ardent lies

" you are far too kind mrs. cavendish— " and then one zhao sister became two, and it took the baroness all but two seconds to understand mrs. cavendish's half-finished sentence —  her smile widened imperceptibly. " i have been quite well, thank you, miss zhao. and yourself? " all the way from the country, wendy had heard whispers of a certain gentleman, although she did not know who, that weixu zhao might have been courting during the previous season. but given the fact that she remains unmarried, wendy could certainly put two and two together. " i hear that you have quite the animated guests in your home this season, is that not so? mister stirling and his brother, the captain, as well as another gentleman ! i do wonder how you have gained their acquaintance. " filled with curiosity with what the younger miss zhao's opinion of them might be ! ( @heavensecnt or @ardentlics )

" i would greatly appreciate if you would able to help weixu with potential matches. i have been away from mayfair for five long years and it has been difficult to familiarize myself with society! " it was frustrating to see how weixu interacted with others. she could no longer accept that it was due to her shyness. this was beyond being an introvert. to her, weixu simply did not care. and it would be difficult to work with someone who does not care. " ah, yes! i was friends with their sister. and as for the other gentleman, he is acquainted with our younger sister, xinyi. have you been introduced? if not, i would be happy to arrange it!! " ( @ardentlics + @slydoves )

"i have been well, too, thank you for asking," weixu begins, and she actually does allow herself to smile, a little more comfortable now that she's been addressed by both of them. she hates to feel as an intruder, is the problem, and their conversation wasn't something she wanted to intrude upon, "oh, i — am sure we will figure it out, together. no need to..." she trails off, her normal denials dying in her throat because, in fact, they do need a little bit of help, "thank you, for your help. i, um, have been trying all evening to mingle, but it hasn't been very successful. i may have been introduced, once upon a time, but xinyi's friends are her own — i try not to pry too much." ( @slydoves & @heavensecnt )

"i, ah, just don't want it to get back to my husband, he'll be upset. i am meant to be on my best beahvior this season." and that was the whole truth, there — she wanted to make him happy, in a way that as a young woman would have driven her half-insane, but... she didn't wish to ruin her sibling-in-law's prospects, "but i've never been that good at holding my tongue. in fact, i think i was well known for my inability to do so, before i retired to the country."

arms extend, a curated arrangement of florals clutched between both hands. she shuts an eye, discerning the melding of colours, then plucks a delphinium from a nearby vase, pushing it's stem amidst the bunch. " hm.. " she hums, eyes both now open, inspecting. " it seems to be lacking, does it not ? " wrists twist in display of the bouquet. " you may have a keener eye than me. i would value your opinion ! "

"i will go ahead and assure you that i do not have a keener eye than you," dorothea begins, looking at the woman almost incredulously. she finds it hard to beleive anyone would think that, but she does find the bouquet lacking, "perhaps a few hydrangeas? i am not one for colors, but they are big enough to fill in the... empty spots."

He had managed to slip away, find a quiet spot to just take a moment. Least he could breathe. Although it didn't seem to take very long before he heard footsteps. Well least he had managed to regain his composure. "You seem to have found my hiding place" he said, quickly turning on the charm that he knew his mother would berate him for if he didn't use. "The party is wonderful, however I confess, I am not so used to being around so many people".

weixu had been looking for relief. perhaps that is what she's always searching for — a quiet moment that she can retreat into, to make it never end. the entire party is too much, and it's attendees have far too many pairs of eyes pointed right toward her. she's anxious, about the situation her family has found themselves in, and terrified that she will not be good enough to find a husband that will save her family from ruin. there is also the very real chance that no one would choose her, and as much as wenyi tells her over and over again that she is a catch, weixu finds that hard to believe. perhaps she needs a shift of perspective, which is what she's searching for when she runs into this man, alone, on the outskirts of the party, "oh. i — i feel much the same. it is too overwhelming, and noisy, for my tastes. at least at balls the talking is drowned out by the strings."

" missus cavendish, hello ! " a pleasant surprise indeed, for she could not entirely remember the last time the eldest zhao sister had been seen around in london after her marriage. " very enjoyable indeed, if it is any indication of the season to come —  we will be in for quite the treat. " the baroness smiled, wondering blithely how the mysterious lady whistledown would perhaps be the one providing such treats. " how are your children? if i remember correctly, would your son be headed to school soon? "

