February 6th, 1891 — Devine Estate, Wellingtonshire

Just over a week ago November had received a very important letter from her eldest brother, Aldous. She'd been eager to discuss it with Ophelia for days now but with her party coming up so soon it seemed sensible just to wait until then to bring it up. It also happened to be a good chance to get a headstart on it immediately, there would be unattached young ladies all over the place. There was one drawback and that was Ophelia being the hostess - naturally her time was precious and everyone would be after it.

While waiting for a chance to talk to Ophelia it dawned on Nova that of course there were no debutantes present that evening, it was not that sort of occasion. Oh well. It also dawned on Nova after her second drink that she didn't know what sort of drinks she'd had but they were tasty and she'd accidentally had more than she normally would. She'd never been intoxicated in her life, she usually sipped so daintily at her drinks that she could make one last a whole evening. Not that she was intoxicated now but she felt a little odd and decided she'd have no more drinks this evening.

She spotted Ophelia just as she was getting up from a disappointing tarot reading - apparently her life was going to be quite pleasant and not at all ominous. Of course it wouldn't be good to have bad things happen but she'd been hoping for at some undertones of doom to excite herself over for the next few weeks. Instead she just had reassurances of continued prosperity and good health. How uninspiring!

Her friend was nearby and looked as though she was about to part company with someone so Nova smoothly swept in just after the other person walked away. "Ophelia, I must extend my compliments on the evening, it is very well done." She was feeling oddly forthright at present. "I must speak with you quite urgently."

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   Aldous Crouch

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Ophelia had moved from her conversation with Mrs. Lestrange to a series of shorter engagements and was considering taking another turn at cards when November approached her.

"Urgently? My goodness," Ophelia said, reaching to take Nova's hand and pulling her towards the nearest place they could both be seated. This degree of straightforwardness was certainly uncharacteristic of her friend, and it had Ophelia mildly concerned. "Whatever is the matter, Nova? Was it something the diviner said?"

  

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"Unfortunately not." There was an almost undetectable hint of resentment in the way she spoke. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you," she added gravely as she took her seat. She had felt a great deal of impatience to have this conversation over the last week but Ophelia seemed to have instead inferred something was amiss. "I need your assistance in a matter of considerable importance."

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"Of course," she said, nodding gravely as though Nova had just conferred a considerable burden on her, though she had in fact not shed any light on the matter whatsoever. November was typically so slow to speak her mind, however, so cautious when choosing her words, that Ophelia had no trouble believing whatever had stirred her up and inspired her to urgency had been quite serious indeed. Nova was not a frivolous person by nature. "Tell me what's on your mind at once, and I shall do anything I can to assist you."

  

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Nova leaned in slightly towards Ophelia and lowered her voice as though about to divulge a great secret. She didn't want to vulgarly broadcast it around the room, after all. "It's my brother, Aldous." She found herself pausing for dramatic effect which almost made her want to giggle at her own absurdity. "He wishes to find a wife before the year is out."

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   Aldous Crouch

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"Oh," Ophelia said, with a frown. She had been expecting something a little more dramatic, particularly with the pause. "Well, I should think he's in quite a good position to do so," she said. She was aware that Crouch family wasn't fabulously wealthy, but certainly being a department head allowed a degree of comfort. "Has he asked your opinion on the matter?"

  

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Oh, oh dear Ophelia seemed disappointed, but then she had only told half of the news! "Not exactly. He has asked if I would..." Nova stopped but this time not for dramatic effect, she stopped because the words she needed had abandoned her. How irregular, she couldn't remember the phrase she'd had in mind! It wasn't coming back either, to her chagrin she had to resort to a more distasteful but succinct term instead. "If I would act as a," she lowered her voice to a full whisper for the next word, "matchmaker."

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   Aldous Crouch

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Oh, well that was quite a delightful turn indeed — Ophelia had suspected Mr. Aldous Crouch to be too serious to seek external assistance on such a personal matter, but it seemed she had been mistaken.

"Oh, Nova, how delightful. Have you planned a party yet?" she asked eagerly. "A dinner party, I assume. You want me to review the seating plan and offer suggestions, is that it? I'd be delighted, of course," she continued, without giving her friend time to interject. "Perhaps we could even find a scheme to change the seating plan between fish and entree, to allow him to converse with as many suitable young ladies as possible. But does that seem too contrived? We mustn't appear to be too desperate," she cautioned.

  

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Nova admittedly hadn't gotten much further than contemplating the suitable ladies. She needed first to cherry pick the right women for her brother. Personally she hoped for a love match for him but she was of the belief that he'd be perfectly content with a wife whom he could respect and get along with. Likely that sort of amicable relationship could blossom into a deep affection, but it was all about finding the a woman like that. Would a bold woman compliment his more reserved nature nicely or just make him uncomfortable and ultimately unhappy? Finding a husband hadn't been so complicated, her prerequisites had simply been respectability, pure blood, and a decent income. She'd done very well in the end, but she'd never thought of turning a man down because of his character. For Aldous, character seemed to be of vital importance; perhaps she was concentrating too much on it?

"But I cannot think whom to invite." She had now returned to a normal speaking volume. "I have thought of some I suppose but I require your help, you are so discerning I think you must know every whiff of scandal that ever attached itself to a person!"

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   Aldous Crouch

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"Of course I do," Ophelia said, beaming at what she considered high praise. She moved to tuck her legs up beneath her on the chair, which was decidedly unladylike, but she didn't particularly care. Talking about things like this made her feel more like a schoolgirl than a lady, anyway; she was positively giddy.

