unfortunate matchmaking

[Thomas Tawney]

For Thomas, title and wealth meant little. He knew he was supposed to care. He was supposed to think about his family' reputation and their position in the ton. It's certainly what his father did when he married Margaret. It wasn't love at first sight or even in the first several years of their lives together. But they did come to love each other. For Thomas, he wanted a match with someone he connected with. He knew it wasn't likely to be at first sight much as he hoped it would be. Such dreams were best left to fairytales and novels. But he believed that he'd know when he'd found the right woman. Without the pressure to marry quickly or even for status.

Mr. Williamson dragged him away from Caroline and spent the rest of the evening introducing him to various members of the ton. Men, all of them, and several were also members at White's. But Caroline remained in the back of his mind for the rest of the evening. He didn't dance again, but given how he was pressed for story after story of his time living abroad, no one could really fault him. And when the night finally came to an end, he returned to the bleak land away where hope and dreams faded back into reality. His sister returned to her home closer to Westminster.

He did call on her as promised and came carrying a bouquet of lilies. They weren't the exotic flowers he hoped for, but that would come another day. He wanted to be sure that she was someone he could see himself with. That she could be the countess that he wanted. He was dressed well in a fashionable dark blue and matching trousers. His tailor suggested them as a way to look more fashionable and less military than white breeches. "Yes, I am. Lord Warrington. I believe she's expecting me." He was polite and direct to the butler. He'd sent a card the previous day again offering his regrets that he couldn't call on her and assuring that he still intended to.

The butler led him to the drawing room and ushered him in. Thomas smiled and bowed seeing Caroline again. She was just as pretty in the daylight as at night. "Lady Caroline, it's a pleasure." With everything being done properly, he knew they weren't alone. The call couldn't last for very long even if he was the only suitor, and the subject of conversation was carefully controlled. Today was a chance for her to show off her feminine qualities and skills as much as it was for him to woo and impress her. A servant took the flowers and set them down on the table near her, and Thomas took his seat. "I trust you've been well the past couple days, my lady. I'm still seeking out some Indian blooms, though I don't imagine it will take too long." Out of politeness, he left the topic of conversation to her and her interests.

Tagged: @caroline

[Deleted]

caroline & thomas.

The entire Wycliff family had been quite shocked to learn that there was a gentleman looking to come and call on Caroline. It wasn't that she was ugly, or completely detestable, but it was no secret that most of the family were quite simple. Their youngest brother seemed to have inherited all of the braincells, to make up for the fact the other siblings had none whatsoever. Gentlemen always seemed to claim they wanted young ladies who didn't fill their heads with fanciful, ridiculous thoughts...but she supposed some thoughts were considered a necessity. She had almost none of her own, only what she was told.

When Lord Warrington called on her, however, there'd be nobody to tell her what to say. They wouldn't be left entirely unchaperoned, of course, but the household help could hardly coach her, and there'd be no Cressida or Li Na to tell her how she was supposed to feel about him. It was quite a daunting feeling indeed, but she sat up eagerly when she was told there was a visitor to see her. They'd danced together and he was here, didn't that bode well?

A soft giggle tumbled from her lips as she looked to the lilies the maid had took for her. "Are they not from India?" Caroline asked, of the lilies. She didn't know one flower from another, in truth. He could have told her they were, and she'd have believed his every word.

Thomas Tawney

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[Thomas Tawney]

words • tagged @caroline • credits “Unfortunately, they are not.” The lilies were pure white with delicate yellow stamens. The large heads were reminiscent of trumpets, and the stems and leaves were a bright pale green. “These are Madonna lilies. They’re native to Europe. I’m still looking for a florist who has the right kind of Indian flowers I think you’d like.” Thomas smiled pleasantly unbothered by her question. As an artist, he liked to know what he was drawing, and the names of flowers were no exception. He vaguely kept one eye on the older woman in the room knowing that every word was being listened to and judged. It wasn’t just Caroline he had to impress if he wanted to court her properly. Though, he was usually more interested in women with more wit, the earl was still unaware just how dull his companion truly was. At the advice of his sister, Thomas waited for her to make any offers about demonstrating her skills rather than asking. There was a piano in the room, and as a child, a music teacher had tried to instruct him on it. He could play a few simple tunes simply by memorizing where the keys were and how that lined up to the notes on the page, but it didn't take long to realize that there was no musicality in how he played. It was a very flat performance of counting beats and hitting the keys with the same amount of pressure. After that, it only took a very brief lesson on the cello to discover that Thomas couldn't hear wrong notes. As for listening to other people play, he assumed it was pleasing enough. After all, operas were quite popular, and people hired orchestras to play at balls. Then the thought occurred to him that perhaps she was also a bit shy. After all, she wasn't a confident dancer and from what he'd heard, wasn't known for having many suitors. The gentlemanly thing to do was of course to make her feel at ease. "Do you spend much time out of doors, Lady Caroline? A great deal changes in ten years, and I often feel as though I'm as much as stranger to London as any foreigner." It was an opening for her to discuss the places she enjoyed going to in the city and to be able to do so without any judgement or preconceived opinions. Nor was it a lie on his part. The club offered a few suggestions as did his friends, but he always appreciated fresh perspectives on what was worth seeing and doing during his stay here.

Please save for me some gallantry that will echo when I'm gone

[Deleted]

caroline & thomas.

For the most part, Caroline's interests and topics of choice for conversation were not chosen by her. She was quite agreeable with everything Cressida and Li Na had to say when out in public or at any sort of social event, simply chiming in (usually with something quite foolish) when they were speaking. Away from them, conversation usually stemmed from whatever was said to her, for if she spoke every thought that crossed her mind, he wouldn't have been standing in front of her at all. The stupidity ran throughout most of the family, so it wasn't as if they could offer many witty nor clever remarks for her to make to potential suitors. The youngest of the Wycliffs, the only one who seemed to have any brains, certainly wasn't likely to help her, usually too exasperated by his siblings.

Instead, she was trying to make this work on her own. Piano forte, she believed, was one of her skills, something that could impress any suitor...it wasn't true in the slightest. Clearly she was somewhat tone deaf, had no idea what it was supposed to sound like, but she was planning on 'impressing' him with that in the near future. She'd not been courted nearly enough to know how this was supposed to go, but she would try her best to build up to that, show him that the Wycliff family was worth marrying into.

"Oh, not really. I am not a big fan of the outdoors..." she began, but that probably wasn't helping. It was true, for she didn't wish to dirty her dresses, but it didn't make her sound very cultured. "Unless it is for a picnic, of course. Do you like picnics, Lord Warrington?" A dull topic indeed, but safe enough for the time being.

_{Thomas Tawney}

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