Horse and Carriage | Evening of the 29th- Xmas 1677

[Guest]

At the appointed time, John arrived at Juliana's house in a carriage. He got out and knocked on the door, smiling lightly. He was dressed in fine deep reds with golden patterns and splashes of white bringing together his outfit. Yet there was less formality than there had been at the opera. This party was going to be something less than formal.

 

He suspected Juliana would thrive there, though he was still feeling out the woman. He wasn't sure if she liked him. But at any rate he was looking forward to riding with her.

[Aria]

A butler answered the door. “You must be Lord Maldon. Her Highness is expecting you.”

 

He led John into a large drawing room that was decorated in shades of blue and white, accented with gold. A fire blazed merrily in the fireplace, adding its illumination to the candles in the chandelier. A couch and two chairs were arranged in front of it, upholstered in blue, crimson, and gold, with carved tables between them. Another table sat by one of the windows, flanked by matching chairs, and there was a larger couch in the center of the room atop a plush carpet of blue, crimson, and white. Paintings of landscapes decorated the walls and there were sculptures placed on pedestals scattered about the room. A cabinet that held a variety of liquors stood against one wall.

 

Noticing the awkward way the Earl walked, the butler gestured to a chair. “Please sit down. Her Highness will be with you shortly.”

 

A few minutes later, Juliana entered the room, resplendent in a silk brocade gown of light blue-violet silk and silver. Her hair was arranged in an elaborate coiffure and she wore a diamond tiara upon her head. Diamonds sparkled abound her neck and in her earlobes. “Good evening, Lord Maldon,” she said, smiling warmly. “You look dashing tonight.”

[Guest]

John smiled and nodded at the offer of a seat. His attention drew to the landscapes. He rose again when Juliana entered. He smiled in return, a warm, friendly thing. “And you l-l-look lovely.”

 

John was dressed in a red suit with green thread and light blue underneath (a color that matched his eyes). A great mass of ribbons had been tied to a sash, coming over a pattern of the familiar seaxes. His cravat matched his shirt. He had a golden cravat pin with a blooming flower preserved in amber at the center. His hair was a long mass of fine blonde curls that bounced merrily when he moved his head.

 

He’d brought the cane he’d been gifted (but not used) last season. It was tall and richly decorated, an object of art itself. Merry ladies danced around the head in fine detail. The shaft had been covered by a riot of colorful ribbons. And he had his sword as he had at the ball.

 

“Shall we?” John asked. He stood posed to either sit or follow her to the carriage.

 

“Have you m-m-met Mademoiselle Vauquelin yet?” John inquired. The Princess had asked for an introduction. If Nicci hadn’t already contrived to meet Juliana after John’s suggestions, John would supply an introduction tonight.

[Aria]

“Thank you.” Juliana, like most ladies, loved to be complimented. “Yes, we should probably be going. I don't mind being fashionably late but the ice on the roads might slow the carriage down, if we don't get stuck in traffic.” Day or night, London was a busy place.

 

“Mademoiselle Vauquelin came over for tea yesterday afternoon. She was quite pleasant, even though we got off to a rough start. The French don't understand German bluntness.”

[Guest]

“We c-c-can take it slow.” John said with a smile, “I’ve been… looking forward to meeting you again. Hopefully it won’t… be too cold.” The carriage was enclosed but had no source of heat.

 

The subject turned to Nicci, “Ah, so she found you.” John said. His tone implied he’d known she was looking (as, indeed, he did). John smiled apologetically at the rough start. “You m-m-must forgive her insecurities.” Nicci had a tendency to run or turn to threats. John knew (or at least believed) she was unlikely to of follow through on them.

 

“She d-d-dreams of being like you, you know.” John smiled lightly.

[Aria]

Juliana remembered how she and Mademoiselle Vauquelin had talked about making Lord Maldon blush. Could she do it now? “I've been looking forward to seeing you again too.” She watched his face carefully, hoping to see a flush upon his cheeks. “Don't worry about the cold. I spent most of my life in Sweden. It doesn't even seem like winter here to me.”

 

The pretend princess nodded. “She said that you had encouraged her to meet me. Her letter was quite unexpected and I had wondered who had told her about me. She thinks quite highly of you.”

 

A frown briefly flitted across her lovely features. “Mademoiselle Vauquelin is too sensitive to be like me. I get more insults than I do compliments, and I have more enemies than I can count. A lady needs a very thick skin if she plans to flout the rules that society places on her. I have succeeded in part due to my status and in part to the fact that I don't give a damn what anyone thinks of me.”

[Guest]

John smiled at Juliana’s praise. He didn’t detect any sense of flirtation and took it as friendliness. John was comfortable around women. It was romance, flirtation, sex that were his weakness.

 

“As you say,” He said of the cold. When Juliana said that Nicci thought quite highly of him, that drove him to blush lightly. There was a deeper shade of crimson still available. “I’m… glad to hear it.” He said. And there was an innocent sincerity to his words. He obviously swelled that her opinion of him was so high.

 

John couldn’t resist a puff at the talk of sensitivity, “Yet it’s the… life she’s chosen. I thought it was a mistake, but it’s not my p-p-place to say more than that.” John fell a little. “I think it was a mistake to t-t-tell her that I thought she should… be more traditional. I said so. She now thinks I’m some Puritan and… fears I’ll hate her if she becomes a libertine.” John found it very difficult to hate anyone. For better or worse.

 

“But as I said, she admires you. Would you help her… grow a thicker skin? Keep her safe?” John asked. His request was earnest to almost a naïve extent. He did not know the world of people like Juliana, but knowing his friend had entered it, he wished her all success.

