Vanity Blair

Disclaimer: Gossip Girl and quotes belong to Cecily von Ziegesar and the CW.

Chapter VIII: The Nate Correspondence

SPOTTED: Rumours of CB courting an as yet unnamed lady abound across the city. Is CB finally ready to settle down? And just what is the identity of this mystery female, talented enough to keep the famed bachelor on a string?

Dear Nate,

I find there is an urgent matter I need to discuss with you. Will you be so good as to meet me at Hyde Park Corner tomorrow morning at ten?

Yours, & Faithfully

Blair Waldorf

Blair's heart thumped as she read that morning's Lady Mischief column over breakfast. She forced herself to releax. As yet unnamed...that meant they had no idea who Chuck was "courting" (more like attempting to bribe) and certainly no one would consider the victim to be Blair Waldorf, paragon of virtue. Most likely they had simply seen Chuck at a jeweller's.

She set out shortly after breakfast to meet Nate, who had agreed to her request in a short note. As usual, he was a little late, his normal smiling, boyishly charming self.

He offered her his arm after the exchanged greetings. She accepted it and dismissed Dorota, who sent her a disapproving glance and walked away.

"What did you wish to see me about?" asked Nate as they started off into the park. Blair decided to ignore the fact that his eyes were on the riders on Rotten Row. "If it is the date of the wedding you simply must ask my mother-"

"It's not that."

"Oh." He was silent for a moment. "I don't mind what kind of flowers we have."

"It's not that either."

"Oh."

Blair stopped and unlinked her arm from his. "Nate, I can't marry you."

"What?"

He looked truly confused, but instead of her heart breaking, Blair couldn't bear the bile that rose in her throat when she thought about him and Serena. Being this close to him made goose bumps appear all over her body, and they weren't the same as she got near Bass. These were the alarm bells ringing that told her to flee or be eaten.

She dropped her gaze. "I cannot marry you."

"But why not?"

Blair was silent for a moment, not wishing to bring up the subject of Serena in such a public place. Finally, praying for Nate's discretion, she said, "My financial circumstances are not what they once were."

"What do you mean?"

"I have lost a great deal of my fortune due to my father's death."

"Is that all?"

"To marry you would be most deceitful." Blair removed the lace handkerchief from her reticule and dabbed at her dry eyes, wondering whether she should pretend to swoon.

"Er – how large a loss, exactly?"

"What?" Blair looked up, perplexed. "Erm, a lot."

"Ah." Nate cleared his throat. "That is unfortunate."

Blair made an accidental choking noise in her own throat. "I thought you loved me!"

"Oh – I do, Blair, I do."

Angry words tumbled out of Blair's mouth. "I know about you and Serena."

Nate stood stock still for a moment, his mouth dropped open. Then he said, "Please don't tell anyone, Blair."

"Tell anyone? Oh, you are unbelievable, Nate! A liar and a coward and a hypocrite!" Having absolutely no idea and no care for what she was saying, Blair pulled off her left glove, wrenched off the sparkling ring and threw it at him.

He barely caught it as she stormed back towards the gates of Hyde Park.

"Blair!"

Ignoring his cries, she hurried to the edge of the road and began signalling frantically for a cab.

A rather more svelte vehicle drew up beside her and stopped, a polished carriage drawn by a pair of fine greys, and Bass drawled, "What have we here? Why, if it isn't my dear friend Miss Waldorf. Taken up ditching our paramours in the park, have we?"

"Be gone, Bass."

"Might I offer you a lift, Miss Waldorf?"

"I'd rather you didn't."

He raised an eyebrow, twirling his gold-topped cane. Blair looked around, weighing up the chances of an empty cab appearing any time soon and whether she would be seen entering a carriage alone, then cast her doubts to hell and ascended the coach.

"What are you doing here, Bass?" She asked, patting down the stray strands of hair under her bonnet as the vehicle set off again.

Bass stretched out his legs, admiring the shine of his boots. "Simply driving by in an innocent perambulation, Waldorf. Tell me, did the emeralds not take your fancy either?"

Pondering whether Bass had ever done a single innocent thing in his life, Blair was rapidly brought back down to earth by his question. She recalled the dangling green earrings that had arrived earlier that morning, this time unaccompanied by a note, but of course she had no doubt of the sender. They were ridiculously large, totally unsuitable and almost irresistible, but then Blair had always prided herself on her self-control.

"No, Bass. For the last time, please refrain from sending me gifts. You will waste a fortune in useless trinkets."

"Lucky I have several fortunes to waste, then, and personally I don't see it as a waste. Moving on, I see that you have finally tired of diamonds also," he added mischievously, nodding towards Blair's unadorned left hand.

Blair blushed and hurriedly pulled her glove back on. "I found Nate and I weren't so suited after all."

"I see," said Bass. "Have you considered my offer any further?"

"Your blackmail threat, you mean. And no, I have not. I don't care if you go to the press, Bass. Nothing could ever induce me to marry you. You are ill mannered, unscrupulous and completelu immoral, and nothing you do can hurt me any further." To her horror, Blair realised that her eyes were now filling with real tears, and she quickly pressed her hands to her cheeks.

To his credit, Bass did not tease her any further, but pulled the immaculately creased silk handkerchief from his pocket and passed it to her without a word.

Blair dabbed self-consciously at her lids and was glad when they came to a stop outside her home.

A sapphire bracelet, a pearl choker, even an exquisite amethyst hair ornament that wrung Blair's heart as she ordered Dorota to remove it. By strict social protocol, she knew that should return each gift that arrived faithfully every morning unopened, but the temptation to see what Bass' admittedly excellent taste had selected was too great. At times it was almost flattering, but then she remembered that the sender was Bass, the same Bass who had probably learned to chase after skirt before he had learnt to ride.

She wondered whether she should go to the trouble of steaming open each package and then sealing it back up again to make it appear untampered, then dismissed the idea. Bass probably had one of his legion of servants dealing with it anyway.

Today's offering came in an octagonal box of green leather. She pressed it open. Inside was a brooch in the shape of a six petal flower, set with small opals alternating with pink sapphires.

Blair marvelled at the stones, which had always fascinated her. They seemed to have hidden depths, appearing white with glints of blue and green and pink.

Clutching the brooch absent-mindedly, she wondered over to her bedroom window and looked out over the bustling streets of London without really seeing them.

Tonight she and her mother were to attend dinner at the Basses' – the elder Basses – and she would be seeing Nate and Serena again for the first time. The thought made Blair's stomach feel as if icy hands were clasping her insides.

Unfortunately she had no way of shirking this event. She would have to face them sooner or later, her logical mind knew, and more to the point Eleanor had been insistent on it, in the few icy words she had spoken to Blair since learning of her broken engagement. Blair had only been able to offer up the words "We are not as suited as I believed," as an excuse and her mother was less then ecstatic.

Blair rested her empty hand on the window sill and stared out into the morning light. The thought of Nate still stung, more out of wounded pride than heartbreak, as did the near betrayal of Serena, and she felt a cold desire for revenge, to cause them pain in return.

Resting her forehead against the cool panes of glass, Blair Waldorf made her decision.