Did you hear.... (Mary, Elisabeth, openish)

[Winnie Williams]

Sunday was the day off for the maids and staff at both the Burke and Scotts houses. Winnie loved Sundays; she usually spent the afternoon shopping, then met with Mary, her co-worker at the Burke house, and Elisabeth, her friend at the Scotts house, to discuss the latest news at their respective households. Winnie was particularly interested in what Elisabeth had to say about the Scotts house. Ever since the handsome prodigal brother, Zachary, had mysteriously arrived home, the gossip had been so much juicier.

As they did every Sunday, the girls would meet at Galligan's for dinner. And Winnie was always there first. She was a cook for a reason, after all... she loved food. She often arrived early and sat at the bar, getting a head start on drinks and antipasto. Today was no exception, and she ordered a rum and coke--her favorite drink-- and a cheese platter, then waited for her friends to arrive.

[Elisabeth Fryer]

Beth, however, had some good gossip of her own this week. The near disasterous visit from Adrien Wolffe had been the highlight of the week. If he was still going to take young Gwen as his wife, she had a lot of respect for him. Personally, she loved Gwen, but the girl was not traditional or conventional, and the second she found out that Adrien had mistresses... oh, she wished she could be there for that argument. Maybe Gwen would request that Beth go with her when she moved to live with Adrien. A girl could dream.

"Winnie!" She said, seeing her friend from the Burke residence. Now they were only missing one of their ranks. She went up to the woman and hugged her. "It's been a long week, hasn't it?"

[Winnie Williams]

Winnie let out an enthusiastic squeal and hugged her friend warmly. "Beth!" she cried. "It's so good to see you... it really has been just the longest week, I swear. So much happened, and I'm just itching to tell you about it, and I'm sure Mary can fill in more of the details when she gets here, but oh, we had such a blowup at the house this week, and I'm sure it's only the beginning... But first, you must sit down! Order a drink, and please help yourself to some cheese. I especially recommend the herb crusted sheep's milk cheese."

Winnie sat down then, breathless from her enthusiastic babbling, and took a sip from her drink.

[Mary Richards]

Mary arrived last of group. She always ended up being last, she loved to sleep and take things slow on her Sundays. She grinned as she spotted both Beth and Winnie already at the bar.
"Hello! OH what a long week it's been!" she squealed as she ran to the bar in her plain but comfortable dress.
"Winnie! Beth! Oh to tell you! to tell you!" she grinned as she pulled a seat out for herself after she gave them both a quick hug.

[Elisabeth Fryer]

Beth loved the enthusiasm that they both greeted her with, and she smiled widely. These two were really her best friends. She didn't know what she would do without them.

"Interesting," she said. "There was a blow up at our house, too, involving Gwen. But tell me about yours. This sounds absolutely fantastic."

Things at the Scotts home had been a mess lately, with Zach and Gwen, and Tanya's death, but good riddance to that woman. She reached for a piece of cheese and looked expectantly at the other two.

[Winnie Williams]

Winnie was intrigued to hear Elisabeth's story, but she was equally excited to tell her about the blowup involving the eldest Burke daughter. Ophelia was, in general, a spoiled princess, but she also had a mind of her own, and Winnie had always wondered when the girl would display her fiery side.

"Well," she began. "Mary tells it better, since she witnessed it, but ours involves Ophelia. Her father has had an offer for her hand and he's trying to push her into it, but she just won't have it. She threw such a temper tantrum, and now she's locked up in her room and refuses to come out!"

[Elisabeth Fryer]

"Oh dear," Elisabeth replied, looking between the two women. "And we all know, when Ophelia throws a tantrum, she really goes for it. What's her father think of it?"

She leaned forward, not that she had to worry about anyone listening in, but it was just habit. "Mr. Scotts has just announced that he has a suitor for Gwen, too, and she's definitely not happy about it. Friend of the family, absolutely no sense of humor. Poor girl's been moping around the house, not talking to anyone, really."

[Winnie Williams]

(I'd been thinking about this thread lately, too! haha)

"Oh, it was such a sight!" Winnie cried. It no longer mattered that she hadn't directly witnessed the actual blowup, because the screaming had been so loud that she'd even heard bits of it from the kitchens. And of course, she'd heard most of the details repeated from the rest of the staff and the house elves who had been much closer to the action. "The whole house was in an uproar. Such things were said... I don't see either of them backing down any time soon. I even heard..." she added in a confidential whisper, "that Ophelia's found herself a different beau... someone her father strongly objects to... just because he's a Gryffindor."

Just when it seemed as though Winnie would never stop talking, she paused to take a sip of wine, then continued excitedly. "From the sound of things, it's fixing to be a big family battle. Mr. Burke is adamant that she marry the man he's chosen for her, and she wants to marry this other boy. And I know the twins are divided in their opinions... Kassia has always been the good girl, and Allaire is such a rebel. They'll have difficulty controling that one when the time comes. But I'm not sure Jadon even knows what's going on. There's something odd going on with that boy, if you ask me. But you must tell us about what happened with Gwen! Who is this boy she's supposed to marry? Was there a fight? I want to know all the details! Honestly, it's like something from the 19th century or something... who arranges marriage these days, anyway?"