All For A Goblet of Wine [Sir Guy]

[Lady Liselle]

Some women possessed the happy median of temper that would allow them to diffuse any awkward situation with grace, decorum and flair. Advances that might fluster or frustrate other young ladies were simple stepping-stones to them; means to an end so to speak, and the more devious and accomplished set were grateful for the heads up. Such was the case with the young lady whose claim to fame was that she was the daughter of the Duke of Doncaster. She could flatter a friend, draw enemies into confiding in her, impress a gentleman and deflect unwanted attentions all without a hitch, thanks to her mother’s propensity for society and her father’s genial good sense in allowing his home to be the hub of activity for their assorted connections.

Another manner of address that had not failed to escape the Lady Liselle’s notice was how to treat one’s servants. Her own servants were treated with a lofty sort of respect, combined with a dash of kindness and a pinch of good humor. Good servants were hard to find, and she flattered herself that hers knew better than to talk about their Mistress in unsavory quarters with anything less than reverence. Carefully selected gifts on occasion helped the matter along. Caden was, perhaps, a little more favored that Aida owing simply to the fact of his unswerving devotion despite it causing him, at times, cutting personal pain. Aida was often presented with her Lady’s cast-off clothing once the baubles and ribbons had been removed. The dresses were certainly in good condition but too out of fashion for Liselle to be seen in, and she took pleasure in the fact that her servants were dressed better than many of the lesser nobles in Doncaster.

One thing that had, apparently, escaped Liselle was delicacy in the addressing of servants outside of her home. To her one servant was much like the next in essentials, and in the end they were all there to serve. As what she considered to be an important guest (and more than likely her reputation had preceded her) the servants at Nottingham Castle had been quick to see to her needs when necessary and avoid her elsewise. Imagine her shock when she found out that this little soiree of Mannering’s actually encouraged servants – to say nothing of the peasants – mingling and interacting with their betters! Why, it was shocking, positively absolutely shocking and Liselle was quite put out by it. She had spent most of the day sitting under the canopied dais assembled for the noble’s comfort but even the conversation and company to be had there was not enough to occupy her sense of self worth.

She had abstained from taking any wine for most of the day in general, and now that it was late afternoon she decided that perhaps one or two goblets might give an ethereal buzz to the night-time activities no doubt planned by the new Lord of Knighton. Leaving the dais and winding through the crowd on delicate feet desperately intent on avoiding contact with people she would rather not catch something from, Liselle came to stand at a table set up specifically for the serving of drinks. Immediately she saw that she was at a disadvantage. Those who had been drinking for most of the day already knew the servants in residence there, and were consequently being helped first. After waiting for more than half a minute without getting her wine, Liselle’s temper was beginning to flare. She kept it in check with her carefully schooled expression, her green eyes boring into the ruddy face of the man who was supposed to be seeing to her comfort. She cleared her throat delicately, hoping to catch his attention but was unsuccessful due to the roaring laughter of somebody or another.

“It would seem,” she began then in a louder voice that carried whilst still held within the confines of tone deemed appropriate for a lady, “That I shall have to chide Lord Mannering for the lack of care due his noble guests. Not only am I forced to wait in line like common cattle at a trough for a mere goblet of wine, but now I am ignored like one of the multitude also.” The man, who definitely heard her this time dropped his happy demeanor like a sack of last month’s potatoes and presented her with wine in a simple wooden goblet. Liselle, who was used to much finer fare at the best of times, merely raised one manicured brow curiously at the drink and neglected to accept it.

[gissy]

Guy cursed loudly and nearly turned around to walk back to his seat as he made his way over to the table serving wine under one of the many canopies that had been erected to shade people from the sun as they were drinking. He’d arrived late, having had.. matters to take care of, and had then had to spend a good deal of time making up for his late arrival in small talk and petty compliments, and now he‘d just noticed the odious Lady Liselle standing at the very table he‘d been heading for. He’d been disinclined to come to the fair anyway - Lord Mannering had of late been in the Sheriff’s favour, and he found himself playing a mere tool to the pair’s schemes, rather than being the mastermind he should be. He was unwilling to be civil to his newfound rival, and the fair would provide just the occasion for the Lord to parade his newfound status. And now there was Liselle to deal with. Even as he walked over he could hear her berating the peasant who was serving her. It wasn’t as if Guy thought peasants shouldn’t be berated, it was the mere fact that Liselle was likely to do it to whoever was in the vicinity.

