[argvendo]

⸻  a  private & dependent multi-muse blog for grosvenortales.

written by k & featuring ;

mister nicholas nobley, member of parliament. thirty-five. son to the earl of cadogan.

intro. threads. visage. pinterest.

miss harriet pembroke, twenty-three. daughter to the marquess of halstead.

intro. threads. visage.

[peri0dicity]

Louisa Musgrove - Persuasion (2022)

[vavaharrison]

2.08

[argvendo]

(nia towle, she/her, cis woman, twenty-three, youngest daughter to the marquess of halstead) Dearest gentle reader! This author has, at long last,  been made aware of the arrival of one MISS HARRIET PEMBROKE in London! SHE, accompanied by HER FAMILY, is RETURNED to the season - yet their reputation precedes them. While known by many to be PERCEPTIVE & GENTLE, this author has also heard the be described as HEADSTRONG & IMPULSIVE. As they arrive in London they evoke images of FLICKERING CANDLELIGHT LATE INTO THE NIGHT, FLOWERS PRESSED BETWEEN BOOK PAGES, MUD-STAINED HEMS, THE SHARP SCENT OF HERBS AND TINCTURES. They may think their secrets safe for now, but this author is intent to unearth what lingers underneath the surface!

full  name:  harriet catherine pembroke.  nicknames:  hattie ( general use. ) date  of  birth:  17th  of  january.  age:  twenty-three.   gender:  cis  woman.  pronouns:  she  /  her.  orientation:  bisexual  &  biromantic. 

hair:  dark brown, curly, usually up.  eyes:  brown.  height:  five foot four.  build:  slim.  dominant  hand:  right.  scars:  small scar on her left knee.

the youngest of the pembroke and well aware of all the privileges that grants her, harriet makes excellent use of them. she was a sweet, if slightly rambunctious child and retains both of those traits as she heads towards her mid-twenties.

always deeply and dearly adored her siblings, spending as much time with any one of them as possible. she had a penchant for caring, an excellent companion at the sickbed, doting on whichever sibling had caught the dastardly cold or some other illness, but robust enough to rarely fall ill herself.

she loved to read and learn, and did so voraciously but also enjoyed the social life afforded her family as nobility. a keen conversationalist and just as keen an observer.

her boisterousness calmed a little as she grew older, energy harnessed through more proper channels, like her finishing lessons or other education. still, the youngest pembroke is famous within her family for announcing her intention to carry out a simple errand, but not returning for several hours. harriet hopes she will continue to get away with this.

on the topic of marriage, harriet is sort of... ambivalent. by no means against it -- in fact, she's well aware that any of her family would be a significant catch and as such might do very well out of an arrangement -- but neither is she rushing into it.

would she like to marry for love? well, of course, but she doesn't think that's particularly realistic ; a love like that of her parents' is rare and she would settle for nothing less out of a love match. a marriage of convenience is more likely but she will insist on being very picky about it. they would have to be a friend, she would not spend the rest of her days shackled to some miserable, uninteresting person.

[violaobanion]

LOUISA MUSGROVE’S OUTFITS in Persuasion (2022), requested by anonymous

[whatstohappenallhappenedbefore]

Another year, another season. In itself he didn't have much reason to dislike them, frankly it was rather hilarious watching people prance around like peacocks to try and get someone elses attention so they could be married. A marriage based on very little, other than a nice hat. Well, wasn't he meant to be evidence that it worked?

Perhaps he would be more relaxed about the whole thing, if any of his children would actually just get married. It was as if they hadn't realised the safety in doing it. If everything for their family fell apart tomorrow, than at least they'd have the safety of their marriage. Instead, they just seemed to think everything would work out if they just kept fighting against it. As if the world worked like that, perhaps it would whilst he and his husband lived, but without that protection... who was to say what would happen. He might love them unconditionally, but sometimes he wished he could shake some sense into them.

At least there was the park, and if nothing else he could get some fresh air. The fresh air, well it was always a good reminder of things long left in the past. Least is was until the early onlookers showed up, ready for spotting early members of the season. A nice reminder what was in store for all of them for a while.

