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Tweak says, "Jerk. Bitch."

Léon Belmont (ex_the_ambas216) wrote in toujoursliberer,
@ 2008-03-28 07:54:00

Entry tags:

ambassadors_ball, leon_belmont

An Invitation to the French Ambassador's Ball
Subject: The Ambassadors Ball
Where: The French Embassy
Who: Léon Belmont, the French Ambassador to the English court
Warnings: none as yet
Open to: All (all players may attend either as invited guests of the ambassador, as servants or guests of those invited, as staff, or as gate-crashers.)

The ballroom of the Embassy was already growing busy, and when Citizen Belmont paused for a moment besides one of the large windows, he could see yet more carriages pulling up outside, wreathed in the mist blowing in from the river.

The quartet had been playing now for a good half an hour, new French tunes as well as those the English favoured. His staff was busy handing out good French wine, and then refilling those glasses when they were drained.

It was going to be a good evening, and not only in the eyes of the party-goers. With some of England’s most prominent aristos on the guest list, and some than some newly arrived French nationals, tonight would be a night of information gathering, of sizing up the opposition, and perhaps even ensuring some of those French escapees were returned to face justice.

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	social_climber 2008-04-22 09:50 pm UTC (link)
	"And what is it they say?" He asked, hands reaching up to unfasten his cravat, and then unbuttoning his jacket. "No doubt the husbands say I'm a terrible rogue? A thief? Or do they say bad things?" He teases, taking another sip of champagne from Marguerite's glass. "And more importantly, do you agree with that was said?" (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

madame_margot
2008-04-22 09:57 pm UTC (link)

"A man of unsavory character," Marguerite replied, choosing her words carefully. English could be so complex when she wanted it to be. "The wives always blush and stutter pathetically, but the husbands... they look to me and think I do not understand their meaning."

Shrugging one shoulder, she folded her arms over chest. "On a particular occasion, I was drunkenly informed all women come from Babylon. I agree with that sentiment, but I doubt your own sex should be exempt from the analogy."

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social_climber
2008-04-22 10:06 pm UTC (link)

"Cold?" He asked, shrugging offer his jacket and offering it to her. "Your husband and his friends would think even less of me if I let you freeze." He grins, teasing her.

"An unsavoury character." He repeats, and seems pleased. "Well, I had expected much worse than that. Although I don't really think I'm all that bad, am I?" He asks, before picking up the champagne glass once more. "Would you care to finish it, my dear?"

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madame_margot
2008-04-22 10:11 pm UTC (link)

Men were always offering her things, she remembered, feeling old beyond her age. No reason to deprive herself of sport just because the king lost his head, was there?

"Thank you," she smiled, taking the glass with a steady hand and holding onto his jacket with the other so that it would not fall from her shoulders. "Although I'm sure they would merely extend their conversation to include my own name. And what a terrible thing that would be." Smirking, she downed the glass, missing the taste of hard liquors. "Cardinal de Rohan threw parties that would shock the English... He wasn't all that bad either."

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social_climber
2008-04-22 10:16 pm UTC (link)

"I suspect the parties of a Cardinal would out-do anything anyone of us could hope to host, even our dear Ambassador." He smiles. "Although being the subject of gossip is rather thrilling, I'll admit. Even if it is rumour." Harry adds, taking her glass and setting it back down on the stone steps, "And, without wishing to be rude, I think you are the sort of woman who would enjoy being the subject of gossip."

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madame_margot
2008-04-22 10:21 pm UTC (link)

"It is unfortunate, perhaps, that the English have such respect for privacy. In France, it would have been enough for me to arrive unaccompanied at the Ambassador's ball. Or is it perhaps that one expects strange things from French women that no one bothers gossiping about them?"

Marguerite smiles back, observing him with unabashed interest. "Rest assured, Monsieur, there is little chance of appearing rude in my eyes. And even less of shocking me."

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social_climber
2008-04-22 10:29 pm UTC (link)

"You can never be sure what to expect of a French woman." Harry says, "But you can be sure that whatever you expect will be wrong." He pauses, and takes his time watching her, his grey eyes taking in the details the wane light highlighted on her dress and face. "Perhaps it is so difficult to gossip about French women because no one can separate the truth from the rumour?"

Harry laughs then turns, sitting side-long on the edge of the stone, almost facing her, "Is that a challenge, Marguerite?"

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madame_margot
2008-04-22 10:39 pm UTC (link)

"An excellent reason," she approves, laughing freely. "I am misunderstood and therefore ignored. How very disappointing... how very liberating as well."

Leaning against a pillar, she nudged his foot with her own. "You believe you can shock me, Harry?" There's no point in taking offense at his use of her Christian name, but it gives her leeway to return the favor.

