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Lord Tobias Hurst, Duke of Devon ([info]lord_hurst) wrote in [info]toujoursliberer,
@ 2008-08-08 21:41:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:aime_laurent, antoine_laurent, beatrice_stanley, beth_downing, constance_mosley, demetri_blake, georgina_rochester, gwendolyn_linley, harry_fisher, jacques_belmont, katerina_ashcroft, marie_hardwick, melisande_auclair, nell_abbot, patience_hurst, piper, plot, rupert_aveline, sergius_petrov, slater, thaddeus_chadwick, theodore_berteaut, thérèse_du_labarre, tobias_hurst, vivian_thorpe

Lord Hurst: A Ball In His Honour
Item: An invitation sent out by Lord Hurst to many of those in the upper portion of society
Who: Lord Hurst on behalf of Sergius Petrov
Warnings: TBA
Open to: All of the nobility, friends of the Hurst family, those being blackmailed by Sergius, plus Constance, Slater, and Harry.



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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-11 09:19 pm UTC (link)
Antony loved parties. The drinks, the music, the conversation, the lovely ladies dressed in such colors it made his head spin right around. If he had his way his life would be one unending party, unfortunately his artistic temperament demanded the occasional quiet moment so he learned to attend every party he could and enjoy the time while he had it. Lord Hurst was rumored to put on a pretty decent party so he had been looking forward to the evening for some time. And he was quite pleased when those rumors turned out to be true.

So far he had been having a great time. He was dragged into a conversation with a charming middle-aged widow so seemed to want to hang on him and tug at his cravat, once she found herself new entertainment he was pushed off onto her buxom niece who liked to bounce about him and cling every time he suggested getting her something to drink. He was afraid she would permanently attach herself to him, but luckily her betrothed showed up and dragged her away, but not before giving Antony a dirty look. While it bothered him at first he quickly found himself enjoying his freedom from the woman too much to care about the man. He was alone once again, a fresh glass of something light and bubbly in his hand, smiling back at every pretty little thing that looked his way. He was quite pleased with himself when he managed to make a few blush.

This was a very good night for the Earl of Gourock.

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[info]lady_gwendolyn
2008-08-11 10:23 pm UTC (link)
It was an old trick, but Lady Gwendolyn had used it extremely successfully in the past (and even the past half-hour) and saw absolutely no reason to change a tactic that worked every time she employed it.

She calmly loosened the pins holding up her Kashmir shawl (she wore it draped over one shoulder, managing to channel ancient Greece and modern India in one neat twist) and allowed it to fall off and down before the feet of the very charming gentleman grinning at everyone in a skirt. Rumor had it he was the Earl of Gourock and Lady Gwendolyn was not above forcing an acquaintance on a peer of such a delightfully scandalous reputation.

"Oh, my shawl!" Lady Gwendolyn bent at once, heedless of the low décolletage of her gown.

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-11 11:03 pm UTC (link)
Antony was quick to help a woman in need, as a gentleman should, and quickly bent down to help the tiny woman retrieve her garment, but not before sparing a quick glance to the soft-looking, pale skin just above and a bit inside her bodice. One would have thought that by now, with so many low cut gowns swirling about him and his last little companion who tended to bounce that certain ample area of her anatomy, that he would have grown tired of looking. But he was still a man after all and he knew well that if he did not his eyes would very well burst from their sockets with their eagerness to see.

Once they were both upright once more he surrendered the garment to her completely, an easy smile on his lips. "There you are, My Lady, no harm done to your lovely shawl I hope." he spoke, an English accent on his tongue and he hoped it would stay there. It was never a good idea to be the only Scot in a room full of Englishmen, and if he was lucky he could keep it up. There were a few words that would give him away, and he did his best to avoid them in conversation. Unfortunately 'Gourock' was one of those words, so far he had not been asked his full title but he knew his luck would run out sooner or later.

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[info]lady_gwendolyn
2008-08-11 11:09 pm UTC (link)
"Thank you, sir," she said, with a quick, bright smile. "You are all kindness, ah...?"

Lady Gwendolyn gave a light laugh as she repinned her shawl. "Pray forgive me, sir. I have only realized we have no one to make introductions. I am Lady Gwendolyn Linley, daughter of the earl of Rosse." She dipped into a curtsy. "Might I have the pleasure of your name?"

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-11 11:23 pm UTC (link)
He continued to smile as he bowed to her, but his mind was working furiously to figure out how the English would pronounce it. When nothing came he formed a new plan, "Antony Blackwood, Earl of Gou-" he suddenly coughed lightly. Damn the bloody English and their fat tongues to hell he thought in that moment, he knew he had stopped before the word had given him away but it was such a hassle to have to always do.

He took a drink from his glass, to cement the appearance of a cough, then offered her a smile. "Forgive me, My Lady, just a tickle in my throat, it must be from all of the excitement. Such an excellent party, don't you think?"

