Saturday, 10 June—Return of a Fellow Old Friend

My love and friendships mayhaps be faded or inseparable.

I have been with Daniel since we entered Trinity as we were close as lovers. It has been years since I departed from Benjamin Hawkins, a friend from Eton and a grandson of the Marquis of Stratsberry. I saw Benjamin as my older brother since I never had older brothers as I only have older cousins who are all ladies as I only have Alexander as my brother yet three years younger than me. Benjamin has been sending letters after we separated since he stayed in Woolwich upon preparation for joining the military. From the letters he sent me, he announced his courtship with Lady Désirée de Guerre, second youngest daughter of the Marquis de Guerre, a fellow friend of my family through society. Her father was the companion of the late King of France, who earned his title of Marquis during his exile from a revolution; yet her mother was a lady-in-waiting of the poor late Queen of France that was executed by the revolutionaries, a year after the king’s execution.

It was unfortunate that the war begun after the year of the revolution in France. The war is ongoing when my father was sent away from his own family as he has not returned hither since he earned his title as the Earl of St Ives. The only hope I have is to make sure my father returns alive to his own country, after the dreaded war has ended, so my dear friends in Eton: Benjamin, William, &c.

Monday, 12 June—Invitation to the Ball

A year had passed after my father earned the title as Earl of St Ives; and at the same time, I earned the title of Viscount Mousehole as the eldest surviving son of an earl. Father has not returned hither as a year passed after earning these honourable titles since he went away for a war against the Emperor of the French and his brother the King of Spain. Despite his own absence, he often sends letters to each of us for two months, as a sign of his survival from this dreadful war.

Despite the melancholy that I recalled of my father’s absence, we were invited to a cotillion ball hosted by the Marquis of Stratsberry on his estate. The ball shall start by Saturday evening; yet I was gay upon to see my dear friend Benjamin and his grandfather again as we journeyed to a place, further north from the south of England.

Sunday, 18 June—A Ball in Manchester

I was accompanied by Uncle Charles and Mother to the ball yesterday evening as we stayed in Stratsberry with other people who claimed to have connections with my father or my uncle Charles. The Marquis and Marquise de Guerre were only seen in the ball despite their daughter Lady Désirée’s absence from the ball; yet the Marquis and Marquise shown humility as she was staying at Willowcombe as she often rejected invitations to cotillion balls, with the exceptions of balls that were hosted by her dear Mother and Father.

I approached Benjamin for a sip of wine before he introduced me to Miss Elinor O’Vile, the eldest daughter of Sir Seamus O’Vile, Bt. and a dear friend of Lady Désirée de Guerre. The name of O’Vile was familiar as it was the surname of Mr Gilbert O’Vile, a renowned dramatist known for his play Pluto and Proserpine: A Romance. I was keen upon dancing with her at the ball as I offered her a dance which she accepted by writing our names in our dance card before we danced once but not twice; yet she convinced me to visit Edgemont Hall during this week.

Wednesday, 21 June—A Long Stay to Edgemont

As I arrived at Edgemont with my mother, Elinor introduced us to her father as a new friend of hers; for she had left to seek her cousin Oliver and her pug Isobel. Oliver was left by his father, to be raised by his uncle, aunt, and his cousins Elinor and Abigail. Sir Seamus never ought to question the young lad’s father and mother as it seems that his father left for war; or mayhaps he and his poor wife were both deceased; or maybe his father was poor or quite busy with his own work.

I left Elinor from the drawing room as I was touring Edgemont with her father and his manservant as he guided me to the other rooms and the garden since I quite enjoyed the plain old shrubbery of the garden; yet Sir Seamus begged me to come inside to stay hither for a fortnight; but Mother would leave hither by tomorrow as I must remain hither for fortnight.

Thursday, 22 June—Mother’s Departure 

We breakfasted at past eight o’clock as Mother and I preferred the simplest pleasure of buns and coffee despite our status. Sir Seamus never showed much of his wealth more than he offered his generosity with mere simplicity hither for a countess and her eldest son; yet his family could show their extravagance towards the Marquis de Guerre and his family; but it was not too much for a baronet. Before her departure, Mother gave me and Elinor’s family her greatest adieu as she had announced that she shall be visiting the Marquis and Marquise in Willowcombe House before they could go to London by tomorrow. 

Sir Seamus mentioned that there will be a guest coming hither for the next week as he had written a letter to a fellow family member, perhaps I was hoping for the relative to be a renowned dramatist Mr Gilbert O’Vile for their similarity of names unless they have nothing in relation.

Wednesday, 28 June—The Theatre

I must admit that I had never gone to a theatre till today for a young lad of his nearly gentleman age; yet Elinor and her father went hither several times as they rented one of the boxes that faced the stage. We arrived during the middle of the second act of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar; yet I did not understand Elinor's unbearable gaily chuckle upon the actor who played Julius Caesar that irked me suspiciously. Perhaps she saw his performance as terrific; but they mentioned her uncle whom I never met; yet perhaps he shall be visiting Edgemont by tomorrow morning as a guest.

We waited for the play to end before I met the fellow tragedian who acted as Julius Caesar backstage. He was not just a mere actor and tragedian; but he is the renowned dramatist and actor Mr Gilbert O’Vile, as the man claimed to be. My mother warned me to stay further from this man in my youth for his handsome charisma and his known reputation that allured my aunt Agnes; yet she often accused him as a perpetrator of her disappearance. Despite my mother’s warnings, my curiosity remains upon him.