Dining With The Sinclair Family

Chapter Two – Dining With The Sinclair Family

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It was nightfall and two families were seen together in a large dining hall. The Sinclair family had invited the Everhart family for dinner, that way, the two families will discuss extensively about the preparations for the marriage ceremony and also about themselves.

'Oh my…!' Thought Penelope as she concentrated on her plate of food without looking at anybody. All eyes were on her including Nathaniel Sinclair and their stares were severe enough to bore myriads of bullet-sized holes on her slender body. 'The atmosphere here is super tense and I feel like I am not in a dining hall but an abattoir.' Penelope thought again as she felt a bead of sweat trickle down her back. She couldn't believe that she was dining with the Sinclair family, a family she now disliked with every fiber in her.

"Miss. Everhart?"

Penelope jolted from her thoughts when she heard Nathaniel's mother call her.

"Yes Mrs. Sinclair." Beatrice quickly replied. She smiled unapologetically and muttered 'sorry' when she found out that she wasn't the one intended to be called.

"Miss. Everhart?" Mrs. Sinclair called again and Penelope knew that she was the one called by the elderly woman.

"Y-Yes Mrs. Sin…Sinclair…" She stammered tensely, almost uneasy and Penelope rebuked herself for doing so. She could feel her body shake in agitation, her teeth were rigid that she couldn't chew her food properly and her palms turned clammy. She couldn't hold her cutleries very well so she sneakily wiped her palms on her hand-me-down gown. She was nervous and irritated at the same time, nervous because she didn't want the marriage bond between the Everhart family and the Sinclair family to take place, and irritated because she was forced to become the sacrificial lamb for her fake family.

"Are you comfortable? Do you want anything…like wine or juice? Do you want to have a taste of the fruit tea specially brewed by me? Do you want more food? Just mention what you want and I will instruct the domestic workers to give it to you." Mrs. Sinclair said with a tone of motherly concern but Penelope felt repulsed. Everything about the Sinclair family made Penelope nauseous. After the meeting with her fake parents regarding the marriage bond between the Everhart family and the Sinclair family, she developed a strong dislike for her fake family and the Sinclair family.

"I am very fine, thank you Mrs. Sinclair for your concern." She replied modestly and concentrated on her food, not sparing a smile or a glance at the elderly woman or any other person in the dining hall. But all the time, she feel a pair of upturned eyes glaring daggers at her.

'Beatrice…' Penelope thought as her restlessness returned.

"She is passable. She talks less and focuses more on her activities. She is the right one for our eldest son." Mrs. Sinclair whispered to her husband. They had gone to another room to discuss some crucial issues pertaining to the Everhart family.

"Beverley, are you sure?" Senior Mr. Sinclair whispered to his wife as he secretly glanced at the other Everhart daughters who were far healthier and stronger than the frail Penelope. "Don't you think we are lowering our status? The Everhart family is way below us and it is obvious that they are zealous to leech on us. It will be better if we get a surrogate mother who will give birth to a son for Nathaniel, perhaps, Penelope can be one. She will just give birth to the child for our son and we will pay her off. Nevertheless, it is a benefit to them because they will profit from us regardless of the debts and offences."

"I don't like the idea of surrogate motherhood. It will be nobler and safer if Penelope is married to Nathaniel." Mrs. Sinclair spoke as her eyes flickered with an unknown emotion.

Senior Mr. Sinclair snorted, "Why don't we check out the other daughters like Beatrice and Lindsey? They are more suitable and better than Penelope in terms of appearance, fitness and demeanor."

"I don't like them. I prefer Penelope and Nathaniel wants her too. She is the ideal one for the plan. I want her to give me handsome grandsons." Mrs. Sinclair whispered in a demanding tone and her husband chuckled.

"Our son is still mourning his late wife and you know that more than I do." Came the hushed curt response from Senior Mr. Sinclair as he stroked his wife's smooth permed hair. His wife, Beverley Sinclair, was too egocentric and she loved to ask for impossible things. That was what made him fall for her when they were youngsters.

"I don't care." The woman yelled back, not minding the fact that the Everhart family was in the next room. However, the room occupied by the old couple was soundproofed. "Furthermore, Penelope has agreed with our decision. Which lady out there will say no to Nathaniel's proposal, nobody! And as for his late wife, Indira, she is gone and probably on her way to heaven or hell, may her soul rest in peace. We have sent her daughters back to her family. Why don't we speed up the funeral rites so that her matters can be settled and forgotten?"

Luckily, the Everhart family couldn't hear the words of the old couple as they were immersed in the extravagant dishes. Senior Mr. Sinclair shook his head in a self-aggrandizing manner and watched his wife for a while, "Beverley darling, this is what you said about Indira when she was alive and was about to be married to Nathaniel. You said that Indira will give us a handsome grandson but she ended up giving us three troublesome girls."

Nathaniel was looking for his parents who were in the room next to the dining hall. "Mom, Dad," The youngster called out and saw his parents discussing something with grave expressions. "Is there any problem?"