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[info]lady_gwendolyn
2008-08-12 07:38 am UTC (link)
"Oh, of course," Lady Gwendolyn said, allowing a hint of her natural Irish lilt to inflect her voice. Ha! He was the Earl of Gourock after all. And, for some reason, ashamed of his Scottish background. This was worth investigating. "It is a very great pleasure milord. I hope you do not miss Scotland unduly. I know Mr. Dundas, on the Cabinet though he is, is always very keen on drowning his homesickness by downing some good scotch malt." She dipped into a curtsy.

"Oh yes! It is simply ravish is it not? The Hursts always do know how to throw a party. I am very glad of it; poor Lady Patience did need cheering up. Did you see the paper the other day? Simply shocking! Poor Patience had her reticule stolen, and Antoine de Laurent had to chase the thief down."

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-12 10:26 am UTC (link)
Antony was suddenly thinking that he knew well what it would be like to be a dog and to get his nose hit with a rolled up newspaper. He bit the inside of his lip and raised his eyebrows as he once again bowed in return to her curtsy. If she knew who he was, and she obviously did as she made the remarks about Scotland, then she must know of his reputation. And he had been doing so well to put that behind him now that he was back in London.

"My Lady, if you knew who I was to begin with you could have saved me from making a fool of myself." but he was smiling, he could not be upset with her, it took a lot to upset Antony and this was nothing. Just an embarrassment, which truthfully, happened a great deal more often than he would have liked to admit. "That is actually why Mr. Dundas is here, he drank all the scotch malt in Scotland so we had to hand him over to the English until more can be made. I'm just pleased he managed to find himself gainful employment."

He quickly glanced about, as if looking for the girl, but he quickly returned his eyes to her. "I did hear something about that, the poor dear, how lucky that London is now crawling with helpful Frenchmen." Whether this was a dig at the French invasion or just more of his low opinion of Englishmen, was unclear and he left it up to interpretation.

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[info]lady_gwendolyn
2008-08-12 04:46 pm UTC (link)
Lady Gwendolyn laughed. "Oh, come, come my lord! It does a man good to have a little scandal attached to his name. The Duke of Dorset is universally known to seduce only married women and everyone still likes him. And Fox! Poor Fox gambled away several fortunes before he was twenty, drinks like a man dying of thirst and lives with one of the most notorious courtesans in London but everyone adores him. Well, except Prime Minister Pitt, but Pitt doesn't like anything but Mr. Pitt doesn't like anything but drinking."

Hm. Interesting, interesting. An insult to England or France? This required careful investigation. "Yes- and all turning up their noses at roast beef and begging for frog's legs. I suppose you prefer a nice haggis, but have you ever tried frog's legs? La, I almost prefer the snails."

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-12 05:16 pm UTC (link)
"Ah, but it is only because they have the advantage of being male in this day and age. A man does something scandalous and everyone just shrugs their shoulders and says 'Oh well.' Could you imagine the castigation if all of these men were women? Though I will say that the House of Lords would be far more interesting if they were all women." he wasn't M. Rochester by any means, but he did think that many of the social restrictions on the fairer sex were terribly unfair and unjust.

He wrinkled up his nose at the mention of frogs legs, "I used to catch frogs as a boy, and keep them as pets, I have not been able to make the leap from pet to gastronomic delight just yet. Honestly, I am rather thankful I have not, I am told they have the strangest texture. But you are right, I do enjoy a nice haggis, so I suppose I cannot speak upon what is good food and what is not."

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[info]lady_gwendolyn
2008-08-12 10:50 pm UTC (link)
Lady Gwendolyn gave a little shudder. "Like poor Lady Derby! You know, as long as no one else knows about it, a little extramarital occupation is all well and good but when you do something so monumentally foolish as leaving your husband for your lover- well!" She shook her head again. "Living on a pittance on the outskirts of society- well! I wouldn't've thought her such a right eejit. Lady Jersey manages everything so neatly! She's slept with half of London and since she's the mistress of the Prince of Wales no one can speak ill of her. It really is who you know and how you orchestrate it, but of course you are right- the rumors are never really proven one way or another. If they were, poof! Gone from the Devonshire House Circle in a flash!"

Gossip reported, Lady Gwendolyn was inclined to listen very calmly and politely. "What exactly does haggis taste like? In Ireland there are only potato dishes if you are lucky, and platters of grass if you are not."

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-12 11:28 pm UTC (link)
"There are exceptions, of course." he agreed with a little nod. Not that he kept up with most of the small woman spoke about, but he knew enough to carry on a conversation if he had to. He hated reading the gossip columns, finding them ridiculously intrusive, but he continued to do so on the off chance he would find himself with nothing to talk about while in a crowd.

