A Truth Universally Acknowledged
The days were slowly getting warming at Westchester. It was easier to get up in the mornings, and the afternoons were often pleasant enough for walking.
The sun was already coming into the breakfast room, and Charles was already disagreeing with his sister. Hank, their brother, was wisely keeping out of it.
“I just don’t know if we should get so excited about this,” Charles said as he poured the tea.
“But Charles,” Raven said, through a mouthful of breakfast, “everyone knows that if a young, single, super-rich alpha lets a house in town, he must be looking for an omega!”
The news had just come to the Xavier family that a wealthy (and reportedly handsome) alpha had leased a house in their own neighbourhood. This news was of significant interest to Mrs Xavier, not only because of her preoccupation with local gossip, but because of her desire to see her three omega children married well. To Charles' dismay, she was already counting on one of them marrying this new young man.
Charles looked over to his brother Hank, but Hank diplomatically remained quiet, taking another bite of breakfast instead of joining the conversation. Charles continued anyway. “Raven, he’s an alpha. He is not necessarily in want of an omega. I've explained this to you before - even if he does want to marry, he'll be absolutely spoiled for choice." He looked up at her. "There are far too many eligible omegas in Meryton, and not enough alphas wealthy enough to support them.”
Raven - blonde hair, round cheeks, pretty as a picture - pouted. " I'm going to try to marry him anyway," she said, helping herself to the jam. "You need to change your attitude if you want an alpha."
Hank tried and failed to conceal a grin.
"Hank, back me up here," Charles said, frowning.
"It's true," Hank said. "You should listen to him, Raven."
Charles spoke the truth. Their father, Mr Brian Xavier, was a gentleman and alpha of good social standing, and the family lived comfortably, but their home and remaining fortune was entailed away to their father’s closest alpha relative. Raven still found courtship a delightful game; happily, her personality and beauty should secure her the future her mother wanted for her. Hank and Charles were certainly handsome, too, but Charles knew that they’d be damned to poverty if they did not marry well. Despite Raven’s lightheartedness, Charles was far from able to treat marriage as a game. He was still young enough, and still hoped to find an alpha who was agreeable as well as wealthy, but he was also more than aware that those hopes could potentially be disappointed.
“Well,” said Mrs Xavier, excitement unaffected by Charles’ more realistic approach to the situation, “Mrs Long said he is to be at the assembly next week! Henry, you will have to wear your navy coat, it brings out your eyes best.”
Hank looked up from his breakfast, blinking. “Of course, Ma’am.” Hank was the middle Xavier child, with the mildest temper . He was intelligent, but never unkind; Charles, on the other hand, had a sharp tongue as well as a quick mind, and while he was very sarcastic, he was a better judge of character. They were only a year apart in age, and close friends as well as brothers.
Raven, the youngest, was temperamental, and sometimes over-indulged by their mother. She had by far the most exuberant personality of the three of them. Charles had been embarrassed at times by her forward manner and her overfamiliarity with acquaintances, and often exasperated by her carelessness with money. Still, she was his baby sister, and he was deeply fond of her when he was not worried or embarrassed by her; she was warm, and kind, and just as much of an extrovert as he was himself. He found it in himself now to be amused rather than concerned over her enthusiasm. Let her be young, he thought to himself, and then, my goodness, I sound like a tired old man. Laughing at himself, he finished his cup of tea, and wondered idly if the new alpha really was handsome.
Within two days, their father - at the insistence of his wife - had called upon their new neighbour, a Mr Howlett, and Mrs Xavier was happily flustered, asking him to consider when they might see him next and if he might be invited to dinner, so that they could be properly introduced.
“It must be soon,” she said, fretful, “for I wish him to be introduced to the children before the ball.” There was a dance to be held about a fortnight away. “And you know, my dear Raven, I would procure any introduction if I thought the acquaintance might be promising, for your sake. My love, I dare say Mr Howlett will dance with you at the next ball, even if you are the youngest.”
Raven smiled. “Even if I am the youngest, I am almost as tall as Hank, and certainly taller than Charles.” The rest of the evening was spent wondering when Mr Howlett would return Mr Xavier’s visit, and how soon they should ask him to come to dinner, and exactly how everyone should be dressed in this happy instance. Charles was made to try on different waistcoats and ties, and Hank was persuaded to leave his wildlife journals in order to let Raven try "just a few styles" in his hair.
Despite how much their mother asked him, and Raven too, and Charles, and eventually, in his quiet way, even Hank, their father would not give them any satisfactory description of Mr Howlett. After a time they were forced to accept the second-hand intelligence of their neighbour, Mrs McTaggart, whose husband Sir William McTaggart had apparently been thoroughly delighted with Mr Howlett when he had recieved him at their home.
“He is young, I hear,” Mrs Xavier said to Raven and Charles after her visit to Mrs McTaggart, “and wonderfully handsome, and extremely agreeable. As for the ball – he intends to be there – and to bring a large party with him!”
“Well, if he is fond of dancing, he must certainly be ready to fall in love,” Charles said, a little sarcastically, but his mother did not pick up on this and instead readily agreed with him.
“My dears, if I could just have one of you married to Mr Howlett, and settled at Netherfield, and the other two of you equally well-married, I should have nothing left to wish for.”
Mr Howlett remained a popular topic of conversation at the Xavier house over the next few days. When he came to return their father’s visit, Raven, Hank and Charles positioned themselves at an upstairs window, and although they could not see much of him, they agreed that he had been wearing a green coat, and riding a black horse, and seemed to have a fine head of hair and a powerful build. This was almost enough for them all to be satisfied with for the time, although Raven was impatient to see his face. Their father reported that he had excellent manners and made good conversation, and was certainly a gentleman; and their mother reminded them that they would meet him soon, for a date had been set to have him for dinner.
Charles had really just begun to look forward to meeting Mr Howlett when his hopes were disappointed, for a time. The dinner plans were abruptly cancelled when word arrived that Mr Howlett had had to leave, at once, to go to London. Mrs Xavier was upset by this, worried that Mr Howlett would perhaps always be going hither and thither and thus unable to really become acquainted with the charms of one of her children. However, after a time she allowed herself to be comforted a little by what her friend Mrs Long had suggested – that perhaps Mr Howlett had gone to London to fetch his party for the ball. The thought of yet more eligible alphas for her omega children soothed Mrs Xavier’s nerves, and she occupied herself by getting Hank to dress in his blue waistcoat, and Charles in his red and then his green instead, and satisfying herself that they were handsome enough for the ball; and three whole afternoons were spent choosing Raven’s dress and making sure that it still fitted her well in every place.
Privately Charles did really look forward meeting Mr Howlett, and the rest of his party. Recently, life at Westchester had been too quiet for even his taste; and - who knew - perhaps one of Mr Howlett's friends would take an interest in him when they met him. Charles could only hope.