July 26th, 1894 — Sanditon Cocktail Hour

Did Mrs. Prewett just want to get everyone drunk and trapped at a resort? August was supposing yes. Waiters kept offering him more drinks, and he wasn't even done with his first yet. He was determined to avoid getting too drunk; intoxication tended to interact badly with his ability to use a cane.

He was focused mostly on not drinking too fast when he saw a woman he'd been hoping to reconnect with. "Mrs. Rowle!" August said, cheerfully. "Do you think they're looking for scandal tonight?"

Evangeline Rowle Henry Berkwood

  

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set by Bree

Evangeline, for one, thought this evening could have some very interesting outcomes--gossip and alcohol made for dangerous ground. Not for Evangeline--she didn't have any particular secrets that she was afraid of accidentally divulging. That was one of the few perks of having one's most important life moments plastered across the gossip columns for anyone who cared about it to see.

For her part, she had been nursing the same drink for a while now as she mingled. She'd really only gotten through half her glass when someone she'd actually want to speak to under normal circumstances approached her. "Mr. Echelon-Arnost," she greeted with a smile. "Oh, I wouldn't doubt it. They've certainly provided the perfect recipe for it, haven't they?"

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"I'm afraid we'll have to disappoint them," he said, smiling back at her. He'd expected to be on the same page as Mrs. Rowle, but it was still a delight to verify that she was still an ally at events like this, where they were both participants in the war on conventionality.

"Except of course in our spreading radicalism, et cetera," he added cheerily.

  

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set by Bree

"A pity it isn't catching," Eva said teasingly. "Imagine the talk then." The idea of "radical" ideas spreading like a plague--or at the very least, being talked about as though the spread was something nefarious like that--was highly amusing.

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Set by Bee <3

"Oh, it isn't?" August said; his tone was one of feigned surprise. He was enjoying playing along with Mrs. Rowle. "Infecting others was the only reason I come to these things."

  

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set by Bree

"Well," Eva said with mock gravity, "it is our duty to at least try, I suppose." Of course, the idea that Evangeline Rowle would ever be a good influence on anyone was too absurd, even to herself.

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Set by Bee <3

August smiled. "You have the vote," he said. Mrs. Rowle was widowed, and had a son — she was one of very few women in Hogsmeade who could vote. "I imagine despite the conservatives' worries, you did not find it intellectually trying?" He raised a playful eyebrow, and took a sip of his drink.

  

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set by Bree

"Not at all," Eva said. "Though considering some of the men I know who've had the vote their whole adult lives, I shouldn't be surprised the process is easy to maneuver." She smiled at Mr. Echelon-Arnost, just in case it wasn't clear that she didn't mean him. Honestly, Eva thought she wouldn't begrudge anyone their right if the same arguments that kept women from the vote could be turned back on the men who already had it.

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Set by Bee <3

A snort-laugh left August; he saw exactly what Mrs. Rowle was trying to do. "We should have you lobby the Wizengamot," he said, cheerful. "Although they might be less amused than I am."

  

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set by Bree

Eva grinned. "More's the pity," she said. "I think they could probably do well with a better sense of humor." Oh, she understood that governing was a serious matter, of course, but Evangeline didn't have much in the way of high regard for the establishment. It was probably the least surprising thing about her.

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Set by Bee <3

August smirked at her. Mrs. Evangeline Rowle's sense of humor was part of why he enjoyed her. "If we get the vote for women," he said, with a slight wave of his hand as if to say I know we're reaching, please bear with me. "What do you think is the next step for feminist progress?"

Some people thought the vote would fix everything; August did not. He also doubted that Mrs. Rowle thought so.

  

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set by Bree

A good question indeed, and Eva dutifully paused to consider her answer. "I'm sure this would send most into an apoplectic fit," she said, "but an easier way to seek divorce."

It wouldn't have saved her, but Evangeline knew that being desperately unhappy and trapped in marriage was not a unique position to be in. And it wouldn't solve all problems--most likely, it would cause other problems without more types of reform--but it would be a start.

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Set by Bee <3

August nodded at her suggestion. He wouldn't have come up with it himself, but he understood where she was coming from — especially given her history. And easier divorce would certainly make many women's lives easier. "In Prussia in the 1700s, there was an edict that couples could divorce on the grounds of mutual hostility," he said. "Perhaps we could benefit from something like that, instead of our rigid laws?"

  

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set by Bree

"I certainly think so," Eva said. "Some marriage troubles just cannot be overcome." Unhappy marriages were a common enough occurrence that she thought that society would probably be the better for such a change. Who knows, maybe it would free up enough mental faculties to tackle other problems.

That was, Eva was sure, being overly optimistic. But they were reaching for the stars here, not dealing in pure realism.

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Set by Bee <3

August nodded again. "I've been thinking that I ought to round out my law portfolio," he said. This was always what he was thinking — he still had the drive of a young idealist, where he wanted to try to tackle everything, help everyone. "If you know any women who could use help in a divorce case, without charge — will you let me know?"

  

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set by Bree

"Of course," Eva said. She knew she could trust Mr. Echelon-Arnost to do what he could for anyone she might send his way. She didn't know any other lawyers well enough to be as sure of them.

"I think I should go mingle more." Evangeline smiled wryly. "I can hardly give people something to gossip about without a little effort."

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   August Echelon-Arnost

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Set by Bee <3