Felicity settled herself on some of the cushions near Lady Viola. She plucked a tart off a passing tray and took a bite. The Fairmont's chef was excellent - and though the sandwiches were in a fair way to be finished soon, Felicity made a point to snag one as well.

She smiled to Lady Viola. "Indeed, I only recall your name having been mentioned, and in a positive light. So I am very glad to make your acquaintance and find out that it is indeed so - though Lord Fairmont is hardly one given to exaggeration."

She liked this Lady Viola so far. She didn't seem as fresh-faced and simpering as the other ladies at the picnic - debutantes, they all seemed. Felicity gave her a conspiratorial look and spoke in a low voice.

"Have you anything to discuss besides last night's Almack's? I for one wish it had never happened, for we must relive it ten times over before we can move on to any topics of any worth."

Viola was relieved by the rather more moderate description of what Lord Foxford had said about her, if only because she did not appreciate the idea of a suitor discussing her with another young lady.

She was even more pleased by Miss Staunton's wicked comment. She leaned forward in turn, though without leaving Lady Rosalind out of the conversation. "Only ten times? When I debuted, I discussed it at least twenty times over! Mama was forced to plead indisposition just to be rid of me!" Not at all true, but it sounded good.

"But in all seriousness, I am afraid I do not have much else to discuss. Unless the theatre is preferable? Or perhaps, since I am not acquainted with either of you, I should ask whether you prefer painting to music or vice versa. And how many languages you speak. And whether you read novels more than poetry." Her eyes laughed. "Tell me, Lady Rosalind, Miss Staunton, do you prefer painting to music?"

"Oh, Lady Viola," Rosalind replied sweetly as she settled into a pile of cushions and allowed herself to be swept along in the vein of the conversation, "need you even ask? As a well rounded lady of society I thoroughly enjoy both of course. And, since you enquired, I speak four languages...Yourself, ladies?" she added with a fair imitation of a challenging smirk, ruined by a true smile at the end. She allowed a footman to refill her dainty lemonade glass and finally snagged a strawberry tart.

The group seemed to be settling into comfortable (she hoped) conversations in twos and threes. Juliet was speaking confidently with Mia's brother, Mia chatting with her blonde friend and Marcus had managed to secure Miss Tolson's undivided attention. Coincidence?

"Why, Rosie dearest, only four? Of course, any young lady should know English, French, Italian and German. But I have found that only the truly accomplished ladies understand the importance of knowing Portuguese and Punjabi." She snickered. "As for poetry or novels, I like them both well, but only if they are romantic and full of ghosts and fairies and damsels in distress."

Felicity polished off her tart. Yes, the other girls seemed pleasant enough - she particularly thought Miss Tolson had a very exotic look to her - but was glad to have a momentary escape from the giddy whirlwind of debutantes. Viola and Rosalind made her think that perhaps she wasn't the only young lady who saw the silly irony of the season - despite its enjoyable aspects.

"Tell me honestly, Lady Viola, how do you find this year's season?" She picked another tart from the tray and took a bite. Good heavens, she must ask Aunt Demelza's cook to procure the recipe.

"Fluent in four languages? Why, I feel quite the dunce being only fluent in three!" replied Viola with all the good humoured confidence of knowing that her languages were truly good. She wondered if Lady Rosalind and Miss Staunton really were fluent. She was. It was perhaps a pity that she had not learned German, though she knew the pronunciation for singing purposes, but she had never needed to speak it so her regret was not all that great.

"And my Punjabi is of course perfect." She did not know what kind of language Punjabi was- if it existed at all, but she did not think that really mattered.

She sipped her tea and put her head on one side, thinking about Miss Staunton's question. "Honestly, Miss Staunton, it's hard to judge since I have not had a season for a few years now. It looks very much as it always did, but it feels different. I think I am the one who has changed, however. I imagine you must find it different too. At any rate, I remember my second season seemed a very different affair compared to my first."

At first, at least. She had been able to turn up to balls knowing people, both men and women and with all confidence. And of course, there had been the new debutantes to laugh at from a distance.

OOC: Excuse Rosie a moment.... she'll be back

"It does," Rosalind agreed slowly, fork hovering above her perfect, glossy strawberry tart. Her thoughts from earlier in the afternoon - so similar to Viola's own - came back in a tumble: images of bright-eyed debs who possessed levels of impossible perkiness for who each invitation was cause for a squeal. "Were we ever as giddy as this year's debutantes seem to me now? Surely surely not?" She shook her head in shame - oh, we most definately were just like that.