Deciding this was not where he wished to spend any more time for now, he had been about to head back to the carriage when someone started talking to him... or perhaps at him would be more accurate. He may have some vanity, but not enough to believe he was someone anyone here actually wanted to talk to. More likely they had spotted him and were using him as an escape from a conversation. A clever move, just annoying for him. "So which is the person you are aiming to avoid speaking to? The woman with the... interesting head piece, or the man with the vibrant cane?"

[argvendo]

there were… aspects of the season that nicholas disliked ( despised, even ) and fewer that he… liked was perhaps too strong a word. tolerated might be a better description. alas, there was no avoiding any of it. not with his seat in parliament and the presence of his family. it was the distinctly social side he found himself liking less and less each year. if he hadn’t been such a passionate politician he might have spent the entire year, separate, at his own country estate and neglecting all duties in favour of the company of his sheep and tenants.

dislike for the primping and preening of society was far outweighed, however, by his utter distaste for the prospect of marriage. it hadn’t always been this way , but nicholas was far too much of a realist ( or a pessimist ) to think he could ever be so lucky as to find a match like his parents’. he hadn’t become so vehemently against the idea of marriage full stop until the past… decade, or so. but his feelings on the matter had remained steadfast in those years and he had become expert at dodging the topic in a number of ways. defenestration had been the choice once, though he wasn’t rushing to repeat that incident.

wanting to avoid the topic of marriage and promenading in the park — or simply walking through it, as nicholas would describe it — didn’t make much sense in the way of choice activities, but he was determined to make it through the place without stopping for conversation. until two familiar figures emerged and seemed to hone in on him like some sort of twin prey animals. he glanced around, desperate and wasn’t at all displeased to find his father nearby.

he plastered an innocent smile upon his face as he greeted the other. eyebrows rising slightly in response to his father’s more than astute question, nicholas clamped his mouth shut a moment and twisted to glance back at each of his would-be assailants. “both, frankly.” announced after a moment. “the gentleman… if you can call him that… is a conservative back-bencher. i think i almost duelled him once.” a sharp intake of breath.

“and the lady,” he paused, hesitant to bring up her apparent romantic interest in him lest it lead to the dreaded other topic. “is simply very, very annoying. pretty, but…” he made a vague gesture and a brave attempt at the pleading look he'd mastered as a child but he was sure had now lost significant potency. “if you save me, i will be seriously indebted to you.”

[starrycyed]

remy pressed his lips together, struggling to maintain the image of a grown adult and not the preteen child he tended to revert to whenever he was with his oldest friend. he watched the other man settle, and as per usual he quietly envied nicholas' laissez-faire attitude. he furrowed his brow as he lifted his cup, pausing as if truly deep in thought. "'pleasant-to-talk-to-nicholas?' i do not believe i have ever had the pleasure of meeting this fellow," he mused, making pointed eye contact as he took a long sip of tea. he rolled his eyes, momentarily forgetting that they were currently out in public. "how sad that you seem to have such little faith in humanity as a whole. i know how sacred tea is to you, my good friend, and i swear on my very life that your order was submitted precisely as you would have done yourself."

[argvendo]

"he was reported missing some time ago," nicholas offered flatly, maintaining the eye contact on his part even as he moved deftly to fill the cup in front of him from the purchased pot. "i doubt very much he will ever come out from wherever he is inevitably hiding if you," lifted the spoon to point it accusingly at remington, "and everybody else continue as you are." finishing the tea-making -- exactly to his own tastes -- he emitted a satisfied hum and placed the cup directly in front of his dear friend. "if you spent as much time with the rest of humanity as i do, i guarantee you would feel much the same my friend." a placid smile. "then drink it." he challenged, leaning forward, elbows upon the table, and steepling his fingers.

