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| Dancing and revelry; Adam Lambert | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 7 2011, 07:31 PM (248 Views) | |
| Alice Browne | Jan 7 2011, 07:31 PM Post #1 |
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Alice was adjusting to court life quite nicely. In the first few weeks at court, she had been called upon by none other than the Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who had made a most promising proposition for her. He had caught sight of her interest in a young knight at court who was quite close in companionship to the King himself. Her own brother was a Knight and arrangements between Alice and the young Sir Arthur Lambert were not far fetched at all. Alice thought that the good Cardinal wanted nothing more than to ensure that the young knight, so close to the King's counsel, was set up with a potential wife that would prove to be loyal, faithful and agreeable; all things in which Alice knew herself to be quite capable of. The only thing he had requested of her was her company every so often to enlighten him on her own progression - something she was more than willing to provide for him. It wasn't at all that Alice enjoyed speaking of herself or her affairs. Quite the opposite, actually. She would have preferred to remain silent and poised in regards to courtly life, but when she weighted the offer of standing at Arthur Lambert's side against the weight of the requirement for such payment, she was more than willing to comply. She was only thankful that the Cardinal was so kind. As Alice slowly came more and more into her own at court, she was recognized as being a vibrant and kind young soul. She enjoyed merrymaking and dancing (she was also quite surprisingly good at it) and generally entertaining those surrounding her at court. She was ever the charming young lady, capable of holding intellectual conversation but never overstepping her bounds. Her brother would have been most proud of the young lady she had become at court, no doubt. Today was a day for revelry and fun. The meal had been prepared and served and now all that was left was the courtiers, mingling amongst themselves while various courtiers took up the art of dance to entertain both themselves and those around them. Alice had sat out the first few dances, hanging back to fill the Queen's cup with wine as she so desired until, eventually, she was urged to go enjoy herself by another lady who, instead, took up her post. With a smile of thanks, Alice made her way to the dance floor just as another tune started up for those occupying it. She stood across from a charming young man who gave her a smile as they lead into the dance. This one was far more upbeat and lively than some of the others that had been played earlier as the musicians were leading into the peak of the evening. The level of energy and excitement from the dancers was clearly optimal and the enjoyment of all those around them was quite plain in the smiles on their faces. Alice placed her dainty hand into that of the young man she had been paired with and he spun her around before completing another series of steps. The next time he spun her around himself, she was handed off to another lady whom she smiled at as they handed one another off again to another partner. Eventually, Alice made it back to her place which should have been at the young man whom she had originally been dancing with, but as she was caught around the waist and brought in closer to her dance partner, her cheeks instantly flamed red as she realized that this was certainly not the young man she had expected but none other than Sir Arthur Lambert himself... |
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| Arthur Lambert | Jan 7 2011, 07:51 PM Post #2 |
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Sir Arthur Lambert had enjoyed his food and the company of his friends greatly. He had been at court for almost three years now, and the more time that passed the more he enjoyed it. It became something else he was good at. Arthur was a quick learner, so he had adjusted to court life rather quickly. He was in a rather grand mood at the moment as he took sips from his wine, chuckling with his friends as some of the courtiers took up dancing. His dark eyes trailed over the women and men, examining the interactions out of habit as he kept track of the conversation he was a part of effortlessly. Then, he saw her. Miss Alice Browne. The very young lady his father had informed him to take a liking to. Apparently the girl had an eye for him; although why, he knew not. It seemed a bit silly to him, as they had never shared a word or a glance that he knew of. However, Arthur had to do what he had to do, and when Cardinal Wolsey gave him a task, he dutifully did said task. He had a fleeting thought about whether that made him a dutiful son or simply a good spy. It did not particularly matter. "Well gentleman, I will take my leave of you. Something has caught my eye." He gave a knowing sort of masculine grin, although it was mostly feigned. Arthur knew the young lady's dance partner, so he easily was able to replace the other man in the dance. He went nimbly from partner to partner before he came back to his target, touching her waist as dictated by the dance and then smiling down at her. "My apologies, but your partner was forced to bow out," he informed her, with a nod. "And you are one of Her Majesty's new ladies, are you not?" |
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| Alice Browne | Jan 7 2011, 08:29 PM Post #3 |
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Alice's movements became stiff for a moment as she tried to overcome her shock and embarrassment at having been caught in the dance with none other than the object of her admiration. She was embarrassed furthermore when she realized that a pink color had crept up from the bodice of her dress to flush her in obvious embarrassment. Oh, if only she would have kept her composure better! She felt the fool almost instantly, but it took her only a moment to regain sense of her own body and footing and flow through the dance smoothly once more. The smile he gave her caused her to lower her eyes for a moment before she once again looked up to him. She hadn't even seen him approaching. Had she have, she might have been able to hold her grace in the midst of the dance, but she had been oblivious to him. She likely still would have been surprised that he had chosen to dance with her as her partner, but her disconcert would have certainly been a little more reasonable to deal with. "My apologies, but your partner was forced to bow out," She smiled at him and shook her head. "Tis quite alright, Sir," she said with a shrug of her shoulder. "I find that my current dance partner is more than adequate to fill his position," she replied, once again finding her charm in the mess of nerves she had become. How foolish of her to be so willing to tumble over herself for a charming and attractive young man! "And you are one of Her Majesty's new ladies, are you not?" She didn't respond immediately as the dance brought them away from one another for a moment before bringing them together once more. "That is true. I am the Lady Alice Browne." She tilted her head to the side curiously as she regarded him. "And are you not Sir Arthur Lambert?" She asked of him quietly. She, of course, knew who he was, but was giving him the opportunity to properly introduce himself to her. "I must say, I am most thankful that you came to my rescue when my partner so suddenly had to leave," she said with a small, knowing smile. |
