Dining Disasters With Genevieve

Genevieve Alexander Wallace has finally sorted herself out in the Georgian house she bought in Kensington.  It all came as a hinge surprise as her brother Jeremy was clearing out her parents houser after they had died and was about to bring several box loads of antique Chinese porcelain to a charity shop when Genevieve walked in the door and relaised they could be worth something.  After taking them from him, she realised that they could be worth something, so she went to Bonham's auction house and asked if they were worth anything, later on, the entire going into auction and making a total of 63 million.  Genevieve could not have been happier because previous to the central London life she was about to start leading, she lived in a tiny flat in Devon and worked in a fish and chip shop, and was not that well off at all.  Of course to Genevieve there had to be a new Genevieve so before moving to London, she had to work out how she was going to do this.  Eventually she came up with the idea of getting voice lessons in received pronunciation, and after that it was the move to Kensington.  Then there might be the possibility that someone might recognise her name so she remembered her grandfather’s first name was Alexander, so she changed it Genevieve Alexander Wallace.   Of course there would be problems ahead especially with one neighbour who lives in a flat across the road with her husband.

‘Good morning, I say it is a most beautiful day out, perfect for a walk in Kensington Gardens with the dog’ says Genevieve standing outside the gate of her house in her dress and high heel shoes with her hair curled

‘We took the dogs there earlier on’ says Joanna ‘Don’t I recognise you from somewhere?

‘I’m most terribly sorry, but I’m afraid not’

‘I’m sure I do, you use to work in a fish and chip shop in Torquay’

‘I’ve never been to Devon before, but I say a holiday there sometime sounds terrific’

‘No no, I’m afraid not’

‘Where did you live before Kensington’

‘Windhurst in Sussex.  Beautiful place, but I wanted to experience the bright lights of London, the arts, music, theatre, opera, concerts,  so I moved here.  I’ve become a friend of the National Gallery, and the people are so nice there, we get on most terribly well with one another’

‘Did you always live in Sussex?’

‘Oh no, it was South Africa before that.  I say, would you care for a glass of sherry?’

‘Thank you, but I wouldn’t want to impose’

‘You wouldn’t be at all’ says Genevieve leading Genevieve in through the gate ‘Now come into the drawing room, and have a seat’

‘Thank you’

‘Here we are, sherry, and some nibbles’

‘Thank you, you are most kind, now continue on about South Africa, what did you do out there?’

‘Well I lived in Sussex before that and my company sent me over where I spent the rest of my years being a director’

‘Did you like it there?’

‘It was probably the most fascinating experience I have had in my entire life’ replies Genevieve ‘I say, have you ever tried taming lions?’

‘Excuse me?’ asks Genevieve in shock

‘It is the most fascinating experience ever, I use to go into the jungle  every Saturday morning when I lived in South Africa and tame lions’

‘You did what?’

‘Joanna darling, let me reassure you that when you have tamed a lion, it is quite charming because they are an amazing and such a friendly animal’

‘That certainly does sound fascinating, did you ever have any animals?’

‘I had a dog, but It was a long time ago’

‘We have three jack russells

‘Mine was a jack russell, he met a frightfully awful death so I never got another dog after that’

‘My goodness that is terrible, what happened to the poor thing?’

‘Before work, I used to take him for a walk in the jungle every morning.  He loved it there, such nice and playful animals.  However there was one, and it was this terribly hyperactive elephant.  The animals were most terribly good, they would always wait for me to leave the jungle before they got up to any major activity.  However one morning, his lead went on and on and on, and I looked for him, and there was no sign of him whatsoever so I went back, and there he was flattened into the ground, and I soon realised it was the hyperactive elephant that killed him’

‘That is so terrible, I really am so sorry’

‘Thank you, it was just such a terrible way to die’

‘Have you ever tried breaking horses?’

‘I most certain have, and it was an absolute disaster’

‘Why what happened?’

‘Mother dearest had the most beautiful collection of Beswick porcelain horses on her mantle piece, and one day I knocked one over and broke it, and it was a disaster for poor mother and she never got over it’

‘Have you ever thought about getting any other animals?’

‘No, actually yes.  I was thinking about a cat but then I thought that they can be extremely difficult’

‘Cat’s can be nice’

‘Bears are much better than cats, and so friendly, and they do what you ask them, and such a pleasure to have round the house’

‘Am I?’ asks Joanna slowly 

‘Am I what?’

