Chapter 4 - Pressing a Moss Rosebud on a bed of White Roses

As this is a Regency story, there is bound to be some AU-ness and OOC-ness. Please bear with me. Emphases are in italics and titles of books &ca are underlined. This story places great stress on the significance and meanings of flowers.

Language of Flowers

Chapter 4 – Pressing a Moss Rosebud on a bed of White Roses

The morning which had began on an optimistic pink, orange and pale blue note at his waking soon disappointed Lord Orthod. Within half an hour of rising from his bed fully invigorated from a night's rest, his lordship felt his rheumatism creeping up on his knees. However, as he had arisen free from his racking coughs and the fine weather looked set to remain moderately warm, Lord Orthod hazarded to take the air by walking to St James Park. Despite the protests of his daughter, who proclaimed that it would rain, he pooh-poohed her notion and ignored the slight pain in his knees and ankles, and went out. As soon as the thin, tall and elegantly dressed bespectacled gentleman arrived at his destination and hailed Lord Lupin, he was greeted by a burst of rain. It seemed that his daughter had been right, as she usually was. Sighing quietly in between his presently returned coughs, he allowed Lord Lupin to lead him away to Black's to wait out the rain as they breakfasted. As he linked arms with Lord Lupin, the younger man offered him a handkerchief so that he could cough with a modicum of dignity. Smiling kindly at the young Baron, Lord Orthod resolved to pay more heed to the urges of his weak knees and his daughter perspicacity.

Ironically, Lord Orthod's daughter was at that moment pacing in the drawing room in agitation at her father's departure from the house without an umbrella. "I told him that the wizarding weather forecast predicted rain and he refused to listen to me, Ginny!" ranted a female of middling height, as she twisted and secured her thick bushy brown hair into a bun at the top of her head using a long oriental hairpin decorated with dangling iridescent beads. "He laughed and told me felt a great deal better this morning." This apparently formidable young lady started pacing. "He did not even pay attention to the fact that the wizards' weather bulletin is accurate ninety-five percent of the time. Does not he realise that these forecasts are acknowledged as Lady Sybill Trelawney's only accurate predictions? It may be rumoured that she has other accurate predictions vis-à-vis the late wars, but I am not inclined to believe such dribble."

"Please, Miss," came a polite stammer from a tallish young woman in a mob cap. "Please, Lady Ginevra," pleaded this brown-eyed personage. "I know I'm just a lady's maid and this is not my place to say anything to you two who've been so very kind to me. While I hate to say anything to you two who've been so very kind to me, I hate to see Miss Granger fretting over Lord Orthod like this."

The mistress of the female with the mob cap shot her a sharp look. "That is quite enough, Brown," she interjected sharply just as Lady Ginevra was about to speak. "Have some tea, Brown."

That injunction only brought more words of worry from the young abigail.

"Lavender Brown," declared her employer in an unevenly controlled tone, "if you do not cease your snivelling, I will leave you to do the mending of the dresses by hand without magic for a month!"

At this sharp rebuke from Lord Orthod's pacing daughter, Lavender Brown retreated into a nearby armchair next to Lady Ginevra's abigail and proceeded to pour herself a cup of tea.

Leaving the two abigails to gossip quietly, Lady Ginevra followed her friend to the window where the latter was staring intently at the rain. "There was no need to be harsh on the lass, Hermione," said Lady Ginevra in a calming voice, as she placed squeezed her friend's shoulder.

Placing her hand on Lady Ginevra's, Miss Granger slowly replied, "I know, I know; I am just worried about Papa."

"I realise that. But you have to understand that he is a grown man and able to take care of himself."

"It was unjust of me to speak to Brown in that unfeeling manner," conceded Miss Granger. "I'll apologise to her later and speak to Neville when he calls in the afternoon, he knows how best to allay her insecurities. Though I think, we had better inform him that we've invited him to tea with your Bulstrode as well. He's better at relating to people than I am."

Lady Ginevra giggled. "He has to be for he is a man of the cloth."

The two ladies laughed quietly in shared amusement. The butler, one Seamus Finnigan by name, entered at that moment and handed a note to his lordship's daughter. "From the master," he said.

"What does Lord Orthod say?" enquired Brown.

Bulstrode, a graceful well-built dark haired maiden in the simple and severe hairstyle favoured by Miss Granger, said, "It must be important if his lordship arranged to have a message sent. Tea, my lady?"

Lady Ginevra accepted the teacup from her abigail with a slight nod and a smile. "Well, Hermione, what does your father say?"

