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Tweak says, "do you dare..................."

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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lord_eward
2008-04-23 10:46 pm UTC (link)

Eward was miserable. He stood by the side of the hall, sipping the wine on offer as a Miss Etteridge rambled on to him about her wedding day plans. He longed for her family to come and collect her, simply to end his suffering but he did not think it was possible. They had probably just left her there themselves.

When he saw the family approach however he heaved a sigh of relief - he knew the father well and he doubted he would face much protest if he tried to make a quick exit. Quietening (and offending) the woman with a simple put down he moved quickly away from her, giving a small smile to the father so that he might be appeased. There really was not much to do here and it was all tiresome. Politics, forcing pleasantries, listening to dull stories. How could he womanise?

It was not like there was a shortage of attractive women. Drawing to his full height he assessed the females around the dance floor. Two were too young. One looked quite pretty but his interest was in the elders. Not being able to decide he simply held out his hand to the nearest one and asked in a bored voice:

"Would you care to dance?"

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krochester
2008-04-24 10:50 am UTC (link)

Katherine had made her way around the room, walking at a gentle pace and observing the other guests as intently as she could without appearing too interested. She had made a circle about the ballroom around the dance floor, and it was growing tiresome. She abhorred these society events after the first hour or so, for there was little she could garner in inspiration after the initial rush.

As she began her second round of the room, Katherine paused at an outstretched, all too familiar hand. She raised an elegantly arched eyebrow and said to the seemingly bored fellow, "Lord Eward, I did not expect you to sink so low as to ask me to dance." Katherine and Miles had known Lord Eward Mountford-Miles since they were young, and from the start neither had particularly cared for him and his antics. But they were forced to act pleasantly with him out of courtesy, and so she'd act on it even though he certainly reciprocated the unpleasantries.

"Is there really such a shortage of pretty girls for you to woo, Eward?" Katherine asked, her tone almost amused.

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lord_eward
2008-04-24 11:26 am UTC (link)

When the woman beside him retorted in such a familiar manner it was all he could do to stop his head from whipping around in both shock and dissatisfaction. His luck was sour tonight, and it was with a sour expression that he greeted her words. He secretly agreed with her: never in his life would he willingly ask the creature to dance with him and she did not match his standards at all but a mistake had been made and he would be quick to rectify it.

"Not at all, dear Katherine - it was in fact my aim to dance with those less fortunate than myself. Those who have not previously been asked, so to speak, to perhaps boost their self-worth." A dark smirk played on his lips and his eyes glanced briefly up and down the woman. "So the offer still stands, I suppose."

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krochester
2008-04-25 12:08 am UTC (link)

Katherine withheld her more biting comments as other guests passed them by; never would she willingly and purposely embarrass someone or herself unless there was direct provocation to do so. Though if anyone could convince her to break her personal boundaries, it would be the womanising Lord Eward. He embodied everything she hated, and Katherine did not hesitate to make sure he knew, even if she acted perfectly innocent to those watching.

With a powerful, challenging glare, Katherine answered, "My self-worth ails not at all, my lord, for, though it may have slipped your mind, I happen to have quite a respectable reputation. I suppose such a thing is unfamiliar to you," she explained coolly, taking his hand. "Perhaps you ought to take note."

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lord_eward
2008-04-25 11:20 am UTC (link)

While Lord Eward's temper bubbled just below the surface, Katherine's little digs turning his stomach with the need to smack her, he managed to keep his composure with a placid expression and a disinterested air. Miss Rochester, however, would know different in his reply.

"My reputation has long been ignored by many of my friends and associates. It is tossed around so much by people whose opinions do not matter - such as yourself - that my true image has been all but lost. I do not concern myself with trivial matters such as how the public perceive me. When you have as much power as I do it is not the people but the social position, friends and enemies you keep which make the truest statement."

He squeezed her hand as they neared the dancefloor, then almost jerked it down to her side so that they may begin dancing.

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krochester
2008-05-02 08:30 pm UTC (link)

Katherine almost replied, interrupted even, but instead winced as inconspicuously as she could when Eward tightened his grip on her hand and tugged at her arm. She despised him, his foul temper, his lasciviousness, his superiority complex. She had never gotten along with Eward, and Miles hadn't either, but it was in their father's social interests to remain amicable with the Mountford-Miles family, and so the families' respective children were forced to endure one another's company. His sisters, too, she loathed, for their feigned innocence and their insistence upon loving their terrible brother.

