It was a very pretty bow, though at such close proximity she caught a whiff of alcohol on his breath. It shouldn’t have surprised her – and yet it did. Isabeau allowed herself to be directed to the couch and took a seat upon it, biding her time by carefully rearranging the fall of her skirts. She did not wish to ensnare a drunk man, one who might not even remember this conversation come morning.
“Tea would be appreciated, if you can arrange it.” Was that his fatal flaw, then? Alcoholism? No, most likely not. It was hardly remarkable for a man to indulge in spirits, even to excess. And Lord Pavus did not seem particularly impaired by it at the moment.
Though, that could change if he went through that brandy quickly enough. She knew a poison-neutralizing spell that could sober one up in a pinch. Most unpleasant for the subject, however. A short hangover that came about all at once, like a hammer blow to the stomach and sinuses.
Isabeau watched as he made arrangements, her courage beginning to falter as she came to the heart of the matter. There was no delicate way to put it – and though she had practiced to her reflection many times … It was quite different, being the focus of a stranger’s attention. She drew in a deep breath and sat up straight.
“I find, rather suddenly, that I must secure a husband. Before my family cuts me off, as they have already done to my brother.” There. That was the worst part, out in the open. It would not reflect well on the House were the words to make it beyond this room – and she certainly could not trust Lord Pavus yet. But if the disinheriting of Ignacious-the-Fourth had not ruined them, then that of a spinster daughter would not either.
“By my observations, Lord Pavus, you are my best option.” The Tilani heir was married and breeding. Members of Houses Calidus and Obsidian were being murdered or disappearing without a trace. The Umbra patriarch was engaged. Verax and Serpentis, they were too new and too weak respectively.
That left one mysteriously eligible bachelor in the field, unless she wanted to settle. Just because House Pavus had fallen out of favor did not mean it would stay that way forever. Less likely with her genius on their side, no?
“And I know I am yours.”
@Enzo Pavus
“Tea would be appreciated, if you can arrange it.” Was that his fatal flaw, then? Alcoholism? No, most likely not. It was hardly remarkable for a man to indulge in spirits, even to excess. And Lord Pavus did not seem particularly impaired by it at the moment.
Though, that could change if he went through that brandy quickly enough. She knew a poison-neutralizing spell that could sober one up in a pinch. Most unpleasant for the subject, however. A short hangover that came about all at once, like a hammer blow to the stomach and sinuses.
Isabeau watched as he made arrangements, her courage beginning to falter as she came to the heart of the matter. There was no delicate way to put it – and though she had practiced to her reflection many times … It was quite different, being the focus of a stranger’s attention. She drew in a deep breath and sat up straight.
“I find, rather suddenly, that I must secure a husband. Before my family cuts me off, as they have already done to my brother.” There. That was the worst part, out in the open. It would not reflect well on the House were the words to make it beyond this room – and she certainly could not trust Lord Pavus yet. But if the disinheriting of Ignacious-the-Fourth had not ruined them, then that of a spinster daughter would not either.
“By my observations, Lord Pavus, you are my best option.” The Tilani heir was married and breeding. Members of Houses Calidus and Obsidian were being murdered or disappearing without a trace. The Umbra patriarch was engaged. Verax and Serpentis, they were too new and too weak respectively.
That left one mysteriously eligible bachelor in the field, unless she wanted to settle. Just because House Pavus had fallen out of favor did not mean it would stay that way forever. Less likely with her genius on their side, no?
“And I know I am yours.”
@Enzo Pavus
02-24-2025, 09:31 AM