"Only that he's at Black's with Lord Lupin and is having breakfast there," she answered as she say down near the window and started writing in the papers that she had unlocked from the escritoire. Lady Ginevra wandered over to her friend's writing table just as the butler entered and brought in a calling card. "Set it down, Finnigan," instructed the chocolate eyed hostess, as she surreptitiously cast a spell over her writing to disguise what she had written.

Finnigan coughed uncomfortably. "The gentleman is the antechamber; he insists on seeing you."

Glancing at the clock at the mantelpiece, Miss Granger saw that it was only half past ten in the morning. Reluctantly, she looked at the card and raised a brow in curiosity. Hiding the interest of the gentleman's visit from her voice, she coldly commanded Finnigan to send the caller up to the drawing room.

When Lord Villiers was announced, she was slightly bemused to observe Lady Ginevra stare pointedly out the window and the two abigails turning quite ashen.

As soon as the young Marquess stepped into the room, the glib compliment on his tongue died. Miss Granger was truly amused and could not resist staring at Draco's eyes which were darting furiously from the abigails to Lady Ginevra's back.

Bowing to the palely shaking abigails, he said with a practised rakish grin, "Millie; Ducky." However, he soon recollected his manners and bowed stiffly to the abigails. Noticing that Lady Ginevra still stood staring out the window, Hermione rose and extended her hand coldly to her guest. "Lord Villiers, how kind of you to come. Will you have some tea and cake?" she paused, noting that he was still gaping at the abigails. "Your former light o' loves' present situations surprises you, I see."

"Miss Granger," he murmured through his teeth, whilst bowing over her hand. "Lady Ginevra," he called out and received no answer.

"You've met our abigails, I see," said his hostess, bridging the silence as she invited Villiers to sit opposite her.

"How did they come here?" he asked incredulously, as his face assumed a calm insouciant veneer.

Miss Granger saw through his artifice and chuckled to herself. Disguising it as a weak cough, she swallowed the rest of her laughter and continued, "Millicent Bulstrode arrived with Lady Ginevra. And Lavender Brown or Ducky, as you so enthusiastically addressed, is my abigail."

The Marquess moved his mouth to form words but found that his tongue had suddenly became parched and on its own volition, seemed inclined to remain stuck to the roof of his mouth.

"Have you suddenly acquired remorse?" came the half-strangled voice of Lady Ginevra. Turning sharply around to face him, she went on, "I see that I was wrong in my assessment of your character. For all your claims of charitable sentiment, you've abandoned your ladybirds without a penny! And to think that I had believed you to be worthy of redemption! If Mamma's charity didn't take them in, they would have become common Haymarket ware."

Bulstrode trembled violently and was about to speak (though it is not known to whom) when she collapsed deeper into the sofa in agitation.

Watching Brown tend to her friend's maid, Miss Granger looked at the silent and downcast young man and said coolly, "Yes, we are all aware of Lord Villiers personal proclivities. So tell me, Lord Villiers, have you come to exercise some discretion now? It is said that you no longer frequent Vauxhall with your birds of paradise. Or have you decided to follow the mode established by other gentlemen of installing your new acquisitions at Cheapside? I wonder if Lord George and Lord Frederick Weasley have seen you in the vicinity?"

Villiers closed his eyes at Miss Granger's observations. Fingering his cravat cautiously, he reflected on his past debauched lifestyle. Indeed, he ought to be ashamed of himself; his godfather had frequently told him so. As he was about to explain his present course of action to the ladies, it dawned on him that no well-born lady ought to express knowledge of a man's bits of muslin. He blinked and silently cursed his godfather for sending him to the formidable Miss Granger – he could see that she was no ordinary well-born lady, neither was his Lady Ginevra.

"Actually, ladies, I am here purely on a matter of business; a private matter that I must discuss with Miss Granger alone. However, if I am expected to make amends for my past..." He paused and inclined his head towards the abigails. "I shall."

"Expect?" laughed Miss Granger in an ironic tone. "Ha! What do you want to do about your past would be a better question."

With the blood rushing to his head, Villiers had the urge to inform her of his change of heart when Finnigan announced and introduced the entry of Miss Lovegood to the party.

Pointedly ignoring the tense atmosphere in the drawing room, the new arrival headed straight to the Marquess and extended her hand. "Lord Villiers! Fancy seeing you here and at this hour? We are well met indeed! I would have left a message for you at Black's had I not met you here. I must thank you for your contribution to my father's efforts to protect our world's endangered species. Your voice in the 'Protection of Crumple-Horned Snorkack' Effort has improved the crown's patronage of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack Society! My father would have written personally to thank you for your voice in Court as to the protection of Snorkacks hunted for sport, but alas – he is occupied with many other matters."

