Chapter 7: Trouble at Tea Report
General Summary
SESSION 7 WORLD ANVIL RECAP:
The Sterling family and staff have decided to take up on House Blumett’s invitation and visit their country estate on the way to Donlon. The carriages ride up to the splendor of the Blumett estate, which is absolutely bursting with the most gorgeous array of plants and landscaping. The place is astoundingly, decadently beautiful.. Dove is shown to the servant quarters, and then finds her way to Lady Elinor’s room to help the young nervous bachelorette into her teatime attire. Elinor is wearing a cream waistcoat embroidered with delicate flowers, and a soft green ascot with matching thin leather gloves. Overtop, she takes a huge risk by wearing not a black jacket, but a stunning velvet green one! She dons a buttonhole boutonnière of periwinkle and white carnation, for friendship and good luck. Dove sneaks a white/cream Adam’s Needle flower with a sprig of greenery into her hair. Elinor’s mother, Lady Maeve, checks on her, dressed in a monochromatic light purple situation, adorned with lavenders and a giant purple feather. They depart together to meet the Blumetts.
Meanwhile, the brothers do their very best not to bicker in their shared room as they dress for the afternoon. Dominic is in a simple blue outfit so as not to attract attention away from Elinor, and Nicholas is in the red get-up that his mother had selected for him weeks ago. Nicholas wears an alstroemeria flower and tucks a blue star flower into Dom’s pocket. The brothers agreed to enter into a tentative truce for now to help Eleanor have the tea she deserves without incident.
The Sterlings descend the stairs and meet the Blumett family: Lady Heather, a vibrant and commanding presence; Lord Blumett, who seems dull and bored; Lily, the younger and quieter of the twin sisters (the elder twin appears to be missing Grant, a very proper and fashionable lad; and Ruby, who is bubbly and overtly flirtatious towards Dominic, despite being a year to young to be presented in society. All go down to tea together. They discuss social things such as outfit preparations for the masquerade ball, calling cards, the whereabouts of Dahlia, the oldest Blumett daughter. Dominic and Nicholas try to out-wingman each other with Frank and Ruby. Eleanor is having the loveliest time, enchanted by Lady Heather. Dove meets Honey, Lady Heather’s lady’s maid, and also covers for Glenn in lady’s maid duties for Lady Maeve, as Glenn is apparently allergic to everything at the estate.
Oliver, who left Sterling estate a few hours later than the others, shows up right as the menfolk leave on a hunting party to shoot some grouse. The ladies, meanwhile, gossip over tea and have a walk. Elinor and Lady Heather bond over their love for scholarly pursuits, and Elinor and Dove learn that Honey is in fact a bumble bee of enormous size who begged to be reverse-polymorphed into a human in order to serve Lady Heather as her lady’s maid. In fact, most of the staff here were once animals raised by Lady Heather.
Meanwhile, Dominic shoots two bucks and a duck, but somehow no grouse. Nicholas, not one for shooting, strikes up some flirtatious conversation with Frank and finds a kindred spirit in him… until Oliver butts in, and Frank suddenly whisks Oliver away to “explore the grounds.” It is not long before, to their mutual astonishment and frustration, Elinor and Lily find Oliver and Frank lip-locked in the drawing room.
Nicholas, frustrated with his poor luck in love, stalks back to the estate, only to run into a mysterious red-haired lady emerging from the bushes. She introduces herself as “Lia” and claims to be a maid of sort, but dodges questions otherwise.
Dinner: Dominic is wearing a powder blue suit with lavender in his pocket and an indigo cravat. Nicholas is wearing all black. They bicker, Nicholas being extra moody and cold since Oliver stole one of his four chances at an advantageous marriage in the gentry. The younger brother decides to stay in his room and paint rather than go to dinner.
In the next room, Dove has convinced Elinor to wear a touch of pink! She dresses her lady in an embroidered cravat with pale pink blossoms, a green waistcoat, and an elegant black dinner jacket. Dove sneaks a pink carnation into Elinor’s buttonhole and another in her hair, claiming it represents gratitude. Glenn requests Dove’s help, as the herbs to treat Glenn’s allergies have made her soil herself and so Dove wanders off to help her. Elinor heads to dinner and bumps into an absolutely stunning brunette young woman who introduces herself as Lady Dahlia Blumett, eldest of the children of Lord and Lady Blumett, and therefore heir to the Blumett estate. They have an awkward meet-cute, and Dahlia is extremely down to earth and charming. Elinor is like fully in love.
At dinner: It is a gorgeous room filled with the most beautiful clover-shaped table with literal fairies dancing over their heads in the topiary chandelier. Dinner is meatless, as at least two of the members of House Blumett (Heather and Dahlia) are vegetarians. Nicholas is too upset about the situation with Oliver and Frank to eat, so he stays up in his room to play emo music and paint pictures. Elinor sits next to Dahlia and the two have the loveliest time discussing animals, work, the importance (or lack thereof) of frilly things and the color pink. Dahlia reveals that she knows about the kelpie that Elinor sent out, but acts like she doesn’t know anyone at the Menagerie. In a sweet moment, she turns the flowers in Elinor’s hair into thistles. Dominic sits next to Oliver and Lord Blumett, bragging about his incredible kills at the hunting party today. Upon hearing that Dominic shot a duck, Oliver informs him that the servant staff are all animals-turned-human, and that Dominic likely committed murder this day. Dominic overhears Dahlia talk about her favorite pet duck named Benjamin and excuses himself from the table, under pretense of checking on Nicholas. Ruby Blumett sees an opportunity to throw herself upon Dominic and also excuses herself. Dove, who has been quietly skirting the edges of the room with Honey the bee on her shoulder, chases after Ruby.
Ruby rushes up the servant stairs, and Dove tries to summon a ghost to trip her, but the ghost of a very cranky duck shows up. It is Benjamin, who Dominic did indeed shoot earlier. He says no, but then unlocks a door for Dove, revealing that Dahlia keeps a room full of brown wigs at the estate. Dove rushes off, hears Nicholas grumbling to himself in his room, then bumps into Dominic in the hallway. They make a plan to deal with the dead duck later, then Dove goes to redirect Ruby. She successfully does so by causing the ghost of Benjamin to attack her in the face and then takes her to clean up her bloody nose whilst giving her all kinds of terrible advice on how to catch Dominic’s interest.
Elinor and Oliver retire from dinner with the Blumetts to the drawing room, where they meet Lady Heather Blumett’s absolutely giant eagle. Oliver questions Elinor about her feelings towards Dahlia and offers some encouraging words and dating advice. Lily joins them and tells them about their giant eagle protector of the estate. Frank is trying to stay aloof while Oliver all but ignores him now.
Dominic finds himself accidentally trapped on a balcony when Lady Dahlia comes to his rescue. She helps him out the servants’ staircase and gives him tips on how to avoid her young sister. On his way out, Dominic helps plant an idea in Dahlia’s mind that Elinor is in need of a hot towel.
Just before she falls asleep, Elinor finds a creeping vine stretched into her window holding a hot towel with a thistle placed on top.
