No Gentlemen Call
Weak sunlight spilled like syrup through the drapes, dripping sickeningly sweet onto Regina’s bed. With it came the memories of last night, dancing and eating, the silly man in the hallway. Yesterday was only the beginning of the rest of her life, the gentlemen would start to call today. So many people spoke with her that she practically already had one foot out the door. Arms outstretched for whoever promised to take her the furthest.
Bird’s song could be heard, and it spread a tentative smile across Regina’s lips as she approached the window. Throwing open the drapes, she breathed in the warmth of the sun as it tickled her skin. Closing her eyes and lifting her chin, mind wandering to a man that felt like the sun. Easy smiles and oh so easy to tease. All dark skin and wild hair that made his glasses more mature than the crooked frames were inclined to be.
She stopped herself there. What was she thinking? What was she doing? Sunlight and birdsong? Last night was a disaster, sharing so many smiles, but never a dance. Regina was just clinging to the stupid man in the hall because it was probably the longest she had interacted with any of the gentleman, no matter how embarrassing the exchange was. She really should be more worried about whether or not the man would go running to the society papers.
Lord Avery wasn’t likely to say anything, just quietly withdrawal his intentions, but the other man was a wild card. Who would he tell, would he tell? He’d said it was his first season, but that doesn’t mean that he’s out of the loop on all things gossip. Regina stepped back from the window, opinion of the sun soured, suddenly scared of getting burned.
Glancing at the clock, Regina realized that it was a good thing that she lost that thought, if she had stayed with it any longer than she would be starting her day far too late.
Just as she was rushing over to her wardrobe to grab her clothes, an unfamiliar group of three women entered through her bedroom door. They all were silent and wearing the family crest, so they must work for the house, but Regina had never seen any of them before.
When they saw what she was doing, they all let out a collective gasp.
“Miss Black, you shouldn’t be doing that yourself,” one of the older women said. She had dark hair twisted into a tight bun in the back of her head, it was distinct when compared to the braids that the rest of them wore. The same woman stepped forward and wedged herself between Regina and the wardrobe.
“Oh, no,” Regina said, trying to reach around her, “I don’t need any assistance, I should be fine to get ready on my own.”
One of the younger ones grabbed Regina’s hand and began to lead her away. “That’s ok Miss, but we’ve been hired to help you this season and there’s no reason for you to be worrying yourself with all the silly things like what to wear.”
“But, I’ve always dressed myself,” Regina turned again to head back to where she was. “I appreciate your help, but at the very least I can pick my own gown.”
The third and final woman, flaming red hair trailing down her back, stepped in front of her, effectively stopping Regina’s advances, “We know Miss, but your mother has requested you don’t pick anything out yourself from now on.”
“Why not?”
Blue eyes like tempest settled onto Regina, “because she doesn’t feel that your choices are effective in finding a match.”
Regina could do little more than gape at her as the others ushered their quick apologies. The red head did not look sorry though, in fact, she looked proud that she had effectively shut Regina up.
She’d picked her gown last night, and despite the brief interlude in the corridor the night wasn’t entirely a disaster. Regina was allowed to be critical of herself, but the fact that her mother had noticed made her skin crawl. If Lady Black was willing to take over her daughter’s wardrobe, what other freedoms would be lost?
Regina was still reeling by the time they had finished dressing her in a soft blue day dress with small green embroidery at the cuffs. When they finally sat her down for her hair, she could manage small conversation. Regina learned that they had been hired just that morning, but had been aware that there might be positions opening in the house.
Walburga had no intention of even letting Regina pick out her gown last night, it was a mear scheduling oversight. She might as well get to know these girls who have more of her mother’s trust than Regina herself. Perhaps she can gain what little influence being friendly might bring over their styling choices.
By the end of the morning, Regina had learned a number of things. The oldest wasn’t truly old, barely thirty and named Elizabeth. She was stern and traditional, but had only ever worked with older ladies. Her opinions reflected that in style, but luckily not politics. The red hair belonged to Charlotte, who made it abundantly clear that she didn’t actually agree with Lady Black and her disapproval of Regina’s clothes, but her hair and makeup were severely lacking. Regina tried to be particularly nice to her. The last young woman, sporting a head of blonde curls, was Anne, this was her first time as a lady’s maid and was a year younger than Regina herself. If she had been raised to feel pity, Regina’s sure she would have had it for the girl’s trembling hands, but instead all she had was a distant acknowledgement that the girl must be quite good at her job considering the braids were still beautifully delicate.