‘Am I in the same house as a pet bear?’ asks Joanna feeling completely puzzled

‘Unfortunately not, I went into a few pet shops to see if I could get one, but they don’t have them in England except for the zoo’

‘That is a pity, but a friend of my mothers would be able to help you’

‘Oh my goodness, that sounds wonderful’

‘She’s married to an old bear’

‘I’ll leave those kinds of bears out, thanks all the same, you are most kind to think of me though, and I really do appreciate it’

Listen, I have a zoom meeting that I have to prepare for that is in half an hour, so I had better get going’

‘Well it was a pleasure having you here, and perhaps you and your husband might like to join me in one of my dinner parties sometime’

‘That would be lovely, thank you.  Anyway, I must be off’ says Joanna walking out the door

‘Darling where have you been?’ asks Douglex

‘I’ve been having sherry with our neighbour Genevieve’

‘Oh yes, what’s she like?’ 

‘She use to live in South Africa and tame lions’

‘She did what?’

‘You heard, and she has asked us to come to a dinner party sometime’

‘Now that would be extremely interesting to say the least’

The following Friday, Genevieve hosts a dinner party for all her friends in the National Gallery, and this is the first time ever she has held a dinner party.  Genevieve goes into her dining room that is decorated with wallpaper that is similar to that of the palace of Versailles.  Her dining room has a beautiful Georgian table and twelve chairs, a serving table and a sideboard that displays fine Georgian silver on it along with a Georgian cabinet that holds the drinking glasses. 

‘Now what I am doing, the table in the dining room has to be set.  Now the silver cutlery,.  Okay knife on the left, and fork on the right.  Well at least I think that’s how you set a dining room table.  Now candlesticks,, serving spoons, and mats for the tureens.  Glasses next, now, I think I am all done.  Oh my goodness, what knives should I use for the starter? I’d better call my sister Hylda.  She never had dinner parties before either.  I’ll use the tea knives, I’ve got a few boxes of them.  Why they put them in boxes I shall never know’

That evening comes, and 7 pm comes, when the guests arrive for dinner.

‘Amelia, how nice to see how’

‘Thank you for inviting us.  This is my husband Jeffrey’

‘Genevieve it is a pleasure to meet you’

‘Likewise.  Do come into the drawing room’

‘I’ve heard a lot about you’

‘You have?’ asks Genevieve worryingly 

‘Oh I can assure you it’s nothing to worry about, Amelia was telling me about your way with lions.  I wouldn’t mind having a go myself and taming a few lions myself’ says Jeffery placing himself in an armchair

‘Ah here we are, more guests arriving.

‘Edward, how are you?  This is my wife Harriette’

‘Genevieve, it is a pleasure to meet you, and thank you both for inviting us’

‘Not at all, come into the drawing room.  Jeffrey, would it be too much trouble for me to ask if you could attend to the wine’

‘I would be more than delighted to’

‘In the meantime, allow me to serve you all a glass of sherry’

All the guests arrive, and the evening gets off to a flying start, with everyone sitting round by the fire, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

‘Okay, dinner is ready if you would like to come into the dining room’

‘Genevieve, these are small knives, and too small for starters’

‘Oh that is terrible Harriette, how clumsy of me.  It’s been a while since I gave a dinner party’

‘Do you keep them in the sideboard?’

‘I do yes, there are small ones in the centre’

‘Would you mind if I had a look?’

‘Why of course’

‘Those are the ones you should be using’ says Hariette critically

‘Right it’s off with the tea knives and on the knives you are suggesting.  Then I will bring the tureens in with the vegetables in them’

While Genevieve is in the kitchen, she overhears Harriette criticizing her to Edward

‘Edward darling, I cannot make out this woman, she quite simply does not how to set a table prosperity’

‘For god sake, give the lady a break, she’s an extremely good host’

‘She doesn’t which knives to use for starters, and then she has put the knives and forks on the wrong side’

‘Who was helping her? No one, she did this all by herself.  Now enough’

‘Finally, here I am with the roast beef’

‘Allow me to carve it for you’ says Edward getting up from his seat

‘Thank you Edward, that is most kind of you’

‘I’ll hand the plates around’ says Jannet

‘I have to say, this is splendid’ says Charles

‘I agree’ says Janet

‘Do you think so? I am most delighted because I can think of nothing else but holding wonderful dinner parties in this beautiful old house like the way they did back in the Georgian period’

‘You only have to look at the table, and you can see it all there’ says Margo 

‘You are all so kind, and that makes me feel so happy’

‘It must have been hard work for you?’ asks Edward

‘I made a few little mistakes here and there  but they’ve all been sorted now.  When I look around, and see you enjoying yourselves, I forget about anything being hard’

‘Well you wouldn’t even know it’ says Celia 

‘I must do it all again for you, it has been absolutely splendid, I made a delicious tart tan tan for desert’

‘Sounds splendid’ says Janette

‘Now here we are’

‘That looks superb’ says Edward

‘Hariette, your very quiet, I hope you are having an enjoyable evening’ says Genevieve putting the desert on the table

‘I couldn’t be having a more enjoyable evening thank you’ says Hariette in a sarcastic manner 

‘Well you must come again’

‘I say have you ever been to dinner at Marigold and Wallace Penrose?’ asks Hariette

‘I haven’t but I hear they are very popular’

‘Indeed they are, I do hope you get an invitation sometime’

‘Genevieve, this dinner party is a match with the Penrose’s dinner parties’ says Celia

‘What?’ 