There was no denying it, the Lady of Doncaster was a beauty, but there was more to it than that. She had a tongue like a dagger and was probably the most curst woman Guy had ever had the misfortune of meeting. He distrusted her, too, it seemed she knew far too much about the goings on in Nottinghamshire to be safe. But he still had to be polite to her, as he had to be to Lord Mannering. He sneered a little a the thought. Two distasteful people in one place was possibly more than he could cope with, not to mention the peasants. He almost pitied Sebastian for having to deal with them, but he disliked him too much for that.

Despite his misgivings, he stepped over to the table graciously and walked straight towards Liselle without faltering. “My lady Doncaster” He said stiffly, bowing as he acknowledged her “I do hope this imbecile hasn‘t offended you?” He eyeballed the man in front of him. He was holding a wooden cup filled with wine. He sneered at him, oiling his voice with scorn before stalking “Get the lady a proper cup, or you shall be hearing from your master” He turned back to Liselle, trying to fix his features into a polite smile, although the effect was probably more of a grimace. He knew mindless small-talk would ensue, but he intended to pit off the inevitable for as long as he possibly could.

[Lady Liselle]

At the crowd parting considerably to make way for the dark, brooding form of Sir Guy of Gisborne the Lady Liselle could hardly believe her extraordinary good luck. She had already been blessed with an interlude with the Sheriff today, and now she was to have the (somewhat dubious) pleasure of exchanging words with Sir Guy as well! Oh, she thought as he greeted her and bowed, her appraising green eyes fixed to his face as he straightened. How much I shall have to inform my diary of when I am alone in my chambers tonight! She curtsied gracefully to the man in black leather, knowing full well that he should be mindful of the compliment paid by being curtsied to by the daughter of a Duke.

“Any offence incurred has been dispelled by your kind interference,” she replied automatically, smiling winsomely. For the most part, Liselle was unsure how to take Sir Guy and as such being in his presence (while highly desirable) almost managed to make the self-confessed deviant a little bit nervous. There was something feral that burned in his cold eyes underneath his hard and controlled exterior that frightened her a little bit. But with time, she thought, That may pass. As the man who had been foolish enough to ignore and insult her scrambled to procure a ‘proper cup’ for her and fill it with real wine – not the watered-down version they had been peddling to the peasants – Liselle focused her attention on the smile offered her by Eligible Bachelor #2.

She waited for a few seconds, wondering if he was going to introduce a subject of conversation or merely stand in silence. She lamented when it seemed as though he were merely content to stand and look at her, though she had to admit to herself that she looked rather fetching in her costume and if Sir Guy wanted to look then surely she had no objection in him doing so. Blissfully the servant handed over two silver goblets of the finer wine, taking it as a given that Gisborne would wish to quench his thirst also. Seeing her window of opportunity Liselle took up both of the cups, holding her own close as she extended the other to rescuer. “Will you take wine with me, Sir Guy? You look as though you have endured a rough day.”

[gissy]

Guy noted the curtsey with some surprise, though he didn’t let it show on his face. He had almost expected Liselle to think she was above curtsying to anyone less than a lord, but was most pleased to see she knew her place - in Nottingham and as a woman, albeit a highborn one. He was sick of women trying to insult an belittle him and Liselle’s acknowledgement of his innate superiority made his ego purr. Her compliment on his handling of the situation added to that, but he kept himself on guard. The Lady of Doncaster knew how to use words, and he would not let her lull him into carelessness. He had to be on his guard around her all the time, god only knew what went on in that cunning little brain of hers.

He felt ever so slightly awkward as she stood there without initiating conversation. Socialising never had been a specialist subject of his - he said what required, he could see no reason to fluff up the conversation with talk of the weather and the latest fashion in London. And women’s need for this especially evaded him. Their interests had no appeal to him, and he could not see why such trivial things needed lengthy discussion. He had always found ways of getting what he wanted from women without any idle babble and when it had been Marian-

Marian had been different.

