At being basically directed to drink with the man, she gave a polite nod and sipped from the glass.  She was here for the event, and that would be her focus.  However, now that the most important part had been dealt with as far as she could at that time, she could be more relaxed about the meeting.   That she would not have the key information for her planning upon leaving was an issue, but there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.  She was worried about the wife, but as he was not following up with seeing the poor woman with a doctor, Vela went with the manner the Baron had put forward.  He would know the best his wife would need, as after all, Vela did not know the woman.

She raised her glass in echo to his toast and took a sip.  When asked about herself, Vela smiled.  She had become a bit of a curiosity to various people in her and her family's circle and beyond as she was gathering a reputation as a chef.  "My parents spent a lot of time in London and I like many children stayed at home with my governess and tutors.  I have always been a curious person, and I enjoyed visiting the kitchen and watch how our chef created such amazing dishes and especially the desserts even when it was just for me, which was often.  I just found it to be an art.  I wanted to create beautiful food too.  Our chef was kind and thought it was just a child's game for me, and maybe at first it was."  She chuckled. 

"But as I got older, and learning more, he must have seen I was not letting it go, and I was becoming quite good at it.  I would rush through my lessons with my tutors to get to go back down to the kitchen or out to the garden to learn about the right time to pick herbs and vegetables for the best taste.  So, he became a mentor to me and we had many hours of him teaching me new techniques until I decided this was what I wanted to do."

"My parents were not thrilled, understandibly." She added.  "But I was determined.  It took the chef letting me create a menu and create it for an event there at home hosted by my parents without their knowing it was me to finally let them see what I could do and how determined I was to follow through with my plan.  From then on, it was more about the men at the Culinary school there in London that I had to deal with but I graduated among the top five graduates even with all the challenges."  It had been hard, but she had been full of courage and was not one to give up.