❝ mix and matchmaker ❞ -- uc, no pms plz

[stupid_s n o w f l a k e]

A beautiful woman sat impatiently upon a chair which overlooked the entire yard, teasingly twisting a loose stand of dark brown hair. She could not rationalize with herself right now, all she knew was this sight will not be with her for much longer. The time passed like sand through the hourglass of her life, she knew that the sand would soon run out. Felicity was always one of those women to be extremely emotional, and now was defiantly no different. It was one thing that she would not get over as easily as she did other things. Felicity found herself drowning in memories of when she first moved into the Starke household. The memory was as vivid as the surrounding skies blue skies, but as uncertain as the gray clouds that lick at the edges. Back when she was first starting off, Felicity did not realize how much she would fall in love with the four children that Mr.Starke had brought up. It was funny how something so lovely could tear someone apart. Felicity let her hand fall onto her lap as she snapped back into the reality of which was her life. It was hard to figure out why she thought that she could stay there forever when it was so evident that children grow up. Young Nathanial was now ten, and the eldest is now seventeen. Mr. Starke agreed to allow Felicity to stay until she could find a place to stay; after that, she was on her own. Being around the children all the time, she did not have the time for men, let alone herself. The children were ready to grow up and they did not need a governess anymore. A tear trickled down her cheek as she thought once more about the aging children. Her heart reached out so far to these children, so that knowing that they did not need them anymore made her heart break in two. A small tap on her shoulder made her jump and fly onto her feet. There before her stood a eight year old beauty; Jaquie was now awake from her nap. A smile was on her face until she seen the sadness that was in Felicity's eyes. Jaquie walked over to her, wrapping her arms around Felicity's waist pulling herself closer. "Are you okay, Ms.Felicity?" She asked, her warm brown eyes finding those of Felicity's.

"Of course I am, Jaquie." She said in a cheerful voice; whether she felt it or not. " What are you doing up?" She asked, rubbing the little girls head.

"I got ever so restless... I wanted to go to the hills again today!" Jaquie chimed, letting go of Felicity."Can we please go?" She asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

How could someone say no to a child so cute? " Of course we can, Jaquie. We just need to wait for your brothers to get up, and for Tallen to come home with the carriage."

"Where did Tallen go?" Jaquie inquired.

" He was asked to call by Viscount Middleton." Felicity replied looking off of the balcony. " He shall return in no time at all. I requested him to return so that we could go to the market." She smiled down at Jaquie who was smiling back at her.

"Of course! We shall wait! Do you want to come play with me and Polly?" She asked. Polly was her favorite doll that Felicity had bought for her recently.

"No my dear, I need to go make some lunch. Why don't you..." She knelt down and looked in her in the eyes. "... Go downstairs, get Polly, and meet me in the kitchen, and we will cook something together, alright?" She smiled that matched that of Jaquie's. Jaquie nodded and ran off towards the door. "Lady like, Ms.Starke." Felicity said pushing herself up, touching the side of her nose gently. That was something that Jaquie and her shared; a secret. Jaquie turned and tapped the side of her nose as well and then fixed her dress and her posture before exiting the room. Felicity adjusted her corset and then looked at her reflection in a mirror that was on the opposite side of the room from where she was. Walking over to it, she looked at what a mess she looked like, a frown gently pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Frowning will give you wrinkles, Ms.Worthington." The voice made Felicity jump slightly, and she turned to see Mr. Starke standing in the doorway. Felicity gasped and adjusted her posture. 'What is it with me today? Jumping at every sound?" She flicked the losse strand of her brown hair behind her ear, making sure that it was hidden away.

" I am sorry, sir. I shall not frown." She said, smiling in his direction.

" It is quite alright, frowning is not always the worst thing to do." He said, walking over to her, standing behind her. " Sometimes that is all you can do." He had a frown upon his own face, he was obviously thinking about his wife. It was so hard for some people to understand Mr. Starke and the things that he said, truth be told, Felicity did at times too, but she knew all too well what made him upset. Mr. Starke had a strong heart, but when his wife died, it took him a while to recover. At times, she would find him passed out drunk in his bed chamber, and asking, pleading out for his wife. It was hard for her to realize that what had happened to his wife devastated him, but once she did, she did all in her powers to keep his spirits high. Felicity turned to face Mr. Starke, placing her hand on his face.