At that revelation, all the other ladies fell into an astonished silence. Fortunately, Miss Granger quickly gathered her wits and bade the pretty blonde guest in cerulean blue to soothe Lady Ginevra's mood, as she discussed business affairs with Lord Villiers in the library. As soon as they were safely secreted in the library, she began, "It seems Lord Villiers, you have been cultivating two disparate sides to your character, what do you mean by them? You have never been anything more than a mere acquaintance in my circle, why have you singled out my company today?"

Taking his time to gaze around the library as he lowered himself into a chair, he gave his glowering questioner a fair imitation of his father's self-satisfied smirk, Calming himself by the great show of opening his snuff box, he replied in a neutral tone, "I wish to change." He raised a pinch of snuff delicately to his nostril. "So that I can be more deserving of a lady."

"And who is this unfortunate maiden? Is it someone within my circle? Do you wish to issue her a carte-blanche just because her family is not as prosperous as yours?"

"Miss Granger," he snapped. "I do not ruin women in our class if you do not already know. I am trying to emulate my father. The Duke of Mallefille has many faults, but unfaithfulness to his wife was never one of them! I wish to render myself amiable to Lady Ginevra."

"Explain yourself."

"She is the only person who would dare chastise me. She was kind to me. She is an angel. I wish to make her an offer."

Miss Granger snorted in a mixture of incredulity and amusement. "Have you considered what will be said? Her brothers are presently in trade; they reside in Cheapside, next to their warehouse. Does that bother you? Her portion is small. Does that bother you? Her roots are Irish. Does that bother? And what does the Duchess of Mallefille say to this match? The Duchess surely does not look on your intent kindly?"

Not allowing his interlocutor to see his surprise at her perspicacity, he presented his best sardonic smirk. "She does not approve. In fact, she bade me to make myself agreeable to you. For your money and future title." Laughing a little as Hermione flinched slightly in repugnance, he continued, "She thinks you are wealthy enough, but you may be disappointed to learn that my intentions remain fixed on Lady Ginevra. Thus, I require your assistance."

She laughed haughtily. "And you believe I will help you?"

"I know so," said he confidently, dusting a speck of snuff off his sleeve. "A reliable source informed me that you always try to live justly."

The lady smiled knowingly to signal that she was fully cognisant with the identity of Villiers's source. "I don't see what I can do. If Lady Ginevra does not like you, there is no hope for your so-called affections."

"I want to court her honourably, I need you to play chaperone, and give my mother reason to believe that I am courting you."

"Why not say this to her parents?"

"Because I want to be secure of her affections before I declare myself to them."

Miss Granger stopped pacing and turned to the bookshelves to mask her thoughts. While she had her doubts as to his character and disposition, the manner in which Luna Lovegood had greeted him partially allayed her doubts. She had never known Luna to be wrong in her judgement of people. If Draco Malfoy, the Marquess of Villiers was indeed contributing to Lord de Quib's campaigns of protecting all manner of obscure wizarding wildlife, perhaps he really has embarked on a change. And if Lord Sterne (if it was indeed he as Miss Granger had hypothesised) had sent his godson to her, the young man must be in earnest.

"Lord Villiers, you must first inform Lady Ginevra of your intent. When we re-enter the drawing room, I would like it very much if you made plain our case and allow all of us, including Brown and Bulstrode to judge you. Nodding to signal his assent to that condition, his lordship dared not hope when he followed his hostess back to the drawing room.

Footnotes:

Readers, you will notice that the title of the chapter contains the name of flowers/plants. This is significant to understanding the plot. While some of you may be familiar with the language of flowers, I beg you to allow for differences in interpretation. Some flowers/plants have one meaning during the time of the Regency and another during the Victorian era. My guess is that those of you familiar with this language are acquainted with the Victorian interpretation rather than the Regency one.

Naturally, there is also a deeper meaning beyond that of the flowers. What it is – I leave it to you to uncover.

(1) A moss rosebud means "confession of love".

(2) White roses stand for "I believe I am worthy of you".

(3) When I say "abigail" here, I mean lady's maid. In this case, the term is always spelt with a lower case 'a'. The task of such a person was to dress her mistress, style her hair and chaperone her mistress around town or in company. A lady would always call her abigail by her last name/surname only. This is the etiquette and I have kept to it. Ironically, the title and the name "Abigail" is Hebrew for "father rejoiced" – why is this ironic? You will see why when I reveal Millicent Bulstrode's parentage...

(4) "Light o' loves" is one of the Regency slang phrases for "mistress" – and it is meant in the derogatory sexual sense of the word.

