[Anne Bromley (Crystal-lee)]

"Ahhh the Viscountess of Newburry..."

Anne Bromley froze as she heard the male's voice behind her, just to the left of a rather tall scrulpture of a golden hawk. Forcing her friendliest smile, Anne turned towards him and bowed her head gently. "Lord Prescot... a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine..." The short, round gentleman oozed as he closed the distance between them. "I was hoping I'd run in to you. I've been positively dying to know what it is you have decided to bewitch us with this season. A little bird told me that your material is being brought from Carrara specifically for this new creation!"

Anne's smile faded and she shook her head lightly, muttering a soft "Andrew..." under her lips as she decided that her dear friend, and owner of the print shop on Bond Street would never truly be able to keep a secret - or understand the meaning of the word.

The Lord's reddish cheeks rounded as he continued "So who is it going to be? Who is sitting for your sculpture?"

Anne's lips pressed gently together, "That... Lord Prescot is a very careful secret, to be revealed when the sculpture itself is complete."

The flamboyant Lord clapped a hand over the breast of his waist coat dramatically "May the day come as quickly as a fox from a 'view halloo.'"

"Indeed" Anne grimaced slightly and let her smile remain until the Lord moved along the gallery and under the archway into the painting hall, leaving her to shake her head lightly as the ghost of laughter threatened to fall from her lips.

The Viscountess ran her hands against one another as she turned back towards the sculpture of a greyhound dog. She admired it carefully until a small glint off of the marble's surface made her tilt her head in the direction of the individual making their way into the vaulted room.

[Charity Pritchard (Lin)]

It was nearing the wee hours of the morning when Charity finally closed her eyes and fell asleep to Elise's soft sleeping noises. She had lain awake long after her friend had slept, and interspersed between watching her sleep, she had let her mind roam on the many things that happened since she arrived in town three days ago. If only anything that happened could have explained why her room and only her room alone was searched.

When she woke up a few hours later, she noticed that the curtains were still drawn shut, despite the fact that the sunlight was peeking about the slits made by the curtain folds. Yawning, she stretched, still tired, and still feeling the slightest bit forlorn about last night's fiasco. She sent for Hattie, and had her bring a tray up to her room. Honestly, Charity didn't feel like receiving. Hattie brought up breakfast, and helped Charity change out of her night dress. She chattered all the way, telling Charity about the flowers that had arrived that morning for her and for Elise, and how Elise was with Mr Devendish in the morning room. Charity groaned inwardly. Mr. Devendish was just what she did not need right now.

She stood for a moment in her dressing room, trying to decide what she was going to do to avoid calls and what to wear. She didn't particularly want to stay home, so made the decision to go out, to walk, and to the shops. She changed into a baby blue walking gown with long sleeves; the neckline was low enough to be considered risque for a day dress, but it's high back and long sleeves were an admirable attempt to compensate. A flounce of french lace was added at the hem, but contrasting to the baby blue, shots of cherry ribbon were added on the edge of the dress at the sleeves, the bustline, the hem and the neck line. Hattie had managed to find the same cherry ribbon when Charity had first bought the dress, and now used the cherry ribbon to weave between the braided coif of her hair. Her bonnet was trimmed also with a shade of cherry, silk white roses, and a tuff of what looked like snow white feathers.

Finishing her toilette, Charity grabbed her white wrist length gloves, a red spencer jacket and went downstairs. She left word with Aston that she wanted to go out for a moment and would take Hattie, and he nodded. Very likely, the marchioness would understand her absence.

Her aimless walk had been silent. Unusually so for Charity. Hattie, in her plain morning gown and emerald green shawl followed behind, just keeping an eye on the young girl. Charity looked in on the shop windows, not really seeing, but still walking ahead, taking a left at Grosvernor Street, then Maddox Street, and then finding herself on Bruton Street. It was already noon, and certain of the gentry were already out, conquering their first foray of the day. Still Charity was in no mood to walk in. Continuing on, she unknowingly found herself at Burlington Gardens, and still furthur on, found herself at the Royal Academy.

Remembering Lady Newburry, she gestured for Hattie to follow her inside. No harm in looking, was there? Alone, she stepped through the dimly lit halls, making, again, aimless turns, until she heard voices. Naturally, following the sounds, she came to another chamber. To her surprise, she recognized the form of the person before her.

" Lady Newburry!"

[Anne Bromley (Crystal-lee)]

The Viscountess was very pleased to see that the visitor to the Academy, and really the only other patron on the floor it seemed, was Charity Pritchard, the young debutant. It pleased her very much to see the young woman and a smile drew across her features almost instantly.