[Aria]

Ahhh, so she had made him blush. She would have to tell Mademoiselle Vauquelin how easy it was as well as how much her good opinion meant to him. Juliana wondered if he was sweet on the Frenchwoman, If so, she didn't think the feeling was mutual.

 

The butler opened the front door and they stepped from the warmth of the house into the coolness of the evening. The pretend Princess inhaled deeply of the fresh crisp air as Lord Maldon continued to speak about Nicolette. So he had suggested that she act properly and she had not appreciated it. “The way she talked about you, I don't believe she thinks you hate her.

 

“Unfortunately, I can't help her grow a thick skin. That is something that one must develop on one;s own, and it's not easy if one is sensitive to begin with. More people fail than succeed. I will also not encourage her libertine ways, but I will give her advice if she asks for it.” Juliana had a strong self-preservation instinct and she didn't want to be accused of leading another woman astray.

 

It might also be dangerous for Mistress Vauquelin if that happened. Her cousin might be powerful in England, but royal blood ran through Juliana's veins and her own cousin was the King of Sweden. Despite her disgrace, she thought that he would stand up for her if she was falsely blamed for anything. Perhaps she had an inflated opinion of her own importance, but that was what she believed.

[Guest]

John had good reason to think Nicci liked him. She’d flirted and kissed him. She’d offered herself to him and even spoke of marriage. Perhaps she valued being a countess more than John himself. The earl wasn’t worldly enough to make the distinction.

 

Perhaps that had changed. So many things seemed to have changed for the worse. Regardless, romantic prospects were not the root of his intention. He tried to protect his friends, whether he was romantically involved or not.

 

Still, the news was good. Nicci had spoken well of him. “That’s good.” John said quietly. There was genuine relief in his voice.

 

“I’m not… asking you to t-t-take her on as an apprentice. Just…” John hesitated. His mouth drew into a line as he tried to think of how to express it. “I suppose I’m asking something t-t-terribly unreasonable.” There was a mournful note there. “I’m j-j-just afraid of her getting hurt.” He still had his doubts about her path. He didn't judge Juliana for it, but Nicci seemed... more delicate.

 

Such preoccupations were typical of John. Indeed, he’d invited Juliana to the party in part because he’d wanted to help her settle into England. To find her own crowd, which was obviously libertine.

 

“I’m sorry, I suppose… I shouldn’t t-t-talk of something so dour. The p-p-party will be great fun. Yes.” John smiled. “You should seek out… Lady Kendishall.” Normally John would have introduced them.

[Aria]

Lord Maldon sounded so relieved that Mademoiselle Vauquelin thought highly of him that Juliana wondered if they'd had a falling out since she and the Frenchwoman had met for tea. She supposed anything was possible, and it was really none of her business.

 

He was concerned for her, that was certain. Juliana wondered if Nicolette knew how protective he was of her. “Nothing worth having comes without risk,” she said gently. “Mademoiselle Vauquelin is old enough to have learned that from experience. There is not much you can do but catch her if she falls. The path she has chosen is a difficult one, as I have said before. Most ladies eventually give it up. It is far easier to conform than to go against society's expectations. Perhaps she will eventually decide to marry and settle down instead.”

 

They had reached his coach now, and Juliana waited to be assisted inside. “I understand that you are worried about her, That is nothing to apologize for.” She smiled teasingly when he said she should seek out Lady Kendishall. “You aren't going to introduce me to her but just leave me at the door?” Juliana was hoping that he would blush again and that he would know she was just jesting. If he had arranged to meet somebody else there, she would be perfectly fine on her own. In fact, if he hadn't invited her to the party, she would have crashed it.

[Guest]

John was generally a nervous sort. Hearing that people actually liked him, not just in front of him but in private, was a balm that salved his insecurities. But as far as he knew, the Mademoiselle still liked him and that had not been interrupted.

 

John was younger than both the princess and Nicci. Perhaps he was naive. "Yes, c-c-catch her." John wasn't even sure he could do that. He would try. He was trying with Juliana right now, inviting her to the sorts of parties he thought she'd enjoy. He didn't know the circumstances of why she'd come to such a distant land, but whether for pleasure or exile he wanted her to be happy too.

 

He nodded slowly to Juliana’s comments that perhaps she would settle down, or perhaps she would persist. “I d-d-do not know.” John said, his voice a note of lament at his own inexperience and impotence. He agreed with her conforming was easier. It was partly why he’d recommended it.

 

"Of c-c-course not." John said with a smile, holding out a hand to assist her inside. John would never do something so rude as abandon Juliana. John had not arranged to meet anyone else. If he did not end up at the party, it would be due to some unforeseen circumstance or a matter of force. He would never have planned it that way. Caroline was one of his dearest friends and he knew how important this was to her. “You are stuck with me.”

 

Juliana might sense John had a shy, nervous discomfort in touching her, even in offering his hand. But he did not blush from just that.

[Hope]

Just then a messenger came puffing up, looking harried and anxious, even if relieved to have finally located the man he held a message for.

 

"Sir, an urgent message." Perhaps John would even recognise him, he was a young man from about Maldon, although not directly one of his staff, was known to have the fastest horse in the district.

 

He passed the message to John.

 

 

 

 

 

OOC: I invite you to create the backstory behind John's leaving London in your next post, with the creation of some manner of summonds or the like in the letter (for you to choose yourself), makes sense to do that in this your final ic thread for Maldon.

[Hope]

OOC: seems the offer is declined, shall lock the thread now. Aurevoir!