" oh, indeed! especially with the addition of lady whistledown — i cannot imagine this season being short of entertaining! " it made her nervous. she hoped her sister's were not mentioned negatively. " they are doing well! they have adapted to the changes faster than i thought! and yes, my son will be heading to school soon. " it was perfect timing, she thought she had lost weixu. her sister was still a few metres away, but it would not be a problem to say something in the time it would require for her to be next to them " i can only guess things have been well for yourself? — your success stories are shared even amongst the ladies of manchester! " once her sister was mere centimeters away, she grabbed hold of her. " weixu! you remember lady granville, yes? " ( @slydoves & @ardentlics )

oh, this is an ambush. weixu had spent most of her young life a little bit terrified of things like this, of being bombarded by those she does not know at an event. except... now, she was meant to spend the entire season doing this, and so she steels her face quickly with a pleasent smile that only seems a little bit forced, "oh, i — i do." she answers, and it really is only because her sister shares a similar name with the woman — wenyi and wendy, really, it was nice that they were friends, "it is nice to see you. how have you been, since i last saw you?" she holds onto her polite small talk, even though she is sure this is a precursor to what will surely be an inquisition. ( @slydoves, @heavensecnt )

weixu did not sound convincing. wenyi will trust her sister's words for now. " i do not. however! the queen has invited us to her garden party! it is the perfect time to be amongst plenty of potential suitors. " this type of event is a better match for weixu. if it were a ball, it could prove to be difficult to find someone to sign her dance card. if only her sister's shyness could be used as a tool for intrigue. " it would not hurt to smile more. it is frightening, believe me — i know! " there is zero confidence behind every word weixu speaks and it will become a problem if it's not fixed. " you have to learn how to hide it. and smiling will help. "

/ fin.

"i think our sister will lose her mind if you don't find an eligible young bachelor to off that up to," weixu states, with a small smile at the thought. she's far too into her own head, and far too afraid to break the mold, to do that herself, but she can clearly see the youngest zhao sister doing something out of the ordinary, "i would love flowers back at home, though. it has been terribly drab there, ever since father died."

it takes just a moment for weixu to realize that she is being spoken to. she is not the greatest enjoyer of the arts, admittedly, but most of the arts here pale in comparison to the ones that she was raised around — but this gallery was one of those exceptions, and she looks up at the painting with partial contempt before deciding it is nice enough, "i think i might be of the third option. art like this is..." she pauses, trying to think of a way to say what she means without being overly rude or critical, "it is meant to be displayed at a place like this, for the notoriety of having your signature on these walls."

dorothea is immediately surprised by the question. she hasn't spent enough time in london to get used to it, but she has followed the whispers that seem to be around every corner. she's surprised she didn't recognize her voice, or know that meera was here — but she is relieved by her familiar presence, "we should definitely try something new, i think." she says, with a smaller smile than she would've worn back in the countryside, "let's let them give us what they think is the best, that has never led me astray before."

she finds it within herself to mask her disappointment by smiling. her sisters lack of confidence did not feel assuring at all. wenyi has to remind herself she does not want to sound like their father by criticizing her on how little growth there has been over the years. " ah, well! yes! of course! " she takes a breathy pause to smile again. " weixu, i mean this in the best way — and know i am only saying this with your best interest at heart. i am not trying to change you, however, if you continue to appear withdrawn and do not put in effort to try to be more engaging, i cannot help you beyond introductions. truly, anyone would be lucky to have you as their wife! and i wish nothing more than for you to meet someone. "

she thinks that, perhaps, her sister might like to try and change her — pretty much everyone does, in this family. she's made her peace with it, and maybe they are right. she doesn't know how else to make herself more attractive to the other people around the ton, so she pulls a face, tries to take the words to heart, "i will... try." that's really that that she can promise to her sister — she doesn't want to lie any further to them, "are there any — do you have any ideas on who you might be able to introduce me to? i would like to prepare myself, for the season." she's anxious about it, and thinks if she can brace herself for some of the eligible bachelors, perhaps she can not make a fool of herself in front of them.

" i would not like to assume you require as much guidance as xinyi — however, it would be best to not find a match within the reeves. " it would only further complicate their current standing with the ton. " i am not particularly fond of the idea of forcing you into anything, i would rather you be able to to use your own discernment to find someone tolerable enough. " she knows how weixu is shy to a fault and would most likely requires more guidance than their youngest sister, but it would be faster to find a match for xinyi. " all the better if it happens to be closer to something romantic, but! most men are the same. as long as you do not involve yourself with a con man, i would call it a success! "

weixu wasn't entirely sure that statement was true. she, very obviously, had been on the marriage mart for longer than her younger sister. perhaps wenyi didn't know her well at all, if she thinks this will be an easy task, when every man of good status and gentle manners seems to regard her with indifference. "ah," she states, trying to seem a little bit more composed than she is, "i don't know if i will be able to find my own way. it is kind of you to come back to guide us, i haven't had... any luck, so far." she blanches at the mention of a con man, unsure if that particular piece of news ever made it to cavendish house, before she lets herself smile, plays it off in case her sister was never informed, "i'm sure my taste is more discerning than that. you'll have to help me find someone... suitable. i'm not that good at — meeting people, or gaining an introduction."

John Keats, from a letter to Fanny Brawne, featured in The Selected Letters of John Keats

HUANG QIAO GAME OF TRUE LOVE