April 18, 1888 - Thames River, London
For This!

Despite her original thoughts, Louisa's night had turned out to be rather interesting. She had actually started to enjoy herself some but had started to get a little chilled and opted to head back within the warm confines of the tented area. She figured she should probably seek out her mother as well, to let her know she was well and still alive. She'd perhaps even tell her she'd almost run away with a sailor just to make the older woman laugh to brighten her night as well.

With one last look over her shoulder outside, she made her way back into the actual event only to run right into a gentleman who had apparently decided to seek some fresh air as well. "Oh dear," she said quickly moving to step back only to find she was stuck due to the man standing on the hem of her dress. "I'm sorry," she said though her face flushed with such close proximity to the gentleman.

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Charles Macmillan

  

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Lovely Lady Set!

Charles was seriously beginning to consider retiring for the evening. He'd mingled and socialized a-plenty but he was fast reaching his limit of how much social interaction he could handle before wanting to throw himself into the fetid water of the Thames. He'd excused himself for ten minutes or so to recollect himself and felt marginally improved upon doing so. He couldn't loiter out there forever though. He was turning back towards the tent with the intention of returning, when a young woman collided with him and managed to reverse the effects of the last ten minutes in one fell swoop.

"Not to worry," he replied gruffly. He really ought to give debutantes more of a chance but every time he looked at one he thought of his late wife and how unpleasant that whole experience had been. Not all debutantes were Noelle Selwyn reincarnate. Charles noticed she tried to move away and seemed incapable which unpleasantly reminded him of the mistletoe incident but fortunately this time it was just his foot on her dress. He abruptly removed his foot. "My apology." He resented feeling obliged to excuse himself when she was the one who had barreled into him in the first place but he wouldn't have her telling people he was rude. "I hope I've not dirtied it too much." He didn't really, how women managed to keep the hems of their dresses the same color as the rest of the gowns, he didn't know but if they got dirty it was a design fault not his.

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Louisa looked up to the gentleman with big blue eyes but was quite pleased as he lifted his foot and she was able to step back. It was a bit disconcerting to have been stuck so close to him for even the short period of time as she'd been able to really smell the man. It was strange the way senses worked and how a body reacted to them. Being so close mixed with the masculine smell had caused her to feel rather flushed despite the cold bite of the air from outside.

Trying to distract herself from such things, she tried to focus on what was said and gave the man a slight shrug with a smile. "Perhaps it will be enough of an excuse to leave," she said as her eyes drifted to the hem of her skirts. It didn't look as though much, if any, damage had been done. "But I imagine it would take quite the tear and not just a dirtied hem to make such an excuse," she added as she looked back to him, still smiling.

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Lovely Lady Set!

Charles tried not to think about what 'quite the tear' might entail. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in the company of a woman whose dress was so torn it was indecent. Even if no one thought he had anything to do with it it'd still be humiliating. Luckily, that was a scenario that seemed as far from likely as centaurs living in Wellingtonshire.

He really didn't want to stand there and exchange pleasantries but she was smiling a great deal and seemed a little giddy. She probably cried at the drop of a hat and abruptly leaving her company might send her over the edge. The trouble with oversensitive women was that no one ever blamed them for being oversensitive, it was everyone else's fault. Charles mustered up the will to go on, just about. "The evening is not to your liking then?" Her shoes were probably too tight or she hadn't found herself the subject of enough attention as she had hoped and now she was put out. He supposed it was unfair to judge her so soon but his own waning patience for the party was making it oh so very easy.

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Though Louisa's smile hardly wavered, she did look to the gentleman with a slightly raised brow. She had made it obvious, had she not, that she was a bit over the events of the evening. She was bored to say the very least and he didn't look as though he were having the time of his life either. But then again, she was fairly certain some men just simply had that look about them. As if smiling were considered unmanly or something. It almost made her want to roll her eyes but that would be rude and she didn't feel being rude was in her best interests at that moment.

"I can't say that it is," she responded with a small shrug, "Most are a bit dull. And old." Well, that had perhaps been a bit too much but there was little she could do about it now though her cheeks did color slightly with embarrassment over it.

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Lovely Lady Set!

That was probably her way of saying that she hadn't received the amount of attention she desired thus far, or at least not from quarters she desired it from. He couldn't help but think of Noelle. The two were probably nothing alike but his late wife had succeeded in poisoning his view of women so thoroughly that it didn't much matter. He also didn't know what she thought she was playing at in saying such a thing; either she was suggesting he was an exception thus allowing her to be so frank with him which was decidedly presumptuous, or she was trying to let him know that if he failed to amuse her she'd be writing him off as a bore and telling all her friends as much. He disliked the position he now found himself in immensely, it left him no option but to accommodate her whims or else be slandered.

All the same, he wouldn't be joining her in disparaging his peers even if he had found the company of some of them tedious that evening. "I'm sure the gentlemen in question would be thoroughly dismayed to know they have lost your good opinion." He delivered the line with as much sincerity as he could effect, intending for her to miss the subtle undertone of sarcasm. "I hope I am not adding another dull encounter to your score for the evening." He purposely let the end of his sentence hang dubiously between a statement and a question.

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This gentleman didn't appear to be any more exciting than those she'd already been forced to converse with. He did, however, appear to be less enthused at being there the way she was. It was something of a point in his favor but he also didn't seem to thrilled with conversing with her either. She wouldn't be the type to point it out though as she's already gone ahead and flouted propriety some by speaking badly of their peers. Oh well, there was nothing to be done by it now.

"I can assure you I find you neither of those things," she answered with a small nod, though she wasn't sure if he actually did or not. They hadn't been in one another's presence for long enough to really determine what he was like after all. "But I have held you up from your escape," she added with a smile, "I shan't keep you from it if you'd still prefer to make your way outside."

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Lovely Lady Set!

He hadn't needed her to reassure him about his age, he was quite aware that he was young, sometimes to his dismay for at times he felt his youth held him back in his career. Those with more experience were typically older and typically favored, after all. Nevertheless, her response was welcome for the alternative would have been insulting.

Finally she said something that he really wanted to hear; she was providing him with an escape. Now that she'd given him his out from the conversation, he felt a little more at ease and with his improving mood came an improvement in his behavior. Charles removed a watch from his pocket and checked the time. "As much as I should like to continue enjoying your company, I'm afraid I really must be going." He tucked the watch back from whence it came. He still didn't think much of her based on not much at all, but his enthusiasm to be leaving without being rude was over-spilling. "Good evening, and may we meet again soon, Miss...?" As he trailed off in expectation of getting a name, he mentally kicked himself for being so long-winded and unnecessary - what did it matter what her name was?!

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Louisa was fairly sure he didn't really mean what he was saying. At least, not about wanting to continue enjoying her company. He didn't appear to be a man that enjoyed company of anyone. She wasn't about to push that though. She saw little point in it, after all. He was far from the type she found herself wanting to spend any amount of time with after all.

"Lupin," she answered simply with a small curtsy, "Louisa Lupin. And I shall look forward to a future meeting. I hope you enjoy the remainder of your night." A small nod and a smile was offered then as she turned to leave, allowing for him to go on his way without having to pay her any more attention.

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Lovely Lady Set!

"And I you." He gave a short bow, an even shorter smile, and turned to make his departure. He'd probably say goodbye to some people first but he intended to be gone within the next twenty minutes. Home to be welcomed by the silence of his daughter's absence. Ahhhhh, what bliss!

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