"Miss Pritchard..." Anne began, turning slightly away from the sculpture, finding the beautifully dressed girl pleasing to the eye. It was often that ideas would strike her, that images would inspire her to capture them in clay. This was exactly one of those times. Her thoughts stuttered briefly as she could imagine moulding Charity's profile and sculpting the fine bones of her visage. Eventually she was able to shake away the thought, for inspiration could often be held for a later, more appropriate time.

Instead, Anne spared her own, hastily chosen and simple gown a glance before looking back up at Charity, the smile, smaller but still present. "What a pleasure it is to see you this morning!"

[Charity Pritchard (Lin)]

Charity's smile grew at the sight of a familiar face, and the thoughts of her own loss at home (the diamonds) faded from her mind. She went forward and took Lady Newburry's hands in her own, smaller ones, and leaned up to kiss her on both cheeks. Yes, Charity was naturally affectionate, and naturally exuberant; it's the French in her, really. Grinning, she took a step back, and then pursed her lips slightly. " How bad of you, Lady Newburry, to leave so early in the evening yesterday! Why, Elise and I looked for you, a little after the third dance and already you were no where to be seen!" She admonished with a light smile. Truly, they had wanted to see her during the party and had even asked Blake her location. The poor man did not know where she went, or he was sure to have followed, to hell his other dances.

"Promise you must not leave early come Sunday. I have specially worked with my aunt for this Ball's decorations, and you must see them all, and Elise is to play during supper!" She told Anne, her words coming out quickly, and already assuming that there was no reason Lady Newburry would me missing from this Sunday's festivities.

[Anne Bromley (Crystal-lee)]

The Viscountess released Charity's hands as she stepped back, her gloved fingers moving to brush down the sides of her gown absentmindedly. She was caught indeed, though she'd expected she never would have been, having left not in plain view of many people.

She hadn't anticipated anyone actually wondering about her whereabouts therein, but it seemed dearest Charity, with her heart all encompassing, had missed the presence of a friend. Or so Anne liked to believe, for it drew her smile all the way into the depths of her eyes.

"I do apologize Miss Pritchard. I think myself perhaps a bit too old to remain un-fatigued during such an evening, and having not been accustom to dancing, I was quite easily taken to my bed after my dance with the Marquess of Emerson." Her cheeks flushed, involuntarily but she dared not to raise her hands to them and draw attention. Instead she continued, hoping that her unwarranted reaction was missed by the young woman.

"And in regards to the evening... I had rather been thinking that, although the affair I am sure is to be the very ball of the season, that perhaps I might decline the invitation, with very great regret in favour of the work I am so very far behind in." A likely excuse, one the Viscountess hoped the beautiful young Pritchard girl would accept at face-value.

[Charity Pritchard (Lin)]

"Tiens!"

Immediately, the exclamation left her crimson lips. Lady Newburry's disappearance from Almacks forgotten, Charity's attention had now fully turned on her own debut, and more to the point, Lady Newburry not intending to show for her party!

"Mais... mais... vous m'avez promis!" Charity exclaimed, her gloved hand going to her heart in an almost theatrical fashion. Her stormy blue eyes widened in shock and her chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. " Et... Et.. Et je ne supporterai pas votre absence!!!" Almost defiantly. If Charity had been any less an inch the lady, she would have stomped her foot in frustration, to hell with etiquette.

But being more classy, she merely (subjective, the term, 'merely') turned her eyes on Lady Newburry and pouted. Charity Pritchard pouted.

Belatedly, she realized that she had rattled off in her native tongue and shaking her head, she switched back to English. " Is it something Blake has done?" She said, the first thought that she had involved that; was it not Blake who escorted Lady Newburry to Almacks?

Her usually pale face flushed with inner anger and frustration. "I will go home, and.. and.. urgh!" Her declaration of war ended in an extremely unladylike outburst of sound.

OOC: Thank you, Rose and Vikki for helping with the French!

[Anne Bromley (Crystal-lee)]

The Viscountess' large blue eyes widened at Charity's sudden switch to the foreign language. She understood it naturally, for she had had extensive language training as a child. She'd had even more French training as an adult when Beatrice had returned from her excursions abroad and decided that it was unromantic to speak any other language.

There was something about Charity that enchanted Anne, even as the theatrical girl expressed her utter disappointment at her remiss attendance.

She had worked up several ways to explain her absence (like how important her work was and how she would need to devote her evenings to it) but all bets were off when the young woman's beautiful eyes turned towards her and her lower lip nudged just past the upper one.

