Dinner At The House of Loengbaerrow is Marion’s first real introduction to the family that Kristoph wants her to marry into.

Lord de Lœngbærrow is strangely underused in my stories. I imagined him being a huge presence in Marion’s life, but the little piece in this story when he invites her to call him ‘father’. I wanted him to appear as a dignified old school Time Lord, but also a man with a good heart who a girl like Marion wouldn’t have to be in awe of. I think that was achieved. But I never really managed to make as much use of his character as I could have done.

Idell de Lœngbærrow, Remonte’s wife, is a snob and a bitch and is going to make a lot of trouble for Marion in various ways. It is not really obvious from this first story that she is going to be a huge problem, though. She is mostly just ‘cool’ towards Marion. So is Orianna, Kristoph’s older sister. Both of these will form the core of a hate group.

But two of Marion’s closest allies will also come from the family, and they are introduced here. Aunt Thedera is partially based on my own Aunt Maria, a woman who nobody puts into second place for being female, with a touch of Lady Penelope from Thunderbirds and a bit of every strong aristocratic female in the works of EM Forster. She takes no nonsense from anybody and calls Lord de Lœngbærrow, the dignified elderly Time Lord, Moony.

Renita, meanwhile, had an inspiration originally, but I really can’t remember what it was, now. Her robes of pale pastel silks were really to break with the tradition of what a ‘nun’ should look like. The Sisterhood she comes from is not religious as such, but rather mystical and spiritual. Renita is a pure soul of absolute goodness, and as such a direct contrast to her older sister who thinks only of her appearance.

The battle lines are thus drawn. And as the dinner progresses something is becoming abundantly clear. Kristoph is not going to be able to stay on Earth under the pretence of being a literature professor indefinitely. Life is going to change for him and Marion.