"C'mon Nathan, what could be the problem? There is no problem at all because everything is picture-perfect." Mrs. Sinclair replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Heavens to Betsy, we should return to the dining hall. The Everhart family is here and we must entertain them and make them comfortable." She voiced her thoughts and went away from the soundproofed room, followed by her husband and Nathaniel stayed behind. He contemplated for a minute before leaving the room.

"Dear," Mrs. Sinclair called out to Penelope and that was when the young girl raised her head. "You are too skinny and you look very weak. Do you eat at all?" She asked and Penelope was speechless.

Beatrice who heard this felt chuffed and her heart bloated in enthusiasm. If she chip in some dirty details and niceties about her stepsister into the conversation, Mrs. Sinclair will turn her attention towards her and forget about Penelope, right?

"Mrs. Sinclair, you are very correct!" The Everhart daughter with slightly upturned eyes and long brown hair interjected with a mushy grin and that made Penelope's restlessness worse. "My dear stepsister loathes eating. She loves to starve herself for no reason. Do you know that Penelope can stay an entire week without eating anything and even if we beg her to eat, she will just throw the food away as if it is a deadly plague? She likes to waste food and it is not a good habit for a growing girl like her. Penny dear, you have to eat…look at her plate, it is still full with food." Beatrice babbled, idyllically soiling her stepsister's name.

"My parents strive hard to provide three meals for my siblings and me every day but her selfish actions prove otherwise." Beatrice said in a sweet and sophomoric voice which gained the attention of everyone including the domestic workers. Mrs. Sinclair became irritated by Beatrice's overly sentimental attitude and she could not help but glare at her. Brinley who was luxuriating in the tons of extravagant dishes was puzzled at what her eldest daughter was doing.

"Miss. Beatrice Everhart, I don't remember asking you any question. I was asking your kid sister, Penelope." Mrs. Sinclair spat out and Beatrice became rigid. Now all attention were on her, not just Mrs. Sinclair's attention.

"Sister Beatrice is right," Penelope said in a small voice and smiled. "I am a picky eater and I don't like eating."

Actually, what Beatrice and Penelope said were huge fat lies, stinky ones at that. Brinley made sure that Penelope never ate from the containers in the kitchen. Instead of giving Penelope the leftovers, Brinley will feed the leftovers to the stray dogs or her poor neighbors and watch Penelope writhe in hunger and pain.

"That is not a good habit at all. You are just seventeen but you look like a measly child. You need healthy and adequate proportions of protein, minerals, vitamins, water, and most importantly roughages and carbohydrates. You also need to keep fit, take breathing and meditation lessons, massages and health spa." Noted Mrs. Sinclair who had the brightest smile in the dining hall. Nathaniel who heard what his mother said had his chest puffed out in pride and his cheeks and ears flushed profusely. Beatrice couldn't school her emotions anymore and her face was as black as the underneath of a kettle. She didn't care to know if the others were watching her or not. To her, it was as if Mrs. Sinclair was doting on her pregnant daughter-in-law but in fact, Penelope had made up her mind never to marry Nathaniel or give him a son.

Penelope reluctantly smiled, failing to take note of the underlying meaning in the elderly woman's words. She could only murmur, "Well, thank you Mrs. Sinclair for your concern towards my health."

Mrs. Sinclair mildly laughed and stared at Penelope with yearn in her eyes, "You don't need to thank me because you will soon give me a healthy grandson and I don't want my grandson to be undernourished or have health complications."

There was a bloody long pause at that moment. The tiny gilded spoon in Penelope's hand dropped and that caused a quick sharp noise in the dining hall. The clatter from her spoon broke the deafening silence and that shook the attention of the people in dining hall. Penelope's eyes dilated and she couldn't form words properly, it was as if there was a force stopping words from oozing from her mouth. She gazed at Nathaniel who was unfazed and then to her fake parents who also gazed at her with the same fervor. She didn't need to look at Beatrice or Lindsey or the domestic workers to know what was in their minds.

"Wha…What?" She barely screamed. She was muddleheaded and was on the verge of going crazy from being overwhelmed with negative emotions. She thought she had made it clear to all and sundry that she wasn't going to be married off or be pregnant for Nathaniel.

"There is no way I am going to be married to Nathaniel Sinclair. I will never give birth to a child for him because I don't want it. I don't want this! I am not some sort of a baby-making machine!" Penelope notified, thus, angering her stepmother who had a hard time trying to keep her cool. The marriage bond between the Everhart family and the Sinclair family was not only going to wipe away their debts but also foster a strong affiliation with the affluent family. Their status will drastically change and so will their future and all these will be possible if Penelope will succumb and do what she was told to do – marry Nathaniel Sinclair and give birth a son for him.

Penelope repeated what she said with a foggy mind, "There is no way I am doing this atrocious thing! Mr. Nathaniel is still mourning his late wife and if there is anyone who should be married to him…that should be my eldest sister, Beatrice Everhart."

Beatrice smiled and almost yelped in joy. Mrs. Sinclair's calm demeanor faltered and Nathaniel stared at Penelope who suddenly became aloof. It was as if Penelope had transformed into a pillar of ice and her actions were cold to the core. She pushed her chair which screeched loudly and stood up to leave the dining hall. Why would Penelope leave when the feast was not over? In fact, they were just having the first course and she was leaving already. How insolent!

