Everyone sat in their designated places. William found himself positioned between Seraphine and his sister Eleanor, with his father at one end and his mother at the other.
Servants appeared immediately to serve the first course, it looked like some kind of soup that smelled expensive.
The duke ate in silence for several minutes, and everyone else followed his lead. The only sounds were silverware against fine china.
Then he spoke.
"I understand you made the academy's Inter-Academy team," Duke Edward said without looking at William. "Fifth place out of ten positions. Barely adequate."
"The competition was strong," William replied neutrally.
"Strong competition that you barely met the minimum standard for." The duke's tone was conversational but cutting. "Your mother seems to think this represents improvement. I think it represents you finally doing the bare minimum expected of someone with the Cross name."
"Edward," Duchess Arabella said quietly.