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| Arthur Lambert | Jan 8 2011, 09:52 PM Post #4 |
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Well, as always, Cardinal Wolsey was quite correct. This young lady rather fancied him, judging by the reaction he felt in her body, chastely as it were. Arthur moved around the dance easily, giving her enough of a smile to entice her a bit. He rather preferred the natural approach, even if this was an arrangement on his father's part. Besides, she should like him even better after knowing him a bit better after some enticement. So Arthur was destined to a little more woo and a lot less pursue. Not that he particularly liked pursuing women, because he did not. However, sometimes he did not completely fancy these little games he had to play. Part of him wanted to be above that. He had inherited an ambitious and calculating attitude. "I will endeavor to be, to be sure, although you mayhap deserve much more." A little bit of modesty went a long way with certain ladies. Not to mention flirtation. He was quite good at that. She was quite pretty. 'twould not be difficult in the least. "A pleasure to finally know a name to attach to your pretty face," he said with a half-smile as he turned away from her for a few moments as the song dictated. "You know me, then?" He held her hand and then switched it to the other as she moved around him. She had a pleasing figure, and he admired her skin. "Oh, it is I who is thankful for his misfortune and loss, but I am not sorry for him." He said the last part flippantly, jokingly, but the first part he had said quite seriously. Appearing to be so at the least. |
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| Alice Browne | Jan 9 2011, 06:17 PM Post #5 |
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Alice couldn't help but feel caught up in the moment. How was it that the man she had been unable to help herself watch had come across her in such a manner? How was it that he had taken up a notice in her? Oh goodness... Had he noticed her watching him? Her cheeks flamed up the moment the thought presented itself to her mind and she just wanted to melt into the floor beneath her. How embarrassing if that should have been the case! Was he then, only humoring her at the moment? She took a deep breath and carried on fluidly through the dance, taking a moment to keep her eyes averted to the ground and regain her composure before she bothered meeting his eyes. Truthfully, did it matter what his reasons were? He was there. Dancing with her. Little else mattered. "I will endeavor to be, to be sure, although you mayhap deserve much more." She gave a demure smile at that, but didn't bother arguing with him. A lady was, after all, meant to be agreeable. "Thank you for your kind words," she murmured in turn to him, knowing well enough when to humbly accept his praise. She wasn't about to disgrace herself in his presence anyhow. Not when he was so close and clearly paying attention to her. Oh... but how inexperienced she was! Her brothers and father could never have prepared her for a situation the likes of this, nor would they ever have agreed with it! "A pleasure to finally know a name to attach to your pretty face," She felt a series of goosebumps rise upon her flesh at the admission and she had to work, for a moment, to keep herself from tripping over her own feet or blushing profusely once again. Confidence wasn't exactly her strong suit in this regard for the simple fact that she knew not what to expect. All that she did know was that she found the man in front of her quite handsome. "You are too kind, Sir, but I am but one face in a room full of others." She stated. "You know me, then?" She realized the mistake in that a moment too soon and struggled with whether or not she should simply shrug it off or tell him the truth. She was, however, happy to simply redirect his attention. "Oh, it is I who is thankful for his misfortune and loss, but I am not sorry for him." She smiled at him once more. "And as terrible as it is for me to say it, I am not sorry to see him go." She said softly. "You are, after all, quite the dance partner and gentleman." She offered. |
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| Arthur Lambert | Jan 10 2011, 03:47 PM Post #6 |
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Arthur was a bit surprised to find a very pretty and yet seemingly modest woman. She seemed to have an element of shyness to her, and he found it rather endearing in a way. She was easily smitten by his words and behavior, and many of his sentiments were not entirely false either. The movement of her dress as she moved...well, Arthur had no problem looking at her. None at all. At least Cardinal Wolsey had not asked him to woo some homely, misfortunate woman. His father had actually asked a task of him which was not such as bad a task as he thought. "A flower is a flower then that you would not notice a rose in a room full of daisies?" he asked her easily. Although, that was a particular sentiment he had stolen from hearing another courtier use it. It was not his own words. Arthur gave her a nod-like bow for her compliment, playing into not being too boastful of himself. That was not a hard part to play, because Arthur was not the boastful sort. It was often harder for him to play that particular role, especially with women. He wondered that nobody had seemed to notice that he had differences in his character depending on whom he was dealing with. "We all know that it is the ladies that make the gentlemen look good in a dance," he replied, with a half-smile as the song ended before he separated to their places and gave her a bow. Smiling at her, he offered her his arm. "I find myself in need of some wine, would you care to join me Mistress Browne?" Shortly, he found them the corner of a table to occupy not in the center or the room. He waited for her to sit and then seated himself on the other side of the corner. He reached over and grasped a bottle of wine, sending her another smile, looking at her through some of the hair that had fallen to obscure his vision to the side. "How has your stay been thus far? Have you found the King's Court, pleasing?" He handed her a cup gently before filling one for himself and lifting it to his life as he looked at her face intently. |
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10:54 AM Jul 11