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“I don’t know who the hell Countess Gerard thinks she is critiquing my floral arrangements” The Duke of Pembroke, His Grace Klaus Mikaelson’s ears pricked up at the hateful tone in the lady’s voice. There were two reasons for this. Firstly, it was highly amusing to here such a blatant criticism of his baby sister and secondly was the fact that the door to his carriage had unexpectedly been flung open and the woman was climbing in.
As he watches, a beautiful blonde woman dressed in an elegant light blue skirt and practical white blouse scrambled into the carriage quickly followed the dark eyed trollop his brother Elijah had taken up with recently. Katherine Pierce. Beautiful certainly, but untitled with a vicious tongue. The lack of a title means nothing to him except for the fact that Miss Katherine is being so obvious in her attempts to become Duchess of Shrewsbury that it’s painful to watch.
It’s her blonde companion who was the one to speak, the one for whom he has no name, whose so unceremoniously inserted herself into his carriage that interests him. Especially the pair of swords she’s just dumped on the floor in-between herself and Katherine.
“Morning ladies” he greets them when the women have gotten themselves settled.
“Holy God!” the blonde one exclaims immediately, confirming Klaus’ suspicions that neither of them had realised that the carriage was not their own. Klaus’ smile grows at the ferocious blush on her cheeks but before he can inquire as to her name she circumvents any further pleasantries by turning to Katherine and announcing “This isn’t our carriage”
Katherine, who to her credit had managed composure after a small gasp of surprise nods whilst glaring hard at Klaus. It’s no secret to society that she and her potential brother-in-law despise one another. “No. Caroline dear this is His Grace, Niklaus Mikaelson, the Duke of Pembroke” Katherine indicates him without further flowery elaboration that befits a traditional introduction to someone of his rank.
“Your Grace” Katherine’s mouth says whilst her eyes use an entirely different honorific “this is my dear friend Lady Caroline Forbes, the daughter of the Duke of Buckingham” Even more interesting than the swords the two were carrying is the genuine affection Klaus detects in Katherine’s voice.
“The pleasure” Klaus replies scooping her pale little hand off her lap to press a kiss to the back of her hand. Lavender and honey fills his nostrils, notes of her perfume trilling subtly from her wrist, “Is all mine”
He’s careful to use the tone that has women ready to drop into his lap regardless of wedding bands. Katherine, who knows his methods as well as he knows hers, scoffs, fluttering her fan contemptuously. The only ring on Caroline’s fingers is an eye grabbing lapis lazuli piece, studded with a diamond in the centre, set amongst silver leaves on her index finger. Allegorically, the finger of power, hence the reason most men, Klaus included wear their house ring there.
Along with her steely accoutrement such a statement makes Caroline a person to be reckoned with, something Klaus takes interest in encountering. Normally people can be dreadfully dull, exceptions such as Lady Caroline, Klaus takes notice of. No wonder she and Katerina are friends. Such good friends it would seem that not only are they off to do something involving weaponry (larceny perhaps?) but the pretty blush Klaus was quite enjoying had died upon Katherine’s inopportune scoff.
But then again, Katherine wouldn’t be the biggest bitch in town otherwise. Definitely Mikaelson material.
“Now that the pleasantries are over and you’ve already taken the liberty of commandeering my carriage where shall I tell Tyler you’re headed to?”
His question obviously brings their objective back to the forefront of the girls mind if the way three pairs of eyes drop pointedly to the floor of the carriage and the two sheathed blades.
“No, thank you” Caroline declares decisively, practically ripping her hand out of where it still rested in Klaus’ own in favour of grabbing the swords and as good as kicking the carriage door open.
“My deepest apologies for the accidental…commandeering, Your Grace. Come along Kat” she tosses over her shoulder already clambering out of the carriage. It’s all highly amusing and whereas someone like this would succeed only in driving Klaus up the wall, Caroline seems to only be all the more endearing for it. Katherine, damn her, winks frustratingly and follows her friend with a flutter of her fan.
