Nicolette Vauquelin Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 The Royal Chapel Close by to the Banqueting House exists the Royal Chapel. Seven broad stone steps lead up to the old building; grand arched double doors are wide open. Within, great vaulted wooden ceilings capture a great volume of air above the congregation - high above heavenly depictions look lovingly upon the mahogany pews. Candles flicker in sconces, the building itself is not overly well lit - behind the altar stained glass windows filter the light in a brilliance of colours. A priest moves quietly about lighting tapers, available to tend to the needs of the flock. Who in their right mind would be at the Chapel at this hour on a Tuesday? Nobody. Or at least that was the theorem that Mlle Vauqulin was working upon... Draped about with her white furs that concealed a rather steamier ensemble, Nicolette placed a benign smile upon her face and entered the Chapel. Brown eyes slid side to side. Hopeful that she did not arrive into a poorly timed Christening, or some other private ceremony, before she trod softy to the front pews. Making reverential gesture, she adopted a pious posture of prayer. Her heartbeat pounded. Oh this was fun! She sat with head bowed, willing her energies to subside, while ears kept alert for any noises around her. Stage one of her adventure complete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Whitehurst Posted January 23, 2017 Share Posted January 23, 2017 Charles had debated going home, but the intrigue with Mademoiselle Vauquelin plagued his thought. At the Christmas Ball she had all but invited him to have his way with her in her coach, or his. It was not that the Earl was lacking in female attention. He rarely was; but, the thought of a rendezvous with the French beauty, and Lady of Misrule, was hard to dismiss. Her cousin was a notorious duelist, but did that stop him from playing with Susan Herbert, whose brother was a homocidal maniac? There was no time to go to the barracks and return, so he decided to pray for a time and be left alone with his thoughts. He had lady troubles, a runaway ward, and a duty to Davina that gnawed at his honor. There was little peace and quiet at home or in his office, so he sought out the quiet of the church. Imagine his surprise when he found a white clad lady sitting alone. He approached, curious as to her identity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolette Vauquelin Posted January 23, 2017 Author Share Posted January 23, 2017 It was true, Nicci had fully intended to practice her arts of the boudoir (or carriage in this instance) upon Lord Langon - that was until Francis explained to her she had a need for discretion in this. Which had come as a surprise, but she was swiftly aligned with it. The harder thing for this lady had been the step towards physical promiscuity, rather than the step away from it. So she planned to stand Charles up, had instead thought to fritter away some time upon the treasure hunt she and Lord Chatham had invented (although she was still not sure if she was peeved at Chatham or not, for he was taking an age to complete the earlier dare she'd given him!) The candle over there looked like one of the charity candles. Nicci was wondering how she'd get her hands on it, when she heard someone else arrive to the chapel. Not imagining it might be the very gentleman she'd intended to seduce, imagine her surprise when she turned to give a benign smile and it was: "Lord Langdon?" Why was he here, was he standing her up also? How dare he! Deep brown eyes flared and then blinked of their surprise, teeth then bit at lower lip as she remembered she was equally guilty. "Mmm..." she shuffled along in her pew, an invitation surely that he sit next to her. "What are you doing here?" she whispered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Whitehurst Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Was it a coincidence that both conspirators in a potentially illicit rendezvous were to be found in a chapel prior to the meeting? Langdon was as surprised as Nicolette to find her present. As she moved over, he took a seat beside her. The rest of the chapel seemed empty, so it was odd that she felt a need to make room for him. "I came here for some minutes of quiet reflection before meeting you ... at 8 pm I believe. It is a happy coincidence that we meet now, before meeting at the coach." Just the mention of the coach was a bit daunting. What could he say about it? Could he tell her that he was looking forward to something she might not have meant. Should he pretend ignorance of the suggestion she had made? It seemed rather inappropriate to be talking about sex in a chapel of all places. Most anything he might say woud prove to be awkward, so he thought to reflect her question like a mirror. "And you?" What was she doing in the chapel alone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolette Vauquelin Posted January 25, 2017 Author Share Posted January 25, 2017 Had she not moved over, he might have sat just any where (every other seat was available!) - her movement, instinctively done, drew him closer. "You seek absolution in advance, I think that is only something for the Catholics." Nicci whispered. She was rasured that he was not standing her up afterall, though now, she probably needed to tell him that she... "Oh." question turned back upon her, she fluttered her lashes. What to say? "I have my eye upon something, about this round." Distraction in the form of honesty. "...and about that long." a little smile tugged at her lips. From what she knew of the Earl, his imagination was very active. Perhaps he an help me to get the candle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Whitehurst Posted January 26, 2017 Share Posted January 26, 2017 I do not seek absolution, my lady. I seek contemplation. I would never do anything that Papists do," he replied a bit too defensively. He had been married to a Catholic before and that had been a mistake. Now he sought to distance himself from that. yet, Nicolette struck a chord by suggesting he felt guilt about meeting her. He