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Post by Kat de Winter on Mar 20, 2011 0:01:57 GMT -5
While Ladies-in-Waiting were not exactly common for noblewomen, as there was no Queen to be worried about offending, and as Lady Joan de Winter was relatively high-ranking, she kept at least two about her person. Usually the daughters of friends, for a year or two until they found suitable husbands at court.
Their cousin Kathleen didn't tend to like the girls--they were usually everything she didn't like in a young girl: catty, ambitious, ruthless. Today the newest one arrived, and as a member of the family, however distant, and thus Lady Joan's household, she was expected to attend.
Lady Joan was an imposing woman who remembered the time when King Henry's mother had ruled the roost, and who had been close with Catherine of Aragon. However, she had made the switch to the new church wholeheartedly, her position at court the most important thing to her in her advanced age. No reason to upset the king over a few wafers of bread and changed words. Her necklines were always high, her hair always covered, and she enjoyed the company of those who pretended to enjoy hers.
Evidently today's arrival was Italian, and quite high-up in Rome. Thus the whole household had gathered to meet the new girl, dressed mostly in dull browns and greys (Kat's ancestors evidently did not believe in flashy dressing). Kat stuck out like a sore thumb in a goldenrod-patterned silk, cut in the French fashion with a matching hood and her hair done up in an elaborate bun.
She hoped this wouldn't last long; she'd promised Charles Brandon she'd play cards with him.
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Lucrezia
- Ingenious Pilot -
Demeure chaste et pure%\1\%
Posts: 102
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Post by Lucrezia on Mar 20, 2011 1:29:49 GMT -5
A carriage soon stopped in front of the gathered crowd. It was a sizable carriage pulled by two dark horses. The windows were covered in thick red velvet curtains. Embroidered in the rich fabric was the crest of the House of Borgia in golden thread.
While the driver was settling the horses and fixing the reigns, a corner of the curtains lifted and a fair, blonde and wide-eyed girl peaked out. As soon as the horses fully stopped, the footman in the back got off the carriage and opened the door. A fair hand took his gloved one and a girl in a dusty pink dress descended. She quickly went over to the one matching the description of Lady Joan, curtsied low and said her proper greetings, trying very hard to disguise as much of her Italian accent as possible.
Lady Joan's reception of her was rather cold and Lucrezia was happy to move on to the younger lady of the house. She curtsied low again. "Lucrezia Borgia, My Lady," she said shyly.
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Post by Kat de Winter on Mar 20, 2011 1:39:05 GMT -5
Lady Joan leaned over to her eldest daughter and muttered something about pink and italians and indecent. She was displeased to be having an Italian--blessed with a traditional English distaste for foreigners, and an adopted superiority over Catholics, she was not exactly the best choice for poor Lucrezia. Joan had in fact already found a favorite in Margery Drakeworthy, the daughter of a childhood friend and a plain girl of good English stock who was quite likely to wait on Joan forever.
As the most distant relative, and the least liked, Kat was a splash of color (in dress and in hair, as the de Winters apparently favored Norman coloring even 500 years back) at the end of the receiving line. The beginning was already starting to disperse, back to their own activities.
Kat curtseyed gracefully. "Pleased to make your--"
"Katherine, take Lucetta and get her settled in," Lady Joan called boredly.
Kat smiled apologetically. "Don't worry, she gets my name wrong and I've lived with her for half a year. Please, call me Kat." She reached out to take Lucrezia's hand in proper welcome.
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Lucrezia
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Demeure chaste et pure%\1\%
Posts: 102
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Post by Lucrezia on Mar 20, 2011 2:04:03 GMT -5
Lucrezia felt her face warm and tears well in her eyes but she forced herself to keep them back. The last thing she wanted to do was to make a fool out of herself within the first few minutes of arriving at her new residence.
Kat kindly taking her hand made it easier, though. She found herself smiling a little as she assured her that Lady Joan's getting her name wrong wasn't all too personal.