" But frowning gives you wrinkles, and you don't need more of those do you?"She asked, smiling, removing her hand from his face.

" Oh, Felicity!" He chuckled, shaking his head. " No I do not need more wrinkles." He looked at her reflection in the mirror. " What am I going to do without you here?" He asked, placing his hands on his sides.

" You will prove to be the best father you can be." Felicity smiled and turned to face herself in the mirror once more. The two of them stood there for a matter of moments until Mr. Starke reached his hand into his pocket pulling out a small box. Felicity turned to face him, and he opened the box, extending his hand out to her. In the box, was a beautiful necklace adorned with diamonds and sapphires, in the shape of a heart. Felicity's mouth fell agape as she looked at the necklace. "Is... Is this for me?"She asked her hands floated to her mouth to cover the hole that was now there.

"Felicity, you are an important part of this family, and always will be. We love you, and I love you. You are like my daughter, and it is time that I showed it to you. "

"There is no need for this! I...I don't know what else to say...."

" Thank you will suit this just fine. " He smiled taking the necklace out of the box and unhooking it. " Turn around. " He said, Felicity did as she was told. He removed the necklace that was just there and placed it on the table next to them and then he placed the other one around her neck. Felicity's hands floated to her neck, caressing the necklace gently.

" Thank you so much, Mr.Starke" Felicity said, practically in a whisper.

" Don't mention anything about it, it looks wonderful on you. Maybe you should wear that white dress of yours with it tonight. " He said, motioning to the beautiful gown that say waiting patiently for her.

" You...You...You got me a dress?!" She looked wide eyed over to Mr.Starke, her head shaking slightly. " I....I cannot accept this!"

"You are far too modest, Ms.Worthington." He said, chuckling again. The dress was extremely extravagant. It was a simple white gown with blue sequence adorning the bust area, as well as lace bordering the cleavage, it was far too beautiful.

" Why on earth did you get this for me?"

"You must have forgotten, the party tonight? At the Edwards Estate?" He smiled and walked towards the door. "You have to get ready, I will send Romina in to help you get ready." He smiled.

" But wait! What about dinner? And I was supposed to go to the market with Jaquie!"

"She will understand. Just get ready.I will have the chefs make dinner, it is their job. And I will have Tallen go to the market. It will all be okay." There was no arguing with him, because he was out the door the next minute. Romina stepped in the room and looked at Felicity.

"You ready, to get ready?" She asked in her thick Spanish accent.

" I suppose I am..." Felicity said, walking over to Romina, tuning her back to her so that she could undo the corset.

It was about an hour later and Felicity was finally ready. She walked down the stairs to be met by the eyes of all of the people from the household. The light pink colour on her cheeks deepened as she met the eyes of Mr.Starke. " You look wonderful!" Chimed Jaquie who was now at her side. " We are going to be taking you and then going to the market!" All Felicity could do was smile, and that was all she ended up doing. It wasn't much longer until they were in front of the Edwards Estate. Felicity found herself standing outside of the carriage, saying her goodbyes to the family. As she walks up to the door, she glanced around at the extravagant estate in front of her and all of the foliage around, it was wonderful. She was now at the door, awaiting for someone to answer the door after she had knocked;and it wasn't till then that she noticed the other people waiting as well. Her cheeks instantly turned a bright shade of pink as she adjusted her skirt uneasily. It then she turned her head to see her dear friend, Camille. " Camille? Is that you? How lovely it is to see you once again!" She chimed, turning her body to face the extravagantly dressed woman to which she was addressing.

[Pink Panda Paw]

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Today was such a dreary day, and it just so happened to be the day when Eleanore had arranged a little gathering for all the people that had asked for her matchmaking service-- what horrible timing the weather had! It was just a couple clouds, but it still distressed Eleanore just to think about how the weather would be so cruel to her-- there was absolutely no use in dwelling in such misfortunes though, it would just ruin the party! So, despite the light rain that fell outside, Nellie was in her bedchamber getting ready for the arrival of her guests; and though she knew they would be arriving soon, she had taken some time just to pick out a dress and to put it on. On her was a pale green gown with ruffled sleeves and a bell-shaped skirt that fell to the floor. It was so beautifully tailored and just radiated elegance and glamour, but despite that Eleanore still debated over whether or not this was the dress she should wear. She slid her hands over the smooth silk, letting them glide down from her waist to her hips as she turned her body to make sure the dress was nothing short of perfect. After a long time of inspection, she was satisfied by her appearance and she went to call her made over to help her complete the look.