‘I fully agree’ says Jeffrey

‘Like me and I think I could say the whole room; says Jannet

‘You are all so kind’ says Genevieve handing round plates of desert ‘I hope I did everything right as its been a while since i have held a dinner party, especially one as big as this’

After desert, Genevieve serves coffee and about one hour after later, the guests leave, and Genevieve clears everything off, and a few days later she gets invitation through the door to a dinner party at the Penrose’s who live in Holland Park and were unable to make it to her dinner party’

‘Genevieve, come in, you are most welcome’ says Marigold standing at the door with Wallace

‘Thank you Marigold’

‘Genevieve, you are most welcome, we heard your dinner party was marvelous’ says Wallace

‘I am so sorry you couldn’t come’

‘Please, come into the drawing room’ says Wallace walking into the room where there are many other guests

‘Now, please, have a seat’ says Wallace putting a log on the fire

‘This is a beautiful room, have you lived here for long?’

‘We’ve lived here for fifty seven years’

‘Fifty seven years, that is a long time.  We were thinking of selling up twenty years ago and moving to the country but London has so much to offer’

‘That’s exactly why I moved to London, it is just such an incredible city with so much on offer and everything on your doorstep.  Have you seen many changes since you first came here?’

‘Nothing major I have to say, just different generations with different lifestyles’ replies Wallace

‘When we moved here, the first person we met was a Henrietta Walter Smith who was our immediate neighbour’

‘Oh yes Mrs Gyles Smith, she was quite something else’ says Wallace thinking back to the past

‘Born in the house in 1868, had no electricity and was quite something else’ says Marigold putting another log on the fire

‘She used to fascinate everyone, especially the local children when she would go outside in the evening and light the porch light that ran on gas.

‘Even though she was ninety nine, she still drove to the shops everyday in her old Morris Minor, and the day after her hundredth birth, she traded the Morris Minor in for a brand new white Mini Cooper S’ says Wallace

‘She loved that car and use to tear off in it and go down to the shops everyday in it’

‘That is amazing, how long did she live for?’ asks Genevieve

‘She died in 1974, and her health had not declined in the least’ replies Marigold

‘I remember when we first came here, she invited us in for the most glorious dinner party, and she did it all by herself, and would not accept any help’

‘After she died, the house and all her beautiful antiques were sold.  We bought the clock on the wall that sits on the bracket along with this beautiful complete Royal Worcester dinner service, that I’ll be using this evening’

‘It sounds lovely, I got a beautiful antique dinner service at auction too, I would only use it in my dining room, but like you it would only be for special occasions.  I mean it is nice to have a dinner service for special occasions’

‘For us, we were we going to buy a nice one in Harrods, but then this very unique opportunity came up’ says Marigold

‘Henrietta’s parents bought the house in 1866 and they bought the clock and the dinner service brand new’

‘It has a beautiful chime, I’d like to get one like it for my drawing room’ says Genevieve looking at the clock and listening to the chimes’

‘We are ready now if you would all like to come into the dining room’

‘Thank you’ says Genevieve ‘This is such a beautiful room’

‘We’ve had great many parties here, full of memories of family gatherings and it has always been enjoyed through generations of family and relations’ says Wallace getting out the carving set

‘I have an old lemonade recipe that has been past down through the family, and I make it every time we have a family gathering, and Wallce would ask them all if they were ready for some of the old stuff as if it was some really grand drink that was only to be enjoyed by the horsey set’

‘Do you have family?’

‘We have two sons Sylvester and Edward’ replies Marigold 

‘They both went to Oxford, and we are most proud of them’

‘That sounds fantastic, and what did they study?’

‘Sylvester studied law, and is living in London and working as a barrister, and Edward studied history and architecture and is now a conservation architect and lives in Cheltenham, and we are both extremely proud of them’ says Marigold serving up dinner

Dinner goes extremely at Marigold and Wallace’s, and when dinner ends, Genevieve insists on helping to bring things black out to the kitchen, and carries one tureen to many out to the kitchen and one drops on the floor.

‘Oh good heavens, what kind of a silly and clumsy old woman am I, I am so sorry about this Marigold’

‘Don’t worry, sure they quite old, so I will sweep the pieces up and put them in the bin’

‘Marigold, it is a very good piece of antique china that was part of a complete dinner service, and now look at it’

‘Really, it’s nothing to worry about, I mean at the end of the day, it’s just fancy piece of porcelain to keep vegetables in’

‘I’m going to look out for another one, and I absolutely insist’

The evening goes extremely well for Marigold and Wallace and were very happy to have Genevieve as a guest, and hope she will come again for a dinner party