"Cat," she repeated quietly to make sure she got it right. "Cat, like kitty cat?"
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Post by Kat de Winter on Mar 20, 2011 2:11:17 GMT -5
Kat smiled even wider and nodded. "Like that. Although I'm more of a dog person. Come, you're in my room." She tucked Lucrezia's arm into hers. "Your dress is lovely; is it in the Italian fashion?"
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Lucrezia
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Post by Lucrezia on Mar 20, 2011 2:37:51 GMT -5
Lucrezia smiled too as she let herself be lead by her new friend. She loved dogs the best and had always wanted one.
"Yes, papa had this one made for me as a gift by my favourite dressmaker in Firenze," she said, trying not to think about her father too much. "And yours? I adore that colour, especially with your capelli rossi."
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Post by Kat de Winter on Mar 20, 2011 2:52:49 GMT -5
"Thank you, it's new... though it hasn't met with much approval among the crows and pigeons," she bit her lip and glanced at the retreating de Winters. "Have you been much in Florence? My parents spent part of their honeymoon there; I so wish I traveled more..."
The weather was unfortunate, overcast and heavy while being cold. "The journey must have been horrible; let's get you in to a fire."
A thought struck her. Borgia... "Your father, he is the pope?"
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Lucrezia
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Posts: 102
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Post by Lucrezia on Mar 20, 2011 3:05:16 GMT -5
Lucrezia paused for a moment in confusion. She found herself often forgetting what a giant figure her father was.
"Yes, he is the Pope," she said hesitantly. "I hope you don't mind. I know much of England is very passionately Protestant..."
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Post by Kat de Winter on Mar 20, 2011 3:08:38 GMT -5
"You will not find many of his supporters here." Kat looked to Lucrezia. "But they are here, if you look."
She sighed, looking up at the sky one last time as they entered the palace. "I promise, it's not always this horrible. England's much worse; be glad the court moved."
For whatever insane reason.
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Lucrezia
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Post by Lucrezia on Mar 20, 2011 3:45:53 GMT -5
"I'm very glad," she said, gladly stepping inside and out of the damp cold. "For obvious reasons my father would never had allowed me to come here if it were still in England. But... it's almost as if the weather followed the court across the channel."
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Post by Kat de Winter on Mar 20, 2011 16:35:13 GMT -5
"England is halfway pleasant in the summer... I can only imagine all the sunshine you're used to in Rome. Once we get into the city it's not so bad; Paris can be lovely in the springtime."
They took a few complicated turns to reach the room, which, though somewhat small, caught a fair amount of light when the sun was out. Kat had made sure it was decorated in sunny colors, insofar as that was possible in a castle. The fire was indeed roaring in the fireplace, radiating heat.
"Here we are! I did the best I could to bring the sunshine inside, but I can only do so much without replacing the windows altogether. Do you want to have dinner in here rather than at the banquet this evening? You've been traveling, and I thought you might be tired."
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Lucrezia
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Posts: 102
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Post by Lucrezia on Mar 20, 2011 19:24:37 GMT -5
She looked about the room. All the bright colours reminded her of her room.
"I'd like to have it here with you but... would Lady Joan think it rude?" she asked carefully.
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Post by Kat de Winter on Mar 20, 2011 19:39:07 GMT -5
"Trust me, the dragon lady will be too busy gossiping with her toadies to notice."
The footmen had begun bringing her things in. "Come on, you've got to unpack anyway." Kat smiled entreatingly, flopping into a chair.
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Lucrezia
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Posts: 102
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Post by Lucrezia on Mar 20, 2011 20:01:40 GMT -5
Lucrezia couldn't help but giggle at her new roommate calling girls toads. She thought for about a millisecond before nodding happily.
"What's it like here?" she asked. "Do you like it?"
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Post by Kat de Winter on Mar 20, 2011 20:05:25 GMT -5
"It's nice enough. For me, it was here or London, and at least here the King is handsome. Total dog, though. It's nothing terribly exciting, but everyone living in the same place certainly makes for intrigue."
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