[doublelights]

open starter location: the streets of london, somewhere less than proper

night in london is an affair edmund is ultimately familiar with. never is it a quiet thing- the boys at oxford would delay their returns home for another few hours at gambling clubs past sunset, or take out the horses for a late-night ride, and he knew better than anyone that a quiet night could only be found when one was searching for it.

and maybe he was, tonight. but even after five years away on the continent, he still remembered the right paths to follow and corners to cross to find himself in a part of london that was barely lit and scarcely occupied.

freedoms such as this, he knew, were bound to slip away with the season. as such, he was determined to take full advantage now.

as he walked, edmund stuck his hands in his pockets, whistling a low, lilting melody. the chill of the evening tugged at the skin of his neck, his head held high. this was not a place belonging to society; just a man desperate to avoid it.

tonight, it seemed, he wasn't the only one. movement caught the peripherals of his vision, and before he could stop himself, edmund was turning a corner to follow. while the darkness obscured much of the figure's details, he knew well enough the silhouette of someone who wasn't meant to be in this part of the city.

"i see i am not the only one with a penchant for an evening away from the ton," edmund announces, attempting to make himself audible from such a distance. he pauses in front of the nearest light, leaning against the post in order to illuminate himself.

"may i join you, or is this an occasion best kept in isolation? because i have been told i am excellent at conversing if you so desire it."

[argvendo]

it was perhaps risky for someone in public office to be venturing into a less than respectable area of the city for the night, but nicholas found he cared very little for the court of public opinion. that, coupled with confidence in his ability to justify his presence, should the need arise, led him to move through the seedier streets with relatively little care for being discovered.

he could navigate this part of town with his eyes closed, this being far from the first night he'd sought illicit company ( of either the physical or political variety ) to pass an evening. it is at the passing of the corner he notices the footsteps behind his, debating in silence as he continues whether acknowledgement ( and the potential consequence ) is worth the effort.

he turns, at last, toward the voice. exhaling and shifting his stance, the movement subtle but nevertheless causing a faint twinging in his back that he masks with the simple adjustment of his coat. in contrast to his brother's choice to illuminate himself, nicholas chooses the darkest spot, in between two lights, to occupy as he stops.

an involuntary laugh escapes. "had you expected to be?" he questions, head tilting. "you may have been away for five years, brother, but i would not have expected you to forget just how much of the ton would rather be anywhere else during the season in that time." arms cross over his chest.

"you can join me, if you would like. though i confess i have no plans laid out for the night." in fact, he had half been considering simply retiring to bed. "you will certainly find better conversation elsewhere."

[starrycyed]

closed starter with @argvendo

location: gunter's tea shop

"ordered for you," remington said, directing his words to his novel instead of the man who had just sat down across from him. he finished the paragraph and closed the book, looking up at nicholas with a weather eye as he absently stirred his tea. "dare i ask how this latest session of parliament has been coming along?" he asked in an exaggeratedly innocent tone, nursing a sneaking suspicious that his friend's response would be much more robust.

[argvendo]

"oh," the singular response given to the news that his friend had ordered for him. eyes narrowed in a flicker of brief suspicion and nicholas let the satchel bag fall gracelessly from his shoulder to the floor and murmured an eventual thank you. the man himself followed suit quickly, taking the chair opposite and angling it so he could stretch long legs out in front of him and cross them at the ankle. "if you would like pleasant-to-talk-to-nicholas, i might suggest you keep your question to yourself." a shake of his head and a sigh followed suit and he leaned forward to peer into his teacup. "i trust the men in those chambers' ability to run this nation about as much as i trust yours to have ordered me a simple cup of tea."

[vavaharrison]

A rare hand. Knows what it wants, but not always how to get it. 

