Chapter Three – The Second Ball.It had been an excessively long, but rather pleasant, afternoon, awash with early-July sunshine and blighted only with one or two showers and the passing – the movement, not the death, which would most probably not be considered anything more than an inconvenience, as someone would surely have to move the corpse – of a peasant or two, just about discernible from the upper windows of Lady Rosanne Meyerschmidt-Cripeton’s moderately lavish mansion, a mansion being readied post-haste; an afternoon filled with the excited toing and froing of ball-preparations up and down the vast post-nuclear wilderness of southern Derbyshire as our beloved flock of young ladypigeons readied themselves for what promised to be an especially splendid ball: the second ball of the ball season, and the first ever Derbyshire-ball presided over by a pigeon.
The toing and froing was especially rampant at Lady Rosanne Meyerschmidt-Cripeton’s mansion, Crikington Park; preparations were positively feverish, almost plagueish. Not many of the Derbyshire gentlefolk – pigeon or not – knew a terribly great deal about Lady Rosanne, and they, as much as she, hoped that they might find out a little more this evening: at least they might find out, it was rumoured, her preferred tastes in tea, wine, and – a little scandalously – foreign spirits.
It could be imagined also, that Lady Rosanne, the delightful host, would hope that her guests would discover only those more delightful regions of her lovely little pigeonmind, and that no disgraces should be brought upon her – whether by the dullness of her evening, the hideousness of her canapés, or the quantity of suicides brought about by the dancing-related mishaps of those attending.
Lady Rosanne Meyerschmidt-Cripeton herself was looking resplendent in her finest gown as she welcomed her guests in as the evening sun began to glow.
Lady Katherine Montagu was there, obviously, as she had been invited: she was looking most delightful. Miss Charlotte Fantail was present, with the most fashionable pigeonbonnet that London could produce and looking frightfully handsome in it. And Miss Alessa Thain was also in attendance, looking moderately askance at the garish aforementioned bonnet, and beginning to wonder whether she was not a little out of place in this society of display and occasional pomposity.
Or perhaps she was just more than a little jealous of Miss Fantail’s awe-inspiring hat; and resentful of the attention the tiny ladypigeon’s considerable beauty brought her – for attention there was! and attention from the ladypigeons too!
For just as Lady Meyerschmidt-Cripeton had welcomed all her ladyguests – both ladypigeons and ladyhumans alike, for amongst others Miss Esmerelda Arcy (dressed, of course, in a rather sombre dress, and a pair of black mourning gloves), Miss Elizabeth Feckerby and Miss Isabella Villar had all been invited; just as Lady Meyerschmidt-Cripeton had welcomed all her ladyguests, the doorbell sang, and the butler-in-chief strode purposefully towards the main doors, and welcomed in none other than Reverend Donald Halfton.
He was alone.
”Oh, I say, am I a little early?”I’m not at home, otherwise there would be pictures. But! Dramatically the slightly eligible Reverend Halfton has showed up early, and needs to be entertained by at least seven ladyfolk, although I say! Is that a distance horse and carriage approaching?
Many apologies for the update schedule, which is feeble.
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Topic: Pigeons & Prejudice: Definitely deceased. (Read 23199 times)