flare of irritation on his face. Even though barely visible for all others in the room, she could see it. It relieved her somehow to see that he wasn’t too pleased with Burke’s presence nor his behaviour, otherwise she would have been very worried indeed for her husband’s sanity. Still. Why had he invited Burke in the first place? It was not like they were close associates. Or friends. Phineas had no friends. No real ones at least. Even Gaunt didn’t count. No, it was not a simple invitation to enjoy an easy evening among other purebloods. There were already too many red flags for Ursula. And her intuition had never failed her. She had to sharpen her wit now and decided to carefully observe the whole affair. And Phineas would have to do a lot of explaining later, that much was sure. But for now… they had guests to entertain.
Social gatherings were conducted by a strict if unspoken protocol. Pre-dinner drinks, polite conversations between the gentlemen and ladies, then the dinner itself and more drinks, meaningless talk and perhaps some music or entertainment later. Ursula knew the ordeal by heart. Having been brought up in pureblood circles, that was what she learned from a very young age on. And Maud Flint had put any possible effort into making sure her daughter would become the lady of a great house with a great name and played her part as wife, mother an hostess perfectly.
Not giving away any of her thoughts, Ursula smiled gracefully at the two men, before ushering Arcturus and Belvina towards the caricature that was Herbert Burke in order to have the children sit together. She ignored the pitiful look on Arcturus’s face and adjusted the bow in Belvina’s dark curls.
“Now then, I would like you to behave and be nice to Herbert, will you? I’m sure you have a lot of things you can talk about.“
Arctururs looked over to the red-headed boy, who was already nodding eagerly and walking over to the Black children, in pure shock. Ursula’s third born took his seat as far away as possible from the older boy in one of the arm chairs and looked at him as if he very much doubted Herbert was even capable of a proper conversation. He looked absolutely miserable. Well, Arcturus had to learn sooner or later about social conducts. And Ursula knew well enough that these kind of gatherings were not always pleasant affairs. Still, one had to play along anyways.
Belvina sat down next to Herbert on a chaiselounge, her small hands folded in her lap, trying to uphold a straight posture and watching the weird boy curiously. Ursula gave both her children one last look of approval before turning towards Emmeline Burke. The woman with the dull hair and the ghastly dress was still standing lost in the middle of the room, eyes cast down, hands clasped in front of her. Ursula glided over to her.
“Mrs. Burke, please, do have a seat. You have to tell me about your journey, the weather ist dreadful, is it not?“
The two women sat together on the sofa opposite their husbands. But Merlin’s beard, had the woman no spine? Her overall posture was more than improveable. Emmeline was positively slouching into the sofa, while Ursula gracefully perched herself on the brink, back straight, shoulders back, head held up high, her hands resting elegantly in her lap. Apparently, Emmeline‘s mother had not payed as much attention to her daughter’s proper education as Maud Flint had. For that at least, Ursula had to thank her mother silently. Mrs. Burke started to comment on the weather, that it was indeed dreadful but had been somehow bearable in the comfort of the coach. And how very honoured they were upon the invitation. That she had even commissioned new suits for her husband and her son and a dress for herself. At that, Ursula couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and let her eyes wander over said new dress, feigning interest.
“What a lovely choice, the design and the fabric look quite… intriguing. I have always found it marvelous how fashion is a woman’s language to express herself, wouldn’t you agree? Oh, but you must tell me about your daughters since I only had the pleasure to meet your son. How are they doing?“
While Emmeline thanked her for the compliment that hadn’t been a compliment and agreed to the other woman’s statement about fashion (she really had no opinion of her own), Ursula watched the men engage in their own conversation out of the corner of her eye. If you could call it a conversation. As it seemed, it was more like Burke was regaling Phineas with a monologue. The man talked and talked, gesturing patronizingly, meanwhile her own husband was bored already and not very interested in whatever Burke hat to say, that much was clear. Still, Phineas managed to throw in a nod or a “yes, quite“ at the right moment. The question why Phineas had put them all in this situation in the first place, remained.
