InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "It's the ducks, Shelly. Quack."

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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jacques_belmont
2008-05-02 12:08 am UTC (link)

Normally Jacques would refuse to do anything his father had done, just on the principle of the thing, but if he refused to talk to everyone his father had talked to that evening, he would stand alone in the corner conjugating Greek verbs in the conditional tense. There was only so much Greek a man could handle in an evening full of liveried servants circulating with trays of wine-glasses.

He grabbed two glasses off of a passing tray and turned to Christopher, drunk enough so eliminate his habitual reserve, though not so drunk as to become unintelligable. "Might I interest you in a glass of wine, sir?"

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blakethesecond
2008-05-02 02:43 pm UTC (link)

Christopher looked at his empty hand where a glass of wine should have been. He had been so lost in looking for potential rescuees or even imposters, that he had forgotten to even wet his whistle.

"Why thank you sir," he told him, smiling politely. Was he French? The slight slur to his voice indicated he was from some foreign origin but Christopher couldn't be sure. "I appreciate it."

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	jacques_belmont 2008-05-02 05:26 pm UTC (link)
	Jacques handed it over. "It is no problem at all." He bowed. "Jacques Belmont, sir. I regret to say that that-" Jacques pointed at the Ambassador with his other hand, the wine sloshing in his glass "-is my father." He rolled his eyes. "I hope he did not bother you unduly?" (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	blakethesecond 2008-05-02 05:56 pm UTC (link)
	Christopher looked over to where the man pointed and resisted the urge to give a chuckle. On looking back to the Ambassador's son he shook his head. "Not at all, Monsieur Belmont," he said, now realising he was French, "it was a fine conversation. We actually found we have a few things in common. Why would you think he was bothering me?" (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	jacques_belmont 2008-05-02 07:50 pm UTC (link)
	Jacques grimaced histronically. "You must forgive me. Sometimes I forget that fathers are capable of pleasing of people too." He hesitated; he had to move with delicacy here. "On... what points did you agree?" Please not any of his father's corrupt habits. (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

blakethesecond
2008-05-02 07:54 pm UTC (link)

Christopher chuckled. "Please do not apologise. I know how frequently sons dislike their fathers - to be sure I am one of them," he explained, hoping to soothe the man's worries. "We agreed on the fact that most Noblemen are wicked, the way they treat their inferiors - or that they even think they are inferior in the first place. That they are slaves to their money and greed, where the bourgeois are simply obliging the human need to survive."

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jacques_belmont
2008-05-02 08:14 pm UTC (link)

Jacques brightened immediately. "Really? I am glad to find someone else of the same mind. That is the great triumph of the Revolution, exposing the injustices of the previously ruling class and allowing true men of talent and skill to fix the problems of France. A man of capabilities may come from any social lass; he only needs the opportunity, such as the one given by the revolution, and he may do great things!"

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	blakethesecond 2008-05-02 08:38 pm UTC (link)
	"I agree wholeheartedly," he said, nodding towards him. "I have been painfully aware of the inadequacies of the rich for many years now. Unfortunately I have born the brunt of many." With a weak smile he cleared his throat. "I am Lord Christopher Blake." (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

jacques_belmont
2008-05-02 09:43 pm UTC (link)

Jacques grinned. "It is a pleasure, citizen. I do regret hearing that you have suffered, however." He paused. "I hope it was not... unduly horrible. I have read things...." Jacques trailed off. "It does grieve me to hear that the excesses and oppression of the aristocracy occured on both sides of the Channel. I fear it may be too late to offer my assistance, but it is yours, if you find a use for it."

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	blakethesecond 2008-05-02 10:08 pm UTC (link)
	Christopher gave him a courteous bow, a smile on his face. "I appreciate that, sir. Though I may not require it now, who knows when I shall need your assistance in the future? It is true circumstance and family were not the best to me early in life. But I seek to rectify that now." (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	jacques_belmont 2008-05-02 10:51 pm UTC (link)
	"I am sorry to hear it," Jacques said. He felt stirrings of honest concern. He knew the horrors of unhappy family life. "I do not mean to pry if it is a particularly painful subject, but, ah... you seek to rectify it?" (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	blakethesecond 2008-05-02 11:16 pm UTC (link)
	"I intend to make sure that no-one experiences loss or pain such as I did, inflicted by the higher society which is supposed to be so highly regarded or esteemed. I mean no ill! Simply justice." (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	jacques_belmont 2008-05-02 11:26 pm UTC (link)
	"That is very admirable, sir!" Jacques smiled again. "Very few men would seek justice. That was part of the reason I became a lawyer- the search for justice and for Right." (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

	blakethesecond 2008-05-02 11:31 pm UTC (link)
	"A lawyer? Oh, we don't have many of those in England," he said, rather cheekily and sarcastically but he didn't know whether Jacques would catch on. If he did, he hoped he would not be offended: it was something which Christopher had not been able to stop coming out of his mouth. "Why did you choose that?" (Replies frozen) (Parent) (Thread)

jacques_belmont
2008-05-02 11:59 pm UTC (link)

Hunh, there was no escape from lawyer jokes even on this side of the Channel. Jacques supposed it to be one of those universal constants, like the corruption of the aristocracy, or it always raining when he couldn't find his umbrella.

"I will be the first to admit there are far too many lawyers in Europe," Jacques said. He had drunk enough not to bristle at any hint of an insult. "As a direct result, I work as my father's secretary." He rolled his eyes. "A dream job, I assure you. Hm? Oh. I went with the law because it was the course my parents expected of me. I had no objections." Jacques half-wanted to admit he considered it a stepping stone towards a seat in the Assembly. Most representatives of the Third Estate, back during the elections of 1789 had been lawyers.

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