(5) "Ladybird" is one of the Regency slang words for "mistress" – and it is meant in the derogatory sexual sense of the word.

(6) "Bits of muslin" is one of the Regency slang phrases for "mistresses" – and it is meant in the derogatory sexual sense of the word.

(7) "Haymarket ware" is Regency slang and a genteel way of saying low class prostitutes. The women are called 'Haymarket wares' because the ladies hang around there (at Haymarket) and solicit clients.

(8) "Carte-blanche" refers to an offer by a gentleman that includes living under his protection, but not marriage.

(9) I am assuming in this chapter (and story) that the things that Luna believes in actually exist.

(10) In this chapter, you would have noticed that Draco takes snuff – just in case, you're curious – it is a habit that he shares with his father. Snuff is a preparation of finely pulverised tobacco that can be drawn up into the nostrils by inhaling. It was also called smokeless tobacco. The quantity of this tobacco that is inhaled at a single time is no more than a pinch – literally. However, not all snuff-takers used it for fashion (it was then seen as a fashionable activity). Some people with nose trouble (blocked and/or running noses) used a special kind of 'snuff' which was a powdery substance, such as a medicine, taken by inhaling.

Taking snuff was a popular, widespread pastime among the upper class and middle class English of the 18th century. Snuff boxes were made by silver smiths who specialised in tightly closing boxes. Most English snuff boxes were made in Birmingham.

(11) St James Park is a famous park. St James's Park is the oldest Royal Park in London and is surrounded by three palaces. The most ancient is Westminster, which has now become the Houses of Parliament, St James's Palace and of course, the best known, Buckingham Palace. The Park was once a marshy water meadow. In the thirteenth century a leper hospital was founded, and it is from this hospital that the Park took its name. In 1532 Henry VIII acquired the site as yet another deer park and built the Palace of St James's. When Elizabeth I came to the throne she indulged her love of pageantry and pomp, and fetes of all kinds were held in the park. Her successor, James I, improved the drainage and controlled the water supply. A road was created in front of St James's Palace, approximately where the Mall is today, but it was Charles II who made dramatic changes. The Park was redesigned, with avenues of trees planted and lawns laid. The King opened the park to the public and was a frequent visitor, feeding the ducks and mingling with his subjects. During the Hanoverian period, Horse Guards Parade was created by filling in one end of the long canal and was used first as a mustering ground and later for parades. Horse Guards Parade is still part of St James's Park. The Park changed forever when John Nash redesigned it in a more romantic style. The canal was transformed into a natural-looking lake and in 1837 the Ornithological Society of London presented some birds to the Park and erected a cottage for a birdkeeper. Both the cottage and the position of birdkeeper remain to this day. Clarence House was designed for the Duke of Clarence, later to become William IV and was also the home of the late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Outside Buckingham Palace is the Queen Victoria Memorial, which celebrates the days of the British Empire. The memorial includes not only the marble statue of Victoria and the glittering figures of Victory, Courage and Constancy, but also the ornamental gates given by the Dominions. These are the Australia Gate, South Africa Gate and Canada Gate.

An 1819 guide entitled Leigh's New Picture of London, has this to say about the park, "In the time of Henry VIII, St James Park was a complete marsh. That prince, on building St. James's Palace, enclosed it; laid it out in walks, and collecting the waters together, gave to the new enclosed ground and building the name of St. James's. It was afterwards much improved by Charles II., who added several fields to it, planted rows of lime trees, laid out the mall, which is a vista half a mile in length, at that time formed into a hollow smooth walk, skirted with a wooden border, and with an iron hoop at the farther end, for the purpose of playing a game with a ball, called a mall. He formed the canal, which is 100 feet broad, and 2,800 long, with a decoy and other ponds for water-fowl. Succeeding kings allowed the people the privilege of walking in it; and King William III., in 1699, granted the neighbouring inhabitants a passage into it from Spring Gardens. It affords a very pleasant promenade, being continually diversified by the numerous structures surrounding it. ... There were great celebrations in this park to celebrate the return of peace. There was a grand Temple of Concord built in the Green Park, which was magnificently illuminated, and round which fire-works and cannon were discharged during the evening and night. Across the canal was built a wooden pagoda bridge, which still remains for the advantage of passengers; but great part of the pagoda tower was burnt on the night in question. That portion of it has not since been rebuilt. This bridge, however, it not being built of very durable materials, is very considerably decayed; and to remedy this evil, as well as to preserve to the public so commodious a road, it is about to be replaced by a cast-iron bridge now preparing at Woolwich."