Torie felt her heart skip a little beat as she locked eyes with Mr. Alderton for a moment. That was... unexpected. Certainly he had been gallant and very sweet, Torie wasn't blind, he was quite handsome too, but that little lopsided grin and his continued patience with her, goodness that went a long way to impress her.

Anthony found exactly what she wanted and she had to smile warmly at him. Swooning on him had been less than idea, but she wasn't complaining about having his company all to herself for the moment. Taking the glass, she took a refreshing sip, feeling invigorated by the sweetness of it. "Perfect thank you. You continue to be an exceptional gentleman." Idly, she looked around the room at large again to see if she could find her mother, but still did not see the blonde hair of Zandra Malfoy anywhere in her immediate vicinity. Good.

"I feel as though we've skipped quite a bit of the getting to know one another in my fit of dramatics, what is it you do with your time Mr. Alderton?" Torie asked politely as she took another sip of lemonade. She was fixing to get to know him a little better, even if she knew her evening would soon be cut short. Her chaperon had faded into the masses, no doubt to find Zandra herself, so Torie knew she was working with borrowed time. That was all the more reason to hold onto Mr. Alderton a little bit tighter, taking a deep breath as she felt a bit of dizziness stop her for a moment.

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Red again! June 1894

Anthony gave a pleased nod as Ms. Torie seemed to accept his offering, and he nodded towards the server his thanks. The other shuffled off, leaving them once again alone. A small swell of pride bloomed in the brunette’s belly as he accepted the lady’s praise. He liked to be useful, that was for certain. Another grin touched the man’s lips as he considered her apt observation. There had been a lot skipped in the normal, formal process of being introduced. He was not at a loss for it however; getting to see the more hidden side of what he presumed was a polite, well-finished debutant was always intriguing. (Besides, now they had a little something shared.)

“I am a sponsor for the Holyhead Harpies, actually,” Anthony replied, selectively. He chose not to mention his flourishing wine entrepreneurial endeavors for the time being. It could be seen as… unusual for a gentlemen in a position like his to hold down an occupation, much less two. At least sponsoring quidditch was a little more commonly done. He didn’t know what the lady’s opinion of women playing quidditch might be, but he was sure it would tell him a great deal.

“I think they’re doing rather well this year,” he added with a small flash of pride. “I also have a rather keen interest in wine.” He turned a glittering smile onto the lady, unable to help himself. “Do you like wine Ms. Torie Malfoy?” He asked, a teasing lilt in his tone. He hoped the answer was yes.

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Victoire Malfoy

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A quidditch sponsor, unexpected, but not entirely. It was what Raf did after all. Torie knew the world at large, but was not very keen on the specifics. Clearly she had some research to do. The quidditch world did throw some spectacular parties, that she did know. Though she wasn't supposed to be in favor of an all-female team, based on her upbringing, she was impressed by their vigor and dedication. It was endearing that Mr. Alderton should have chosen that team to sponsor. "My brother, Raphael, is the sponsor of the Appleby Arrows." Torie also knew Mr. Longbottom championed the Wasps, by association. He was easy on the eyes as well, but a wee bit too flirtatious for her.

"I must admit I am not overly familiar with the quidditch world, but I do find the matches thrilling." There were a lot of handsome quidditch players out there as well. Not that Torie considered herself a broom bunny, but she could appreciate good looks when they were right in front of her face.

Wine was also something Torie was not well-versed in, but he seemed to have a vested interest, and so she could easily learn. "I'm sure you will find this answer typical of someone like me, and perhaps a little lackluster, but I do like the sweeter ones." What young woman could go for a full-bodied red wine? That wasn't to say she couldn't acquire the taste. "I do like the drier whites as well." A sommelier she was not, but again, she could become more knowledgeable with a little time and practice. What she did truly like was his continued use of her preferred nickname. The fact that he chose to use what her friends called her was promising.

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   Anthony Alderton

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Red again! June 1894

Ah, that was true. Anthony had forgotten. He knew of Raphael Malfoy as a fellow sponsor. He wasn’t well acquainted with the gentleman, but he was a Malfoy wasn’t he? Anthony nodded in response to her comment. “They are fun,” He agreed. “You’ll have to come out and watch the Harpies one of these days,” he offered, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “Maybe against the Arrows, even. We can test your familial loyalty,” he chuckled. “The girls are rather charismatic, I wouldn’t be surprised if you end up a turncoat,” he teased.

As Ms. Malfoy confessed her taste in wine, Anthony didn’t find himself surprised much. It was a touch painful, but he supposed with a little coaching anyone could be converted. “Have you ever taken a fancy to port?” He offered. “It is a fortified wine, often with brandy, and generally a touch sweeter than say a full-bodied red. It can be a bit strong, very robust in taste and all.” He offered her a charming grin. “But you may well find you like it,” he quipped.

It was a little bit selfish of Anthony to suggest port, even though in his professional opinion he did think she would take well to it. Where most women didn’t drink heavily, the right balance of sweetness and strength could be lethal. He himself was rather a fan, especially considering the majority of his business to date was in Porto, but that was neither here nor there.

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Victoire Malfoy

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Little did Mr. Alderton know that Torie had very little loyalty in the quidditch world. Her family loyalty was there, certainly, but it did not extend to quidditch teams. Even the loyalty to her family was tenuous at best. They had never exactly given her any either, hence her bright red hair, so she was teetering on easily changing teams. "I should think your charisma would be enough." Torie chuckled over the rim of her lemonade. "But I would like that very much." Torie could certainly put up with numerous quidditch matches if it meant some more time in his company. Startling how quickly she had come to enjoy her time this evening, after her fainting spell of course, Mr. Alderton had left her feeling protected and cared for, which she realized she enjoyed immensely.

Humming out a noncommittal response, Torie shrugged slightly. "I have not," Wine really was fairly beyond her. Her tastes in that regard were simple, but again she was willing to learn. "It sounds lovely, I'm adventurous, I could certainly be persuaded to try something new." Torie was not one to shy away from new experiences, like trying new wines or attending professional quidditch matches. It was who she shared the experiences with that made the difference to her.

It seemed their precious little time was up however, as her mother finally came into view, a look on her features. "I hope we get the chance to share that sometime. I have however, been spotted." She motioned toward her mother. "Which is probably for the better at the moment. I do still feel a touch unwell." Despite her elongation of the conversation, she could feel the fatigue of the earlier predicament wearing on her.

"Please don't be a stranger, Mr. Alderton." She managed to add with another warm smile as she looked up at him again. It was all she could get in before her mother ushered herself in and took over.

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Red again! June 1894

Anthony found something warming in his chest at the sound of Ms. Malfoy’s compliments. He was perhaps used to ladies being polite and trying to flatter him, but there was something genuine about the way this one spoke that just… made it all feel less like a charade. He offered her a genuine little smile by way of return. “Then we shall have to make it happen,” he replied, earnestly. The thought of seeing her again, even at a noisy quidditch match, was enough to satisfy. Anthony was pleased too, by Ms. Torie’s response to adventure. It boded well that she could be prevailed upon to try new things! Before he could respond however, they were joined by her mother and Anthony immediately made motion to distance himself from the lady a fraction. He loosened his arm from his side, giving her ample room to disentangle.

“Mrs. Malfoy,” he greeted, politely. The woman seemed disinterested in him, and so rebuffed a touch - understandably so - Anthony fell silent. He offered the youngest Ms. Malfoy a tip of the head in acknowledgement and then stepped back as they made to move off. “Ta~” he replied with a grin by way of farewell.

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Victoire Malfoy

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