did. The French beauty then revealed that she had been looking for something round and long ... which was remarkably similar to ... well something unspeakable in the company of a lady. He had no idea she was speaking of a candle. He thought she was speaking of something suggestive and he colored immediately in embarrassment. "I do not know what to say, other than to ask if I might be of assistance." The last part was uttered with greater nervousness than he intended. She clearly had him at a disadvantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolette Vauquelin Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 A smile remained upon her face as she replied, "Is contemplation an Anglican thing? La, it is a Hugenot one also." Lord Langdon was charming to tease, though she hardly understood why he seemed so defensive. It seemed like he was caught with hand in cookie jar -- and she the one who'd encourage him to put his hand in again. And so she explained what was in her sights this evening, and the fellow flushed as pink as an advent candle*. Nicolette bit her lip to not grin, knowing what he was thinking. But as much as he flushed, he offered his assistance. Oh and you would Lord Langdon! What a naughty fellow to offer her his pego! Nicci affected a gasp, "Are you sure?" she was vigilantly holding that she was talking of a church candle after all, "If we are caught with it, there will be trouble." * I found that the anglicans have a rose coloured candle for the third weeks of advent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Whitehurst Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 He nodded about the Anglican thing. What else could he do? As for the thing, it seemed that Nicolette was speaking of something different than what she had appeared to be teasing. This flustered the young man for a moment and then he composed himself as best as he could. "What is this it of which you speak?" As she gave warning, he looked about the church again as if she were to reveal some dark conspiracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolette Vauquelin Posted February 6, 2017 Author Share Posted February 6, 2017 "A charity candle." Nicolette whispered then, "it is a dare you see." her eyes flared reverantly upon the word dare. Anyone who has ever lived understood the solmenity of a dare, of the challenge, and thrill of completing it, given any odds. "Will you keep watch?" she whispered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Whitehurst Posted February 12, 2017 Share Posted February 12, 2017 A dare was indeed a unique thing. The younger one was the more sancrosanct the rite. Charles was still fairly young, so he knew it was not something to be accepted, nor dismissed, lightly. "A charity candle?" had he heard that right? She wanted to steal a charity candle ... from a church? That struck him doubly wrong. Was that like stealing from both a charity and a church? Surely God would be less than pleased with such a theft. Charles found himself looking back towards the entryway to see if they were being watched. "I can keep watch," he offered carefully. She would be able to tell that he was facing something of a moral dilemma. He was a a guardian of the King's law, but he was also to be a servant to a lady in need. An idea came to him a moment later. "A dare needs to be respected, but doesn't it seem out of sorts to take a charity candle from a holy place?" Yet, not wishing to be viewed as a spoilsport he offered a solution in the same breath. "Give me a minute. I will go back into the palace and comandeer a candle and bring it to you. You then go up to the charity candle, light the new candle and then replace the charity candle with the new one. Then, you have succeeded in your dare but have committed no offense in the eyes of God because you have merely switched candles and the new candle shall become a replacement charity candle." The idea was growing on him and he hoped the beauty would find it inspired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicolette Vauquelin Posted February 12, 2017 Author Share Posted February 12, 2017 Nicolette had chosen not to debate the right and wrong of the dare, but had judged it fine solely upon being audacious. All the best dares were audacious, and all the best dare-ees dared the outrageous without question. But as Charles faltered over it, she came to consider the morality. Well, more specifically, she questioned that she should not have told him. Fortunately Lord Langdon was a can-do sort of fellow, and came up with an idea that could work. "That is a good idea." Nicolette nodded. Truth be told, it was more fun to have a partner in a dare, which she'd need to remember next time the daring situation arose. "So, I’ll just wait here then shall I?" Would Lord Chatham come up with a counterfeit candle idea too, when he stole his charity candle? Perhaps. Though, he seemed especially audacious enough as to not even bother. Which made Nicci want to be that audacious too. She nibbled at her lower lip thinking about it as Charles left the chapel… Shall I? ... when the young Earl returned, Nicolette was no longer sitting where he'd left her, and one of the candles was gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Whitehurst Posted February 15, 2017 Share Posted February 15, 2017 And returned he did, candle in hand. At first he thought it a game. Perhaps she was hiding. Upon further investigation it was determined that she was, indeed, gone. A frown formed on his face as he regarded the missing candle. Quickly he moved to fill the vacancy with the candle he had brought. The French lady had been teasing him, or so it seemed. The suggestive whispers in his ear at the ball had sparked his fancy. Now he felt hollow ... used. Pledging to gird himself in the future against female manipulation, a pledge that was not likely to be long-lived, Charles moved towards the exit in hopes that none would question why he was alone in the chapel. It would be simple enough to say he had come to pray, but prayer was not on his mind at the moment. ~fin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.