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social_climber
2008-04-22 10:48 pm UTC (link)

"Liberation is what we all seek, isn't it?" Harry smiles, "You are one of very few very lucky women. You could do anything and yet no one would bat an eyelid at your behaviour. It could be very useful, if you wanted to become, say, a highway woman, or perhaps a politician? You could do whatever you felt like, and yet society would say nothing at all."

He nudged her back. "Shock you? I think so. But I'm very certain I could surprise you."

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	madame_margot 2008-04-22 10:55 pm UTC (link)
	"You might indeed," she teases right back, "if you're about to tell me you make your living as a clairvoyant, a medium or some other kind of fortune teller. Her shoe slid to the ground, bare foot nudging his calf. "I'd much rather prefer to think of you as a good judge of character. My aspirations are not so high as you make them out to be, I'm afraid." (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	social_climber 2008-04-22 10:59 pm UTC (link)
	He can't help but raise an eyebrow. "They aren't, Marguerite?" He asks, moving a little closer to her. "Perhaps I could help you raise them. Perhaps if you weren't as... constricted?" He pauses, looking her over again, "If you weren't so tied down. Perhaps then I could really surprise you." (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

madame_margot
2008-04-22 11:07 pm UTC (link)

Marguerite clicks her tongue in thought, pulse quickening predictably. The moment tastes like home.

"If I weren't so constricted," she repeats, voice an octave lower than is decent, "I would be short a husband." Her bare foot rests against the stone, the cold doing nothing to clear her head of this silly fixation. "The rumors were right about you. You are dangerous." But it's not an insult, it's a compliment.

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social_climber
2008-04-22 11:17 pm UTC (link)

He shrugs. Perhaps he is dangerous, perhaps the rumours were true. It didn't really matter. The rumours only helped the process along.

He moved closer, moving from his sitting position to kneeling by her side, a hand moving to rest, feather-light on her naked ankle. He leant down, lips close to her ear, and whispered "Then perhaps you need to be short of a husband."

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	madame_margot 2008-04-22 11:23 pm UTC (link)
	In full view of anyone who might've gone outside, of servants and guests alike and he is propositioning her? Marguerite feels breath stutter in her chest, pleasantly so. "If I have not misunderstood you with my poor English," she breathes, giving him one last chance to back out - wondering if he's all talk. "You mean to have me widowed? Divorced?" (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

social_climber
2008-04-22 11:33 pm UTC (link)

Harry laughs, although it's a quiet noise than only brushes her ear. "But divorce is such a messy way to go about things. And it would leave you with nothing that you rightly deserve." He explains, and lets his lip brush her skin at the last word, before pulling away, his fingers on her ankle stroking slightly upwards in the movement of him settling back to a respectable distance.

"If you ever needed me, of course, it would not be difficult for you to find me or contact me. I make things as simple as I can for beautiful, elegant women."

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madame_margot
2008-04-22 11:39 pm UTC (link)

Marguerite licked her lips, throat dry at the implication. Murder, to be exact.

"I have no doubt you make them simple, but I wonder how I should feel to be in your debt." Her eyes shifted to the courtyard where the prostitute had passed from one carriage to the next. "I am not certain I am made for that sort of existence either." A sly smile, foot sliding back into her shoe. "Although for you, one could make exceptions, I'm sure."

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	social_climber 2008-04-22 11:46 pm UTC (link)
	"Between friends, Marguerite? There is no debt. We are friends, aren't we?" He asks, stretching his shoulders, "But I'll admit your are an attractive woman. Extremely so. And I have the desire to free you from the constraints of that marriage." He stands, dusting off his hands, "The night is getting old, I should probably let you get back to your friends." (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

madame_margot
2008-04-22 11:55 pm UTC (link)

"Yes, you should return to your constraints and I to mine," she nodded, moving up the stairs without a look back, even as his words rang in her heavily.

Pausing on the top step, she shot him a look over her shoulder. "If we are friends, as you say, then I do hope you will call on me when you are not occupied with your other ventures. I'd very much like to discuss your... desires."

Recovering her smile, she entered the house once more.

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	social_climber 2008-04-22 11:58 pm UTC (link)
	Yummy plot! Very very yummy plot - I was wondering if you'd like to discuss it at all before we took it any further, and if so, where, when and how shall we do that? I have AIM, if you want to contact me via leapfrogandpenny. (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	madame_margot 2008-04-23 12:00 am UTC (link)
	((OOC: I added you. I'm MissChim on AIM and I definitely want to plot this thing out. Yummy is the word.)) (Replies frozen) (Parent)

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