A long moment passes in which he shuffles his cards and decides what to hand her, and when he makes his move, it's the king of hearts she gets - as well as his handkerchief, hemstitched and soft between her fingers when she picks it up discreetly, dabbing at her eyes with one hand freed from the cards, clutched in the other. The cotton is extremely soft, but without initials or any such finery that her brother favours, if nothing else because their father favoured it first and he walks in his footsteps, tall and proud.
Freedom wasn't his calling, Lord Melbourne informs her and in that, he reminds her of her brother with his business. He didn't serve his country well, like she's sure Lord Melbourne is, but he serves his own interests and maybe in some ways, that's the same thing. Their interests just differ.
And hers differ from the both of them. She wants her freedom, she wills the truth about herself! Maybe the man sitting opposite her, who is far older and more experienced in the matter than she could hope to be at twenty-three, is right insofar that one shouldn't marry just out of love or just out of obligation, but a mix of the two, yet she wants the choice to be hers. She wants to choose her own obligations. She wants to make those calls herself.
Hasn't he been? Wasn't that choice, at least, his to make? She wants to ask him, but dabs a couple of times more at her eyes before finding the courage, wetting her lips once before finally finding the English words and the bravery to ask, softly, "Why did you enter yours?"
Oh, but it's so personal. It's so intimate. But with the idea she has, forming more and more tangibly at the back of her mind, Sylvie thinks it's the way they must go under any circumstances.
She just hopes he is willing to tread the path with her.
Melbourne is excused from answering immediately as his niece Minny approaches the table, carrying her youngest son who is fast asleep and therefore listless, his head drooping on his mother's shoulder.
"Uncle... Sylvie... I came to say we're leaving. My boys are quite worn out from today's excitement." She glances back at her husband who has the older boy tucked against his side. He nods in their direction, giving his silent farewell from across the room.
"It was so good to see you," she continues with a smile and rests her hand briefly on Melbourne's arm, to which he reciprocates by placing his other hand on top of hers. "You too, Sylvie. Until next time, yes?"
"Of course. Your mother will make sure of that." Emily wasn't about to let him get cooped up at his London house for too long. There would be another invitation soon enough.
After Minny and her small family have taken their leave, it's Frances who sits in front of the piano now. As much she likes Sylvie, she's a bit more shy to show off her skills while the "sophisticated and worldly French lady" is in the room, so she plays little tunes quietly, without drawing attention to herself.
Meanwhile Melbourne turns his attention to Sylvie's question, though he's not keen to answer it. He doesn't know how much she already knows and whether she's trying deliberately to pull out the dirt... It's simple self-preservation on his part, he can't help but be wary. Still, he's fairly open about the whole thing, at least outwardly.
"She was beautiful and lively and I fell for her. She had a way with words. It was a good match on paper, too, some said." He wonders if he should have stressed Caroline's wit first, not her looks, but it was too late to change that now.
"Unfortunately love doesn't mean people are always good to each other."
Edited (Just added a small sentence to the paragraph starting 'Meanwhile...') 2024-03-29 20:00 (UTC)
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Freedom wasn't his calling, Lord Melbourne informs her and in that, he reminds her of her brother with his business. He didn't serve his country well, like she's sure Lord Melbourne is, but he serves his own interests and maybe in some ways, that's the same thing. Their interests just differ.
And hers differ from the both of them. She wants her freedom, she wills the truth about herself! Maybe the man sitting opposite her, who is far older and more experienced in the matter than she could hope to be at twenty-three, is right insofar that one shouldn't marry just out of love or just out of obligation, but a mix of the two, yet she wants the choice to be hers. She wants to choose her own obligations. She wants to make those calls herself.
Hasn't he been? Wasn't that choice, at least, his to make? She wants to ask him, but dabs a couple of times more at her eyes before finding the courage, wetting her lips once before finally finding the English words and the bravery to ask, softly, "Why did you enter yours?"
Oh, but it's so personal. It's so intimate. But with the idea she has, forming more and more tangibly at the back of her mind, Sylvie thinks it's the way they must go under any circumstances.
She just hopes he is willing to tread the path with her.
no subject
"Uncle... Sylvie... I came to say we're leaving. My boys are quite worn out from today's excitement." She glances back at her husband who has the older boy tucked against his side. He nods in their direction, giving his silent farewell from across the room.
"It was so good to see you," she continues with a smile and rests her hand briefly on Melbourne's arm, to which he reciprocates by placing his other hand on top of hers. "You too, Sylvie. Until next time, yes?"
"Of course. Your mother will make sure of that." Emily wasn't about to let him get cooped up at his London house for too long. There would be another invitation soon enough.
After Minny and her small family have taken their leave, it's Frances who sits in front of the piano now. As much she likes Sylvie, she's a bit more shy to show off her skills while the "sophisticated and worldly French lady" is in the room, so she plays little tunes quietly, without drawing attention to herself.
Meanwhile Melbourne turns his attention to Sylvie's question, though he's not keen to answer it. He doesn't know how much she already knows and whether she's trying deliberately to pull out the dirt... It's simple self-preservation on his part, he can't help but be wary. Still, he's fairly open about the whole thing, at least outwardly.
"She was beautiful and lively and I fell for her. She had a way with words. It was a good match on paper, too, some said." He wonders if he should have stressed Caroline's wit first, not her looks, but it was too late to change that now.
"Unfortunately love doesn't mean people are always good to each other."