When she was done, Anne called the braid wrapped around her head simple, but it was more elaborate than what Regina would have done for herself on a normal day. For events, such as diners or the last two season outings, she could always count on Kreature arranging her hair, she loved watching him meticulously picking out bobbles. She hopes that with her new maids Kreature will still be allowed to do those nicer does for her. All three of them seem quite proud, so she decides that this isn’t the right moment to ask.
Standing up, Regina doesn’t even have to brush herself off because Elizabeth was doing it for her.
“I think it’s time for breakfast Miss,” Anne said as she glanced at the clock.
Regina looked at herself in the mirror, then at the clock and grimaced as it read just past eleven. “I don’t think we’ll have the time, gentlemen should be calling soon and it would be rude to keep them waiting.”
OoO
During the third hour of her and her mother sitting alone in the parlor, Regina seriously considered clawing her own eyes out. Maybe throwing herself from the upstairs balcony was a better idea. There is a lake only a few blocks away that she could surely disappear into.
If all her plans and conversations had gone to plan, Regina wouldn’t be contemplating mangling herself, but they hadn’t. Despite last night’s long line of stimulating conversation, no gentlemen had called. Through the window, she could see carriage after carriage pulling into the Pettigrews’ drive, but none had graced the Blacks’ door.
Dread fills Regina at the thought that word of last night’s fiasco somehow got out. Who would have said anything? Would that truly make every gentlemen refuse to see her? Walburga might never let Regina marry to a lower status, but the men would surely still come to meet her, would they not?
Tears are starting to swell, Regina needs a new line of thought and she needs it now. Her mother looks upset that no one has come, Regina can afford to let her handle marriage prospects until the next ball, can’t she? Tomorrow. Wait, no, new line of thought, new line of thought.
It’s really quite a shame, because Kreature had spent so much time making an array of delicious treats for everyone. There were cookies and sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade, all in several different varieties. He was so hopeful of Regina’s prospects that every surface was covered in the stuff. She’s been picking, slowly trying to try a little of everything. Sadness settled in her as she realized that most of it would have to be thrown out, there was no way the house could eat it all of it before it was spoiled. Then again, Regina does have a few new hands that could take some. She thinks that they wouldn’t mind having a few treats to take home, but it will take some convincing.
A mental list is forming of the things she will need to package everything up when Kreature enters holding a card. Maybe last night was not a waste.
“Lord Avery to see Miss Regina Black.”
Confusion rips through her, but years of her mother’s heavy handed training keeps Regina’s back straight and chin tall as the man steps around the butler. Once he is fully in view, Regina has to actively think about not letting her jaw drop.
A dark purple bruise has blossomed across the right side of his jaw, a sickly yellow climbing up the side of his face to wrap up into his cheek and down onto his neck. Regina hadn’t thought that she’d hit him that hard, but she had had to ice her knuckles after she returned home last night, so maybe. There is also the possibility that the other man had hit him again after she’d left, but, despite the way that the thought made Regina blush, he seemed too kind hearted to hit a man while he’s down.
None of this changes the fact that Lord Avery had been entirely inappropriate last night, and that Regina is the one who gave him that bruise, so why is he still calling. Out of all the gentlemen she had expected, Lord Avery was not one of them.
“Miss Black, Lady Black,” the man gave a curt bow and moved forward to place the small package under his arm onto the table. The thing was plain brown paper with a green ribbon and would fit into the palm of Regina’s hand. It’s quiet frankly ridiculous that he had it tucked into side rather than just holding it.
He was just staring at Regina, a lopsided smile painted onto his face. For the sake of being polite, Regina nodded and turned the corners of her lips upward. Walburga let them sit in the awkward silence for several excruciating minutes before clearing her throat and finally deciding to speak herself rather than waiting for them.
“Lord Avery, what a wonderful treat.”
“Am I the only gentlemen to call? Do I get you all to myself Miss Regina? What a treat indeed.”
“Yes, come,” Walburga waved him towards the coach as she stood. “Come sit here by Regina, I’ll take a seat just over there.”
“Over there” was a plush armchair less than two feet away. When Lord Avery sat down at the end of the coach he ended up closer to her mother than Regina herself. Not that she was going to complain, they had been far too close last night and she intended to keep more than a respectable distance from now on.
The lack of proximity was a blessing, but now that Avery was seated he was forced to choose between looking at Regina and her mother, and it was obvious which one he had picked. His shoulders were twisted in a way that she could see little more than the back of his head.
They shut Regina out of their discussion, one filled with questions she would love to be asking anyone else but Avery. What his family did for money, what he plans to do for money, how many siblings he has, where he spends his time. All of these questions and answers bored her until that last one, when Avery mentioned a family home in Scotland. Scotland’s far away.
