The gratitude of a duke...or a king...or both? | 3rd late morning- Xmas 1677

[Nicolette Vauquelin]

"Yes your Darling sister.” Replied she. “I remember the day I first saw her.  It was at Brighton, in the ladies bathing pool. She was keeping court over all the ladies there. I was a-marvel.”  Nicci had tried to gain Malls attention, but at the time had been paired with Davina so it had not worked at all. 

“Clovis?”  Under the context perhaps Clovis was nickname for the King?  “I need lay hands upon her works, it is bound to be entertaining, and likely enlightening also!” At the rock pool Heather had stuck up with Mall, which to Nicci’s eyes had been further proof of Malls worth.  Heather, her secret mentor, had an impeccable taste for companions.  “Then I must effort to provide inspiration for our literary ingenue!”

Later Nicci might angst a little about that – for there was certainly was no promise that anything written would be positive.   But even it if was bad, she would laugh of it for it was foolish people who took themselves too seriously.  

What a cheeky wink the Duke had!  It set Nicolette to giggling, and again she wished that they might tussle in the sheets.  “Isn’t the amorous heart an interesting thing!” she agreed, “I should not be surprised if it is the mind that makes the heart quicken - though also, your wink.” She admitted, almost accused.  

With the tap of her nose he detailed a course of future lessons, she smiled of it.  This was her growing future.  This growing friendship might endure, past when her looks faded, when others use of her ebbed, when her star was upon it’s decent.        

The Duke took up a fabric in blue, and advised.

Nicci knew of that practise, it was a ‘thing’ where husbands and wives (also those courting) wore complimentary attire to events.  It was visually pleasing, and told of their personal harmony too.  It was not a thing that she herself had done though, having neither the fund or a steady beau.  

Until now, and the Duke explained a third kind of use of this practise, one where the protection of ones patron was made known.  She knew straight away that Blue would factor heavily.  But she had been wearing blue all season already because that was the favourite colour of Lady Basildon’s; thus all the hand me downs were this or that shade of the same. 

It was the first disappointment of this exercise and really should not have been a major thing. She a girl who’d arrived with patched (and in places threadbare) dresses, could not be so ungrateful.  Setting aside the fuchsia, she nodded her head… pulling her eyes away from the orange and pink.   

“Oh yes, those colours were for the prank.” She fibbed away her interest in the bright and bolds, and turning her attention to the blue tried to find variants that were something different to Lisa’s.  “Though perhaps a little trim in a contrast would not hurt.”  Blue and Silver were a timeless combination, elegant and luxurious also. Yet she had an incline that included all the flowers of the garden.  “Perhaps with panels of needle worked embroidery.  I do love the gardens Your Grace, I would so love if I my dresses complimented while touched with brightness.”  Needlework was expensive, she knew, which might then satisfy the visibility of Buckingham’s hand in this.

On Francis, she further suggested, “Perhaps reversible pieces, lined with gaudy – but presented gaudy side out.  After the laughter, then the reveal that he need turn them right side out to wear them actually.”

 

OOC: looking forward to reading Francis suffering the tailoring ordeal! lol 

[Duke of Buckingham]

Buckingham just smirked and shook his head as Nicci described his sister as holding court. That she did when she wished to. Few people did not like his sister. She did not have the enemies he did, and she was a woman - which in her case was some sort of benefit!

 

"The benefits of being a royal duchess and having been raised on all the best court manners whilst also having wit and a brain. She can command a room and also reduce it to hysterics, but she can also run you through with a rapier, so..." He shrugged his shoulders dramatically. "She has lived a difficult life, thus Charles, Clovis yes, begrudges her nothing - she was the first lady he ever puppied after, and I think he still does, though I do not think she ever humored him in bed. Cumberland was also wildly in love with her when first came to England."

 

Charles had slept with quite a number of his female relations, though only one had ever been his mistress publicly. The one who had ruled for longer than most men were able!

 

"You will find them floating about court in the libertine circles under the name Ephelia, though some of the works have the contributions of others," Buckingham grinned unrepentant. When he and his sister got on, it was not strange for them to write together sometimes, but then he wrote with many people who were witty and skilled. "And if you hear Charles talk of Butterfly, she is one in the same." Mall had been known as butterfly for four decades. 

