Madden Residence
It pleased him greatly.
Everything in the house was as he wanted it. Tables were laden with food and drink, there were servants to move between the guests carrying more for those too lazy or too busy to fetch their own victuals. There were enough staff to greet, take cloaks and coats, announce guests, serve food and drink, and do whatever else needed doing. He didn't have to concern himself with the minutiae of running an event like this and he shouldn't have to; servants had to be good for something.
Aside from the preparations for his guests, he had had words with Eliza about how herself and the children should conduct themselves, dropping less than subtle hints that she should ensure that Niamh looked suitable for attracting potential suitors. The pair certainly didn't see eye to eye but the woman could be relied upon to be an impeccable hostess and a perfect-seeming wife in company although she was perhaps a little too friendly with male guests, which had its advantages when she was watched and appropriately managed. While Eliza had a bit of a reputation for being... loose, at least their only daughter was the picture of sweet and virginal innocence. It was a shame that the little bitch had opinions but she was sufficiently well-trained in company that if he could just get her a husband, that unfortunate little aspect could be discovered at a later date and someone else could squash it.
Oísin was his true pride though. Only son and heir, this little event was a good one for him, especially as he was beginning to take an interest in the same brand of politics as his father, starting to make the right sorts of connections in school and he'd be turning eighteen come the new year so he was certainly old enough.
He inserted the young man into the right sort of social circle as Toibin made his rounds, thanking his guests for coming, even those he'd personally have excluded from any gathering. Perhaps it was while he was with Oísin, more distracted than usual that he missed the announced arrival of Anatole Vauquelin and had to discover the man's presence for himself. Of course as soon as he spotted him, he was by his side, a broad smile on his face.
"Anatole, my friend! Excellent to see you after so long!"
The man offered his hand to shake the other's warmly, that handshake broadcasting to anybody nearby that these two were close. "I wasn't sure that you'd put in an appearance tonight but glad to see you returned from the dead, ahahaha," he joked, actually sounding out laughter although it somehow managed to sound like genuine mirth.
He caught a glass of port from a passing servant, turning partially away so he could survey the room as he talked.
"I'd heard about your predicament. I'd even heard that you uh... did a vanishing act. Now... you can tell me but if you don't want to then well... I can certainly fill you in on some things that you've missed."'
The Incumbent's green gaze fell on the silver-clad creature that had just entered, not needing the announcement to know who that raven-haired woman was: Drezda Ecks. The corners of his mouth pulled down a bit, a slight twist on one side at the sight of her. He hadn't wanted to invite the woman or any of the other female political figures here tonight but as disgusting as he found them, the mere idea of them, he couldn't make that sort of political statement - it would be unwise. But that woman was a bad one. She wasn't just a woman but a foreigner and possibly a homosexual. There were plenty of reasons not to want her here but he couldn't exclude her as much as he wanted to do so.
However, the sight of her - especially near his daughter - didn't amuse him at all and it brought words more readily to his lips.
"You aren't the only one out of sorts recently. Our dear diplomat from Hox - the ambassador in all but name - has been ill of late as I understand it. The kind of illness that you find at the bottom of a bottle of strong alcohol from what I've heard. Very sloppily handled. Have you ever heard of a Hoxian having a breakdown?" he questioned, a nasty edge to his voice although he kept his tone low. He had an awareness of witnesses even if some people did not.
"But she is a woman. They all lean to the emotional, don't they? Or maybe she's just strange for a Hoxian. I've always thought she was peculiar but then little wonder. She's been seen going off with women recently in a very familiar fashion. A possible homosexual that woman and just look at her talking to my daughter as if- I know it's not as bad in women as it is in men but it's still disgusting and that bitch is that cold..."
He shook his head, evidently disgusted although he'd schooled his expression many words before. Only his voice and his words told the truth and only because it was Anatole. Himself and his fellow Incumbent shared certain values after all.
And the woman was coming towards them now.
"Oh well, I suppose we can't keep everything cold at bay," Toibin told Anatole from the corner of his mouth, warm stretching across his lips as he bowed to the diplomat as she came close enough.
"Good evening, Miss Ecks. So glad that you could make it this evening. I'd heard that you hadn't been well recently..."
Toibin clocking Madden. There were very few people that she wanted to see right now and he was very, very far down that list. The Incumbent was a conservative Anaxi of the worst order, so many things that she hated about this blasted kingdom. She got the impression that the man resented her and other female politicians for trying to take power rather than being good and docile under some man's control, ideally popping out brats. If her parents had her way, that was exactly what she'd end up doing albeit they'd see her as the head of the family, figuratively speaking, the one to bear the burdens and provide the strength and guidance for her husband and children.
As if that was going to happen.
She thought that Incumbent Madden disliked her for being from Hox as well but she had to be invited to something like this because to snub her would send a particular political message and not a good one. So here she was dressed in a shimmering off-the-shoulder dress that fell to mid-calf, clinging to her form although providing little in the way of warmth. She was Hoxian, they went in for fashion that showed you could afford heating and the Maddens... they could certainly afford heating. Thus, once she was indoors, she could shed her ankle-length black fur cloak, passing it off to a passive as she walked with care on low heels, barely paying enough attention to provide her name so her presence could be announced.