Forgetting all sense of decorum Klaus leans out after them and watches as they scurry past the Royal Opera House outside which Klaus had parked whilst calling upon Genevieve, his current girl, a flame haired beauty who is a ballerina at the school across the street. Although she excels at her craft, both on stage and in his bed, she’s starting to get grabby for his favours, dropping hints of marriage. Trying to convince Klaus of a desire to settle down that he doesn’t have. Perhaps it’s time to get a new girl. And Caroline certainly presents a challenge.
Caroline and Katherine haven’t gotten far before Miss Pierce tugs on her friend’s arm and indicates the carriage they had actually employed for their excursion. The deep mahogany colour and the emerald curl of the serpent on the coachmen’s livery answers that confusing factor. They’d loaned Elijah’s coach. Wouldn’t he be interested to learn what his mistress got up to when she wasn’t warming his bed?
“Shall I follow them Your Grace?” Tyler murmurs out of the corner of his mouth, under the pretence of observing the young dancers crossing into the opera house for rehearsal.
Klaus’ grin grows crookeder. “Tyler, you read my mind” He raps his palm flat against the top of the coach gleefully before withdrawing inside. “Drive on”
****
The path Caroline and Katherine take is innocent enough, winding round, passing down the Mall and winding along to the Park outside of Palace. For a moment he wonders if the two women are actually intended to call upon the Queen and her new husband until the carriages swerve into the surrounding greenery, rather than the wrought iron gates of the royal abode.
Sword practice? In the park? Katherine’s within days of being offered everything she’s fought so hard for. She wouldn’t jeopardise that, even for the sentimentality that sometimes betrays her. Unless the interests of the game were far more enticing. It’s a while before Tyler draws the carriage to a stop and gestures towards a clearing.
Oh Lady Forbes. I can see why Katherine likes you.
The scene that greets his eyes is unlike one Klaus has ever seen. Inside the clearing waits Elijah’s coach abandoned, yet all of the manservants; coach and footmen are shifting foot to foot facing away from a group of young women.
What the bloody hell is going on?
Caroline he spots immediately, the golden haired Diana amongst her huntresses. There’s Katherine and her young cousin Elena. He’d be inclined to call little Elena sweet if not for the way she dangled the Salvatore heirs. He can’t do business with their mill if its being run by a pair of lovesick fools. Then the fourth girl removes her bonnet and its all Klaus can do not to cry out her name.
Rebekah? Wasn’t Caroline just decrying her for the whole street to hear?
There’s another two women, one he doesn’t know but the other is definitely Lady Meredith Fell, the renowned female physician. Physician. Swords. Rebekah. Caroline. Floral Arrangements. The facts slot into place for him, like dominos in a line.
Oh holy shit.
They actually intend to have a duel. Over flowers. Christ.
But before Klaus can leap from the carriage and insist that they stop this foolishness – for God’s sake Rebekah’s never shied away from a scrap with anyone but if Caroline damages that new dress Rebekah will have her life on that principle alone – Meredith shouts out something that changes everything.
“Alright ladies. The proper formalities must be observed as we discussed. So many men die in pursuit of settling honour because their clothing impedes the wounds inflicted and that is how infection sets in and death settles upon them.”
And then Caroline, Rebekah, Katherine and April, he now recognises Rebekah’s childhood friend start taking their clothes off. They’re helping each other as well – Katherine and April must be acting as seconds – pulling at corset strings and then making neat piles a little way away from the intended battlefield. Klaus brain grinds to a halt and at the prospect of seeing his baby sister naked from the waist up he immediately turns his head.
The another thought strikes him. Making sure he can’t see any hint of a woman to whom he is related, Klaus sticks his head out of the carriage window to make sure his own servants are observing the rules as well. Sure enough, his footmen are leaning against the other side of the carriage, so that they stare out on the main body of the park whilst Tyler is conducting a thorough investigation of his shoes.
It’s good to see that they value their eyesight enough not to give Klaus cause to gouge their eyeballs from their sockets.
The minutes pass with the grind of metal on metal. Then just as he is about to shout, do something to get this exhibition to end, there’s a scream of pain followed by Rebekah yelling “You bitch” and another foreign scream of pain.
There’s a dull thud on the grass and Klaus is not the only one looking up, decency be damned. At the sounds of distress, the manservants had naturally spun round to assist, Klaus only thoughts of getting to his sister. Except Lady Meredith gets there first, throwing open her umbrella to cover Rebekah and Caroline and dashes at the servants, wielding her umbrella as if that is a sword.