Of course, Liselle left just the right amount of time for him to think all this before finally speaking to him.“Hardly rough, my lady, we are at a fair” Guy replied, keeping the scorn out of his voice. He had no intention of playing along with Liselle’s games, but the duchy of Doncaster was a powerful one and he would do himself no favours by insulting the Duke’s daughter, dreadful as she was. “But thank you, yes, I will have some wine.” he inclined his head brusquely at the man at the serving table, who hurried to get it for him. Guy sneered - looked like the snivelling wretch had learnt his lesson. He took the proffered goblet pointedly, and without thanks, turning away as soon as he was satisfied he’d put the fear of god into the man.

[OOC - Sorry, Guy's being a big sulkey emo and not talking much ^^;; and I just noticed the *horrid* amount of typos in my last post >.< I'll go fix that right now]

[Lady Liselle]

((LOL! You write him beautifully. And don’t apologize – He’s sulky and emo by nature, yes? *giggles* I don’t know whether to feel sorry for Liselle or Guy at the point!!))

The initial interactions between Sir Guy and herself at the Castle had always before been reserved to mere greetings when forced; more than likely because Liselle had no opportunity to draw him into conversation before now and because Sir Guy wished to avoid conversation with the willful young woman at all possible costs (not that anyone could blame him!). Now, however, Liselle amused herself with believing that he was entirely at her mercy for at least five minutes and she was determined not to waste the moments she had been granted. Her ego might have allowed herself to think that Sir Guy had looked flustered to be in her company but reason would not, and the blonde noblewoman knew enough of his character from servant’s gossip to know that he was not the type of man to be easily affected by any woman for anything other than the basest of manly needs.

Brushing aside his comment about being at the fair she offered him a neutral smile when he turned from her with an agreement to joining her for a glass of wine, only allowing the smile to slip from her face and be replaced by an unctuously raised eyebrow as his back was turned to her. When his gaze might have happened to take her in again her features were once more schooled into a ladylike expression even though her mind was nowhere near proper in its manner of thinking. What to say? She had to come across as witty but not overly intelligent, charming but not overbearing and above all interesting but not domineering. For a woman like Liselle who was definitely intelligent, overbearing and domineering this would prove to be no easy feat.

”And how are you enjoying the fair, Sir Guy? Do you have plans to enter the competition?” Suspecting that the an would sooner cut off his right arm himself than partake in the nonsense of an archery competition (but dearly wishing he would enter so that she could assess his prowess) Liselle allowed the barest hint of a teasing smile to taint her peach colored lips as her eyes sought to catch his. Eye contact was important in matters of the heart after all, and even though looking into Sir Guy’s eyes made her feel like winter had come impossibly early she was willing to make sacrifices for the benefit of a comfortable future.

[gissy]

Guy flexed his fingers around his cup. The mere presence of Lady Liselle put him in the mood to slaughter a village-ful of children. Before, he’d always been able to keep encounters with the Lady of Doncaster to a minimum, and had made sure the few they had had were brief. Of course, he had never been discourteous - he’d exchanged pleasantries with her in the corridor or at dinner, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t turn and walk the other way if he thought she hadn’t seen him, or orchestrate it so that he would be sat no where near there whenever there was a feast. Now that he actually had to make real conversation - or what seemed to pass for real conversation amongst fickle females - he found himself somewhat floundering. He half wished he hadn’t spurned the mask Sebastian Mannering had been teasing him to wear, but he was practiced at keeping his real emotions hidden below the surface.

He all but barked a harsh laugh when Liselle asked whether he’d be entering the contest, but disguised it as a cough as best he could and rearranged his face into a sneer he hoped wasn’t too disrespectful. “I have no interest in such frivolities my lady.” He replied[/b]” attempting to keep his tone even and polite. It was difficult. Child murdering aside, the suggestion that he should parade himself around he village like a strumpet made his blood boil “I’m sure Lord Mannering can take care of the theatrics” He had a hard time keeping the derision out of his voice this time. Yes Lord Mannering certainly would take care of it. Guy would have been prepared to bet money on the fact that Sebastian Mannering would make some show of the archery contest, all designed to show want a wonderful new lord he was to his people. Guy’s face contorted at that thought. God, he hated that man.

