Wednesday, 05 December—Upon My Curiosity

I returned to Penworth again as I came from Bloodham after my second or third stay; if I could remember that Bloodham is not just occupied by one ghost but two ghosts of his only wife and Gilbert's grandfather Sir Edward. I never noticed Sir Edward's ghost roaming around Bloodham till I saw him with Gilbert early that morning, speaking with him in the drawing room. Upon my curiosity, if I could return to Bloodham, I must take my ancestor’s journal about ghosts and other peculiarities that I had not observed yet heard of. For my dearest beloved Gilbert, I shall come back soon as I can after your season in Bath (or perhaps in London), for the sake of my own curiosity.

Thursday, 14 December—A Visit from The Marquess and Marchioness de Guerre

I first recalled the Marquess and Marchioness staying in Penworth as a young lad, peeking at the drawing room before my dreadful Grandfather punished me for disrupting them that led me to sob after he left. I am glad he is gone; but that old stern baron still roams around Penworth as I felt guilt surrounding my past with the Marquis and his dear wife. Horrid thoughts took over till a young footman announced their arrival, ‘The Marquess and Marchioness de Guerre arrived, my lord.’ As he had spoken, I moved to the drawing room upon their gaily presence that relieved me from guilt. ‘Oh, ‘twas a pleasure to see you, Lord Mousehole, but alas, You’st be grown my dear.’ The Marquise greeted me with joy.

‘A prodigy? Alas, my daughter ought to awed you such thing!’

I was flattered upon the portrait of Ganymede displayed in Willowcombe. The Marquis and his wife are patrons of Gilbert O’Vile and Sir Lawrence Campbell. Mother wasn’t vexed with this conversation as they mentioned their daughter deared portrait commissioned by Gilbert.

‘But sorry young Lord Mousehole, this seems that one of our daughters is planning to betroth a commoner grandson of a mar—,’ The Marquis apologised for such misunderstanding as he announced a courtship with Benjamin and Lady Désirée.

‘Keep it private, my dear!’ The Marchioness interrupted her dear husband, as she whispered in French, their mother tongue.

‘But I saw them exchanging locks as we did in Versailles!’ The Marquess exclaimed as a fellow romantic gentleman upon serving for the late King of France. Mother continued their conversation as I left the drawing room as my dearly blue Bowie approached me to the library. I had missed Penworth as I merely missed my dearest pusses like blue Bowie and magpie Peggy. Peggy and her kittens had been taken care of in the library as she birthed four kittens in different coats: two chintz with different patterns, a magpie, and a striped tabby kitten. 

Tuesday, 19 December—Moving to Bath

It took us a day to arrive in Bath before winter started as The Marquise invited us to her annual ball into her property in Willowcombe House. Mother and Uncle Charles rejected the offer to the ball as they were just busy to be present on a ball as I have decided to represent my own family in the cotillion ball despite my young age. I must prepare with a stagecoach before I could stay in Willowcombe as their fellow guest, a young bonafide viscount who is a fellow friend of the Marquis and his wife.

Tuesday, 19 December—Coffeehouse

I just met Gilbert in a nearby coffeehouse for to-day’s morning as he breakfasted without blue ruin nor wine onto his table. We were offered five buns (he offered two buns for me and three buns for gluttonous Gilbert) and two warm coffees for breakfast as I just thanked a fellow maid for serving such food. Gilbert remained cold and indifferent hither unlike I had known himself either as: a stern strict master into his private matters that his servants, my mother and I witnessed in Bloodham Hall; or an experienced charismatic actor unto the English society that charmed his fellow friends, patrons, and ladies of easy virtue. His indifference led him to read recent news-papers since his name was mentioned in one of these pages as he announced his new play to be performed on my natal day; yet he never mentioned other actors to me than these papers as they announced that Cecilia de St Germaine would be acting as Juno; featuring her husband Jean-Alphonse de St Germaine as the King of Troy; Miss Augusta Austin as the Queen of Troy; and David Villers as Mercury. I never knew these names; yet I mayhaps known Madame de St Germaine from the letters in Bloodham Hall that must have been received for Gilbert.

Saturday, 23 December—Staying in Willowcombe House

Today is my first stay in Willowcombe House since I have never been hither till now. This house was not much larger than Penworth, but not as small as Bloodham Hall; yet the house was built more recently before the arrival of this French exiled family. It has several bedrooms for his seven legitimate children, whom they all went away from Willowcombe after their marriage, except for their two youngest daughters, including Lady Désirée, whom I had been looking for about the situation between her and my dearest friend Benjamin. Before I met Lady Désirée, I could see a sight of a portrait painting of Ganymede, displayed in the library. Lady Désirée was wearing a large blue turban whilst she was searching for novels she could find as she picked The Italian, a Gothic novel written by Mrs Ann Radcliffe, rumoured to have disappeared for more than a decade. She did not acknowledge me as a bonafide friend of her parents as she thought I was just a wealthy commoner scholar who passed by; for which I cannot bear her mere ignorance as I tried to introduce myself as Viscount Mousehole, a bonafide one, as my father went away for war against Napoleon. She ignored me again as I impatiently gave her a stern face till she finally replied as she had not stared at me, ‘Your name seems familiar. You must be the bonafide viscount that Elinor talked about—her friend.’ 