"So who have you got on your list so far? I assume your brother is very particular about their blood?" she asked. She had never been of the opinion that it ought to matter (obviously), but this was hardly the time to pick bones about it; her friend needed her expertise!

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   Aldous Crouch

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Nova faltered - who did she have on her list again? "Yes..." came her slow and rather vacant response to Ophelia's question on blood. Her mind was mostly preoccupied with trying to remember which ladies she'd started considering. Not that she would've had it on her presently anyway, Nova lamented not having written any of it down. She would have to do so in future. It had been hard thinking of ladies even when her had didn't feel cloudy, none of them were worthy of Aldous.

After struggling and failing to think of a single name, Nova instead resorted to listing the criteria she'd established on Aldous' behalf. He hadn't communicated directly what he wanted but she didn't think it necessary, she knew her brother well enough. "She must be pretty, the right sort of age, kind, clever, she must have a quiet dignity about herself, she must be able to entertain and socialize very well, and she must have a passion for fine literature." Oh, oh wait no that last one was what she'd want in Aldous' wife, she wasn't meant to say that. Nova flushed. "Oh no, what I meant to say was: she must have a love of my brother, or rather be able to... In time..." She was tying herself in knots and her usually iron clad composure felt like sand slipping through her fingers.

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   Aldous Crouch, Ophelia Devine

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Nova seemed to have had a bit more than usual to drink, and though Ophelia had suspected it earlier in the conversation this was the first point at which she felt it might be a slight hindrance to their efforts. Her list of qualifications for her brother's wife was quite scattered! Was it possible to have a quiet dignity but also be able to entertain and socialize well? Of the pair of them, Nova had the quiet dignity and Ophelia all of the hostessing and socializing skills; they were not equivalent personality traits at all.

"Well, nevermind; we'll find him a suitable lady," she said resolutely. "The first one who comes to mind is Miss Scamander, of course. I think she would be perfectly up to the task of hosting and socializing, but I've never seen any indication that she's particularly clever," Ophelia reflected. "And her family does have its issues — her sister works and her brother has that whole business with the child." Not exactly a glowing recommendation, but it was not as though the Crouch family were entirely without their scandals, either, so perhaps Aldous could not be too picky on that front.

  

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Nova forced herself to think of Miss Scamander instead of spiraling. Miss Scamander, Miss Scamander... It finally clicked into place. "Oh yes, Miss Scamander..." She was a little wary because of what Ophelia had said of her family, of all of her brothers she thought Aldous was the last one who could have a scandalous bride. Not out of favoritism or any such thing, rather she thought Aldous would be the most troubled by it. Reuben was bearing his scandal with great valor, and Roman... Well she thought Roman wouldn't take it to heart so very much as Aldous. As the head of the family too Aldous' reputation was most vital, if he married a questionable woman it wouldn't be enough if Roman married someone like Octavia Fawley. "This is why I cannot do this without your help; I cannot allow Aldous to fall prey to a Miss Finch!" By a 'Miss Finch' Nova meant in the general sense - a scandalous, inappropriate match - rather than the exact context of which Miss Finch had attached herself to Reuben. Nova remained steadfast in her mistrust of her and hadn't had enough positive interaction with her to see her mind changed.

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   Aldous Crouch

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"Well, Miss Scamander is hardly the next Miss Finch," Ophelia said soothingly. "But don't trouble yourself, Nova, we'll find someone perfectly suited for him. I've no doubt about it at all. I do think Miss Scamander ought to make your dinner party list," she recommended. "At least until we've gotten a better name to replace her with. It's a shame her brother isn't more well-placed; it would make so much more sense to include her if he had some important job in the Ministry, or something. I suppose we could invite her parents instead, but then it seems rather obvious, doesn't it?" she reflected, with a slight frown. It was a puzzle she would have to return to later. Perhaps Miss Scamander wouldn't end up making the cut after all.

Scanning through her mental catalogue of eligible young ladies, Ophelia frowned. "Miss Belby ought not to be entertained. I expect you saw the latest Witch Weekly where she was featured. She's already tarnished your brother by association and I'm sure they've not exchanged more than a few words. He should find himself decidedly damaged if they were to become attached," she declared.

  

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"Oh, Miss Belby," she moaned, as though she had been personally wounded by her exploits in Witch Weekly. Most of what she knew about Miss Belby had come from that article, it was not personal at all, but her Dutch courage was making a drama queen of her. "Do let's not have Miss Belby!" What a frightful article that had been.

With her filter compromised, Nova unwisely made a suggestion she ordinarily wouldn't have dared. "Do you suppose Miss Dempsey might ever take an interest in Aldous?"

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Ophelia started at the suggestion. "Do you mean dear Phyri, or one of her sisters?" she asked, trying to recall what she knew of Porphyria's younger siblings. Not much, regrettably; by the time she'd befriended Phyri all of Ophelia's similarly aged siblings had died, so she had no ready source of common ground with any of them. When she was alone with her friend, their conversations typically turned to much less mundane matters than siblings.

"I can't claim to know her siblings well enough to say, but I do not believe my Miss Dempsey is likely to take an interest in anyone," she confessed. "She thinks having any attachment would interfere with her poetry, I think; it's more Romantic to live a spinster and die alone. But I should never say no to her inclusion at a dinner party," she added. "Perhaps I shall be proven wrong on that account. Though, Nova —" she paused, finding a way to phrase this delicately only because Phyri was such a good friend of hers. "I had thought you intended to look among the freshest faces in the marriage market. Do you think your brother would prefer someone more... mature?"

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