But she obliged him the dance. As they joined the other couples, Katherine cast a harsh look upon Eward. "That is, indeed, a horrific thing to say," Katherine admonished, "that one should be esteemed for his socially acceptable alliances only, that respect and kindness must lay forgotten in favor of corruption and advancement." The dance steps forced her to move closer to Eward, just enough so she could look him right in the eyes and add, "If you have so great a social standing already, Eward, perhaps you might cast your interests in the calmer, more respectable arts."

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lord_eward
2008-05-02 08:53 pm UTC (link)

Eward secretly liked the reaction he gained from irritating and riling up Miss Rochester's temper. He was never one to prefer wimpy girls. While they were easier to seduce and dominate, the fiesty ones held his interest and they were certainly a challenge. All the more excitement for the dear Lord, who was at heart a daredevil, especially when it came to Miss Rochester.

He held her gaze with the shadow of a smirk playing on his lips. "Of course you would think that it was a horrific thing to say. You have no powerful alliances to write home about, you have no-one to raise your profile. As it is so, you have the reputation of a busybody whose opinion is not really worth anything..." The dance became more intricate and he made sure not to miss a move. "I shall take an interest in the respectable arts, as you so call them, when they actually become interesting. At present I find such things associated with the tag of respectable to be solely for those who are simple enough to enjoy them or are easily offended."

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krochester
2008-05-02 09:25 pm UTC (link)

Katherine pursed her lips in frustration, but in determination and resolve. She would never back down to his insults, his cold looks, his awful explanations of his lacking morals. In many ways, however, Eward's nature was very much a source of her inspiration and her mistrust of men and their terrible antics. But that did not in any way convince her to enjoy his company, for in and of itself, Eward's company was not able to be enjoyed.

"I daresay I am not the only one who thinks this way, and I'm sure you know it, too," Katherine retorted coolly. "And it is the sad state of things that my opinion should be of less value than yours, for mine is far more educated and considering of others, while your thoughts are those of an arrogant, heretical nobleman who does not know the true meaning of kindness in any of its forms." She shot him a cold stare next time the dance brought her in closer to him.

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lord_eward
2008-05-02 09:58 pm UTC (link)

With a roll of his eyes Eward was obviously playing the part of the disinterested, chauvonistic pig and he was doing it well, seeing as it was ingrained in his genes. If she mistrusted men it was her own fault for setting her standards too high. Most of them, in Eward's view, were lesser men than he, and to any woman such as Miss Rochester that was bad news indeed.

"You think that my opinion is worse than yours, but yet - the fact is - it still means more to people who matter," he said, loud enough so that people dancing in close proximity could hear. "You believe your opinion is worth more because you have been told so often that it is so. Family, friends... the people who live to humour you. I pray for the day your eyes are opened to the reality of life, Miss Rochester, and it will not come a day too soon."

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social_climber
2008-04-24 02:33 pm UTC (link)

"Soliciting young society women again, my lord?" Harry asked, having spotted the other mna some moments ago and tailed him on his journey about the Ballroom. He'd come up behind him, just to voice the question, a faint smile given to the woman opposite, although it was given quickly. He rather enjoyed the other man's company, if only because he felt there was a certain tension there, a need for superiority. Perhaps having to call Eward that in polite company was giving in, but Harry didn't think that way. He thought of it as a rather belittling term. There was nothing frightening about a Lord, but a regular Mister, that could strike a certain amount of fear. Besides, he could never say 'my lord' without the hint of a smile.

"I would like a word with you, if you have a moment or two to spare me, my lord. If you will excuse us, miss?" He adds, as a second thought. He might as well remain polite, considering Lord Eward certainly hadn't been. Yet it never seemed to damage his reputation in the slightest. In fact, it only seemed to make him more popular, at least within certain circles.

"Enjoying yourself?" He asks casually, taking a glass from one of the trays carried by the Ambassador's staff. "Or are you finding this evening as dull as I am?"

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lord_eward
2008-04-24 02:50 pm UTC (link)

At his friend's bright voice Eward turned sharply and tried to stop breaking into a grin. He was a welcome sight for Eward was now not the only cynical bastard in the room. With a bow to the woman at his side Eward made a hasty exit with his friend, heaving a sigh of relief and grabbing a glass as Harry did, downing it in one gulp. This evening was not a welcome night out. He had arranged for his favourite ladyfriend of the moment to tend to him weeks before he had received the invitation. Still, duty came before slutty activities. Sometimes.

"Harry if you hadn't just saved me from that insufferable bint I might have thrown in the towel and collapsed altogether," he said as a reply, a glint in his eye suggesting he was now wanting to get up to mischief. He always seemed to have the devil in him, but it was roused three-fold when he had a partner in crime.

