Victor Harlow

Duke Victor Harlow, brother to Serena

[victorharlow]

“You are not the first one to tell me that I am ill-tempered,” Victor said, casting his companion a side-long glance before playing the next card he had in his hand, drawing from the deck. “Though I am making a little bit more effort than I usually would have. Perhaps court has made me a little more mild mannered. I’ve certainly sworn at less lords than I have in a long time.”

[victorharlow]

cassarmstrong:

Gratefully, she took the seat. “Thank you, my lord.” She settled into the chair, still the picture of grace. Her lips curled into a smile when he commented, tilting her head up to look at him. “You like the quiet, don’t you? I keep finding you when you’ve stolen away from the crowd.” She did the same, but she also had spent the night surrounded by people. The time alone was just to find a balance, which wasn’t always easy in the court. 

“I don’t like crowds,” He said with a shake of his head. He didn’t mind the noise so much, but he didn’t like being around large groups of people for extended periods of time. It was always Serena who preferred that. “They’ve always kind of put me off. But, I suppose more time spent around them will eventually liken me to them.” 

[victorharlow]

cassarmstrong:

Cass was easily in her element, but after a while, she needed time to breath. She had spent much of her life alone, after all, so even if she talked easily to people, it sometimes felt like people were everywhere in court. She slipped to the side of the room, noticing a man standing next to a chair with his eyes closed. “Excuse me, is the seat free?” When he opened his eyes, she realised she’d met him before, and she smiled. “I was wondering if you’d mind whether I took the seat there. I’m sorry to disturb you, it looked like we both had the same thought.” 

He looked down at the familiar face and offered a small smile as he inclined his head towards her. “The seat is yours, if you’d like it, my lady,” He answered. waving towards the seat as he straightened once again to be polite. “You’re not a disturbance, but it is much quieter over here than it is over there,” He said, nodding towards the main room. 

[victorharlow]

thexcourtisane:

“ I said I don’t believe we’ve met “ Eliza repeated. “ I would have remembered eyes like yours.” And indeed; she was able to see only his eyes through the mask he was wearing, yet she had a strange feeling that she never spoke to him. Tonight the young lady Parsons wanted to be entertained, and wine and music weren’t enough - she had to have good company to truly seize the beauty and splendor of the ball. 

He looked down at the girl, his eyes flickering over her masked features, and he knew he had yet to make her acquaintance. Not very surprising, given that he was rarely out and about the castle like his sister was. He tilted his head towards her and straightened to his full height, rather than continue leaning against the wall. "No, I don't believe we have. It's a pleasure," He said with a smile. "Have you been enjoying the night, my lady?" He asked, having enough wits about him that he didn't mistake her for one of the roaming royals.

[victorharlow]

elizabeth-tudor-of-spain:

“For now,” she repeated, as though to confirm his words. “I am sure you shall find some occupation eventually, whether trivial or serious,” she teased. “Oh I think the festivities are very exciting. Though one must be careful not to be too excited at such events. I wish some of my children would remember this. This may be a masquerade, but one can uncover the identity of a masked individual if they are determined, or see good reason, to do so.”

“I’m sure that with time, I’ll find something to entertain me,” He said with a smile, shaking his head. “In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the music, won’t you?” His eyebrows rose at her answer and he wondered if it was a common feeling among other royals. It made sense, to be cautious, but he didn’t think that it made sense to not enjoy oneself. “I suppose that is true, but isn’t the point of a masquerade to remain anonymous?”

[victorharlow]

elizabeth-tudor-of-spain:

“Some would say that is a sign of a creative man, or an idle man,” she suggested, followed by a brief laugh. “Which are you?” At his question, she slightly tilted her head and scanned the room once again. “As much as I think I can,” she confessed, feeling that the answer was correct despite how obscure it was.

“For now, I suppose that I am an idle man,” He said with a small smile. He had never truly enjoyed balls like these, and came because it made his sister happy, or, for a time, his wife had enjoyed them. He watched her scan the crowd and wondered briefly who she was searching out. “As much as you think you can?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, though he felt it was a fitting answer. “Has nothing excited you with the festivities?” He asked. 