Whenever her husband looked her way, and he did so quite often, Ursula glared back. Oh, she would let him know that she was very upset with him. Because of the children, as always, and now because he was clearly keeping something important from her. It was so evident she could nearly grasp it. There was more to this dinner and the attendance of that horrible family. And if Ursula was sure of one thing, it was the fact that Phineas hadn’t invited Burke out of simple pleasure. She kept thinking. Perhaps it was a business affair? But what sort of? Some dark artefacts? Something concerning the school? Or ministry work? As far as Ursula knew, Burke had started work in the ministry only recently as well. An upstart. What kind of position the man had taken, she did not know. Nor how he had suddenly become entitled to. Burke was running a shop in Knockkturn Alley after all. A shopkeeper…
Whenever Emmeline wasn’t looking her way (the woman had honestly started talking about Herbert’s intelligence and various interests) Ursula observed her children to make sure they were behaving accordingly. To her great surprise (and dismay), Herbert and Belvina seemed to get on well. They were murmuring and giggling. Arcturus on the other hand was staring at the floor, looking very unhappy as if he was wishing for a vanishing cabinet. Whenever Herbert said something to his little sister, Arcturus gave him a tremendous side-eye. Ursula could tell it was almost a relief for him when his father eventually ordered him to play some music on the pianoforte for the party. Melancholic grey eyes caught the ones of his mother. Ursula gave him an encouraging nod and a warm smile. Again, she felt a pang in her chest. It pained her that her sweet, sensible boy had such difficulties to fit in the world he was born into, despite her best efforts of educating and despite (or perhaps because) his father’s best efforts of his so called correcting. Soon, Arcturus started to play and a soft, pleasant music filled the room.
“Oh my, but you must be so proud of your son, Mrs.Black. Such a talented boy! And a handsome one, as well. How I wished that my children were as talented. I tried to interest my Cynthia in magical needlework but in vain. And I practically have to drag Veronica to her dance lessons…The girl has two left feet.“
Ursula only nodded. She didn’t really care. Much to her dismay, Emmeline had the notorious habit to elaborate not only on her own shortcomings, but on the ones of her daughters as well. There were quite a lot.
“I mean, it isn’t really a surprise, it seems my girls are taking after me. And I am not very gifted myself.“
Mrs. Burke sighed in defeat, before adding drily:
“Except for when it comes to being plain.“
Ursula nearly choked on her tea and hurriedly put down her cup, holding back a snort. The self-pity of that woman had reached another dimension. Out of courtesy, Ursula felt the need to say something so she reassured the other woman in a fake cheerful tone:
“Oh, but please look at that charming young man you have raised. Not to mention the fact you have given your husband a son and heir after two daughters. I daresay that is quite an achievement. Your husband must be more than pleased with you.“
Simple as she was, Emmeline missed the lack of sincerity behind Ursulas words. But then the woman with the mouse-brown hair produced a huff and lowered her voice.
“At least it means he doesn’t ask me to please him in other ways anymore. Not that I had to offer him anything he liked. He searched for that elsewhere right after our marriage… Never mind.“
Ursula didn’t know if to be shocked about the sudden bluntness of the woman confiding such details in her or feel honest sympathy because apparently, Emmeline was not only suffering from lack of taste, but was also unhappily married to that uncouth man. And Caractacus Burke had made it no secret what kind of man he was. His loud voice could be heard from the other sofa and both women looked over to their husbands.
Ursula had no doubt that Mrs. Burkes married life had become far more tolerable after having Herbert, even though certainly colder and painfully degrading. Emmeline was not yet finished in her crusade for self-pity, because she was now watching Ursula with an admiring and sad look.
“But you must be so happy. Married to a Black, who is also headmaster of Hogwarts and in the minister’s good grace. No scandals. I suppose a woman couldn’t wish for a better husband and father for her children.“
She nodded in Phineas’s direction. Ursula followed the other woman’s gaze and instantly met the eyes of her husband. Only to shoot another glare, upon which his eyes widened ever so slightly. She ignored him completely and turned back to her guest. The words that followed flowed easily for they were well-practiced:
“Yes, I do consider myself quite fortune with my marriage. Phineas truely is a good husband and an even better father.“
A candid smile. If the woman only knew. Phineas hadn’t exactly excelled in both roles lately. Not that Ursula would ever give that away. No. She knew how to play. And one rule of the social game was to uphold the smokescreen. At all cost. Mrs. Burke didn’t play well. Perhaps she had never even tried. When Emmeline started to carry on telling Ursula about all the things her daughters could not do and did not possess and how very much she hoped to, at least, find good and respectable husbands for them, Ursula stopped listening.
Instead, her mind was on Phineas. The man better braced himself for the dressing down he was about to receive later on after their guests had left. For how he was keeping to treat the children despite her warnings and argument. And his missing ability to say something nice to them without criticizing them the same second. Strictness was undoubtedly a part of his parenting, but she would not tolerate that their children were afraid of their father or had to cry each time they interacted. How very hard Belvina and especially Arcturus were trying to meet his high expectations and how much they deserved to achieve paternal approval and honest praise from time to time! And she needed to remind him that children could detect insincerity like a Niffler hidden gold.