"Why?" Nathaniel asked, he was the most peeved human in the dining hall. That was the first time a lady beneath his status blatantly rejected him. Penelope was from a miserable working-class family while Nathaniel was from a popular high-class family. He had more than enough wealth to take care of Penelope, her needs and her family too. Moreover, he wanted to officially announce Penelope as his wife if she eventually gives birth to a boy. Why would Penelope reject him on a whim? Was he not up to her taste? Or was she seeing someone else?

"My son is a top name in this nation, he is also the heir apparent of the Sinclair family. Is my son not good enough? Is he not capable enough to take care of you and your family? You don't want him, why?" Senior Mr. Sinclair asked but Penelope didn't say a word. She suddenly became reticent and Senior Mr. Sinclair didn't ask more questions.

"It is not what you think. Penelope really loves your son, Nathaniel. She desires to be married to your son. She is just being childish…you know…trying to play hard to please…." Brinley was held back by her apprehensive husband.

"Do not say anything rash. The Sinclair family are already enraged." Sullivan tried to explain to his wife but his wife harshly glared at him.

"Shut up, weakling! You are the one that fixed our lovely family in this mess, coward!" She whispered to him and looked ahead. She was obviously glaring at Penelope.

"Are you seeing someone else?" Mrs. Sinclair asked and Penelope shook her head. She wasn't seeing anybody, in fact, was anybody seeing her at all? Did anyone regard her existence as something that was worthy?

Penelope spat out aloofly, emphasizing every word with assurance.

"I just don't want to be married off or be pregnant for anybody. I am too young for all these bullshits! I want to live a normal life and I will marry when I want to."

Brinley couldn't bear to see her stepdaughter talk nonsense. She stood up in anger and pinched Penelope stealthily. The pinch was too painful to be overlooked yet Penelope stood with a resolute look on her face. She had become so used to pain that pain could be described as her 'daily bread'.

"Penelope, what are you doing? We are very deep in debts and this is the only way to settle these debts!" Brinley harshly scolded her stepdaughter as she pulled her away from the others in the dining hall.

"You are marrying into the Sinclair family. In fact, we don't need your opinion at all. You are getting married and that is final!" Brinley declared without batting an eyelid and Penelope didn't seem affected by her words as she was already used to hearing them.

"Mrs. Brinley Everhart!" Penelope said calmly but there was a touch of indifference in her voice, as if she was mocking her stepmother. "Last time I checked, you are not my Maker and you have no right to make decisions on whom I choose to marry or when to marry. You are not my biological mother, are you? No." She said those words calmly and her voice cracked at the end. In fact, there was a hodgepodge of rage and coldness in her eyes.

Brinley's anger rose to the peak and she wanted to hit Penelope but she stopped on seeing Nathaniel staring at them. She retracted her hand, her rage dissipating like smoke as an awkward smile clung on her lips.

"Penny, you are making a grave mistake by doing this." Brinley tried to talk in a low voice but she was annoyed by her stepdaughter. "You are selfish and impervious…just like your mother…." Brinley whispered the last words with anger greatly rasped in her voice.

"Selfish? Impervious? Like my mother?" Penelope chuckled and Brinley was uncomfortable with Penelope's lackadaisical attitude. "Just tell me that you have my biological father's money wrapped around your fingers and you want to throw me out of the Everhart family without raising a dust." Penelope whispered to her stepmother with a smirk that says 'C'mon I know everything'.

"I also know about the monthly dividends sent to your bank accounts so that you can use them to take care of me. You were supposed to transfer the ownership of the dividends to me when I turned seventeen but you don't want to let go of the dividends and you dare to open your damned mouth to call me selfish and impervious. I won't talk about the yearly gifts sent from my mother to you which are in your daughter's possessions…the money, jewelries, bags and clothes and shoes and all that. Furthermore, my parents still send you gifts and money for taking care of me all these years, so who is the selfish and impervious person here? The worst sin your family have committed is to mistake my leniency for foolishness." Penelope added and Brinley choked on her breath. Her face reddened as she sweated profusely.

Brinley didn't know if she should be angry or shocked. It seemed like her stepdaughter wasn't as dumb as she presumed. She subconsciously looked at Sullivan who was staring at her with question marks in his eyes.

'Penelope now knows everything.' Brinley thought as her charming face slowly creased with restlessness.

"Penny…Penny…Penelope…!" Nathaniel called out with apprehension in his voice. He had deduced that the relationship between Penelope and Brinley was not a smooth one.

Penelope turned with a cozy smile on her face. "And as for this marriage bond binding the Everhart family and Sinclair family," She looked at Nathaniel in the eyes, something a handful of ladies did. The last lady who looked at him in the eyes didn't live to tell the tale. "I don't know for now but just know that I am not interested in marrying into the Sinclair family. If you insist, you can then wait till I change my mind but just know that I am not interested in your family at all." Penelope thoughtfully said and walked out of the Sinclair's Mansion.