"Margaret! Margaret, where are you? My hair is a mess and my guests will soon arrive!" Nellie called for her servant and withing seconds the middle-aged woman with a thin build and dark hair came scurrying in just as Nellie took a seat in front of the mirror. She began to quickly shuffle through her jewelry box for something that would look for something that looked nice with her green dress; in the end, she picked out a necklace and earring pair with jade beads and ornate metal charms, which were adorned with little blue and white diamonds rhinestoned in. "OW!" a loud shriek escaped Eleanore's lips and rang through the small portion of the building in which her bedchamber was located, leaving a small echo in its aftermath, sure to be heard by anyone in that area. Eleanore's face turned into one that showed a clear sign of peevishness as Margaret stood in front of her, apologizing frantically for hurting her mistress. "Margaret, you've pulled my hair too hard and now my head hurts so much!" she yelled at her maid servant and swatted the other woman's hand away from her head.

"I'm sorry Miss Edwards, I didn't mean-" the older servant of six and thirty years apologized over and over again while in her frantic state, but she didn't get to finish before Eleanore interrupted. "Goodness! I want to look pretty, but I don't want my scalp to hurt so much in doing so. My guests would not want a hostess that's constantly squirming and sneering in pain. Now try again." Margaret approached Eleanore once again and hoped that this time the task would be done in a way appropriate to Nellie's particular needs.

After Margaret was done, Eleanore once again looked herself over to make sure she looked alright and that her maid servant had done her hair properly. She was very satisfied by her appearance and exited the room, thanking Margaret as descended down the stairs to wait for her guests' arrival. Eleanore took a seat by the window in the parlour, where she had a good view of the road in front of her family's large estate, well, her brother's large estate. The house had been in Nico's possession ever since the death of her father two years ago. Nico and the servant had kept the place in a very nice condition, but no matter what the estate really was a sad place, it brought up memories of when their family was full. It didn't matter how much of a sad place it was though, if Eleanore were to leave her beloved home, it would be the end of the world for her-- she adored it in every way and couldn't think of leaving it.

"Miss Edwards, would you like something to drink while you wait?" asked Margaret, who happened to enter the room to help her mistress once again. If one were to judge Eleanore by her previous attitude toward her maid servant, one would think she was a cruel and uncaring woman, but, in truth, she treated her servants very kindly. Before, Ellen had been anxious and the sudden pull of her hair had surprised her and couldn't help but snap at Margaret. Of course, if anyone had heard of the incident, they would think it that such a thing would be impossible. Eleanore yelling at someone in such a cruel manner was something the people of the town would never think of, but she was only human, so it did happen every now and then. "No thanks, just come sit and wait with me. I feel so anxious it's unbearable! When do you think they'll arrive?" Eleanore inquired. Her maid servant responded by reassuring the young lady that the six would soon arrive, but it was clear, by Eleanore's anticipated glances at the window, that she was paying no attention to Margaret's words.

As Eleanore waited longer for the arrival of anyone, she continued whined and question her poor servant. She knew that Margaret was getting annoyed by the amount of times Eleanore had asked her when the guests would arrive, but she couldn't stop complaining about how long it was taking. She desperately wished someone would come to take her out of the bored state she was in and she was growing more impatient by the second. Anyone other then her servant would have good company now-- not that Margaret was bad company, she just wasn't very good for conversion. Eleanore heaved out a long and tired sighed. It was quite upsetting having to wait so long, though it was only about half an hours wait before she saw a number of people approaching the building. None of them were walking together, each seemed to arrive at different, but close, minutes and it looked almost like there were a small line of ducklings following their mother up a head. The sight filled Nellie with glee, but upon looking closer, she noticed that there were only five people heading for her door and after more squinting, she had found out that the person that was missing was her very own Weaver! It certainly made her feel less happy since his match was the one she was most anticipating, but her attitude still remained joyous nonetheless.