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social_climber
2008-04-24 02:58 pm UTC (link)

"And I was of the impression that you rather enjoyed having all these women fainting and sighing at the sight of you." Harry retorted quickly enough, taking a swallow of his drink but not downing it as Eward had. He wanted to keep his wits about him for as long as he possibly could tonight. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I distinctly saw you approach her. So don't tell me your sorry tale of popularity, my lord. Perhaps I should re-introduce you both? I don't believe I've ever seen you collapse." He adds, teasing as he takes another swallow.

"So, what are you looking for tonight? A more enjoyable bint, or have you had your fill of that for one evening?" He asks, "Or something else? We are, after all, in the French Embassy and I," He pauses, and taps his pocket, where lay hidden the velvet roll protecting its valuable cargo of picks and wires, "have a key to every room."

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lord_eward
2008-04-24 03:17 pm UTC (link)

"I know that bint too well," Eward replied calmly. "And she is not of the pleasurable kind. It was a mistake in my approaching her and I certainly do not wish to make the same foolish judgement again. Even if you do want to see me make a fool of myself, you devil, Harry," he added, grinning behind his glass before he tried to drain the dregs.

"I... am looking for another conquest yes. Possibly something of an intriguing nature to sink my teeth into, and that goes for both females and interesting business." Eward's eyes flashed with hunger as he saw a pretty woman cross his path but he did nothing to go after her. When Harry patted his pocket Eward let out a laugh. "I was right! You are the devil himself with all your magical tricks." He paused and took a glance around the ballroom. No-one had noticed them.

"Let's have fun."

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social_climber
2008-04-24 03:46 pm UTC (link)

"I would say you knew every woman in the room too well." Harry said, "And one day you'll be worse the wear for it. Then you'll be sorry." He then shrugs, as if to say he didn't care if Eward caught Syphilis or not. "And did I even suggest you would make a fool of yourself? And I would hate for you to embarrass yourself in public. It would be such a shame."

"I might as well call you Caesar, for all the conquering you do." He says, sighing, and handing over his own glass. "Finish that, if you must. I have a new girl for you too, untouched by even the keenest of hands. I'll send her to you after the Ball. I thought best not to bring her here. I know what you're like."

"Besides, I'm hardly the devil. I was born in a church, I'll have you know." He says, moving out of the room and into the entrance hall, it's floor chequered with black and white marble squares, a Persian rug set atop. "Where first, my lord?"

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lord_eward
2008-04-24 03:59 pm UTC (link)

"Caesar Mountford-Miles... I like the sound of that," muttered Eward mostly to himself but not caring if Harry heard it as he took the glass and swirled the liquid around it. "An untouched maiden, hmm? I like the sound of that, too. I would hate for her to go another day without experiencing the pleasures of the flesh."

Once the wine was of a suitable fragrance Eward tipped it down his throat and gave a satisfied sigh. He then laughed at Harry's remark and followed him out of the ballroom, shaking his head. "That means nothing. The Devil was an angel originally, it just shows you how things can change. I think... the Amabassador's rooms. I do not waste time."

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social_climber
2008-04-24 04:10 pm UTC (link)

"I thought you would, you rogue." Harry replied drily, although a smirk pulled at his lips. "In that cause, shouldn't I be Mark Anthony, as I always end up with what you've finished with?" He says, although he didn't have the appetite of his friend, and no desire for it, either.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I'll send a messenger later, she'll be waiting in your carriage." Nell wouldn't mind running an errand. That was, of course, if the boy was steady enough on his feet.

"You never waste time, that's certainly true. What are you hoping to find there?" Apart from, perhaps, half of Nell's belongings and clothes stashed away. He glanced about the hallway, and then headed for the stairs, taking two steps in each stride, slipping the pick-roll from his pocket, and glancing up and down the corridor. "This room." He said, trying the door and being unsurprised when it was locked. He pulled a thin wire from the roll, eased it in, and gently turned the handle again, before pulling out a pick and using it to lift the latch within the door. "There you go." He says, pushing the door open and stepping away, allowing Eward in first.

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lord_eward
2008-04-24 05:32 pm UTC (link)

Eward laughed heartily as he strolled along with his friend. "Yes but you also get the Queen of Egypt, am I right? And I most likely get murdered... an unsettling thought."

He nodded at the information about the woman in the carriage, secretly hungering for it already. He was desperate to get out of his hell hole and back to the comforts of his home, and more importantly, his bedroom.

"I am hoping to find something to entertain myself with. Perhaps a nice treasure I can store for future use." He waited patiently for Harry to unlock the door, which didn't take long, before he flashed him a smile and stepped over the threshold, hands clasped behind his back as if he were invading the room for a friendly little visit. Glancing around the room he noted its grandeur before he set about plundering for goodies.

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