Chapter 1957: Familial Relationships
Jones and Yennefer arrived bearing lavish gifts: twenty-year-old Faulkay red wine, extremely rare Red Hibernia coffee beans (a southern rarity), and expensive Xendale mountain mushrooms. Roxanne had never seen most of these items; a single catty of the mushrooms, she learned, cost tens of thousands. Speechless, she watched Sonya converse with Yennefer. The gifts alone cost nearly a million.
Throughout the visit, Yennefer showered Roxanne with praise, extolling her medical skills, beauty, and ability to manage a large corporation while raising three children. Sonya, feeling guilty, joined in the accolades. Jones and Elias exchanged pleasantries, regretting their absence from Lucian's wedding, before Elias pulled his friend away to sample the wine. Lucian and James, meanwhile, leisurely enjoyed premium coffees on the second-floor balcony.
The atmosphere between the families was pleasant and harmonious. Yennefer then asked Roxanne to keep an eye out for suitable young women for James, who remained unmarried. Roxanne, considering her one close friend and commitment to Jonathan—a fact James was well aware of—found the task daunting.
"I'm half joking, Roxanne! Just let me know if you ever come across someone," Yennefer clarified, noticing Roxanne's troubled expression. "Don't worry about it."
Roxanne smiled and nodded. "I'll head to the kitchen to help with dinner!"
"What? Does your mother-in-law still make you cook?" Yennefer asked, glancing at Sonya.
Startled, Sonya waved her hands. "Of course not! Roxanne doesn't need to. We have a cook. She just wants to prepare a few extra dishes as a treat." She turned to Roxanne.
Roxanne inclined her head. "My mother cooks mostly; she makes amazing soup. I rarely cook."
Relieved, Sonya beamed. "Let me help! I recently learned a new soup recipe that will pair perfectly with those mushrooms." She headed to the kitchen.
Behind Sonya's back, Yennefer gave Roxanne a sly smile. "That's more like it! She used to complain about you. Payback time!"
Roxanne hadn't expected such a vehement reaction. "That's all in the past," she clarified. "She treats me well now, and I'm sure we'll remain on good terms."
Yennefer nodded, admiring Roxanne's magnanimity. Many in-law relationships, she knew, were irreparably fractured.
The families shared a lavish meal, wine flowed freely, and merriment filled the air. Elias and Jones drank until nine-thirty, when James finally persuaded his father to leave.
After tucking the children in, Roxanne found Lucian still reading. He marked his page, closed the book, and spoke solemnly.
"There's something I need to tell you," he said.
Roxanne, applying moisturizer, nodded. "Go on."
"I investigated, and the Crawford family in the North has assigned a man named Jonas to Horington. He's been in contact with Grant, giving him a large sum. I suspected something was amiss when Grant kept trying to ingratiate himself with us!"