[victorharlow]

Victor had entertained a dance with a rather pushy courtier, but he wanted to return to his rooms, rather than stand along the outskirts. He was content to just listen to the music however, leaning back against the walls with his eyes closed, listening to the familiar songs. Humming softly along, he hadn’t heard anyone join him until he realized that they were speaking to him. “I’m sorry, repeat that?” He asked, opening his eyes and raising an eyebrow at the newcomer. 

[hajji-murad-blog]

“You could try a little harder to look like you are enjoying yourself,” Elizabeth said using a teasing tone. “Is there something on your mind?” She added, smoothing down her silken flowing skirts that were just one small part of the elaborate outfit she wore.

[victorharlow]

The voice had come out of nowhere, it seemed, and had pulled a chuckle from the man, looking up. He recognized the woman as one of the royal visitors and tipped his head towards her. “My mind is always off somewhere. This time, it certainly wasn’t here,” He said, adjusting the mask his sister had insisted he wear, black and grey that concealed only part of his face. “Are you enjoying yourself?” 

[victorharlow]

coralineatwood:

“to commit oneself to being blunt when faced with any man i find disagreeable would be quite the commitment indeed”, she answered laughing slightly. surely there were some women of that sort in the courts, but tales of their unforgiving words travelled fast and she was sure her mother would be less than pleased to hear of her daughter’s methods of finding a husband. after all that was the goal she had been sent to reach, however hard she worked to delay it. 

“grace is not a natural gift given us all my lord, indeed you would be surprised and perhaps even horrified to hear the history of my tumbles”, she answered playfully. her words not entirely true, in fact she had always had a certain grace to her, but she had not been raised with the same aversion of other noble women to rough housing. that she had been taught. “no apology is necessary, in fact now i am hardly sure where it was i was heading to begin with. perhaps you’ve saved me from wandering the halls aimlessly for the next hour.”

“It would, and it would shock them into leaving you be, or attempting to change your opinions of them. Luckily, I’ve hardly had any attempt to sway my opinions on their moorish behavior,” He said with a laugh, shaking his head. He’d gotten into quite a few scuffles when he was younger for being blunt, though he rarely regretted it afterwards. 

He smiled at her words and shook his head. She was right, not everyone could avoid taking the occasional tumble, and with the skirts that the ladies around court wore, he didn’t doubt that there were some mishaps on stairs and the likes. “Perhaps I’ve saved you from some shadow creature who’d like nothing more than to talk your ear off for an hour about mustard seeds.” 

[victorharlow]

serenaharlow:

“it is my definition of what is best brother”, she grinned winking. if she was grateful for one thing it was his indulging spirit, if she were stood here with her parents she would not dare taunt them in such a manner. “please victor, i keep you young”, she answered skipping slightly. “if you could manage to find me a husband even half as entertaining as myself i would take on that burden for the both of us, but seeing as the skies and people of this place are as grey as they were the last time i inhabited this place i would that a much harder task than finding a woman who would be glad to have you.”

“And your definition of best entails what, exactly?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked over at her. He’d heard from countless people that his indulging spirit would do nothing but ruin his sister for running her own household. Of course, she had been running her own, technically, for years, and it’d yet to burn to the ground. There was an ever changing roster of servants and ladies, but that was hardly unusual. “You keep me stressed, more like,” He retorted. He knew that he’d have to find some extraordinary man to marry his sister, to keep her entertained, if that were the case. But that was a chore for an extraordinary man to take on and he was far too tired to go to such lengths to force his sister into some kind of marriage she’d detest. “I’m sure you’d more likely find a woman to have you,” He teased under his breath. 

[victorharlow]

serenaharlow:

“and why is that brother? do you worry too long complacent will turn me into a bore and it is you who will be left with the weighty burden of being the fun sibling?” she teased. regardless of their height difference she had somehow learned long ago how to make pace with her brother, fighting against heavy skirts and almost a foot of disadvantage to do so. “it must be more commonplace in scenarios such as this, where the brother is a charming catch and the sister no more than a hazard.” she laughed, in truth she often wondered if either of them would ever make down the aisle, surely soon enough one of them would find themselves ushered down it at the point of a blade. 