And she was going to get rid of his new-found habit of keeping things from her and taking her for an idiot in assuming she wouldnt notice.
“…. but of course Caractacus has high aims for our Herbert. He wants to secure a good match for the boy first before thinking about the girls. In that point, we agree. And even if my husband has his faults, he IS ambitious when it comes to that.“
For some reason, Emmeline’s words made Ursula listen up. And suddenly they struck her like lightning and a terrible suspicion crept upon her mind. Her eyes flickered over to the Burke boy and Belvina. Her Belvina. And that lunatic. An agreement? Then over to the terribly overconfident Burke. And then to her husband who eyed his guest with disguised disgust. Seeing that, all her worries dissipated immediately.
No. How stupid of her. Phineas would never fall so low. Would never bury all his principles. Would never put shame on the name Black.
Even if Burke had certain ambitions, Ursula was sure that Phineas would never give them any heed. No, he would probably let Burke think he was head of the show the whole evening only then to sneer at him as soon as the man had stepped out of the door. Rant about Burke’s pretension in front of her the rest of the evening.
Ursula let out a barely audible scoff and donned the woman in front of her a pitiful look. Did that family really think they could ever play in the league of a Black? Well, fair enough, Burke hadn’t been the first and certainly not the last one to try. How pathetic!
“Though I don’t think my husband will be very successful if he continues behaving like that.“
Emmeline stated drily. Ursulas mouth twitched. At least one sensible thing out of that woman’s mouth!
Again, Burke’s roaring baritone could be heard from the other sofa. He was laughing dirtily now.
“Course I don’t suppose Mrs. Black struggles with that now does she. How many children? Five was it? Pfft.“
Ursula blinked upon hearing her name. Had she heard him correctly? He wouldn’t dare, would he? She turned towards the two men. Dangerously slow. Emmeline began to shift nervously next to her.
What in Salazar’s name were the two men talking about? Phineas had never been one for such ribald talk. Too vulgar. What was that Burke man thinking? She waited for Phineas to say something. Not a word left his mouth. He looked heavily appalled but didn’t say anything.
A quick, uneasy look in her direction. As if to see if she had heard anything. Ursula gave him a deathly glare. He pretended to not have seen it. Burke didn’t notice anything. His wife was now staring at her intertwined fingers in her lap. Ursula was still fixating her husband. Speechless. So now they had reached a point in their marriage where he did not even bother to defend his wife against such shameless talk? What had got into him? And now he was talking about duty? She could only stare at him in disbelief. She desperately tried to catch more of the men’s following exchange, but Emmeline’s insecure and slightly shaky voice pulled her back to reality.
“Goodness me, I haven’t complimented you on your stunning dress, Mrs. Black. The seamstress must have put on every single bead individually by magic. I have never seen anything alike.“
A rather poor attempt in distracting from the topic. Remembering that there was a role she had to play, Ursula condescended to talk with Emmeline about her dress. Thank you very much for the compliment. Yes, it had been specifically tailored for her. An unique item. A gift from her husband. Ursula continued only to keep her guest entertained. Suddenly, she could see out of the corner of the eye how Burke and Phineas had stopped talking and were nearly staring each other down now. Oh no! Was Burke about to cause a scene in his host’s salon? Perhaps Phineas had finally come to his senses and had rebuked the lanky man. Ursula was certain he would try his best to stay diplomatic and polite. Even though she could tell by his clenched jaw and twitching eyebrow that he was fuming inside. And Burke? Would he really be so stupid to provocate his host any further? A Black?
“Not all of us can be from the Noble House of Black.“ She heard Burke snarl quite loudly. And uncomfortable tense quiet befell the room. Even the children were silent. Arcturus had stopped playing.
Then, Caractacus Burke addressed her directly, his toothy grin no longer meeting his eyes.
“You are a very fortunate woman, Ursula. I may, call you Ursula?“
It wasnt a question. She turned her head towards him, looking him up and down openly now. She had had enough. What was wrong with that man? She couldn’t help to let her irritation shine through briefly, before she put on a cold mask and gave him a look that could cut steel. But Burke ignored the clear warning in her expression and continued:
“ Iam sure anyone would be pleased to marry into such a prestigious family. Why, your dear brother was telling me only yesterday how very wonderful it is to have such, connections.“
Phineas, who had watched his wife carefully, turned visibly pale and Ursula could have sworn his hand flickered briefly towards his coat pocket as if he was about to draw his wand and hex Burke.
