MoreWinePlease
From IMiA
Sometime after visiting the grociers and the jeweler and the modeste', and having put back few enough libations to keep this work pleasant, Juliana and Patrice find themselves on the doorstep of the Dumas townhouse.
'Hopefully Genvieve has not blown up the stores as well as the pubs,' Juliana thinks caustically to herself, knocking. [or bell ringing...]
She says to Patrice, "I'm sure we'll be dealing with Lady Madeline Dumas, but I can never tell them apart, frankly."
Patrice smiles. "Fortunately we never had that problem with Paulus and Pauline."
The door to the house is opened by a servant, who curtseys upon recognizing Juliana. "Your Grace, my Lady, welcome. Please come in." She shows them to the sitting room, which is well-furnished although obviously not to the level of a ducal residence, and sees that they are comfortably seated, then bustles off to announce their arrival. A few minutes later, she returns with a cart containing tea and some light pastries. "Lady Madeline will be with you momentarily, your Grace. In the meantime, please enjoy these refreshments, and let me know if there is anything else you require."
Patrice is a tall, dark-haired woman in brown. Her clothes are not quite so lacking in ornamentation as to be called "severe", but she does seem a bit plain next to Juliana. However, the cut of the cloth is excellent, and the details of the minimal amount of jewelry she is wearing (amber earrings, most noticeably) are exquisite.
Juliana today is in dark purple on plum with ruffles, but it's tailored and somehow she pulls it off. It must be the height... or something.
"Thank you, but we've been feed up like livestock by half the merchants in the City today - we'll be fine until Lady Madeline comes down."
"As you wish, your Grace." The servant curtseys again and withdraws.
A short time later, Madeline enters the room. Standing about 5'8" tall, Madeline has brown hair and dark eyes. Like Patrice, her clothing, though of good quality, is not excessively decorative, and her only jewelry is a simple but beautiful gold necklace. She moves somewhat stiffly, and there is a bandage over her left hand.
Madeline curtseys as she enters the room. "Greetings your Grace, Lady Patrice. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company today?"
Juliana smiles. "Business, my young lady Dumas. Let's sit down, please - I'm not willing to overtax you. Or myself. I need... more wine," Juliana says, and sits. "For the dinner, I mean. Perhaps quite a bit more, perhaps just a little."
Patrice smiles as well. "Juliana has managed to secure patronage for her soiree that may dramatically increase the expected attendance."
Madeline raises an eyebrow. "Indeed? Does this mean you are planning to change the menu at all?"
"Refining only, at this date. I'm changing the soup and adding quantity to everything else. I need about a third more of everything. I think perhaps it would be best to double the wine order. Is that possible, at this date, while still maintaining the quality?" Juliana asks.
"I'll need to check to be sure, but I don't think that will be an issue. If you're changing the soup, though, you may want to change the wine being served with that course."
Patrice nods at Madeline's observation. "You never did tell me which of the options you were considering you'd finally settled on, Juliana."
"Vichyssoise, because anything warm for that many people... half would get it cold anyway, it would be impossible," Juliana asserts. (Vichyssoise here: http://www.therecipebox.com/members/box/soup/sou0125.htm)
"Hmm, in that case I recommend a good Merlot." And Madeline proceeds to detail what she has available, but since I don't know jack about wine, just assume that she knows what she's talking about. :)
Juliana negotiates a good price. She's not unfair, but she's just fair enough. She certainly seems to have done her homework - it also is pretty obvious the dinner party is not where she plans to spend the bulk of the money rumors have it the Duke has so generously bestowed on her efforts.
When Juliana has completed her bargaining, Patrice also has some business to discuss with Madeline. The date isn't firmly set, but Patrice is planning to invest in an art gallery, and there will be an opening, which will, of course, require wine. This should be after Carnival, so it's not such an emergency as Juliana's business, but Patrice prefers to put it on the table early.
Of course. Madeline would be happy to discuss some preliminary ideas, and to schedule another meeting closer to the actual event.
Once all the haggling is out of the way, Juliana only hesitates a fraction before she inquires after Genvieve. "Is your sister doing better?" she asks, but rather quietly.
"Yes, thank you. She is by no means recovered, but I think you would find her condition far better than when last you saw her. I do believe she is quite looking forward to attending your party." Madeline smiles. "As am I. I must confess to some curiosity as to your new patron. Is it to be a surprise?"
"Not at all, it's just that... well, Princess Dierdre has accepted. But rather than spread that around the Duke decided to invite the entire royal family and see what falls out," Juliana smiles.