Anne's heart melted at the display. If she'd ever had children she could have been assured that had they perfected a look like this to get what they want, they would have had anything they'd ever dreamed of. But just as Anne was about to open her mouth to speak, the girl mentioned Blake.

Blake.

The name resounded in her head unfairly... causing her eyes to shift towards the floor, her heart to thud near her temples and her lungs to collapse in force within the recess of her ribcage. No, she wouldn't think about him now.

"That is quite alright. It is not the Marquess." Though it was.

"It is my sculpture and merely my sculpture." Though it wasn't.

"But yes... yes I shall come. My sculpture will wait one evening." And it would.

[Charity Pritchard (Lin)]

Charity snuffed, quite unladylike-ly, but let the matter rest. " Bien!" She exclaimed, patting Lady Newburry's hand. "And I weeel be 'Appy to attend your opening." Of course, Lady Newburry had yet to issue any invitation, but Charity's way of phrasing merely meant that she would be on hand to return the support the Viscountess was giving her by attending her Debut.

Charity and Elise had both been looking forward to the party, they had planned and given input on the guestlist. But a large part of the planning was done by Lady Emerson, and it was her wish, that she thrown the ball for the girls. Grinning, Charity was now comfortable to move on to more neutral topics. " What brings you here, Lady Newburry? It is nice outside, perhaps you could join me on Bruton Street? The shop windows look exciting.."

Her love of art (as non-existent as it was) flew straight out the window, her attention shifting from wanting to see the exhibition, to the exhibition of shops outside, awaiting her. "I am escaping from my morning calls, since the Marchioness is still asleep."

(ooc: sorry dear!! Doggy came down with a fever. Ergh.)

[Anne Bromley (Crystal-lee)]

OOC: No worries doll Never like to hear of animals getting sick. I hope he is on his way to a speedy recovery!

Anne's lips remained in a small smile as Charity spoke about attending her exhibition when it was finally released. The new one that was - for all around them in this particular gallery were works of hers that she had completed and submitted over the years.

It would not be her first opening at the Academy, but she was delighted by it all the same. Not the attention so much as the task and goal at hand. It reminded her that she need call on her model for the fitting of the life mask if she were ever to get the project officially on its way.

Although Anne found sanctuary in the museum, she did not find it disagreeable to spend a morning with Charity. True, she had nothing to purchase and hadn't much of an eye for 'shopping' in more recent years, still the Viscountess nodded her head agreeably "Yes. I think that a fine idea."

Anne walked at Charity's side as the pair crossed en route out of the establishment. The architecture always put a pleasant feeling in Anne's breast, as she admired it until they'd crossed under the tall archway of the grand Academy doors and out into the street.

"Did you enjoy your evening at Almack's Miss Pritchard?"

[Charity Pritchard (Lin)]

Her maid now following behind the both of them, Charity headed out of the gallery alongside Lady Newburry. The sun outside was still peeking through the clouds, and the ladies were blessed with rays of sunlight. The night before had been peacefully dry, and the puddles from the rain were gone. They headed along the cobbled streets of Burlington, back along the gardens and turning onto Bruton Street. While as famous as Bond Street, Bruton housed more select shoppes, with their quaintly attractive window displays.

" Almacks was very nice.." Charity answered first, shielding her eyes from the sun as they went down the steps. Entering into the shopping area, she turned to Lady Newburry. " It was delightful to renew several childhood aquaintances that Elise and I share, and also to make many new ones." She was happy with how she looked and behaved at the event, and was doubtless that sunday's ball would be as good, if no better. It was only the aftermath at home that cast a shadow on her day.

Charity, however, chose not to say much as a display of tiny perfume bottles and bowls of potpurri caught her eye. Instantly, her attention again shifted, and she linked arms with Lady Newburry. "Let us go in here!" She exclaimed excitedly, her stormy grey eyes shining. Hattie followed quietly behind.

Reaching the counter, they were greeted by a tiny old man, mixing a vial of pink liquid into a round embellished bottle, already containing a faint purple mixture. He saw Charity's interest and grinned. "Have a sniff, miLady.." He offered the sniffler to Charity and then to Lady Newburry. " Daffodil Oil and Rose..."

The mixture was heavenly, and Charity beamed as the old man explained- Daffodil oil was supposed to make a girl look glittery in the candle light. Any person would have been skeptical, but Charity and her exuberance, bought the tale, hook, line and sinker.

" I'll take one bottle." Charity said immediately. " But could I choose the bottle?" She asked, looking at the display of crystal containers behind him. Then she looked at Lady Newburry. " Which do you think is pretty, Lady Newburry?"