“It’s that a long journey?” Walburga asked, sharing her daughter’s interest, though probably for very different reasons.
“It is, and it is terribly troublesome. I don’t spend much time in the country, and I don’t plan on changing that.” He leans in as if telling a secret, “if it weren’t an ancestral home, and such a mark of status I would have sold it ages ago.”
Tenshon falls from both of the woman’s shoulders. Walburga with relief, Regina with disappointment.
The rest of Lord Avery’s visit passed with nothing to note. Once he was gone, Walburga faced her daughter and raised a brow.
“Honestly Regina, I would have turned away all of the others just for Lord Avery, but look,” she gestured to the rest of the empty room. “Now it looks like all my worrying was for not. We just have to wait for his proposal.”
“If he proposes.”
The older woman let out a bark that must have meant to be a laugh, “oh, humble is not a good look on you, daughter of mine. You two are practically married already.”
OoO
Regina had fled the parlor the moment it was acceptable for her to do so, taking the steps two at a time. Taking the corners close, she hated that she was going deeper into the house. Her first priority was getting away from that room, that man, her mother, those words.
Sweeping into her room, as soon as the door was closed Regina was clawing at the buttons running down her back. She needed out, she needed out. Her fingers kept slipping on the cloth, they wouldn’t, they wouldn’t undo. The fabric refused to pull away.
Regina had resorted to paising, desperately clawing at the neckline of her dress, just trying to get some room to breathe. Long minutes passed as she worked her breathe in and out of panic. Every time she glimpsed herself in the mirror her face was burning red, eyes glazed with water. She had to start tip toeing so that her mother wouldn’t hear the constant footfall. Apparently, someone had noticed anyway.
Charlotte's gasp and subsequent slamming of the door behind her were not subtle in the slightest. Regina whirled around to face the red head and immediately tried to cool her expression. Confusion flashed across the intruder’s eyes.
“Wha… How… How did you do that?”
“Do what?” Regina did little more than blink at Charlotte’s awe struck face.
“You were just crying.”
“No I wasn’t,” Regina snipped, far too quickly.
“Yes, you were. I could hear you through the door. Then, when I came in, your cheeks were flushed.” Charlotte leveled a look on Regina that left no room for argument. “But that’s besides the point. Kind of. Once you’d heard me, all that red, all those tears, they went away.”
“Yes, well, that’s what happens when you stop crying. Not that I was, mind you. But if I were to stop, all the red and tears disappear.” Regina turned and fussed with herself in the mirror. “That is common knowledge, is it not? Everyone cries in the as a child, but we don’t spend the rest of our days trailing salt water down their cheeks, things like that tend to disappear.”
Regina must have put an air of finality to her words, because Charlotte dropped the subject despite her apprehensive look.
“Speaking of the rest of our lives, I doubt that any more gentlemen will call today. So, have the stables prepare my horse, and send Elizabeth and Anne in to help me into my riding habit.”
Charlotte might have been willing to let the crying go, but she was clearly hesitant about leaving her.
“Please, just go.”
“Miss, Kreature is busy making diner and wont be able to take you riding.”
“Then have someone else take me, anyone else.”
With that, Charlotte left the room, and with her went any of Regina’s hope at gaining her confidence and future freedoms.
OoO
She should have known that desperately begging Charlotte to have anyone take Regina riding was a bad idea. Apparently, anyone ment Sirius and he was all too happy to take his sister on an impromptu ride around the park without their mother’s knowledge.
He’s smiling like a fool and chattering like a parrot as they lap around the lake. Regina is trying her best to ignore him, rather taking in the path and the trees and the sky and the light and the warmth. It’s so warm.
“Reggie?” Sirius asks, suddenly slowing his horses pace.
“What?”
“Where were you just then?”
“Right here.”
“Ok, then what was I talking about?”
“Some idiotic idea that you have my full permission to go through with.”
“Really?” This time he’s stopped. Maybe Regina should’ve been paying attention, he’s got that gleam in his eye. She’d hoped that the plan he’s been ranting about for the past half hour would only get him hurt, now she fears that she might be the main victim.
“That’s brilliant Reggie,” he clicks and his strong white steed starts forward. “I’ll start asking around, maybe I can have James help. I should invite him to diner tonight, Mother wont like it, but at least on a short notice she wont be able to refuse. Oh, and then there is another ball tomorrow night, we can start the search then.”
This time it’s Regina to stop.
“What’s wrong?”
“What search?”