“Avert your eyes you scoundrels or I’ll have you dismissed!” There’s a softer murmuring, the swish of fabric across the grass. “Let me see, let me see”
Fuck it. He’ll announce himself and demand they cover themselves.
“REBEKAH!” Klaus flings open the carriage door and roars his sister’s name across the park, keeping his eyes tightly shut as he leapt from the confines of the coach.
There’s a bit more screaming and before Klaus decides that he may as well reassure them, if only to get them to shut up so he claps one hand reluctantly over his eyes and bellows “I’M NOT LOOKING! I’M NOT LOOKING!” because how much more undignified can the afternoon get? It may give away that he knows precisely what they’ve been doing but with the loud, familiar sound of swordplay he’s surprised they haven’t been discovered by a passing constable already. Unless of course, Rebekah bribed the local bobby already.
Probably. Far too many men underestimate his sister as it is.
“Ladies” Klaus huffs, his one available hand on his hip as he turns to hopefully address them all. “I don’t know what the hell you think you’re playing at but if Lady Fell – wherever you are – you could ensure that that my sister is bandaged, redressed and in a state fit for me to escort her home?”
A soft hand wraps around Klaus’ fingers after a moment and pulls his hand away. Lady Caroline glared back at him, clothed thank Christ. That icy fire swirling in those blue eyes of hers truly makes her stunning.
“I beg your pardon, Your Grace but Lady Rebekah and I have unfinished business” A quick glance at the only other blonde head in the proceedings, Rebekah unharmed except for a long thin scratch on her forearm confirms that no-one is going to walk away just yet.
The injury is impressive, Klaus observes as he watches Lady Meredith kneeling beside Elena, trying to bring her round with smelling salts whilst Rebekah kicks her skirts away to tend to April whose also fainted. Caroline had obviously intended to disarm Rebekah and considering how often she and Marcel practise, the fact that Caroline landed a hit at all is worthy of merit.
This girl gets more intriguing by the minute. He just might blackmail Katherine into releasing pertinent details after all.
“Caroline. Rebekah” Meredith addresses them shortly. “Given that you’ve both landed hits can we please agree that honour has been satisfied and call it a day? April and Elena are in no state to fight after your injuries” Klaus can’t help but look at Meredith a tad more appraisingly given the despair in her voice. She probably only agreed to supervise to ensure some degree of safety.
Rebekah and Caroline surveyed each other. Klaus made sure to keep a tight hold of Caroline’s hand, ready to pre-empt any further damage and tug her out of the way.
“Maybe both of our floral arrangements could be used. I’m sure the Opera would be all the richer for it” Caroline conceded.
Rebekah shrugged, taking a step forward and leaned into to coolly kiss Caroline’s cheek, which the other lady returned just as briefly before they backed away. “I suppose” Rebekah agreed, voice filled with what Klaus recognises as grudging respect. He rolls his eyes to the heavens and wonders if Marcel is aware of what his wife gets up to while he’s at the House. Probably. Bastard.
“Excellent!” Meredith claps her hands. “Now that’s all over with, would you kindly help us escort Lady Petrova and Lady Young home?” two pages run over with smelling salts and start wafting them frantically beneath delicate nostrils.
“I’ll take you home sister” Klaus offers in a voice of iron though his gaze remains with Caroline. “Since you’ve already made use of my carriage today can I convince you to allow me to escort you anywhere you wish? Perhaps you and Rebekah would like to celebrate ending your differences by joining us for tea at the Savoy?”
Klaus can feel Rebekah’s eyes burning a hole in his cheek like he’s grown a second head. Klaus has never drunk tea in his life. But he’s not about to let Caroline get away that easily.
“No thank you Your Grace. Kat and I have another engagement to be getting to. Maybe another time”
Klaus exchanges Caroline’s hand for his sister’s arm after pressing another kiss to her hand. “Of course. However long it takes”
Watching the carriages trundle away, Klaus barely hears Rebekah asking him what the hell he’s playing at. It’s hardly a mystery. She’s not one to talk in any case.
Lady Caroline Forbes however, is a mystery he is determined to solve.
However long it takes.