He smirked, trying to think of the best way to describe it as he had heard many a person's opinion of it, most of those he would not dare repeat in front of a lady. "It is interesting... Well, I quite like it. It is sort of like very well seasoned beef, or perhaps it is more sort of sausage-like in it's texture and taste. I've heard a good few say that they do not care for it, but I believe it is only because they have not had it cooked properly, or they are not prepared for such a strong taste. It is only a pity that it so hard to find someone willing to actually make the dish here in London, but perhaps they are worried for being tossed into the Thames due to the smell."

He was forgetting himself, he quickly realized, "My dear, forgive me, your lovely face has made me forget my manners. Would you, perhaps, be in want of a drink?"

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(no subject) - [info]lady_gwendolyn, 2008-08-13 09:49 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_rakehell186, 2008-08-13 07:51 pm UTC
(no subject) - [info]lady_gwendolyn, 2008-08-14 10:36 am UTC
(no subject) - [info]ex_rakehell186, 2008-08-15 11:48 am UTC

[info]lord_hurst
2008-08-12 03:36 pm UTC (link)
Lord Hurst had been watching the attentions of some of the female guests focus on the young Scot for quite some time now, and although he might never voice his jealousy, there was a green-eyed monster certainly making it's anger felt under the surface. Unable to stand it any longer, he had decided to force himself, politely, of course, into the young Earl's company for a few moments.

"You seem to be popular tonight, Gourock." He said with an amused voice and smile, "The ladies seem to be wasps to your picnic."

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-12 04:37 pm UTC (link)
Antony beamed. Even if it caused more problems than it solved, he loved the attention he received from women. He was such a social creature at heart. Bowing his head to the older man he spoke, that smile still on his list. "I would say it is merely them settling for me, I am sure that if they were not so afraid of your wife suddenly feeling better, coming down to join the party and catching them with you, I would be quite lonely." If he believed this to be true, it was hard to tell, he always did his best to be charming and perfectly amiable, and flattery was the best way to be both.

After a casual sip from his glass he continued. "I heard about the trouble your daughter had the other day, I have not spoken with the dear girl yet, I hope she is doing well."

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[info]lord_hurst
2008-08-14 03:28 am UTC (link)
"That might be the case." Lord Hurst agreed, perhaps a little more sorely then he intended. "But why bother with an old Southerner if you can have a young Scot?" He said with more of a smile. "They think your dangerous to know."

"Patience? Ah yes, the pick-pocket. It's my understanding that the thief was caught by a young gent at the scene, but after he returned her belongings he was released." And Hurst was not pleased about that. Such crimes against his family were not to be tolerated. "But she seems very taken with the young hero. French, I'm given to understand. I've not yet been introduced to him, but Patience invited him."

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-15 11:29 am UTC (link)
(I keep waiting for them to start singing 'These boots are made for walking')

"Scot, Lord Hurst? If they knew I was a Scot they would have me riding the rail like the colonials do to their undesirables, and that's just the women." there were a few that were enlightened, a few that did not believe he would murder them in their beds, but there were far too many that did not for him to be casual about it. "I would not worry, I have just come back into town, once the initial buzz dies down they will find someone else to entertain them. Though I am surprised you are not covered in those that wish to comfort you over what happened to darling Patience."

He nodded, agreeing with Hurst's unspoken sentiment that the man should have been punished. "Antoine something-or-other, yes, I've heard him spoken about a few times since I arrived, haven't seen the fellow yet though. Which I suppose is alright since you English tend to get nervous when the French and the Scots are amiable towards one another." that brought a little smile to his lips.

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[info]lost_romance
2008-08-16 04:57 am UTC (link)
Louisa had thought it better to old her tongue and her conscious. It was hardly lady-like to begin a conversation one new was really an accusation but she really couldn't help herself. It was so unbecoming for the Earl of Gourock to promote the artworks she knew he did.

"Are you still funding that vulgar painter?" She asked, "Supporting the arts is a terribly noble cause but you must agree what you support is pornography."

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-16 12:37 pm UTC (link)
This was something Antony always feared when going out to parties. He always had such a hard time with criticism, and it was even harder for him when he had to remember that he had to play the patron not the artist. "It has been my understanding of art, as very small as my knowledge may be, that it is mostly subjective."

He cleared his throat and took a drink, wanting to hide behind his glass. "It depends on your point of view, if you see the nude human form as filthy and something to be ashamed of then it is pornography, if you see the nude human form as beautiful and natural then it is art. But if you have something you would like to say to Mr. Young, I will gladly pass it on."

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[info]lost_romance
2008-08-16 01:10 pm UTC (link)
Louisa wished not for the first time that she drank. It would be so much easier to have this sort of confrontation if she could hide behind a glass and its content. She couldn't even have a fan and behave like a coquettish young lady, fluttering and hiding her blushes.

