A Classic French Red Perfect for Business

The night was bitter as Amelia made her way down the jagged street of Knockturn Alley, her hair flew out behind her in the chilling wind but she did not flinch against the cold. She did not care for the weather, it was nothing you could control or change easily so there was no point worrying about it, you just had to deal with it and get on with things.

As she entered the pub the room fell silent, many men stared at her attire, very unlike that most other witches wore. But with a harsh glare they soon turned their heads away and carried on with their drinks. The noise of her boots on the wooden floor was slow and steady; she held her head high as she made her way to order a drink.

“Eyes are here,” she snapped and pointed to her face, “and I will have a glass of red wine please, and none of that cheap swill you serve the rest of the punters I’ve seen the cases be loaded into the back. So be a gentleman and serve one of your finest females properly.”

The bartender stopped his wandering gaze, and begrudgingly went out the back to delve into his more expensive wine collections. He knew Amelia Abraxas alright; her, her father and the rest of her family had quite the reputation. There business always seemed legitimate, dealing in magical antiques and rarities, but for the money that they had there must have been something else going on with them.

“French 18th Century, a classic, that’ll be six sickles,” he remarked sliding the glass across the counter, but a sharp glare from Amelia forced him to continue, “please Miss?”

She handed the man his six pieces of silver and studied the room, she wanted to find a place out of ear shot of everyone else, she didn’t need nosy bugger’s ear wigging on their conversation. Family business was her business and she wasn’t prepared for the rest of the pub to know. She found one table in the back of the room that was occupied by one small man.

“You wouldn’t mind finding somewhere else to sit, so that a young lady could have a drink in piece would you?” she gave him a pleasant smile and a small flick of her hair, but it was more of a order than a question. The man would have no choice one way or another.

“Er no of course not,” he quickly shuffled away with his drink clasped in his podgy hand, his eyes like the rest of the men’s wandering.

She took a seat at the table and maintained a vigilant ear on the room around her. She was indeed early in meeting Jude but she didn’t mind, it was good fun to tease the men. They would be so disappointed when he turned up to join her, even though there was nothing going on between the two of them.

Jude walked into the seedy pub, attempting to look as nondescript as he could. Some of the people he had double-crossed would be the sort to frequent this place. Glancing around, he noticed a lot of the men seemed to have their minds on a lot more than their conversation and drink, even the bartender seemed a little frazzled. Well it's clear to tell Amelia is here. He thought to himself. Her presence always left men, and the occasional woman, quite shocked and just a little flustered.

He looked for a quiet part of the pub, Amelia would likely make sure that no-one would be close to eavesdrop, so he knew to look there. Amelia would get that spot too, whether with her charm or through other methods. He saw Amelia sitting down on, of course, a completely empty table and walked towards it, sitting down at it casually. “Hello Amelia, doing well I trust?” He said. Of course people were not visibly near by, but better to keep the conversation casual in order to make certain no encroaching ears would find import within their conversation. After they had both paid lip service to basic pleasantries, then they could get down to what their meeting was actually about.

Amelia had just taken another sip of her wine as Jude sat down opposite her; she smiled pleasantly and glanced around the room, winking at a man who hadn’t stopped staring, but quickly following it by a sharp glare. Men were all the same. Arrogant pigs. Well there were a few exceptions to the rule, but there always was.

“Very well, thank you Jude,” she crossed her legs beneath the table and readjusted herself so that she could keep an eye on the rest of the pub, she didn’t need trouble to tonight, she couldn’t be bothered with it, “whispers in the wind tell me you fell short a week or so ago? Losing our touch are we?”

In their line of business, whispers and rumours spread like wild fire but no one ever knew the true source so you had to take things with a pinch of salt most of the time. She didn’t really believe the rumour but anything to have a poke and rub that pinch of salt in a wound amused Amelia.

“But anyway, enough of pointless pleasantries, we have been through enough of those in our life time,” plenty of family events on both sides had meant that Jude’s face was very familiar to Amelia, she had greatly enjoyed them as a younger girl but as she grew up the etiquette and appearance that you always had to uphold grew on her, “it’s time we talk business.

“Father wants to get you further involved with the company and our plans. You have proven your worth over the years and he understands that you would be a great asset to his cause,” Amelia had to be careful with her words, it would have been easier to meet up in a more secluded area, where they could have spoken about business more freely, but she liked a challenge, and by meeting in public, people suspected your activity less. They wouldn’t think that they would discuss such, controversial matters in the open.

“You would be paid of course and I’m sure you would agree with our aims,” she took another sip from her glass, swirling the red liquid hypnotically. Waiting for him to say anything.