"Margaret, go answer the door for me please, my guests are here. And Friedrich, go fetch my dear brother, he must be here to greet the guests. Quickly now." she said to her servants when a knock came echoing from the front of the estate to the parlour. A small smile formed on Eleanore's lips when they left to follow her orders. How perfect, almost everyone was here and she didn't have to worry about sitting awkwardly with a stranger while awaiting the rest of her guests. If only Weaver was among them them as well! He was a frequent visitor of the estate, most likely the person that frequented more than anyone else in town. It was easy to say why he came so often and not only when a ball was to be held. Miss Edwards had harbored a very strong attachment to the man, despite the town's disapprovement. They didn't have a say in Eleanore's relationships and she didn't care who they thought she should be with and who they thought she should avoid. Weaver was a good friend of hers and she wasn't going to give him up just because of the things the town said.

Eleanore brought her attention the parlour's entrance when, at long last, Margaret returned to the parlour with her guests. "Hello everyone! Welcome to my lovely home." she said as stood up from her seat and walked over to them with a bright smile. She could easily guess who was who among the crowd, having seen two of them perform at the town theatre and the others around town. "Lets head over to the dining parlour and I'll pair you up there so you'll know where your seats will be." Eleanore lead them to the next room over, which was furnished with a nice long table with ten seats and a nice rug underneath of it.

When everyone was together in the dining parlour, she turned to them once again and smiled. "Well them, lets see who I should start with- Miss Worthington or Miss Narita?" she questioned aloud, though she already knew who was going first. She didn't include Camille Royer knowing that her partner had yet to arrive, but she didn't bother to explain to her just then; there was always later. Besides, it was always best to save the best for last and Camille's pairing was by far her favorite simply because she was helping her dear friend find someone he was to spend the rest of his life with. After waiting a bit longer-- just to create a bit of suspense, if there was any-- she walked over to Felicity and took her hand. Felicity Worthington seemed like a fine young lady and from what Eleanore could remember from the papers she received, the woman was about a year younger then she. She seemed to be a very well-mannered person, it impressed Nellie and she would've been quick to pair her with Weaver if she wasn't sure that Camilla Royer would be a better match for her dearest friend. "I would like you to meet Vincent Grimauldy, your match." She pulled her towards the very man she was speaking of and hoped-- no, knew-- that Felicity would like him. Then Eleanore turned to Yumiko and introduced her to her match in the same fashion as she did with Felicity.

"And now I assume you know who your partner is, Miss Royer." Eleanore said, throwing a sweet smile towards her friend's match. "Well, I'm sorry to say he hasn't arrive yet, but he'll arrive any minute from now. I'm sure you'll just adore him, he's a very nice man and a very good friend of mine." Then she turned away from Camille to address everyone else in the room. "Well, now that you're all matched, you can take a seat next to your partners," and turning back to Camille she said, "You can sit next to me while we wait for Weaver's arrival, I'd love to learn more about you."

Eleanore went over to the seat closest to the head of the table, not taking at the front because that seat was always saved for the head of the house. Looking at the empty seat made her wonder where here brother could possible be, but she knew he would probably be working. The idea of it just distressed her! He worked too much, she wished her could just spend a day resting like she had asked him to do today. It was no used though, Nico was Nico and he was the type that constantly had his head buried in his work. Really, it was quite frustrating for poor Nellie and she wished she could have encouraged him to participate in her matchmaking, but he was much too stubborn to be persuaded! Eleanore sighed and pushed the thought aside as took her seat and waited for Camille to take a seat next to her before speaking.

"I certainly hope you like my home and that you enjoy your stay, Miss Royer. " she said, before continuing on, "You're a novelist, are you not? I certainly adore a good novel and I would certainly go purchase one of your works now that I've met you personally, but I'm curious as to what kind of novels you write." Eleanore asked, remembering she read somewhere that Camille Royer was a novelist, though she had never read a book by the woman before. As Eleanore spoke, she obscurely looked Camille over, just to make sure that she was at least handsome enough to be with Weaver. She was very glad to conclude that Camille Royer was a very beautiful woman, both well-dress and possessing natural beauty, and very well-suited to be with her friend. Oh, how wonderful today would be now she knew! Everyone around her would be happily in love with their match. The only thing that didn't cross her mind was how the only lonely souls in the estate would be the very people who resided in it...


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it's so easy to think about love, to talk about love,xxxxx
xxxxxxxxto wish for love... but it's not always easy to recognize love