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kitty & thomas.

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Thomas Tawney

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[Thomas Tawney]

615 words • tagged @kitty • credits Thomas's return to England had been anything but unnoticed. He was required to report to the Horse Guards both to debrief from his time in India and to sort out the matter of his commission. Since he was returning as an earl with family affairs to attend to, it wasn't reasonable to ship him off to Spain where they needed veteran officers the most. Unfortunately, there weren't an openings for battalions stationed near London. The army was loathe to lose a captain who'd seen action in Africa and India at the rate captains were dying in Spain, so resigning his commission was quickly shot down. The only solution anyone could agree to was putting Thomas on half pay. Until another position opened up, but there was no estimate for how long that would be. As word of his return to the ton reached the ears of other officers stationed in London both permanently and temporarily, so too did the invitations to dine and socialize and talk about some place other than the Peninsula for a change. Talk of tigers and sepoys was fresh news, and hardly any officer could complain about a slightly embellished skirmish set deep in the Indian jungles of Punjab (never mind that Punjab was mostly mountainous territory and the jungles everyone imagined were located in central India many kilometers to the southeast). One such invitation brought him to the home of General Langham and his wife, Kitty. He'd met the general once. Briefly. And then rather quickly forgot about him. After all, there was half a world and six months travel between them. Thomas put on the appearance of remembering the man as any respectable gentleman would in his position and spent the rest of the evening chatting with officers closer to his rank. The sea of red uniforms and gold braid with no other women marked the evening as one for the officers. Late into the night, the evening finally came to a close, and Thomas summoned for his horse. Even in the dark, he could see something was amiss with the creature bobbing its head every step. "Hold him, there." He told the servant and went to check each of the horse's hooves. One shoe had come loose and was twisted slightly on a nail. The creature was lucky that the broken off nail only barely avoided puncturing the softer sole of the foot. "His shoe is loose, and it's too dark to call a blacksmith. Keep him here for the night and make sure he doesn't lie down. With how that nail's bent, I don't want to see him cut his belly." He let out a sharp breath. Mayfair to Kensington was too far to walk at this hour. "Send for Mrs. Langham. I'll require the use of one of her carriages to get home." And so, he found himself sitting opposite of her late in the night. He said very little to keep a handle on his own irritation at the horse's condition. The horse was fine when he'd arrived and now it needed a shoe replaced. Part of him was irritated at the grooms for not catching it sooner. If he could see a lame horse from a distance in the dead of night, then surely they would have been able to see it up close. Finally, the carriage turned off the main road to a much more suburban part of London. A neat brick house with a stone stairway and iron banisters stood out as a shadow in the darkness. It was neither extremely fashionable or as expensive looking as one would expect from an earl of considerable wealth. "Well, this is where I live."

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

[Deleted]

kitty & thomas.

Nothing filled Kitty with quite as much dread as her husband being in town. It may have sounded quite dramatic, were she ever to utter such a thing out loud, but she was good at pretending that wasn't the case. When she socialised with the other married ladies of the ton, she was more transparent, quick to admit that they didn't get along, that she was far happier when he wasn't around – the best thing about marriage was the freedoms it afforded, the opportunities she was given when he wasn't in town. 

It was a rarity indeed that he was home, that he graced her with his presence, but there were certain times when needs must. When it came to him having to entertain others, for example, it painted him in a far better light if his wife was present, if she feigned interest in everything the guests had to say. Kitty was good at that, at acting like she was entirely interested in anything said to her. She spent so much time entirely on her own, any conversation beat out the usual quietness around the Langham estate. This was no different. 

Thomas seemed nice enough, and she was far more comfortable in the company of him than she was her own husband. As soon as they were alone, it would be miserable indeed, just as it always was. His only interest was siring an heir, and given that he paid no attention to the two children they already had, Kitty was less than enthusiastic. 

That was exactly why she'd jumped at the chance to accompany him home. She knew fine well she could have simply sent him off in a carriage with a member of the household staff, but she didn't wish to force any of them into that position, and she was perfectly fine doing it herself. Her lady's maid would be able to ensure the children were seen to, if either of the girls woke up, and he'd been a guest – it wouldn't be fair to simply send him off in one of their carriages on his own, and Alexander was hardly about to agree to go with him. Chances were, he'd already snuck off with one of his courtesans. 

"I'll ensure your horse is seen to first thing in the morning. I am dreadfully sorry this happened, my lord," she told him, glancing at the house. Was a house like that as lonely as the estate she lived in? Did he crave company in the same ways that she did, feeling that the house was often much too empty? There was the household staff, and her daughters, but the children were young, and the as much as she tried to befriend her staff, they were still only there because they were paid to be. "I doubt my husband will be around come morning, but I shall see to it all myself. You needn't come all the way back to Mayfair, I can bring him back to you, if you would like."

Thomas Tawney

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[Thomas Tawney]

346 words • tagged @kitty • credits "Thank you, Mrs. Langham. I've known horses all my life. My father used to tell me that man is the only one keeping them from finding new ways to injure themselves." He gave her a soft grateful smile not that it was easily seen in the dark. "Your offer is most kind. He has a hard mouth and likes to look around. Working the bit in his mouth keeps him focused well enough." He was working on softening the horse's mouth with a snaffle bit rather than a bit and bridoon, but there was still a way's to go. There was a sadness to the dark house that sat mostly alone. It was only a few blocks beyond the opposite side of Hyde Park from Mayfair, and yet, at night it seemed to be as far away as the other side of the Thames. The windows were dark, and the earl knew how to care for his horse well enough to be able to brush him down without the help of a groom. Now, he lived alone in the house with just the servants and the occasional visit from his sisters or cousin. His family was old, and the late earl was the type to expect respect because of his title's age. He never felt it necessary to constantly chase families. After all, with a lineage that dated back to the 1300s and a title that was created at the end of the English Civil War, it wasn't like the family had anyone to impress. "Would you like to come inside for a cup of tea or coffee?" The door to the carriage opened, though Thomas hesitated at stepping out. He doubted the general's wife would accept his offer, but from the way he lingered just a moment too long, he also hoped she'd agree. Not that he planned anything untoward, but company was nice. Pleasant company was better. And if her husband truly wasn't going to be back in the morning, then he didn't need to know if she was out later than strictly necessary.

