Full Title: Not the First, and Definately Not the Last
Bennett had just arrived in London and the beauty of the day was actually quite remarkable to him. It was not the first day he had stepped out in London, nor would it be the last; but today seemed to have a strange freshness to it that he had only ever encountered in the country, which was rather rare for the hustle and bustle of the London streets.

Dressed in a comfortably fitted dark blue waist coat and cream colored trousers, with a brown long riding jacket, he was looking rather handsome on that particular day on Bond Street. He smiled and nodded to the gentlemen and ladies that passed. He looked like a perfectly mannered gentlemen, but as of now, very few knew of his renegade nightly pastimes. However, that wasn't to say that a few might have come across him before.

Upon seeing all the elegant young ladies taking a stroll, he was suddenly reminded that he should bring his sister into town. She would very much enjoy the fashions, galas, and social interaction with such accomplished ladies as herself, as well as meet young gentlemen to entertain her time.

Bennett stepped around the corner and stopped as a carriage road up, blocking his path. 'Hmm...' he would just have to go around. 'Quite rude, though,' he thought to himself with a look upon his face that showed he was not amused in the slightest.

Christiana rode in her carriage to Bond Street, hoping to pass the afternoon with some shopping and socializing. She wore a white dress and a large black hat with a blue and white ribbon that made it quite difficult to sit up straight in the carriage.

'Where shall I go first?' She wondered, looking out the window of the carriage. She soon saw her friend Bennett Reeves coming around the corner.

"Stop here!"

She noticed his look of annoyance at the obstacle in his path, and stepped down from her carriage to greet him with an amused smile on her face.

"Dearest Mr. Reeves, I'm glad to see you back in London! How was your stay in the country?"

[ooc - this is pretty much my first rpg post like, ever. so sorry if it sucks. also, i'm not totally sure he was in the country but it seemed like my best guess.]

When the voice of the familiar Lady Christiana spoke to him from the carriage he smiled and tipped his head the moment she showed her beautiful face. "Lady Christiana, it is a pleasure to see you again. The country? It was as expected, ma'am. Beautiful, but incredibly dull." He laughed, joking only slightly.

To him, Lady Christiana was a close friend. He had been intending to call at her home, but it seemed that fate would not allow it. He would just have to greet her here instead. "I've just arrived, and I see that I've brought the lovely weather with me. How has it been here in town? I hope it has been treating you kindly."

Lady Christiana was a beautiful woman, though as of the moment, he had no interest in her romantically. He and she were like souls. One enjoyed the same sins as the other, however, there would be no wedding bells between the two. Like souls, akin to theirs, never did well together, especially in polite society.

"Yes, the country does become quite boring after a while, although I'm sure you found some way to amuse yourself."

Christiana knew that Mr. Reeves would likely be even more bored there than most - without such an abundance of his usual distractions - and he didn't seem the type to handle boredom well. She wondered with what he had kept himself busy while there, but didn't think it quite proper to ask so openly, in a busy public area where they could be easily overheard. She could not, of course, blame him for his vices, as she shared them quite often.

"London has been quite unremarkable lately, though not quite as calm as the country. What brings you to Bond St today?"

Bennett listened intently. He smiled, knowing he could be just a little more honest with Lady Christiana than he could be with most young ladies. After all, a few of his greatest nights filled his his favorite hobbies had been shared with the lovely young woman. "I'm sure you can imagine. Though, my evenings have been nothing without you by my side." Bennett was, if anything, a flirt. "As of right now, I am just enjoying the London air."

"Now," he started, offering his hand to help her out of the carriage. "Would you like to take a stroll with me down the walk? Or has my reputation been thus ruined by my last visit?" He jested, his voice filled with smile which matched his eyes and lips. "We have much to discuss, and I know you are my greatest informer on the wilds of town since I've been away."

"I see no reason why not - although we may evoke a bit of gossip. That is hardly unusual though..." She laughed, "Of course, you do interest me just a bit more than the hat I had just seen in a shop window."

