[Charlotte Tolson (Izzie)]

Charlotte curtseyed neatly to the new arrival. "I am very pleased to meet you, Lord Foxford," she said, smiling tightly.
She was seriously considering starting a tally of how many times people introduced her as the "new girl from India". Although it really wasn't their fault, she mused. They know nothing about me, other that I am from India. And they won't know anything about me until you stop being so shy and open up to them, her mind concluded.

"Mr. Devenish was very kindly pointing out some of his acquaintances to me, Lord Foxford. It seems that you have arrived at the perfect time for your own introduction." she laughed lightly.

[Marcus Fairmont (Alex)]

"A pleasure to meet you too, Miss Tolson," he said politely, bowing to his new acquaintance. So it is India that explains her colouring. Fascinating.. "I am glad my timing was so suitable," he laughed.

He imagined that the lady, being new in town, would have a relatively blank dance card. On the other hand, she was certainly striking and intriguingly foreign and Marcus was sure that she would have little trouble finding willing partners. He would gladly suggest his own name, for example...

"If you are free, I would be honoured if you would stand up with me for a dance later this evening, Miss Tolson? That way I can ask you all about the east before you tire of answering the same questions from every inquisitive member of the ton," he told her, with a smile.

His proposition for Charlie of drinks at the club could wait until he caught the gentleman alone.

[Charlotte Tolson (Izzie)]

Charlotte could feel herself become more relaxed the longer she was at the Assembly Rooms. The fact that she had young gentlemen asking her to dance with them might have helped as well. At the end of the day, Charlotte would always be a social creature, even if she didn't always seem it - and the more attention she found drawn on herself, the more she seemed to thrive. Or at least to feel more like her old self.

"I would be delighted to stand up for a dance with you, Lord Foxford" she smiled prettily. It seemed that being a foreign curiosity was working to her advantage - something she hadn't expected. Upon her arrival, she had been expecting the stares and the whispers about the girl who had been born and brought up in India, so far away from England. What she had not expected, however, was how much she was beginning to like the attention.

"And I will be more than happy to answer any question about India that you may have for me," she said, smiling again. She sincerely hoped that she would not have an extreme bout of homesickness during the dance, forcing her to withdraw...No, you will keep your emotions firmly under control, she told herself forcefully.

"Are you new to Almack's as well, my lord?" she asked.

[Marcus Fairmont (Alex)]

OOC: Aww, two little homesick ones.



"Hardly," Marcus admitted with a rueful grin. "I am afraid Lady Jersey must be positively sick of the sight of me by now, Miss Tolson. I have escorted my sister, Rosalind, here for more than two whole seasons now."

For all it was in vogue to complain about Almacks (the over crowding, the tepid "refreshments," the husband hunters etcetera), Marcus liked it here. He liked being able to walk the rooms and see so many familiar faces... Ironically enough it was here, in these wildly pretentious rooms with all these fine ladies and gentlemen, that he was most reminded of home. In Ireland, around the Foxford estate and in the surrounding towns, every face was familar. Every person had a hello or a piece of news. He suddenly had a a pang of homesickness for the rolling green hills of home.

Completely unaware that his musings were on such similar lines to that of the young lady, he mentally shook himself.

"Well perhaps I might interrogate you during the Susanna?" Macrus suggested. "I believe it is the seventh set of the evening," he added helpfully, unsure of how familar with everything the lady might be or even sure whether they had balls like this in India.

[Charlie Devenish (Rose)]

Charlie allowed Foxford to ask Miss Tolson to dance, standing a little aside as he did so.

Then he butted in, "I say, is your sister here tonight, Foxford? Since you mention her. You've spoken about her so much I'd love to meet her. Lord Foxford," he added for the lady's benefit, "is quite devoted to his sister."

((OOC: Sorry guys, I'm going away for a week. I don't really know how to extricate Charlie from the thread at this stage....))