Ursula didn’t let show any of her own anger, irritation and starting confusion about Burke’s ominous allusions. She donned a candid smile and answered:
“Oh, I am sure he did, Mr.Burke.“
She stressed the formal address with diligence.
“My brother values family so very much and is still most happy for me and the fortunate match I have made. But you surprise me. I didn’t know you were one of my brothers acquaintances. Forgive me, but I can’t recall him mentioning you. But it is not that I see him often. You must share his understanding of aspiration then. He always used to enjoy the company of…promising people. And Orson can be quite… selective with his associates. But I have no doubt you are a man with high aspirations.“
She raised an eyebrow. There. Not only had she put him in his place but had also told him indirectly he was not at all special because her brother deigned to speak to him. For Orson, there always had to be some sort of benefit for himself in obtaining social contacts. And she had made it quite clear that she knew exactly that he was a lickspittle.
Ursula could hear Phineas clear his throat awkwardly. Emmeling Burke was watching the carpet with significant interest.
Burke stared at Ursula, taken aback for a second, before his expression turned admiring, and much to her horror, almost sultry.
“Well, now I understand you, Phineas!“
Another dirty chuckle. Was he actually turned on by her calling him out??? Ewwwww. Ursula could feel bile rising.
“Of course, my dear. Shouldn’t we all have, how did you call it, high aspirations? I daresay there is no way round it if you want to make it in this world. And yes, Orson and I get along splendidly. One must secure ones status and future properly. And high aims are most worthwhile. Though the way one achieves his goals may differ.“
He leaned back complacently and inclined his head in Phineas’s direction with a knowing expression. Her husband tried to overplay the situation and the clear jab with an empty laugh and an agreeing gesture towards Burke. But Ursula could see the shock in his eyes. That was proof enough for her. There was something between the two men. And it was evident that Burke was in a superior position somehow. The only explanation for his impertinent behaviour and the meaningful looks and propositions. What was he holding against her husband? And what did he want?
Once again, the situation was saved by the social conduct of the evening. Scrope appeared to inform his master and his guests that the dinner was ready to be served.
Ursula raised herself elegantly, yet a bit too fast.
“Splendid. Why don’t we postpone this pleasant conversation to the dining room? Im certain the dinner will delight our minds and bodies. Oh, and you have to indulge yourself in the red wine from our French vineyard, Mr. Burke. A fine vintage. Scrope, show our guests the way. Please!“
She gestured invitingly towards the doors of the salon.
“Yes mistress. If the guests might want to follow Scrope….“
When everybody shifted to move, Ursula caught her husband’s gaze and was surprised what to find in it. A combination of anger, guilt, fear and …admiration? He seemed to be completely lost. A rare and concerning state. Not only had he failed to defend her honour against Burke’s verbal attacks and shameless ogling, but had also lost his remarkable ability of keeping the upper hand in every social situation he was in. Ursula was more worried about the latter.
There was movement in the room. Burke offered his arm to his wife who took it, her head low, and led her out of the room to trail behind Scrope.
With a nod towards the children, Ursula allowed them to succeed as well. Belvina and Herbert seemed to be delighted in prospect of the dinner. With shock Ursula had to witness how the lanky red-haired boy sprinted after his parents. And with even greater shock that her daughter was about to copy him. A bad influence already after half an hour!
One very strict look from her mother was enough to end Belvina’s attempted run. Then, Ursula addressed her son.
“Arcturus, dear. You played wonderfully. Im very proud of you. Now, would you accompany your sister to the dining room?“
Arcturus stood up mechanically from where he had been seated at the pianoforte and sneaked as carefully as possible past his father towards his sister and took her by the hand. Of course, Belvina wasn’t happy about her brother chaperoning her, because she was nearly 4! Arcturus grasped her hand anyways and accompanied her with a“Come, Bel!“ out of the room.
Phineas still stood in front of the sofa like he had been glued to the floor. His mind clearly absent. But then, he seemed to return from wherever he had been and made his way towards her. Offering her his arm, avoiding any eye contact.
Ursula took it and let him lead her through the hallway and to the dining room, following their guests and the children.
It was then, when she placed her hand on his arm. He leaned towards her slightly though still not looking at her. In a hushed voice but with an unmistakably icy tone, she hissed, only for him to hear:
“You better have a very good explanation for this farce, Phineas! What is going on? Is he blackmailing you?“
