Anthony was surprised when the young lady addressed him by name. He wasn’t a notorious bachelor by any means, but… well, he could be rather private sometimes. And he’d been scarce on the social scene over the past few years. It was always a little bit awkward for him when someone recognized him before he recognized them, but it did speak volumes as to the type of informed, socially apt lady he was dealing with. (It did not occur to him for a single moment that she might be friends with Tillie, Poppy or any of the handful of other women in his life. It did not occur to him that they might know of him from such a connection either, much less a connection from the notoriously unsocial Basil Foxwood. How amusing.)
“Of course,” he replied with a gentle incline of the head. It was lucky that in that moment the staff member from before appeared with a woman, likely the lady’s chaperone. The chaperone swept into the room with a small crystal glass. It was quickly handed to the lady and Anthony let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He never was very comfortable about being alone in a room with a lady unchaperoned. It didn’t feel right, and he didn’t like to give the impression that he was that sort of rake. Once upon a time, in his travels across the continent, perhaps Anthony had been exactly that sort of rake. These days, as he considered more and more what it was he wanted from life, he did not find the same thrill in the forbidden as he had before. This was obviously an extenuating circumstance but, still.
Anthony’s face broke into a grin as the lady excused herself and pulled out her fan. He didn’t recognize her even without the mask, a fault he would be sure to correct once he found Lucy, but she was very pretty. Even flushed pink and slightly out of sorts, the lady was… breathtaking. A poetic word, but one that he supplied nonetheless. There were many woman in the world who varied in their degrees of beauty. Some were exotic and spectacular from the first uptake, wrapping up a gentleman's heart in all the fantasies a beauty like that could promise. There were others, more plain in the face, but that had a heart they would share with the poorest, most miserable sod. Both were forms of beauty that Anthony found himself attracted to and this one... well. She was certainly stunning on the uptick, he had to say.
“It is of no matter so long as you’re alright,” he replied. A teasing lilt touched his voice then, screaming 'Anthony Alderton', and he offered her a lopsided little smile, glad they were through the worst of it. “I am happy to clear any oversized rodents from your path in the future, should you ever need.”
“Of course,” he replied with a gentle incline of the head. It was lucky that in that moment the staff member from before appeared with a woman, likely the lady’s chaperone. The chaperone swept into the room with a small crystal glass. It was quickly handed to the lady and Anthony let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He never was very comfortable about being alone in a room with a lady unchaperoned. It didn’t feel right, and he didn’t like to give the impression that he was that sort of rake. Once upon a time, in his travels across the continent, perhaps Anthony had been exactly that sort of rake. These days, as he considered more and more what it was he wanted from life, he did not find the same thrill in the forbidden as he had before. This was obviously an extenuating circumstance but, still.
Anthony’s face broke into a grin as the lady excused herself and pulled out her fan. He didn’t recognize her even without the mask, a fault he would be sure to correct once he found Lucy, but she was very pretty. Even flushed pink and slightly out of sorts, the lady was… breathtaking. A poetic word, but one that he supplied nonetheless. There were many woman in the world who varied in their degrees of beauty. Some were exotic and spectacular from the first uptake, wrapping up a gentleman's heart in all the fantasies a beauty like that could promise. There were others, more plain in the face, but that had a heart they would share with the poorest, most miserable sod. Both were forms of beauty that Anthony found himself attracted to and this one... well. She was certainly stunning on the uptick, he had to say.
“It is of no matter so long as you’re alright,” he replied. A teasing lilt touched his voice then, screaming 'Anthony Alderton', and he offered her a lopsided little smile, glad they were through the worst of it. “I am happy to clear any oversized rodents from your path in the future, should you ever need.”