Lady Désirée smirked as she started to stare at me as I was taking away my spectacles as she blushed, ‘You look more familiar than I could expect! Aren’t you the sitter of this painting?’ her stare flared to the portrait as I placed my own golden spectacles to my face. 

‘Yea, Mr Gilbert O’Vile commissioned it by last September for his natal day. He had requested me to be the sitter for this painting; so I have a question, my Lady Désirée, do you adore this painting?’

‘I quite adore that, my Lord Mousehole. You look dashing—quite handsome in person and in the portrait. It seems Sir Lawrence adores you as his muse.’

I was confused by her compliment as I mistakenly thought that I was Sir Lawrence’s lover which in fact, I am not, for good reasons; yet she just complimented my beauty and appearance in this portrait painting; and I knew Sir Lawrence long before as a young lad for a portrait with Mother and little mischievous Alexander; the portrait was named Hon. Mary Perkins and sons: Nicholas and Alexander, a commissioned portrait that is displayed in the grand hall of Penworth. 

Tuesday, 26 December—Passed in Yesterday's Annual Winter Ball

Mother and Uncle Charles rejected the invitation to a cotillion ball hosted by the Marquis de Guerre. I was fortunate for the Marquis and Marquise as they hosted the annual winter ball as the winter began. I was vexed upon seeing Elinor and her uncle entering the ball as I tried to avoid them before she caught a sight of me; so I remained hidden till I asked Ms Jane Campbell for the dance. Miss Jane Campbell claimed to be a fellow bonafide friend of Lady Désirée de Guerre. She was such a silly lass as I denied for a second dance which would confirm a courtship with someone I barely knew. It seemed Elinor was gossiping about me and Jane as Elinor bragged to Daniel about Jane during their childhood. I did not dance with Jane again since I never intended to betroth her; yet Daniel and Elinor danced twice—it means they might be betrothed. I passed the drawing room as I headed to the dining room. A mysterious lass, whose name I forgot as I remembered her as a lady, followed me as I kept asking for syllabubs and wine for dessert till I passed. I did not remember how it happened till Gilbert told me several people witnessed this situation, especially the Marquis and his wife. Daniel and Elinor handed me a carriage as we returned to Edgemont earlier, leaving Gilbert in the ball till dawn. I woke up with a familiar night gown, worn by Peggy. I never expected such thing till I saw Gilbert, sleeping next to me. I merely panicked till Gilbert told me to stop by shutting me with his hand—silencing me as he warned me that Elinor would notice me hither if I kept panicking. I dashed from the bed as I started to dress as a gentleman, taking off Peggy’s shifts as I started to put a white shirt and stockings before I lifted my breeches; and I wore my boots for a cold winter day. I added my waistcoat before I buttoned my typical blue coat and placed my spectacles to my face.

I regained one of my memories regarding the ball; and the mysterious lass I encountered was Lady Désirée. She went to Edgemont, alone without a chaperone in a riding habit, welcoming her close friend Elinor if everything seemed right about me. Her tone was stern, cold and frigid as snow, as she ought to return to Willowcombe before I could return to Bath with my stagecoach, waiting for me. I finished early breakfast before we headed to Willowcombe as I put my own longer coat, to protect myself over the frigid day as it took hours to arrive hither in Willowcombe.

Wednesday, 27 December—Strucked

Lady Désirée decided to stay in Willowcombe for the rest of the winter with her younger sister as her parents and I headed to Bath. Our stagecoach stopped at Edgemont as Elinor and her uncle Gilbert joined inside the closed coach before we dashed to Bath as I was reunited with Mother and Uncle Charles. I shall thank Mr Matthews for his good patience and his good choice of swift, dashing cattle that never tire till our arrival in Bath; Gilbert and I returned to his own house with a lass, nearly his age by her face, reclining in the drawing room while waiting for Gilbert. It was just the mere presence of Madame de Saint Germaine, a renowned actress living in Bath, and mayhaps Gilbert’s possible lover or mistress for his possible romantic affection towards her. He asked her to be in his play before he offered her a script; she agreed to act as the Queen of Troy and the jealous Roman Goddess Juno before a cold sickness struck Gilbert as I hurried him to his bedroom; yet he cannot perform the play till his recovery.

Thursday, 28 December

For my very own safety, I must leave poor Gilbert behind for his own servants to be taken care of upon leaving him with Mme de Saint Germaine. I was never been glad from yesterday when he was stricken by sickness; so it must be the cold, frigid winter that led him to be an ill lad, staying on his own bed for more than a day. I went back to our own house with Mother and the Marquise in the drawing room as she delivered a letter from her daughter and beloved friend Lady Désirée.

WILLOWCOMBE HOUSE—Tuesday, 26 December—For Lord Mousehole,

For the eldest son of the Earl and Countess of St Ives and handsome muse of Mr Gilbert O’Vile, I never expressed myself over your fluttering ruse when I first saw you in the library, rushing over my response which I could not bear. The reason I decided to stay hither in Willowcombe since I could not bear myself to stay in Bath unlike Elinor and Jane,  my own dear friends. I had been thither when I turned the age of eighteen with my own younger sister as we became young debutantes after last winter when spring approached. It was before I bestowed myself upon Mr Benjamin Hawkins, a man you claimed to be your friend from Eton. I neither have any interest for any kind of soldiers, nor your dear friend to be honest since I have never been close to him as a friend despite him being neither despotic nor timid for a young soldier; yet we remained as friends. 

Lady Désirée de Guerre