Why wasn’t I aware of such a banquet? He asked and Belle honestly had no idea, as after all Lady Maisie had come with her parents meaning a letter was sent to their family. Belle had suspected that perhaps he was travelling and Lord Baylor confirmed that by stating he was in Scotland during that period. There was not much to say to that so Belle just stared at him as he continued to talk, a bit of a Scotland accent suddenly appearing as he began to talk which made Belle internally to raise a brow. She had raised another internal brow when he had said it was quite fitting of her to make friends with his sister, because there was something about the way he said it that did not seem so sincere- or perhaps the drink was getting to her. Alcohol may have a lightweight hold on her constitution, but her acuity remained undiminished, always attuned to subtleties and unspoken narratives. After all, she was Belle. Belle was never truly relaxed even while sleeping that was why… Aaah, she was talking too much in her head again. “Yes, yes she does. Though, it’s been long since I’ve seen her.” That was for various of reasons; Belle was busy. She was busy doing the very thing Fleurs were born to do; plotting. She was busy with a task, making sure her desires were meant and kept private. She was almost done with them, it has taken years but yes , Belle knew she was soon to be stable. It was going so well after all, it could not fail her and it would not- if it did, Belle always had a backup plan. She wasn’t too impulsive to not have one or 5 which was the amount of backup plans she had, there were also two more ‘possibilities’ as she labelled them.
“I would like to see her again, invite her over to the Fleur manor in England. Do tell your sister her attendance will be desirable,” As she talked Belle observed his reaction- as he talked about her friendship with Lady Maisie, like Belle said, Lord Baylor did not seem quite honest with how he truly felt about it. And she wanted to confirm her suspections and then as Belle always did- find out why, because honestly she wished to know what she had done to not be seen as a very desirable friend in Lord Baylor’s eyes. Perhaps it was with the way Lady Maisie was raised compared to Belle, aah he did not want Belle to feed her talks of independence did he? Of course he did not, he seemed progressive from some of their talks together, but Belle knew his words held a hint of insincerity in them, like he was hiding. He did not want to offend her, and yet he did so true insincerity- did he really think she would not notice?
Hmm, perhaps it is better for him to think that. Then Belle would get to observe him better if he thinks of her as quite easy to fool. Perhaps she could play that game, pretend she did not notice the things she did and get him to loosen up more before she asked her questions that was sure to unnerve him, but she would do it in such a way that made it not seem intentional. Unnerved people were the most honest as their dishonesty was easy to tell.
When Lord Baylor had said he was an earl, Belle was a little confused till she remembered- his family were deceased. He was now earl, yes. “It is a good thing you take it so seriously, after all the world waits for no one,” Belle smirked, “Knowing all these gives you an upper hand, but you should also know the people you allied with enemies and their allies. Establishing strong alliances can be a significant advantage, but do not underestimate the value of maintaining a sense of neutrality. Do make sure though that you stand for something, if not you shall fall for everything.” Politics after all as we knew it was a game of chess, except unlike chess, the game of politics never truly ends.
Belle did not truly know why she was telling him all this, perhaps it was because she noted that politics was a strong subject for him and she knew she could use that to know him better- to see how he’s truly like, while leaving herself completely unknown. There was a lot more she could tell him about the game of politics, but then again they were not friends nor acquaintance, and though Belle viewed Maisie as a friend, the Rutherfords were not yet allies to the fleurs, there was a lot to be kept secret so the Fleurs can always have an upper hand in society. But it will not be bad to give advice would it? Especially as it will benefit a friend of her’s and perhaps make the Fleurs and rutherfords allies. Also if she continued to talk to him- she would look busy and no one would ask her for a dance, and she hoped that he- Lord Baylor would not. That would just agitate her.
When he had said that they could direct their conversation to topics she found more enjoyable or intriguing, Belle had laughed to herself about that. There was a lot of topics she was curious about to ask him or in general that will make him uncomfortable because from the looks of it, he was quite traditional. Not so traditional compared to a lot of men were they saw women as less than human, but tradition. His talks and thoughts of marriage confirmed it for her. “So you do not think you shall marry for love?” Belle asked quirking a brow, “Considering that your sister likes to play the role of the great eros that amuses me. Yes, marriage is all that you have listed, but do you think you can truly be happy with someone you do not love? What about your sister, shall you make her marry someone she does not love?” Now Belle was not the spoke person for love and marriage, she was the opposite, but all this just sparked her curiosity. Seeing her different Lady Maisie was in comparison to her brother, “Do you believe in love, Earl Baylor?”