[argvendo]

(aidan turner, he/him, cis man, thirty-five, son to the earl of cadogan) Dearest gentle reader! This author has, at long last,  been made aware of the arrival of one MR. NICHOLAS NOBLEY, MP in London! HE, accompanied by HIS FAMILY, is RETURNED to the season - yet their reputation precedes them. While known by many to be ASTUTE & PRINCIPLED, this author has also heard the be described as ILL-TEMPERED & UNYIELDING. As they arrive in London they evoke images of LOW-BURNING FIREPLACES, LOCKED DRAWERS, MORNING MIST OVER ROLLING GREEN FIELDS AND DARK, TAILORED CLOTHING.

full  name:  nicholas ambrose nobley.  nicknames:  nick ( general use, he isn't precious about it ). nicky ( relatives and close friends only. ) date  of  birth:  3rd  of  september.  age:  thirty-five.   gender:  cis  man.  pronouns:  he  /  him.  orientation:  bisexual  &  biromantic.  occupation: member of parliament, whig party.

hair:  black, curly, just above shoulder length.  eyes:  brown.  height:  six  feet.  build:  lean.  dominant  hand:  left, though can write with both hands.  scars:  small scar in his right eyebrow, countless others from minor scrapes over the years.

has absolutely no recollection of where he 'really' comes from as he was adopted by the earl and count as a toddler. indeed, nicholas finds he isn't fond of the notion of a 'real' family v his adoptive one, because the latter, as the only family he's ever known, is his real one.

nicholas is certainly not the only person in his family grateful that he was the spare, rather than the heir. in fact, he probably isn't even the most enthusiastic about it amongst despite his excitement.

he only ever saw it as a privilege and, as such, grabbed the opportunities and freedoms afforded him with both hands and held them in a vice. no end of trouble was caused on his behalf in his youth, though generally harmless. as he grew older it translated into what you might describe as somewhat rakish behaviour, though he was careful enough to never let it be to anyone's true detriment.

endured a bad fall from a horse in his early 20's, most injuries were superficial and healed with time, though his back has been a mess and a bit of a problem since. generally, he has a good handle on it, but has laudanum available if the need arises -- though he is always hesitant to use it and prefers to suffer.

he was the best and worst of the nobley genotype despite the lack of a genetic connection. ridiculously bright, soaking up any and all information like a sponge, sharp-witted ( a little too sharp for some's comfort ), articulate, capable of being charming and the perfect gentleman. deeply thoughtful, strategic and reliable. but also intense, short-tempered, ridiculously pig-headed and always up for an argument.

was perhaps too keen to take up a place in parliament as soon as he was eligible, as is the family way, he was elected to one of the nobley-controlled boroughs. just as quickly as he was elected though, nicholas proved himself far from an ornamental addition to parliament. he has been re-elected at every single election since by a ( unfixed, thank you very much ) landslide. is very popular with his constituents and lives in the rural constituency in a considerable cottage outside of the season.

lets people believe ( if a little begrudgingly ) that he is simply another of the earl's parliamentary pawns, but this is certainly not the case. he's respected in parliament, but unpredictable. has a very calm demeanour and wins arguments without raising his voice.

he aligns with the whig party, supports measured parliamentary reform and advocates passionately for social change and economic and trade expansion. known to support a motion in public, then turn around and try to reshape it in private.

has his own lodgings in london, but likes to spend a fair amount of time with his family ( bothering them ) during the season, as outside of it he lives further away from them and doesn't really travel all that much. outside of parliament, he is a little less... well-behaved. has a reputation for starting / getting into fights, boxing and generally running his mouth a little more than someone his age should.

put a lot of energy into successfully avoiding a marriage so far, though even nicky himself isn't quite sure how he's actually managed it. either way, he's not keen for it to change anytime soon. he'd spend the rest of his life content as a bachelor given the choice.

wanted connections.

a previous betrothal ( or almost betrothal ) that fell apart for one reason or another. confidant, maybe they know his secrets. political ally or sympathiser. political rival. unexpected friend / opposites. a future love match, inappropriate or socially acceptable. family friends / childhood friends. a mentor or mentee. past / current flings, one night stands, friends with benefits, etc. frequently attends and occasionally boxes gentleman jack's, so regulars there. everything abeg.

[vavaharrison]

3.02

[mournfulroses]

Hélène Cixous, from The Selected Plays of Hélène Cixous; “Portrait Of Dora,”

[vavaharrison]

2.08