 

The fun of the selection of fabric was complimented by lessons that would help her to understand the king better and to know things that few other men could convey to a companion of the King's bed. Intimacies of court life that could not be plucked out in a few years or even a decade or more. That was the advantage Buckingham presented over many others who introduced ladies to the King's bed. 

 

"Pfft, do you think I cannot spot a woman demuring?" He snorted with a lively disbelief. "My dear, you misunderstand me, this is for you. You must have all the bright colors you wish, this is all for you to choose, and you must feel and internalize the importance you wish to have in the future. You surely need not attire yourself to coordinate Kingston with that frequency! State events are times people peacock all their connections and patronage. That is time when you will likely be seen with him. And if you leave instructions for the embroidery and in what colors, it will be done as you wish."

[Duke of Buckingham]

(OOC - for those reading along, this is all about the works of Ephelia http://www.ephelia.com/ and these are her pseudonyms http://www.ephelia.com/appendix_a.html  ... As a side note, I wanted to add an important tidbit of information. Years prior to the time when our board started, Buckingham was accused of having the King's fortune told (treasonable offense), and a particular note damned him bc the King recognized it as his handwriting, which the King knew all his life. When Buckingham finally came out of hiding to make his defense, he took one look at the letter, laughed in front of the assembled lords (who recorded it), and said (I paraphrase), "You know that this is my sister's hand, and you also know that we haven't spoken in ages." Charles took the letter, looked at it again, swore, and agreed. The charges were dropped and Charles was reported as being heavily disturbed and discountenanced by the whole affair, we don't know why, but the instance tells us historically that their handwriting and style was so similar that it could not be told apart easily even by the King, who had been raised with both of them and got letters from both his entire life.)

[Nicolette Vauquelin]

 

“She was his first sweetheart…” this detail made her smile happily.   “All the more I want to love her too.” 

Buckingham was surely familiar with the way of love Nicci referenced, an adoring affection that could be held by ladies, with open declarations of the like that was rarely actually expressed with gentlemen.  All the while not at all sexual, though certainly sensual.  

“Perhaps some Ephelia poems shall surface at your party next season?” she voiced the hope, grinning to the Duke she added, “It shall be a wonderful season wont it.  Might it even surpass how marvellous this one has been?”

She really had attempted to conform.  Nicolette fully knew that the colour of a dress was nothing to pout about.   But the Duke knew women too well, and had instantly spotted her truest feelings. 

It caught her short – and saying naught she stopped to look at him directly, emotion filling her eyes she stood enough to move forward on the chaise and place a kiss upon his face.  That hugely big feeling had flooded her heart again, it was like there was a great big weight of importance in her chest, too big to even mention, too big to hide.  This huge tear-jerking feeling had her next to certain that it meant that she was in love with the Duke of Buckingham.  "You know my heart, Your Grace."   Stopping herself from silly childish declarations, Nicci gave a smile and sought for a joke to break her intensity...

She did not want to embarrass him. 

 

OOC: loving the links, thankyou. 

[Duke of Buckingham]

"Indeed, at that time," he agreed, chuckling.

 

Mall was Charles' first sweetheart, before he had experienced a manly awakening, and then she had turned into the first object of his flirtatious lust. George was quite sure Mall had thought it adorably hilarious, and had entertained every moment of practicing flirtation with him. She still thought it adorably hilarious, and Charles still feigned chasing after her flirtations. 

 

"If you wish, I am sure it can be arranged. She is never shy of showing off or tearing someone's head off with the maw of her quill."

 

Buckingham and his kingly foster-brother had many differences, and one was that Buckingham had the Villiers sense of romance and passion. Charles was gallant and generous, and most assuredly pleasurable, but he did not understand women in the same way as the duke. It was likely why Buckingham had always made such a successful mistress-maker. 

 

"Have your heart's desire, for that is one benefit of all this," he promised her, encouragingly. 

