Sebastian sat idly twiddling his thumbs. He was currently gazing up at the big clock in his father's drawing room, watching the time go by until his waste of time began. Mister Ashley Havisham, the twenty-four year old's father and friend, had tried over and over to convince Sebastian to take tea with various girls in society. Sebastian only succumbed to his father's wish for dinners. Dinner dates were far less awkward, because one had the company of others should the conversation go sour with the female. Tea was a far different matter, for it was reserved for the man and the woman alone, along with a chaperone who stood at a distance and only raised their voice if something inappropriate should occur. But, feeling as if there was no hope for himself after his most recent infatuation with one Violet Ollivander, Sebastian let himself be roped into tea with some stranger who he had never met before. It had been a stupid decision to listen to his father for once, and Sebastian wasn't very happy about it. He still quite liked the idea of marrying for love, and he wasn't entirely optimistic about loving this girl when he was in his current state of heartbreak.
He had been happily surprised when his father had mentioned she lived in Bartonburg. Sebastian's dad generally didn't like mixing with the middle class, and while of course this girl's father seemed to be at the higher end of that social group, Sebastian was impressed by his father's approval of the Kirton family. Sebastian was one to mix with any social group. He found himself mixing with men of the lower class on late nights out, even, and was completely of the mind that every one was of the same caliber regardless of how much money they had in their pocket.
The girl was still at Hogwarts, and had gotten special permission to leave the school with an escort in order to attend the affair. It was a Saturday afternoon, and Sebastian had left his office at the MoM where he worked as a translator to meet her here at his father's home. Mister Ashley Havisham was, of course, nowhere to be found, as he rather enjoyed hunting during the weekends, and in his absence was Sebastian's aunt from his father's side to act as chaperone in case the escort from Hogwarts did not want to stay. It was all much to do about nothing, really. Although, there were lovely smells coming from the kitchen.
her outfit
When Maddie had received the recent letter from her father, informing her of his intention to introduce her to an eligible gentleman or two, she had assumed she would have at least a few weeks to prepare herself for such an occasion. However it was less than a week later as she found herself checking her appearance in the mirror one last time before leaving the castle - chaperoned, of course - to keep the appointment her father had arranged.
Naturally she had mixed feelings about this. Receiving special permission to leave Hogwarts in order to meet a potential husband had made her feel terribly mature and enviable, and of course she had whispered with her friends about the gentleman she was expected to meet. All she knew was his name and that he was a good deal younger than she had feared, which was a comforting thought. However, she was not at all certain she felt ready to be thrust into adult society quite yet. She felt horribly unprepared and quite frankly terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing. The fact that she had taken tea with her sisters or friends on numerous occasions did little to reassure her, for the etiquette of this situation was far removed from anything she had experienced before.
None of this showed on the outside, of course. She kept her head up, walked straight and calmly, though once they entered the Wellingtonshire district her heart started pounding more fiercely. Firmly, she told herself to breathe evenly. The worst thing she could imagine would be swooning on the gentleman's doorstep before they had even met. Later, once this was over, she could lie on her bed for the whole evening if she felt the need.
She nodded to the servant who took her cloak, hat and gloves and managed to keep her hands by her side as she was announced, rather than lacing and relacing her fingers as she tended to do when she was feeling nervous. With one last glance to her escort - a mature woman who she did not know terribly well - she stepped into the room and got her first glance at the gentleman she had come here to meet. A little of her nervousness vanished as she realised his appearance was certainly not disagreeable, though she wished she had thought to ask someone about the correct protocol in such situations. Should she wait for him to speak, or greet him? Would he be offended if she did speak first?
Deciding that appearing forward was a lesser crime than appearing dull and insipid, she said quietly "Good afternoon, Mr Havisham", pleased that her voice came out sounding well-moderated rather than nervous.
The only person who scrolled through Sebastian's mind was a certain redhead whose name he didn't dare think of, lest he be reminded of all the others things he associated with it. An elephant could walk through those doors, and it wouldn't matter. Sebastian viewed his time as a potential suitor from this point forward as nothing more than a business transaction. He had resigned himself to the fate of his father's wishes and from here on out he would just be his father's pawn. Mind you, he hadn't the slightest idea if he could actually commit to such a mindset, but it was worth a shot to act like a robot. Perhaps that would make him forget this dreaded week.
He wore bright colors, generally, and was currently wearing a crimson jacket with brown pants and a creak colored shirt. His hair was messy, as per usual, but perhaps more tame than it would be on a regular basis. Sebastian had a boyishness about him that he tried his best to mask during occasions like this, but that was hard for him. He was used to saying what was on his mind, making a fool out of himself, and laughing. He did not like to be cooped up in a tea room talking about the latest ribbons available in town, or the state of Misses So-and-So's curtains. He was cynical about it, and he knew it, but it was hard not to be about some things.