OOC - sorry, for the short post ^^;; I promise guy will do something more interesting next time =3

[Lady Liselle]

((OOC: LOL. You crack me up, fo’ realz. XP Don’t apologise, your posts are always brilliant. <3))

Liselle, ever the opportunist, heard instantly the flickering of dislike in Sir Guy’s voice when he spoke of the new Lord of Knighton. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she assessed the situation and she instantly abandoned her quip about Sir Guy and his entering of the archery competition and made for higher (and hopefully more fruitful) ground. She held her own goblet with a delicate flair as her clever eyes sized the leather-clad man up and seemed to spark with early triumph and one manicured brow raised a hair’s breadth in the realization that she may have found an angle. Sheriff Vaysey was no fool, certainly, but he had seemingly fallen for Liselle’s winsome smiles and deferential, submissive façade as easily as most men did. The willful blonde had no doubt in her mind that a few more such meetings as the one they had enjoyed today would see her succeed in wrapping the Sheriff about her finger, figuratively.

But it was always advisable to keep one’s options open.

Sir Guy was another matter entirely. Even before his much talked about embarrassment at the hands of the imprudent Marian he had been renowned as a man not easily touched, emotionally or otherwise. He was cold, calculating and concise; a machine that operated with well-oiled equilibrium to do the Sheriff’s bidding almost before such wishes were even voiced. This one would present more of a challenge. He hated woman, it seemed and the Lady Liselle could hardly blame him. She would need to seem indifferent to him and his material allurements and gain his trust, morsel by morsel. And Sir Guy himself had just presented her with a window, albeit unwittingly.

”Odious man,” she scoffed at the sound of Mannering’s name ”No doubt he could be prevailed upon to provide endless entertainment. I have no doubt that he loves the sound of his own voice above all else” She paused, looking away from Sir Guy as though the mentioning of Mannering’s name irked her just as much, if not moreso, than it did him. ”I think it a wonder our Lord Sheriff gifted him with Knighton instead of employing him at the castle as his jester.”

[gissy]

Liselle's gaze made guy feel nervous. It just wasn’t right for a women to have such a spark of intelligence flaring behind her eyes. He knew that with a quiet word and well placed purse of money, the Lady of Doncaster could make life difficult, and he didn't doubt for a moment that the sheriff would cut him loose rather than let any blame fall on him. He'd have to tread carefully in future - more carefully than he already did - and he suspected the wine in his hand would not help him do that. Placing it subtly down on the table it had come from, he folded his arms, preparing a reason to use if Liselle questioned him on it.

Her response to him comment about Mannering made him stiffen. He could see where this line of conversation was going, and was disinclined to let it continue. It was evident that Liselle was going to use whatever he said to her advantage, so he'd have to think about what he said next carefully. He had a horrible feeling it might involve speaking favourably, for want of a better word, about Mannering, but if he suddenly started singing the ostentatious Lord's praises, Liselle would be bound to smell a rat.

"Indeed, my Lady" He replied, keeping his face poker straight "But lord Mannering does have his... qualities" The word felt like as on his tongue, but he refrained from pulling a face. "A man's outward display is not always a judge of how well he had deal with peasants and law breakers" He didn't say that in this case, Mannering was as capable of dealing with such vermin in as the flamboyant clothes he wore.

[OOC - I am so sorry this has takem me so long >.< I suck!]

[Lady Liselle]

If Liselle had been privy to any inkling that she made Sir Guy of Gisborne feel nervous with his gaze, she would have felt triumphant indeed. He was renowned for being a man who was impossible to fathom and just as difficult to get close to, and she lamented daily that not only had Marian been able to accomplish both but that she had slighted him in the bargain. Liselle would not have been so stupid! He was powerful and handsome in his own way, Lady Doncastor supposed. She noted him disposing of his wine and almost smiled. Here was a worthy adversary, and whilst he might not like the idea very much at present (if his body language was anything to go by) Liselle thought she might be able to turn him around to her way of thinking.

And if she wasn’t able to do that, she could always resort to bribery or blackmail. Life was just full of possibilities. ”I’m sure he has qualities enough,” she responded in earnest. Indeed. Qualities such as leeches, toads and outlaws possessed! ”May I have it on your expert authority that a man’s outward display is, then, by no means a measure of his mind at all? I must confess, Sir Guy, I have heard you mentioned in several quarters and yet cannot commit to any one account of your being for my own part.” She refrained from smiling, a serious but serene expression on her pale face as she curtsied to him once more. ”I beg your pardon. The sun is taking its toll. I fear I must retreat to the pavilion.” With that, Liselle offered a clean smile and vanished into the crowd in a rustle of peacock blue taffeta.

((Apologies are mine! Hope this is okay for an ending. <3))