[Francis Kirke]

(OOC - I tagged myself here at the beginning bc Francis would have to come home to get ready so that Camberwell can bust in)

 

It was thankful that Francis had the Shooting event to focus on and to make his escape, because the servants had told him that the duke was with a room FULL of tailoring and fabrics. Francis hated tailors, so he had avoided the room until it was time to leave. 

 

He blinked when he walked in to see the display of fabrics. It was such a variety of color and fabric that he almost didn't notice the armies set up on the other side of the room. Now he knew where the piece came from that his uncle had given him that morning to bring to the King.

 

Smiling then to Nicolette and his uncle, he said, "Good afternoon." Turning to Buckingham, he added, "Since many are occupied with the events of the day, I think he will come. I am going to Cumberland's shooting event shortly and will give your regrets." Kings came before princes.

 

The younger blond did not say much because he did not wish to be accosted with fabrics by being too conversational!

[Nicolette Vauquelin]

"La, the Ladies Villiers are strong women." Nicci admired over the Duke's description of Mall.  This information was added to her cashe of understandings of the King, there were not many men who were at ease with a commanding woman. It told her of his flexibility to accommodate, and possibly even an acceptance of demands being made of him.  Hmm.  But gently gently this Frenchwoman would tread.  

Within this moment she was caught up and entranced, and the Duke voiced no objection - perhaps he was not even aware of her heady state, but she thought he was.  And he voiced encouragement.  "The Benefit, and the Pleasure.  It is like what you said, always have fun when you can." she whispered in return, pulse quickening as she leaned closer still..." 

Which was precisely when Kingston walked in, his voice all sensible and no nonsense as he relayed some sort of details about the Duke's day. 

So that the deeper kiss she'd intended claiming, changed into a swayed movment bubbling into laughter.  Francis was not naieve, he'd know he caught her in the midst of intentions upon his Duke, and her eyes danced of it - she had no secrets from him.  "Oh Kingston, you are just in time - it is not time for the shooting yet surely.  And His Grace and I have ideas for your outfits planned." 

Alas Nicolette had no idea that Francis abhorred tailors and fittings even more than he disliked bachelor auctions. 

"... unless, you would give us carte blanche?" 

 

 

  

Edited February 22, 2019 by Nicolette Vauquelin

[Duke of Buckingham]

"Mmmm, yes...sometimes regrettably so," the duke said with a drama of seriousness that didn't reach the mirth of his blue eyes. 

 

Buckingham smirked as she seemed to take advantage of both those sentiments: strong women and seizing the fun you wished. There were, of course, limits to such, but Buckingham was also such a successful mistress maker for another reason: he was not precisely competition for paternity with Charles, who was virile enough to be known as "father of his people" for different reasons than being king. George, on the other hand, despite a generous history of fuckery and debauchery, and a far more steady rate of mistress monogamy than Charles, had only been the (potential) father of two, perhaps three, children.  

 

However, Francis chose that moment to enter and bring news. He smiled without one sign of being caught at anything.

[Francis Kirke]

Up went his blond eyebrow. He looked between the two, his mind on the tailoring. He actually did not truly register that he had interrupted something. 

 

"Have you? I am sure you both are far more skilled than I," Francis replied, licking his lips.

 

Was he anxious to escape a room of fabrics?

 

"His Grace already takes carte blanche!" He chuckled at her thought it could be otherwise. Buckingham found it similarly amusing. "And surely this is all for you?" He noticed a number of decidedly feminine brocades, and he needed no assistance in appearing feminine!

[Nicolette Vauquelin]

Francis came over all adorably cute when confronted with prospect of clothing, he licked his lips, a clue to his emotion.  For a moment she pictured him a boy distressed at the tightness of a court vest when all he wanted to do was run and jump and play. 

Nicolette's smile grew wide accepting his good judgment - she could not be cruel and make him suffer any more.  "Some, but not all. Though I dare say the tailors have your measurements, and His Grace's appreciation of fashion is second to none in England, so you might be spared the fussing about.  But still, for my own interest I would love to know if you have a favourite colour?"   Asking him such she realised that it was a rare thing for Francis to express a preference.  He was an easy going man. (Which only made his reply even more interesting to her.)