Chess

When Susan came home from her visit to the DuPoint residence she pulled Jason and Jenny aside as she told them, "You won't have to worry about Mrs. DuPoint anymore. Her reason for behaving that way towards you had nothing to do with you, but more with some issues from the past. My past. I had a chat with her and made it clear that whatever she has, she can discuss directly with me without involving you guys. So, if anything like this comes up in the future, let me know right away okay? There is no need for you to deal with it by yourself when it isn't even a mess that you created and even then we are your family, so you can always come to us with whatever issue you are facing." Jenny nodded obediently and thanked her mother-in-law for taking care of this problem. She didn't want to get herself, Jason or Elizabeth in an awkward position by getting involved. This way she no longer had to. After her chat with the children, she waited for Stephen to get home and informed him as well of what she had done. He was a bit sad that his longtime friendship might be ending, but he was confident that Violet would make the right choice. Just like she had done all those years ago.

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Two weeks had passed since Susan's talk with Violet and since then it had been quiet. Jenny was supposed to meet up with Elizabeth at her house and she was dreading it a bit, but avoiding Violet forever wasn't an option either. So, reluctantly she went ahead with the visit, hoping that they wouldn't run into each other. However, the moment Elizabeth stepped out of the room to get something and Jenny was left alone, she saw Violet walk up to her from the other end of the room. Jenny got a bit nervous as her body instinctively anticipated a confrontation, but what she got instead was a gift. "I recall that I didn't give you and Jason a gift for your engagement. Seeing the lovely gift you prepared for my Lizzy, I was reminded that my gift to you two was long overdue." Jenny was at a loss for words as she stammeringly let out the words 'Thank you' and accepted Violet's gift. After doing what she came here to do, Violet walked away just as abruptly as she was certain that she had made her intentions clear and that Jenny would pass her decision along to Susan and Stephen. Violet felt like a burden had been lifted from her shoulder as she could finally let these feelings go and a relieved smile appeared on her face.

When Elizabeth returned, she found her friend sitting on the couch with a package in her hand and a shocked expression on her face. "What's that?" Jenny looked up and replied, "I don't know...Your mom just gave it to me as a gift for my engagement..." Now Elizabeth was just as surprised as Jenny and said, "Really? What did Mrs. Westwood tell my mom that she changed her behavior towards you so drastically? Hurry, open it up. I am curious what she got you. You are in luck, because my mom has impeccable taste and is a great gift giver." Jenny chuckled and said, "Don't you know that curiosity killed the cat. But I should probably open this with Jason. It was his engagement too after all. I will send you a picture once we do."

Elizabeth disappointingly said, "Fine. I'll endure for now. Let's get back to the thing that you came here for." "Yes. I have been wracking my brain but I can't seem to think of what to get Jason's grandfather. Jason said it was fine if we got him a gift together, but it is my first time meeting him and I want to make a good impression. So, I want to pick out his gift myself. But what do you give a man who has everything already?" "Well, the elderly tend to like things that are antiques like themselves." "How can you say that?" Jenny chuckled. "Well it's true isn't it. The more rare, the better. If it's related to a hobby or passion of theirs then you are golden. Do you know anything his grandfather likes?" Jenny thought back on what Jason told her about his grandfather and only one thing came to mind. "Well, Jason told me that when he went to visit his grandfather he would reward him by playing a game of chess with him. I am not sure if it is his hobby or if it was another way of training Jason's mind, but that is the only thing I can think of that is remotely close to a passion or a hobby."

"No chess is great. It is something to work with. Let me see..." Elizabeth thought for a while and then she said, "I've got it!" She grabbed a magazine from one of the tables behind them and started flipping the pages frantically. When she found what she was looking for she said. "There! That is what you should get." The magazine was apparently an auction booklet, showcasing the items that were going to be auctioned off. The Jones family owned multiple auction houses and Elizabeth's father was a historian, so auctions and antiques were part of Elizabeth's heritage. Among the items that were to be auctioned off was an antique, Italian style, sterling silver chess game. The chessboard is in molten silver with blue lapis and white color marble on four horses. Each chess piece has detailed engravings. It looked absolutely stunning and was the perfect gift. And that perfect gift had a fitting price tag, as the bidding price was starting at 45.000 pounds.

Though Elizabeth was trying to assure her that this was cheap for such an unique item and that this was nothing compared to the Westwood fortune. That she couldn't skimp out on her first gift for someone as Jason's grandfather. Though she knew all that, that amount still seemed absurd. That was more than a lot of people make in a year and she would be spending it all on a chessboard, which might never be played. For a man who might not even appreciate it. Feeling the need to think it over once more, she asked Elizabeth if she could borrow her magazine, which also held the details of the auction. When she came home with her gift and magazine in hand, she immediately went to find Jason. She needed to consult him before even considering this gift and they had some unwrapping to do themselves, as her curiosity had grown as well by now and she couldn't wait any longer!