The young woman knew that she wasn't inebriated but she still felt wobbly and unbalanced on the heels, in the same way as when she was tipsy and her equilibrium was off. Not drunk, not tipsy. She'd managed to get a shot of liquid courage into her before she left - thanks be to Luca for finding wherever Rosmilda had hidden the whiskey - but that wouldn't be enough to addle her senses or disrupt her balance. She had to concentrate so that she didn't stumble or something equally stupid as heads swivelled in her direction at her announcement, a bare ripple in the scene before the guests' focus turned elsewhere.
She was just nervous and paranoid, worried about dealing with that red haired politician with his charming smile and his cool, calculating gaze. There was plenty of reason to dislike the idea of encountering the man who she would have to find and approach to thank for his kind invitation, as if kindness had anything to do with it.
The ebony-haired woman caught sight of his wife among the guests, chatting away, perhaps a little too friendly with the man she was currently engaged with, and she spotted Madden himself, chattering away to none other than Anatole Vauquelin. Anatole who she had last seen in the Dives in a less than noble state and admittedly, she hadn't met him under the best circumstances either. The man had seemed changed then but he was apparently back to normal if his interaction was anything to go by; Madden and Vauquelin had always gotten along well, misogynists both. The former liked to keep a sharp eye on his women and yet parade them around while the latter liked to eye every woman going. He'd probably had more than an eyeful of Eliza and Niamh Madden, the mother quite striking and stunning in surprising youth, the daughter fresh-faced and delicate. The daughter didn't have the same spectacular presence and beauty as her mother but even Drezda had to admit that there was an candid openness to the girl that was quite attractive and she was almost finished in Brunnhold besides so calling her a girl was hardly right.
More than likely, the youth was done up tonight - a semi-translucent white dress hanging loosely on her skinny frame - to catch an eye or two. What better way to find your daughter the right sort of husband than to show her off to your colleagues and other notables? She was a sweet, innocent thing, something that probably craved attention and love as a hingle did but her father was going to offer her up to be devoured.
Maybe that was what brought her to the child's side although in truth, it was a delaying tactic so that she had reason not to talk to Niamh's father.
"Good evening, Miss Madden. A pleasure to see you, you look lovely," the politician purred as she intercepted the girl, amused at the blush that spread readily across her cheeks. Such an open creature and gosh, up close, she was even more beautifully innocent, a simple crown braid only adding to the image of girlish innocent. She probably didn't even realise that she was being trotted around as the perfect virginal potential-bride. No doubt her mother had had a hand in her styling.
Although she was watching Niamh, quite attentively in fact, she had positioned herself in such a way that she could keep an eye on Anatole and Toibin in her peripheral.
"I- Th-thank you... Miss Ecks, that's very kind of you to say. You look... stunning!" she breathed, sounding genuinely awed and the woman had to resist the urge to snort. She wasn't sure that she could be classed as 'stunning' especially this close because she wouldn't stand up well to scrutiny. Even with make-up, she was convinced that the shadows under her eyes were visible, her skin lacking its typical health, clean porcelain now off-coloured and worn, not the kind that had been loved and well maintained. The girl meant it though. She was a politician's daughter but she was no liar. What was more, she was honestly surprised that the girl knew her name.
"You're too kind, Miss Madden. I haven't been well recently and I'm afraid that it shows."
The young woman hummed her sympathies, gesturing for a servant with a laden drinks tray to approach. "Are you... are you well enough to drink?" she asked, suddenly anxious as if she'd interpreted the lack of a glass to mean something else. Drezda reached out to take wine, watching the relief spread on the redhead's face as she took a glass too, smiling at the servant before she seemed to remember herself. The expression was abruptly smothered, the young woman's eyes moving in a quick dart that suggested she was afraid of having been spotted, perhaps by her parents.
"I'm well enough although I've only just arrived," she explained, taking a sip.
"Oh! So you haven't spoken with my father yet?"
She was glad that she'd taken a sip of wine because it bought her a few seconds' excuse for not replying. A simple pause would have been telling in response to the other's question.
"No, I haven't. I actually hadn't seen him," she lied, resisting the urge to cover her face with a sigh as the redhead looked around.
"Oh there he is with um... Incumbent Vauquelin," Niamh commented, voice curiously flat when she named Anatole although there was a slight downturn in tone that showed her true feelings even as she tried to hide them. Drezda wondered if the man had a way of looking at the girl as well. Probably. Poor child.
The diplomat turned and "spotted" the pair.
"Oh yes, there he is. Thank you, dear. I'll go speak to him now. Have a nice evening."
She left the girl with some reluctance, resisting the urge to down the glass of wine she held and get another one as she headed towards the pair, bowing when she was within range.
"Good evening, gentlemen."