He heard the maid take the woman's coat at the front door, and immediately stood, straightening out his pants and fixing his jacket to be more straight. He breathed inwardly, admittedly a little nervous because one never knew what to expect with things like this. For all he knew, this woman might be delightful. But in his present state of negativity he doubted it. No woman could be Violet Ollivander for him, and she was all over his brain. He wondered what dress she wore today, what perfume she had donned, and what book was currently in her hands. He wondered what had inspired her that afternoon, and what, or who, had brought a gorgeous blush to her cinnamon speckled face.
The woman walked in. She was admittedly agreeable looking, and seemed perfectly kind. He liked that she spoke to him first, and yet he was sure she would be completely polite the entire time, and he was so tired of polite people. He knew he would have to accept a dull, loveless, etiquette ridden life, but was hesitant to have it start just yet.
"Good afternoon, Miss Kirton," he said with a bow. "Can I offer you a seat?"
Breathe, Maddie! She reminded herself for the twentieth time that there was absolutely no need to be nervous. Young ladies had endured meetings of this kind since before her grandmother's time, and nobody had ever died of embarrassment, no matter what might go wrong. Not that anything was going to go wrong, of course. She knew how to behave; she had looked straight ahead, yet with her eyes cast just slightly down, while she had paid a little attention to the entrance of this house she had firmly resisted the temptation to look around the room, aside from observing that it was a good deal larger than it had appeared from the outside.
A seat. Yes, of course. She inclined her head gracefully, murmured the expected words of thanks and lowered herself delicately onto a char a few feet away from the young gentleman. She didn't need to glance up to know that they were not alone in the room; that alone reassured her. Not that she expected this gentleman might wish to sit closer or take her hand or anything scandalous; just that the sense of having a chaperone made this feel somehow less formal. Which it was, she knew that. What this whole meeting really meant was two young people considering each other as possible candidates for marriage. How exactly was one supposed to tell whether the person they had just met would be the right person to spend a life with? With her female friends at school and even in Hogsmeade it was quite simple to get to know one another. Bonding over a shared love of books, or embroidery, or walks through the town was a jolly affair. But this...
Perhaps Mr Havisham was feeling a little nervous as well, she told herself. His was the harder position after all; Maddie simply needed to be chosen by a gentleman - or at least in her slightly naive mind that was what happened. Look attractive, speak politely, make a good impression - that was what was expected of her. It was a shame that she was so curious - she wondered what the gentleman's line of work was, or if his family were well-off and didn't need to work at all. She was curious as to which house he had belonged to if he had attended Hogwarts, and she wondered if he had a sister she might become friends with if this meeting proved favourable.
None of which were suitable questions to ask. Instead she contented herself with the socially acceptable "I trust you are quite well?"
Sebastian was rarely nervous. Being rather upbeat and outgoing at every occasion, nervousness did not make sense to him. He preferred to feel comfortable in his surroundings, and rarely worried about his social context. His nerves did not strike him on this occasion, either, for in many ways it felt like a simple business meeting or transaction, like a healthy man going to the doctor for an annual check up. This girl did not know the first thing about him, and perhaps she had her own ideas about marriage, but he most certainly doubted she was head over heels for him.
Sebastian watched her take a seat before taking his own. He had never done this with Violet before, sat down to a tea in his father's home, and perhaps that was why being with her had felt so natural all of the time. Violet seemed to radiate an air of casualty that could not be emulated in such a forced setting. Sebastian doubted that anyone could truly find love in the confines of their parent's home. It seemed rather impossible, actually, and he fretted that he was doomed.
The home was well furnished, and bordered on gaudy. Sebastian's father liked to flaunt his wealth quite a bit, and while Sebastian was not so blatant in his show of his wealth, he did have a home to be proud of. Sebastian appreciated the beauty in things. He liked to dress well, to have a nice home, and to be comfortable. he most certainly did not see the value in flaunting his own fortune, though, and very frequently drank with members of the lower classes- much to the chagrin of his dear father.
Her question was a polite one, and he imagined someone had taught her the perfectly composed etiquette to follow at events such as these. She probably was more nervous than hem granted she was his junior by seven years - he would be astounded if her father subjected her to as many meetings as he did. "Very well, thank you Miss Kirton," Sebastian said with a gentle smile. "I trust Hogwarts is doing well by you?" He envied that she was still at school. Hogwarts had been his glory day, and he felt longing to return often.
OOC: Sorry this took ages!