"It will be interesting," Patrice says, with a grin of her own that suggests interesting after the fashion of the Chinese curse.
Madeline raises an eyebrow. "Quite. It will certainly change the tone of the party considerably."
"Well, I hope not too much. I expect, knowing my husband, this party will end up being as much about business deals as philantropy, but I'm content with that so long as it draws guests with money through the doors. This will be a simple dinner party with a short reception beforehand and after dinner drinks, nothing more, nothing less," Juliana insists.
"Nothing involving the Royals is ever simple," Madeline notes. "But their presence will definitely draw a moneyed crowd. Your charity work will certainly benefit."
"Well, that was the plan," Juliana smiles. "I also hear a little friend of mine from Begma is in town. I'll bet Phillip's groom that her ambitious mama will send a card the moment she hears this party is in the works. Any day now."
"No doubt. I'd be surprised if she was the only one, either. Given the likely attendees, it would be hard for any parent hell-bent on marrying off their child to resist."
"Quite," says Patrice, adding with a grin to Madeline, "Because it's not like any young lady could possibly be happy as a spinster or do well for herself in business."
Juliana snorts. "You'll be lucky if Vanessa doesn't get word and show up, love."
"My good-mother thinks Patrice should get married. I'm smart enough to stick to match-making outside of the family," Juliana explains to Madeline.
"Always wise. Fortunately, my own mother has had little to say on that topic where Gen and I are concerned." Madeline smiles.
"That is indeed your good fortune. May you enjoy it for many years," Patrice says.
"Agreed. I have no problem with wishful thinking but I've seen coercive force used too many times to make marriages. Unfortunately I've found no way to crusade against it," Juliana's sweet smile belies the seriousness of her eyes. "But Madeline, you are welcome to bring a guest to the dinner party, if you want."
"Thank you, your Grace." She smiles slightly. "You know, that is an advantage we women have at these things. Single men attending a party must content with mothers throwing their young daughters at them. Single women, on the other hand, never encounter mothers throwing their sons at us."
"Not very often anyway," Patrice says. "And if you don't want to bring a friend, you can come sit by me and we'll gossip about the scandalous married people and whatever they're getting up to." She punctuates that remark with a wicked grin and a wink.
Juliana laughs at that somewhat evilly. "Trouble, no doubt. What I remember of my unmarried days involved avoiding clutching older men who thought they might get into the circus without paying the cost of admission, and avoiding younger men; those were about half split between vain fops interested in having you tell them more about them, and eager, sincere young noblemen who had not a notion of reality. So very few men out there worth bothering with, really, though I've found a few amusing ones in my lifetime."
Madeline notes, "I've found that all I have to do to get rid of most men is start discussing the wine business in excruciating detail. That tends to drive them off in a hurry." She chuckles.
"And for me that used to be paper milling," Juliana laughs, actually happy with a memory for once.
Patrice nods. "I've found that an afternoon in the salle separates the men from the boys, myself, but I don't mind the men."
Juliana laughs. "I fear I'd never cull any boys in the salle! I did have a needlepoint competetion with a man once. I think he may have let me win," she muses.
Madeline raises an eyebrow. "I would not be so sure. I've yet to meet a man who actually knows how to do needlepoint." She smiles. "Or at least who would admit to it."
Juliana nods, but says, "This man is a King, and lives in a society that allows their men a bit more latitude in their... hobbies than Amber does. All the sailors could do it though, if they wanted to - I'd bet more than one sailor does when he's home, and then tells his mates his wife made it for him. Men like pretty things even more than women do, in my experience."
Patrice looks at her own rather plain garments, then at Madeline's, then at Juliana. "Well, more than some of us anyway. But if we ladies want to be taken seriously, we must look twice as stern for half the credit towards our sobriety. So men can afford to like pretty things." She winks at Madeline.
Juliana cracks up. "I rather like it when they underestimate me and find their metaphorical guts all over the floor."
"Being on the pedestal of 'ladylike' has its advantages," Patrice agrees. "It lets you kick men in the head much more easily."
Madeline chuckles. "Assuming, of course, that the pedestal is a high one."
"If he's realistic enough to use a low one, then he'll only need the occassional kick in the shins," Juliana notes.
"It's the poor sod who puts you on a medium-height one that I worry about," Patrice says, not quite suppressing a naughty smile.
"Ah yes...I imagine they learn quickest of all," Madeline observes.
Juliana giggles, but doesn't add anything.
[I think we're concluded on this one, but someone will inform me if we're not.]
-- Main.LizTrumitch - 07 Dec 2004