"Speaking of which..." She raised her eyebrows in Amelia's direction. The blonde was speaking animatedly with her unidentified friend. Said friend had shown no signs of moving on and so Rosalind rose to her feet. Again. "Excuse me a moment. Hostessing is hard work on the legs!"

"Oh Rosie, I am sure we were just as excited. Perhaps not the same as some?" She glanced with her eyes to the two squealing blondes. No, Felicity was never like that, not sensible old Flossie.

Felicity nodded to Rosie as she excused herself. Once their hostess had taken leave, she smiled to Viola. "I am sure you are right. It does feel a bit different. At the very least, I know what to expect now. There is less of a giddy rush of emotions, but I find I hardly miss all the excitement of the unknown. I feel much easier knowing what to expect."

Viola nodded and murmured, "Of course," as Lady Rosalind went to deal with her other guests. Being a hostess could be hard work, though when she was in the right mood, Viola enjoyed it. She was looking forward to her soirée on Tuesday and hoped that most people would be able to come. She wondered vaguely why someone as sensible as Lady Rosalind had invited such young and dull guests, Miss Staunton being the only exception to the latter category. It occurred to her that as unmarried women they were naturally all lumped together, irrespective of age and experience until some cut off point when all they would be good for was pity. There were ways to avoid pity- backbone, strength of will and charcter, and money of course, but Viola suddenly saw a future of tea parties with girls who got younger and younger and sillier and sillier and in which despite her growing maturity she would be just another one of the number. It was rather a depressing picture and she suddenly wished to return Lady Louth's morning call. She might be younger than Viola but her married state gave her a gravity and distance that Viola could appreciate.

She found herself expressing some of this to Miss Staunton.

"Yes, you do now and that is good. I remember enjoying my second season. But I suggest you try to marry before you find the excitement completely gone." She spoke more lightly than she felt and then grinned. "But you must not pay any attention to me; there is nothing more sure to ruin a good outing than being forced to listen to well meant advice!"

But very likely neither of her companions had really thought about their future. Viola could not help wishing they would, though Miss Staunton was only in her second season so still had time before it became a matter of urgency. Both had the potential to make excellent matches.

She watched as Lady Rosalind approached the other group and noticed that Lord Foxford and Miss Tolson had completely distanced themselves from the party. Once upon a time that had been her. She wondered if anyone would seriously court her again and then dismissed it. She did not want to break any hearts, and anyone who courted her would only be courting disappointment.

[OOC: With the assumption that introductions have been made, I'm moving Emily and Mia (w/Jen's permission) over to this thread to meet Viola/Felicity/Rosalind. Not too crowded, I hope?]


Emily followed Lady Rosalind and Amelia to the small group of ladies her hostess had just come from. "Pray excuse me for dropping in on your party so unceremoniously!" she had begged the lady upon introduction. By this point she felt secure once more in Amelia's affection as Amelia had assured her that she preferred Emily's company and without jealousy she could admire the amiability and handsomeness of Amelia's other friend. She liked Lady Rosalind's easy elegance and open, affectionate nature so well that she hoped Lady Rosalind having debuted in the same year as Leticia did not prejudge her based on the social climbing machinations of her sister-in-law.

With a realization of how wearing the day had been thus far Emily gratefully settled into the cushions holding ever so tightly to Amelia's hand for protection and cast one of her heart in her eyes, shy but inviting smiles at the new ladies now in her immediate vicinity. She was much more comfortable in the company of men having had little positive experience with the female set and looking at the elegant ladies before her with a sense of dread she was reminded of how ill she was treated by the girls at the seminary.

Her eyes were cautious but her smile was hopeful.

((OOC: sorry for my ignorance on the subject but should Mia or Rosalind be the one to introduce Emily to everyone?))

Having satisfyingly ensured Mia's two dear friends were introduced, she was happy that they might stay where they were and chat. However, it seemed everyone else had other plans, and though she disliked having to trail along like an obedient puppy, she had no other choice but to follow her friends as they moved back over to where Viola and Felicity were. She had been hoping for a tête-à-tête with Emily, but that could wait until later.

Picking up a glass of lavender lemonade on the way, Amelia graciously smiled to the girls, sipping it daintily. She had quite forgotten about her brother, which was probably a good thing, since he was currently involved in some outrageous flirting and had she known she would have cuffed him round the ear for it. As it was, she was in a world of her own.

"I do hope you girls were not gossiping without us," she said half-jokingly.