That was a rather startling colour for a jacket. Such was the unhelpful thought that ran through Maddie's mind repeatedly, and she would have greatly appreciated almost any distraction to take her thoughts off the gentleman's clothing just then. Had he known what she was thinking, Maddie was certain she would probably be thanked for visiting and shown the door immediately. Such was her inexperience with such things. However, she couldn't help but wonder how often Mr Havishan had sat in this room with a young lady. He certainly didn't appear nervous, but by the same token, she hoped that she didn't seem that way either, so perhaps appearances could be deceptive.
This was a comfortable seat. She was fortunate to have been offered such an opportunity. These were the things she should be thinking, Maddie reminded herself firmly. So jumbled were her thoughts, that she almost startled a little when the young man responded to her polite enquiry. Almost, for she was too well-trained in her reactions to do more than look up a little more quickly than usual, but immediately the polite smile was restored to her features.
Unfortunately, Maddie's nerves got the better of her a little, and thus she was already beginning her reply before she had thought it through completely. "Oh, indeed. I am in my seventh year, in Ravenclaw house, and enjoying my studies a great deal. The grounds are delightful to walk in, though a little inclement during this season" she said, her voice rising in pitch a little towards the end of her nervous speech. As soon as she had finished speaking she swallowed uncomfortably, wondering if it was normal for one's throat to be quite so dry in this kind of situation. Or for one's mind to be quite so empty, because she couldn't think of a simgle interesting thing to ask in return apart from "I believe you also attended Hogwarts, Mr Havisham." Even then, she sounded nervous even to her own ears.
OOC: Sorry I've been on hiatus for the past 2 weeks!!!!!! I'm here now!!!
A maid came in with a tray of tea and placed it in front of them. The tea wafted around the room with a pleasant aroma, and Sebastian would have been more excited if he had the stomach for food at a time like this. Unfortunately, he didn't. He was once again thrown into an awkward conversation which involved meaningless banter. He very much doubted that Miss Kirton would find him even considerably interesting if he simply told her that he was a translator at the MoM and a Gryffindor alumni. In fact, he would venture to guess that Maddie Kirton, should the conversation go in the way most of these uncomfortable conversations tended to go, would consider him the last person she'd ever want to marry.
Sebastian was a generally very well mannered man, a bit on the blunt side, but only in the most amusing way possible. He was a hit at society functions and had a reputation for being a fun and personable young gentleman. That was the case, too, but it didn't mean he liked social rules. He was rather critical of etiquette and found the whole institution entirely too stodgy. That most had to do with how constricted he felt. Sebastian had been the type to run around and cause havoc back in school. Now that he was a little bit older, he was treated as a mechanism to move ladies in to the field of matrimony and it was a dreadful bore.
Sebastian head her question loud and clear, but had suddenly decided in a moment of rashness to counter her with a question of his own. He leaned forward just enough to be within out of earshot of their chaperone, but not so close as to seem improper. "Miss Kirton," he began in a whisper of a voice, brown eyes meeting hers with a bit of a whimsical expression about him, "I want to ask you something and I want you to be entire honest... why are we here?" It wasn't really a polite question at all, when you thought about it, but he was going somewhere with this, and if she wasn't entirely invested in this situation, then perhaps she would play along with him.
It was a relief when the maid arrived with tea. Maddie appreciated the cup and saucer of hot liquid with which she was served, not least because it gave her something to concentrate on other than trying not to say anything untoward. In reality, that wasn't too difficult, all she needed to remember was to speak when she was spoken to, answer questions politely without actually giving anything away, and if all else failed, restrict her comments to the weather. Simple. Nonetheless she was grateful for the tea, though for now it remained untouched in front of her, for a new worry had occurred - what if she accidentally spilled some and appeared unforgivably clumsy?
Maddie wasn't generally clumsy; that honour belonged to her younger sister who had grown up managing to trip on perfectly even floors or the hem of her own skirt, and spilling sugar when trying to convey it to her cup, so much so that it had become a family joke. Here though, she felt quite out of sorts, afraid that she might do or say the wrong thing at any moment, which was why Mr Havisham's whispered question took her completely by surprise.
Was he trying to trick her, or had she misjudged him entirely? Maddie was utterly confused; she knew why she was here, and it was the sort of thing that remained unspoken on such occasions. While she hadn't expected to be instantly compatible with this gentleman, she had hoped that she would make a good enough impression that he might agree to see her again. Certainly it would please her father to know she had made a favourable first impression. But unless Mr Havisham was making a joke at her expense, one which she didn't understand, it seemed that she would have to respond.
"I...er, that is, we are here because...well, because our fathers desire that we meet with each other today" she responded, daring to look into his face for a brief moment and hoping that the chaperone wouldn't notice. It seemed to her that she was expecting something more, so she added "To meet. Er, so that we might...discuss certain matters and...and take tea, and..." she trailed off, feeling rather uncomfortable about the way the conversation was going but making a final attempt to gain control of the situation by asking with a nervous smile "Don't you agree?"
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