Officers@Leisure | 27th evening- Xmas 1677

[Ambrose Turnbull]

"War is but a series of skirmishes." Perhaps he did not understand her point of view.

 

Sagely he spoke, "Our soldiers hire themselves out, when not ‘employed by the Crown’. If your brother wants to be a soldier, then it would be fighting with the French that he'd currently go. To date Parliament has not recalled those that are currently warring with the French. I expect that would be the first stage prior to any active fighting against the French. We are talking alliances you see Beth, it is not like there would be a declaration of war specifically England against France, where we'd attack their borders..." he gave a wry smile. "In a few months, perhaps we will join with the Dutch, this marriage of Princess Mary to the Prince of Orange is timely I suppose. Yet who may really know. We have been allies with France for so long now. I doubt the politicians shall decide anything quickly."

 

"Perhaps encourage him to be a florist or some such then?" he chuckled as she said she wanted her brother to be safe. Ambrose was the middle son in family of boys, he'd not had a sister wishing that sort of thing for him. It struck him as a sissy thought, though in a way he'd have liked a female to have wished the same for him. Come to think of it Ellen had said she would be sad if he died at war, whike she might have been just being nice, it had been said, and had felt nice.

 

"Oh? What sort of work would you like to get into?" he asked.

[Aria]

Beth was confused by Ambrose's explanation. Why would soldiers be fighting with the French when they might soon be fighting against them? She understood a bit about political alliances from her clients who liked to talk as well as fuck, but not how they applied to the military. “Did you fight with the French too?” she asked him.

 

She laughed when he suggested she convince her brother to become a florist. “I don't think that will work. The only thing that might possibly keep him out of the army is if he falls in love with a girl and doesn't want to leave her. He could work with my father in his carpentry shop, but I doubt he would be happy with that for long.”

 

Beth answered his question without hesitation. “I'm good at organization. I wouldn't mind becoming a maid in a lord's house and working my way up to the position of housekeeper.”

[Ambrose Turnbull]

"I certainly have." he replied of fighting with the French. "Have you heard of the Battle of Solebay, on the east coast in '72, The Duke of York and Vice-Admiral d'Estrées fought off the Dutch. Or the north sea Battle of Schooneveld in '73, or later that year we had Texel, where Prince Rupert commanded a fleet of English and French ships, while d'Estrees commanded the allied vanguard."

 

Yet as to her own aspirations, her answer was already formed. "And I bet you'd be very good at it too." he replied. "Do you get many offers of work, working here?" Turnbull inquired.

[Aria]

Beth had never heard of those battles, or if they had been mentioned by any of her johns, she had not paid much attention to them. It was difficult to process information when you were pleasuring a gentlemen with your mouth or hands. All your focus was on what you were doing. The young prostitute wondered what it would be like to shag Ambrose. She thought he would be sweet and gentle and actually care about her own pleasure instead of just taking his own.

 

“But soon you might have to fight against them? Won't that be strange? What if you find yourself facing a man whom you had become friendly with while the two of you were fighting ton the same side? Would you be able to kill him?”

 

When he asked if she had been offered any jobs while working at Madame's, she smiled wryly. “All the time, but they are related to my current occupation ... ways to make extra money on the side. If I want to work at a Lord's house, he would have to be one who does not frequent this establishment and I would not be able to tell him that I used to be a whore.” She shrugged. “Unless both he and his wife are libertines. Then they probably wouldn't care.”

[Ambrose Turnbull]

He shrugged, forehead clear. “I'd not thought about it, that is just the way it is. Alliances can change in any profession, probably in yours too. A rival one day can be an ally the next, it's rarely ever personal. More often to do with politics and money. But I'm a good sailor, I take pride in that, and so look forward to the war. As a lifeguard I... well I've nothing really to say about it, each day is the same as the last, and will be the same as the next."

 

"True that." he nodded of her comment. "So it's not terribly likely that you'll get a housekeepers job then is it. Pity that. But then dreams are like that aren’t they, not ever likely to come true. It's something nice to think about while we fall asleep at night."

[Aria]

Beth had not been working at Madame's long, but she knew that one girl had refused to fuck a gentleman again because she felt he had been too rough. When he had offered her more money a few weeks later, she had reconsidered and then gushed about how fantastic he was in bed the next morning. So yes, alliances changed in a whorehouse too. But no one got killed.

 

She still thought it bizarre that soldiers could fight with a country and then turn around and fight against it. Her companion seemed to accept it as just part of his job. And, like her brother, he looked forward to war. “It is a great honor to become a lifeguard, is it not?” she asked. “Maybe I should steer my brother in that direction. It seems much safer. Or do you have to prove yourself in battle before you will be considered for a position like that?”

 

Beth shook her head. “It is not just a dream. I will make it happen some day, even if I have to leave London and start anew somewhere else. I cannot see myself in this profession forever.”

[Ambrose Turnbull]

"Lifeguards are of nobility." Ambrose advised her kindly.

 

She really did know nothing of military matters, it was almost amusing to the man, although in a way also perturbing. Having given his life to such things, it was strange to think that there were quarters that had no idea of the scarified others had made for England. All the men killed in those battles, and then there were girls who'd never heard of the battles let alone the men.

 

"Well I wish you luck with your ambition." said the man.

 

 

OOC: shall we wrap this on up now?

[Aria]

“Oh,” Beth sounded disappointed, and in fact, she was. Becoming a Lifeguard had seemed like the perfect solution for Jasper, but he would never be a noble. She knew that titles could be bought, but her family didn't have that kind of money.

 

If her father had been in the military, she might have been aware of the battles Ambrose mentioned. As a carpenter's daughter, she had never thought much of such things. Her mother had a friend whose son had been killed serving his country, but Beth had not known him well.

 

“Thank you,” she replied, a smile curving her pretty lips. “And speaking of work, I should probably get back to it.” Impulsively, she stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see you on Friday."

 

With a little wink, she turned and disappeared inside.

 

OOC: Yes, I think they've been outside long enough for Beverley to have returned after shagging Rosaline.