[Charlotte Tolson (Izzie)]

[OOC: Yeah, poor Lily. She really misses India. And it's okay, have a good week off Rose! And as a side note - I'm extremely jealous of you going to Tallinn, my family is Estonian! Sadly I've yet to visit the "homeland" haha. Have a blast though!]

Charlotte laughed at Lord Foxford's reply. "You remind me of my brother, Lord Foxford. I'm afraid I made him attend every social evening in India with me when we were there! It was not all bad however; he confessed to me later that he enjoyed it - although he'll refuse to admit this to me ever again," she grinned, remembering the amount of complaining Edward usually put in before attending any kind of social event.

She nodded in agreement with his suggestion of a dance, and added him to her dance card. She then turned to Mr. Devenish. "There's nothing better than a gentleman who is devoted to his sister, much like how my brother and I are," she said, smiling at Lord Foxford again. "I trust I shall see you again in time for our dance, Mr. Devenish" she curtseyed as he turned to leave to find Lord Foxford's sister.

[Marcus Fairmont (Alex)]

OOC: So are we asusming Charlie wanders off? *confused*

[Marcus Fairmont (Alex)]

"It can be very hard work to be so devoted!" Marcus laughed. "As no doubt your brother knows. Lady I___'s musical soiree, The G____s' ball, Almack's and myraid picnics in the parks! It is a difficult life, I assure you, MIss Tolson."

Of course he was hardly serious in this. The aforementioned events were real ones and he had thoroughly enjoyed them all. Picnics in the park appeared to be in vogue this spring, he noted, pleased. Despite the somewhat forbidding weather.

"And I must work doubly hard for I have two sisters; Rosalind is Mr. Devenish's aquaintance and present this evening and Jemima is not yet out. Aside from your assiduous brother, have you any other siblings?" he enquired lightly. He wondered who the lady counted among family and friends in the city.

[Charlotte Tolson (Izzie)]

Charlotte laughed. "I'm sure that you are quite hard done by, having to attend all of these picnics and balls, Lord Foxford," she grinned at him. "How do you ever survive it all? Having to put up with all these debutantes, day after day, amusing them, dancing with them, and flirting with them," she smiled, laughing again.

"Ah! But you have another sister to look after. At least she is not out in society as of yet, once she does, you really will be busy. No, I do not have any other siblings, alas. I have always wondered what it would be like to have a younger sibling, but my family seems to be quite content to contain only four," she smiled. "I do, however, have other family present here tonight, whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet. My mother's sister and two of her daughters, my cousins, are here tonight. I do believe that one of them is making her debut tonight, while the other has already been out in society. I'm hoping to meet with them before dinner, perhaps. It would be nice to have someone to know here this evening," she said, growing quiet. Bringing up her lack of acquaintances had brought up memories of India, and her friends that she had had to leave behind. Forcing herself to not succomb to a fresh wave of homesickness, she forced herself to smile brightly and continue the conversation. "Outside of my family, I dare say I have yet to make the acquaintance of many people tonight. With the exception of yourself, Mr. Devenish and Lady Christiana Buckingham, of course!" she said.

"You must forgive me for my ignorance, but your accent is quite remarkable. Is it from somewhere in England, or are you also from abroad?" Charlotte asked, intrigued.

[Marcus Fairmont (Alex)]

OOC: Marcus is quite well connected - he might know her family, if you want to go in that direction?


"Abroad, to be sure. But not far abroad. My father was an Irishman, Miss Tolson," he admitted. "Our family estate is in Southern Ireland and we spend a great deal of time there." Or at least Rosie and I do. His mother had not returned there since the passing of her husband three years ago and, with both parents vanished from it, the stately manor that Marcus called home had never felt so empty. Jemima stayed at his mother's side and so the house had been also robbed of her boisterous energy.

Sombre thoughts for a ballroom, Foxford!

"Flirting?" He returned to her earlier comment with a lighthearted tone. "Why, Miss Tolson, what on earth makes you think I flirt with the debutantes?" Marcus tried very hard to look offended.