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

[Deleted]

kitty & thomas.

Heading inside with him was something she should decline, and she knew it. He seemed to hesitate though, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was as lonely as she was. Kitty was married, she shouldn’t be lonely, but chances were she’d be less lonely if she was unwed. At least that way she would have been out in society, she’d have gotten to debut with other young ladies. She got to spend time with other married ladies at the events with gambling and drinks, of course, but it wasn’t entirely the same. Many of them went home to loving husbands, and hers wasn’t even a match that benefited both of them, not really. Her freedom and her daughters were the only good parts. He, however, seemed to have an even lonelier house, and everyone craved human connection in some form. How could she deny him that?

“I am quite parched after the journey,” she told him, carefully. Her driver wouldn’t mind, treating the help well was important to her, considering she was around them more often than anyone else, and he’d likely wish to ensure she got home safely. Those who worked in the Langham household knew better than anyone how miserable life with her husband was, and how could anyone deny her the offer of friendship when it was presented in such a way? A cup of tea wasn’t hurting anyone…especially if Alexander never found out. Tea was just tea, but he always had been the jealous type.

With a smile, she rose from where she was seated in the carriage, following down the steps and into the street outside. A quick word to her driver assured him she wouldn’t be too long, and he was welcome to go where he needed to go, and do as he needed to do in the meantime. Her attention quickly diverted back to Thomas, the smile only growing. It was an offer she couldn’t scoff at. “Tea would be lovely. Shall we?”

Thomas Tawney

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[Thomas Tawney]

Thomas stepped out of the carriage and offered out his hand to her. He was glad that she'd accepted. Once the driver had been informed of her possibly brief visit, he held out his arm and escorted him to the house. "This way, ma'am." The door was still unlocked, and it opened up into a dim hall. His valet appeared having just finished the last of his chores while the master was out and promptly lit several candles for them. "Kapoor, the lady desires some tea. Ordinary tea will do. We'll be in the front drawing room." The shorter Indian man bowed with a deferent 'Right away, my lord'. In the poor light, it was hard to make out that he was Indian save for his accent.

The earl led her into the drawing room and set about lighting candles for them. It was spacious with a couple plush couches, a fireplace that ordinarily would have been lit, large windows overlooking the garden outside, a couple bookshelves with rows of neatly matched books, and a few paintings of the English countryside, and a brilliant bouquet of flowers by Rachel Ruysch. The furnishings were mostly a bright green with a matching pale rug that covered half the room. During the day, it was an ideal place to receive visitors despite the windows not looking out onto the street.

He led her to the couch where she could sit. "My valet, Kapoor, is originally from India. He knows I like chai masala, and that's part of why I brought him to England. If you wish to try it, I'm certain he can make you a cup." Thomas took a seat on the same couch though with careful consideration not to get too close. "Again, I thank you for seeing me home and looking after my horse. Do you often host officers at your home? It seemed tonight they were eager for anything that wasn't news of Spain. I can only imagine how tiresome it gets."

Even in his years in the army, the conversation often drifted to the same few topics. Women, strategy, and news of home. Though the last one was slightly less relevant in London. "I've been away from the ton for too long, I'm told, though being back...if I may be frank, there are times I wonder if I ever missed it. And now I hear that there's this publication of gossip. Do you know it? I haven't yet decided if there's merit to it."

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kitty & thomas.

He was unmarried, but she was doing her best to convince herself there was nothing scandalous about this. She had a husband, there was nothing more than potential friendship here. She never did have enough friends, never did have enough company, how could she turn down an offer such as this? The children were in bed, and if she went home, it would be to a lonely, empty house. She would, of course, go back sooner rather than later...but a cup of tea and a little more conversation was hardly hurting anyone. Jealous as her husband could be, he didn't need to know of this. Perhaps that thought alone should have pushed her towards declining. 

Instead, she took the outstretched hand, and didn't protest as he led her to the house. He didn't seem the type who would turn this into anything more than it was, and for that she was grateful. There were plenty of men, even among the ton, who were quick to take advantage...from what she'd seen thus far, Thomas seemed nice enough. Hopefully she could trust her own judgement. 

"I appreciate the offer, Lord Warrington, but it's perfectly alright. Regular tea will do just fine," she promised. She didn't wish to put anyone out, and while it was his job to do as Thomas asked, there was little point in adding to his workload, when she truly didn't mind. Just the company and some ordinary tea would be wonderful. Sitting down, she glanced over at him, head shaking slightly at the question. "I suppose you could say that. We generally host officers whenever my husband is in town, though in truth, that isn't often. I seldom see him, unless he has reason to visit." She would leave out the fact he generally only came home with the hope of siring an heir. It was too much information for polite conversation. 

"Lady Whistledown? I must say, it is quite intriguing," she found herself admitting. Perhaps men such as him didn't put quite as much as merit in gossip, but she was enthralled with the way it was put out. "It was very clever, the way she started out. The first few copies of the paper were free, she only started asking for money once everyone was hooked. Unlike previous attempts at gossip columns, Whistledown uses full names, and doesn't seem to be afraid of telling the complete truth. It's quite bold of her, whoever she is."

Thomas Tawney

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