Miss Quinn

181 ~ Celebrity Weddings

The grounds of the Quinn Manor had been utterly transformed for the wedding. Hedges had been trimmed into swans and elephants and elaborate ribboned structures similar to the glass statue the Quinns had gifted Emma and Beatrice for Christmas. White flower arrangements lined the pavilion where the ceremony would be, and an ivy-covered archway had been set up on the end overlooking the gardens. The chairs in rows on either side of the center aisle were covered in crisp white cloth, and the aisle itself had been dusted with white rose petals. There was an ice sculpture of two swans forming a heart with their necks and heads on the terrace between the house and the pavilion, in the center of a champagne fountain. Even the french doors leading inside had been decorated with flowers and ivy.

A grand piano had been set up at the back of the pavilion, right in the center of the excitement, and a pianist was playing a soft melody that echoed across the grounds, making the picturesque venue even more magical.

Emma was happy to have found security upon their arrival, checking identities before they were allowed entrance. Though she suspected it was more to do with the celebrity status of the groom, and less about the Death Eater attacks.

The guests that had already arrived were all dressed to the nines, in designer dresses and suits, some with jewelry that must've cost more than the house Emma grew up in. Almost all of them spoke French, so Emma and her family were left to converse with only themselves. Not that any of them would have known what to say to what was certainly the aristocracy of French wizarding society anyway.

Only Beatrice seemed to know who anyone was, and even that knowledge was vague. After all, it had been seventeen years since she'd been to a party like this.

Emma's grandparents greeted them on the terrace with la bise -- the famous cheek kiss -- Ulysses in a sharp black suit and Diana in a navy dress cut to show off the expensive strand of pearls around her neck. Both her grandparents were in their mid-to-late sixties, but somehow didn't look a day over fifty-five, besides their graying hair. Emma chalked it up to French beauty standards and a shit load of money.

Sam and Clarissa stood a few steps away, arm-in-arm and chatting with two other couples that must've been parents of Brilee and Antoine's school friends, or perhaps other spawn of French high society. Sam broke away when he spotted his sister, and came over to give Beatrice a hug and a cheek kiss, then greet the rest of her family the same way.

"Content de te voir, tu es belle," he said as he kissed the air on either side of Beatrice's head. Beatrice mumbled "Merci, toi aussi," in return, and Emma started -- she didn't even know her Mum knew French. Of course she would, though. Wouldn't she have grown up speaking it? But she'd never taught Emma. And she never spoke it at home, or anywhere Emma could hear.

"Nice to see you again, James." Sam said as he moved to greet Emma's stepfather, and then moved onward to Emma and Venus as well. "You both look beautiful."

"Thank you," said Emma. She certainly felt beautiful. She and Venus were making use of the dresses they'd worn to their parents' wedding, and had done up their hair in the same tinsel-threaded knots as they had before. Venus had done their makeup, and Emma was wearing all her usual jewelry, plus a pair of dangly sparkly earrings and her laurel cuff bracelet. She wondered, briefly, if her family recognized the looks and thought they'd done it to be cheap, but decided she really didn't care either way. Beatrice was a vision in green, which brought out her eyes and made her skin glow. And James had donned his best suit and a green tie to match. While they were nowhere close to the elegance of some of the guests, they'd certainly cleaned up well, and of course they had the advantage of being a very attractive family.

Venus had been allowed a plus-one, and had obviously invited George -- she gripped Emma's hand as she scanned the grounds for her boyfriend. He'd been caught up at the shop but assured he'd be there on time for the ceremony. Emma didn't mind her sister's distracted state as their parents chatted with Ulysses, Diana, and Sam, because she was also busy searching for someone.