“The search for your husband of course,” Sirius shook his head as if that was the only possible answer in the world. “Don’t think I didn’t notice the lack of suitors at our door this morning, no doubtably Mother’s doing. Scaring away all of the decent ones.”
Well, Regina couldn’t exactly argue with that. It did sound like something Walburga would do, and after this afternoon’s visit from Lord Avery it might be the most reasonable explanation. Regina’s sudden belief in Sirius’ theory had absolutely no relation to her pride, but it did help sooth it’s wounds. She hadn’t done anything wrong. Only marginally more content then before, she let them continue on their ride.
“Don’t worry, sister. We’ll find you a nice suitable young man to marry. I’m sure that there is at least one living in The Ton that Lady Black hasn’t sunk her fangs into.”
“And if I don’t want a man living in The Ton?”
Sirius only let shock show on his face for a moment before he carried on.
“Well, if your scared I wont approve because of their class, you have nothing to worry about. However, I am quite offended that you let me ramble on about finding you a match when you’ve already found someone.”
“For the millionth time during this conversation; what on god’s green Earth are you talking about Sirius? Class? What would class have anything to do with it? I was talking about living in the country.”
At her words, Sirius turned beat red in embarrassment. Sputtering, it took several long moments for him to regain his ability to speak. “The country? Really Reggie? You hate the country.”
“I do not.”
“Then why haven’t you been since you were twelve? Hmm, little sister? Tell me why you have gone nearly a decade with no desire to leave town and suddenly you want to live as far away as possible?” Sirius at least has the decency to look sheepish before the next words come out of his mouth. “Is it because I’ve moved back?”
The sheepish look didn’t stop Regina from seeing red.
“How dare you. You have been away for just over a year, and yet you have forgotten so much. How. Dare. You. I have wanted to leave this god forsaken city for a lot longer than a year Sirius.”
“Then why haven’t you?” Sirius shed any of his nerves from before, voice growing stern. “It’s not like you don’t have the means. Just pick up and go Regina, nothing is keeping you here.”
“Oh, I have the means? Nothing is keeping me here? Sirius, you cannot honestly think that I would still have any means if I just picked up and left. You cannot possibly think that I have any other option than marriage. Than to hope and prey and beg the cosmos that I will have a husband that will be willing to take me. If I were to leave, I would be leaving everything, my money, my status, my life, my family.”
“You would still have me.”
“No, I wouldn’t. If I left, Mother would blame you for corrupting me, you would be leaving too. Except, you wouldn’t be stripped of your status and life, just your money and your place here in London. Both of which you have expressed your indifference towards. Your life wouldn’t change if I left. You would go back to The Potter Estates and only think back fondly of your little interlude here in society. You would go on doing what you were always meant to do, absolutely nothing, and I would never be able to fulfill my purpose.”
“Tell me, sister, what is this purpose? Hmm?” Rage drips from Sirius’ words. “Because clearly it is also to do nothing but with the added bonus of sitting there in your fancy clothes and finding yourself a husband.”
“Exactly. That is precisely what I have been raised to be.”
“Then, by all means, don’t let me stand in the way.” The pair begin to pick up the pace of their riding. “In fact, I’ll still invite James to diner, don’t want this interlude to last too long for either of us, now do we.”
OoO
Gentle Reader, there is nothing quite like the morning after the first event of the season. Gentlemen flooding into the parlors of many a young lady. Romance is in the air, florist are frantic to remake their stock. Those of the Pettigrew and McKinnon families seem to be bursting with visitors, but notably, the Black House is not.
Those who put faith in Miss Regina Black’s ability to have a swift season will either be sorely disappointed or pleasantly surprised. As of late afternoon, the debutante has only welcomed one gentlemen into her company, a Lord Avery. No one else visited, and he did not visit anyone else. It is possible that the pair have formed an unlikely attachment already. Should we be expecting an engagement soon? Or perhaps a withdrawal of the royals’ favor?
But that sounds so depressing, let us speak on something far more lighthearted. Such as the look on the new Duke’s face when the first swarming mama approached. His Grace, James Potter, was in quite a shock about the ferocity in which the mamas of The Ton hunt for son-in-laws. The author imagines that it is a very different hunt then the ones His Grace is used to in the country. No doubtably, he had expected one Viscount Sirius Black, or perhaps Lady McGonagall, to come to his rescue. However, Lord Black was making, now fruitless, efforts to see his sister courted, and, as the host, Lady McGonagall made little time for the desperate young man. He appeared to dance with everyone and no one all at once. Keeping appearances well without forming attachments.
This author has little else to note for this first day. No other attachments, no other high ranking gentlemen have come to town, but there are always rumors.