Christiana was glad to have noticed him walking; Bennett was one of her good friends and certainly one of the most entertaining. She had missed him while he was away, if only because she had temporarily lost a favorite gambling partner, and she certainly enjoyed their conversations, which were usually less formal and more interesting than those she had with other men she knew.

"So tell me, how did you pass your time in the country? I do wish you would write me when you are away and keep me informed of your indiscretions!" She smiled knowingly at him, "It would so help me pass the time on dreary days like this one."

"Then come, Lady Christiana." He gave her a very charming smile and then waited for her to be ready to take their stroll. "I am quite glad that I raise more entertainment than a mere hat. I shall proudly state to all that is close from now on. That I am a very lucky indeed, for Miss Buckingham think me better than a hat," he winked just slightly and then led them on their walk.

Mr. Reeves was quite sure that he was a very great entertainment indeed when it came to gossip. There had been rumors, though some of it was not rumor at all but truth, that he had gone out one day and gotten himself quite drunk on the campus of Oxford, and brought to his living quarters two very well endowed, but questionable young ladies.

"Ah, you know, the usual. Balls, galas, and one very dreary fox hunt where the vermin got away. I can say with the utmost sincerity that I am quite happy to be back in town." He made sure his stride matched hers. For a man of the period his height was quite tall, making his gate match it. Women would have had to do a slight jog in order to keep up with him.

"I apologize for not writing, I will next time, you have my word. Fore how could I forget such a dear and beautiful friend, as you." After saying so he finally decided that the formalities were boring him, though Lady Christiana was not.

"Now, on to the news of town. What have I missed? Am I to know of any gentlemen in which to compete for your most desirable affections?" It wasn't a proper question at all, but they were definately friends of impropriety. There was no use for that in their friendship.

"It's really been quite unremarkable recently. Quite a disappointment for the gossips, you know." Christiana had begun to tire of the lack of excitement this season, but she remembered a rumor she had heard the previous week. "Although I have heard that the Duke of Dorset has taken on a new mistress - an Italian actress, I believe - and the talk has become quite vulgar. I do pity the poor Duchess, for there is no way she could doubt it, and yet she must endure the embarassment. I do not think I could ever allow such a situation to continue right under my nose, although I hardly know what I would do in her position..."

Christiana's thoughts wandered a bit, searching for an answer to her own question, when she remembered Bennett's.

"And with regards to your inquiry, I must regrettably admit I have no particular interest in any of the men of the town at the moment. Excepting you, of course," She teased.

"I had no doubts," he teased almost instantly when she excepted him from the list of men that she was not interested in. "And I assure you that my list of women has dwindled so that you are the only fair maiden on it." He paused, as they walked by a couple and tilted his head in their direction, politely. "I dare say that I should ask you to marry me, but I am sure that you will refuse me, and therefore break me heart."

A moment passed between the two that was silent, but it was not an uncomfortable silence that some often described between a man and a woman that often flirted, but did not pursue further. "A mistress you say?" He started one more time. "From Italy, how scandalous. I say, I shall have to pay a call to the sad duchess and console her." He joked, but definately did not mean it. He found no joy in that particular woman.

"So, I take it, there have been no marital unions since my departure three months ago? I have heard no announcements and my letters have been very slow to arrive. To be blunt, I am very surprised and pleased that you have not found your match. I still have time to finally win your heart."

"There have hardly been any events at all worth mentioning. I think I might have to persuade my parents to throw a ball - perhaps we may stir up a bit of excitement." Christiana smiled mischievously at the notion.

"Can you imagine the gossip that would spread if we were to be engaged?" She lowered her voice to an amused whisper, "I daresay I am a bit tempted by the reaction it would provoke. My mother would surely be infuriated! Although I am quite certain papa would never allow it.

And I should love to see you 'console' the duchess; I can hardly imagine the conversation you would have!" She laughed aloud at the idea, briefly imagining Mr. Reeves discussing the duke's affair with the poor duchess, whom she knew he did not care for.