"I believe the human form is beautiful, but when shared between a husband and wife in the privacy of a marriage, not displayed on someone's wall for any man to see." She said stiffly. "Where does he get his models? I cannot imagine any lady of virtue would pose for him, which suggests he must be taking advantage of women who's financial situation would leave them open to such an idea."

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-16 01:39 pm UTC (link)
Since when had marriage come to mean privacy? but he was much too smart to say that aloud in front of this woman. "Nudity is just one's state of being, no reason to hide it away, Madam. Had the Lord wanted us to be always covered he would make sure every child was born fully clothed, and if you will remember it was not until Adam and Eve sinned that they thought to cover themselves. It is an innocent thing unless the mind twists it differently."

He wanted to run, actually rather frightened by this woman. "He paints women of all sorts, those of high and low stature, even a few Vicars wives and a nun. It is all very respectfully done and no woman has ever been forced to remove her clothes."

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[info]lost_romance
2008-08-16 01:50 pm UTC (link)
"But, you must agree then, if there is now sin in the world then nudity can no longer be considered innocent." Louisa said sternly. She was rather surprised the woman he mentioned would choose to pose for such an art form but not as shocked as she might be. She knew all too well that giddy youth or the hedonism of passion often made a girl regret in the morning what she’d done the night before. One or more of the heroines of her books had almost been brought low, or had friends or sisters who had, by dashing rouges such as the painter Antony patronised.

"There are ways to force a woman to remove her clothing that have nothing to do with physical violence, sir. Financial pressure, or maybe the pressure of a husband is often enough to convince a woman to do something she ought not." Louisa said, another though having struck her. "And if you're painter is so enamoured of the human body why does he not paint men as well? Or simply clothed people, much can be done with the complexion of the face and the play of light and shadow across the face."

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-16 02:02 pm UTC (link)
"Men are mostly straight lines and hard edges, Callum sees little or no beauty in such things. Or at least that is what he as told me. And he has done a great many other subjects over the years, he has even painted me when we were lads, fully clothed of course. But as it has been explained to me, the artistic temperament has it's phases, and for now he is in a particular phase. He wants to show the heart and soul of his subjects and he cannot do that when they have clothes or any other such things to hide behind."

"I assure you, Madam, no pressure is ever put upon the models and, truth be known, most of them are not paid for their time so they have no obligation to Mr. Young." oh but he was feeling so very small in that moment.

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[info]lost_romance
2008-08-16 02:15 pm UTC (link)
“The heart and soul of a subject should be evident in the eyes, I have always thought, rather than the flesh.” Louisa said, tone clipped. “Artistic temperament is used so often to allow a multitude of sins I have found.”

“Not paid? I think you miss understand the obligation put upon young women quite often – to drink, to accept offers of engagement from undesirable men, to maintain friendships only for the social connections they bring, to conform to their husband’s desires. Just because the question of payment is taken out of the equation doesn’t mean there is no obligation – spoken or unspoken.”

“I am willing to admit there may be women who posed happily for Mr. Young. I have heard talk that Lord Chadwick’s wife, Sarah, was one. I’m not sure I would be happy though to praise an unfaithful wife who abandoned her husband and children because she was content to take off her clothes for your artist.”

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-16 02:27 pm UTC (link)
"Perhaps you should be speaking to the artist himself, then?" he knew he was being weak and cowardly, but this woman was intimidating and it seem to him that she would not him be. 'Callum' was better at handling her sort anyway, he was really beginning to think the man needed a raise. "He is my very close friend, we are like brothers so I am apt to support him in what ever he may choose to do. And surely he can answer your questions better than I ever could."

Poor Antony, always crumbling in the face of displeasure and disapproval.

Oh he remembered Sarah, she had shoved her hand down his trousers before he even got her to his little studio. Only afterwords, when it actually came time to paint her, she finally shared with him the story of her life and what she had done. He wanted to point out to this woman that she might feel differently if she spoke to her, but he was nowhere near brave enough to say that.

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[info]lost_romance
2008-08-16 02:34 pm UTC (link)
"It is a credit to you, my Lord, that you support your friend but it does your reputation no good. Maybe you should have words with him too?" She asked, a little overwhelmed by her own thoughts. She'd not really meant to be so forcefully in her opinions, especially not to an Earl but she felt that she had had to say something. "Maybe a meeting would be a good idea. I would like to hear what answers he has."

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[info]ex_rakehell186
2008-08-16 03:06 pm UTC (link)
"He would hardly heed me, but I trust him enough not to completely ruin my reputation." he was always the hardest on himself of course, but in the end his love of art won out every time.

He nodded, seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. "Wonderful, I shall set something up then, I did not bring him with me tonight as he is working on his latest masterpiece, but I will certainly have a word with him tomorrow." he did not bring 'Callum' with him that night as his scottish brogue was too heavy to be hidden, and Antony was trying to get by with not attracting too much attention.

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