“It is because whenever I hear it from you, it means you are definitely not on your best behavior, Serena,” e said, shaking his head. He was sure that if it were ever left to him to be the excitement of the Harlows, they would fall out of favor, exiled from court. He didn’t have the energy to play the games of court, had never entertained them. “You are only a hazard to my money and my health,” He joked, looking down at her once more. He’d made a vow to not remarry after his wife had died, but it seemed that there was no choice in the matter. There needed to be some continuation of the line and he doubted that it would ever come from Serena. 

[victorharlow]

coralineatwood:

she glanced back over the man’s shoulder, or rather around it considering his towering height. the man who stood some ways away bore all the marks of the unpleasant, “then i am jealous of your determination”. knowing herself she would of been easily tricked into some long and mind numbing conversation about the clever layout of the man’s gardens. 

“ i am”. she glanced back up at the man, the only thing such a fall may have bruised was the girl’s pride, but considering she cared very little for that she considered herself unscathed. “believe it or not my lord, i’ve suffered far worse tumbles in my life, and none for such a noble cause”, she grinned.

“Well, my determination is what’s gotten me this far in life,” He said with a shrug, though he didn’t doubt that was further from the truth. Unless one could call Serena Determination personified. “You should try being blunt. It’ll startle them, nonetheless,” He suggested. 

“A pretty girl like you?” He asked, an eyebrow arching as he lookde down at her. “I hardly would expect you to take a tumble anywhere,” He added, shaking his head as he looked forward. The further away they were from the man, the better Victor felt, and he released her arm. “I do apologize for bringing you off your path, however.” 

[victorharlow]

“Is there something that you need? I’m afraid that it’s far too early for me to really care unless it’s something detrimental or my sister is in trouble,” Victor said, walking away from the door, having invited the intruder in. Though Serena may flourish under all of the attention, Victor preferred to stay out of the limelight, and that included early morning drama. 

[victorharlow]

cassarmstrong:

She laughed softly. She agreed, travel was much better than settling down, but not many would want a wife that was interested in travel. Better that she act the part of the perfect possible bride. “Both have their virtues and their downfalls. Where would you travel to, my lord, if you could go anywhere in the world?” 

“Anywhere far away from England,” He answered without having to think about it. He’d want to go as far away as he possibly could. But, he would only go if he thought Serena would be taken care of. He’d always want to look after his sister. “Perhaps the West Indies, maybe Africa,” He shrugged. "Where was your favorite place? On your travels?” 

[victorharlow]

greer-sinclair:

“Perhaps.” She smiled back before she looked over at Alastair and grabbed his hand to signal they were about to leave. Her attention turned back to the man momentarily. “Do enjoy your time in the library, your grace. I’ve found it to be a wonderful place to find peace and sanctuary.”

Victor could tell that they were about to leave and inclined his head towards them, smiling a little. “I thank you,” He said, looking down at Alastair. “I hope that you enjoy your stories, and I promise I’ll watch out for you again, so I don’t knock you down,” He smiled, taking a step back. 

[victorharlow]

cassarmstrong:

Cass knew how rare it was for women to travel, especially as extensively as she had, but she’d loved how her life had played out. “I’ve travelled with him my entire life. I’ve been all over Europe, I’ve travelled to Africa and even as far away as China.” Her father hadn’t been able to bear the thought of his daughter growing up without a parent after her mother died, left to the care of strangers, so he’d paid for wet nurses and then later tutors to travel with them. “I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity, but it would be nice to settle down.” 

He listened to her words, trying to picture the man traveling with an infant. He’d been nearly a man grown when his sister was born, and he couldn’t imagine traveling with her then, especially not while working himself. For now, it was hard enough to keep an eye on his sister, even as an adult. “Well, with as much settling down as I’ve done, it certainly sounds far more interesting to travel,” He said with a little smile, looking over at her. 

[victorharlow]

joseph-moncada:

“You are much more intelligent than myself then, as perhaps you have been more discreet in your actions and thus have been able to avoid such problems. I ought to take a leaf out of your book,” he said, maintaining the light atmosphere. “I am pleased that at least someone profited from my plight!”

“I don’t think discreet is the correct term,” He said with a shake of his head. Truthfully, he was far less polite than simply running away from a particularly clingy caller. Serena often told him he was much too blunt and mean for some of the things he said. He grinned and nodded. “Someone must find it entertaining, or else you’ll have no one to laugh with.”