Welsome back to a chapter with a bit more plot this time, though with stick with Laura's point of view for one more chapter due to practical reasons.

Disclaimer: I do not own BSG or the historical persons.
TW: The ending is not really sexually explicit but fairly suggestive. It is marked by a line if you would rather skip it.

May 1804

Afternoon Activities

Laura Roslin

To say she was excited was an understatement, in reality, she was far more than that, she was delighted. Laura had not been to any function or party she actually cared about for far too long, and this one might be actually fun. The Marquess of Stafford, a friend of hers, had invited her to visit the Stafford Gallery already the year before when it had first opened, and she had decided to go again and rekindle their acquaintance, this time taking Kara and Violet with her. Both girls were very much interested in art and might even learn something from it. Laura had arranged for Kara to be picked up in one of her own coaches and to be brought to Roslin House, together they would then drive to get Violet and then go on to Cleveland House. Afterwards, they would drop off Violet at Isabelle's. As a thank you, Bill had invited her for dinner and she had agreed to coming to Kensington with Kara.

She was waiting in the drawing room for Kara to enter, mulling over some embroidery she had done in the morning. It was certainly one of her best work so far, maybe due to the attention she had given it. The stitches were tiny and impeccably clean, nvevertheless she would have to redo the last ones since the coulours of the yarn did not exactly match. Finally, a servant announced that her visitor had arrived.

"Hello Kara," she greeted her as the girl curtsied. She had made an effort today, Laura noted, with the pale yellow dress and the cleanly pinned up hair. Proper, but not presumptious. "Would you like some refreshments?"
When Kara agreed, she let the maid deliver some tea and biscuits that she knew Kara liked.
"How are you doing Kara?" she wanted to know, genuinely curious.
"Well, I ride and we are invited to dinners sometimes, more out of politeness I think, and I practice my painting. There is not so much else to say, I wish there were more balls for me to go to and more events." Kara looked a bit sad but also very guarded. "How are you doing?"
There was a definte edge to her voice, as if daring her to mention her father.
"Me? Well...," Laura struggled for a moment, not sure how much to reveal. "Well, life has been much the same as usual. There have beem a lot of functions and events, but in general everything has been very pleasant."
"Do you have any connection to Mr Anders?"
"I know him as well as I know most people of the London ton, but I have not really an intimate connection to him," Laura replied."His mother was a very lovely lady of Scottish ancestry and it pains me greatly that she is gone. Lord Anders is quite a price to be won, a huge estate and from what I have heard a quick mind for business. Usually these men like to gamble, too, but I have heard no rumour of huge losses, risks or outstanding debts. No former marriages or children, to my knowledge."
"So you would consider him to be a good match?"
"Oh he certainly is, financially! But I also think that he is a wandering spirit, he will not be tied down. So his lady must be very independent to manage affairs in his absence and entertain herself. I can neither doubt nor doubt his faithfulness. There is also quite some pressure on him to marry well and increase the family's standing."

Laura hoped Kara would understand what she meant, that her chances were lower than she might have anticipated, and that she should consider what she woud get herself into. The young woman only nodded, apparently through with the topic. The older woman was fairly certain that she had made up her mind already anyway, and that would take quite a lot to change that opinion. If she was honest, she really could not blame the girl.

"Now, the carriage is waiting, shall we go?" she asked.

The other one nodded and together they left the room. If Laura was not mistaken, Kara was certainly impressed by the carriage and even more so by the view on London as it rushed past in front of the window. She wondered whether the girl might enjoy a ride in an open carriage in Hyde Park one day. Which led her to the though whether Bill would enjoy that as well... alas, this was not possible, it would appear too much like courting, which was the one thing the two of them did not do. It did not take long for the carriage to arrive in front of the impressive house of the Agathon family. It was obvious the family had done well for themselves, the only thing still missing was a marriage into gentry. Giving Violet's dowry, this would certainly possible, but Laura doubted Isabelle was ruthless enough to arrange the necessary match. She was too much a caring mother and too little a plotting emperess to build up the conenction and to hassle her children. Violet squeezed into the small room with a shy but happy smile, visibly excited. After exchanging the necessary pleasantreis, Laura left the two girls to chat among themselves, well aware that this was probably far more interesting for both of them. Offering her opinions here and there when asked for, she passed a pleasant carriage ride with the two of them until they stopped. The house was huge, but Laura could not quite say whether she liked it or not. All of them were escorted inside, where the housekeeper welcomed them, offering the group some refreshments. Soon afterwards, the Marquess of Stafford arrived. He was obviously very eager to show off his collection, and Kara and Violet both responded with the appropriate excitement. The man obviously enjoyed the attention, but still behaved properly enough as he showed the ladies room after room. Maybe she should invite him and his family for dinner some time, Laura mused, he seemed to be far more pleasant than she remembered. He (or his wife) has really good taste when it came to wallpaper, in each room it matched the shown portraits eprfectly in style and colour scheme. The furniture was expensive, mostly Italian. Laura loved a couple of the dark walnut pieces and decided then and there that she needed to get some for her own study. SHe had not updated that room for years, so why not now? Also, a new carpet might be worth it, she mused, as she felt her feet sink into the Marquess' plush rugs. Only the curtains were hideous in most rooms, far too heavy and either too bland or too gaudy, in Laura's eyes they had not found the perfect balance. She preferred her own drapes by far, even though she would certainly not say that out loud since they had been made in France and that was - obviously - a difficult topic at the moment.

"Is there anything you would like to do or a shop you liked to go to?" she answered when they were back at the carriage after some actually quite inspiring discussions. It was a shame the family did not have any eligible children she could set her acquaintances up with.

Both girls shook their heads, which surprised Laura. As a girl, she would have taken any opportunity to get around and spent money. The second part had only stopped when her ftaher had introduced her to the technicalities of running an estate. It was then that Laura had realized that money did not grow on trees and it had to be kept together. Many rich people never learned that lesson, the ones that had been born rich. Bringing home Violet was an easy task, and soon afterwards the two other women were on their way out to Kensington. The road was good and the two spent the time chatting amiably until the house came into sight. Dee welcomed them at the door, smiling at Laura.

"The gentlemen are not here, but I can make tea, if you wish."
"That would be lovely, thank you," Laura responded.

Conversation with Kara was usually a bit difficult, but in this instance it actually worked out since Kara was still excited about the art they had seen that day. Apparently, other than a little miniature, Bill never had his children's portraits drawn, but a lot of sketches made by Kara existed. The concept of not having a gallery had never crossed Laura's mind since it seemed so natural to her. There were pictures of all of her family both in Roslin House and in Caprica Manor, though the ones in Caprica were far more candid than the more stately portraits in the Roslin House staircase. Kara was glad to show her a selection of her work - she had a keen eye for colours and composition, more so she had clearly captured the person's attitude. The best portrait was probably of Lee, sitting by a chair at the fireplace, reading. It had been done even more carefully than the others, with soft lines and shadows. It seemed like a very intimate picture and for the first time Laura actually started to wonder about Kara's feelings towards Lee. Suddenly, there was a sound at the door and a few moments later, Bill arrived. Both women stood up to greet him as he stepped forward. He looked tired and slightly dusty from the road, but his blue eyes sparkled nevertheless. Soon, they were sitting at the table, him reporting about his day and attentively listening to Kara's report about the gallery. It felt nice not to eat dinner alone but also oddly domestic at the same time, nevertheless, something told Laura she should leave soon after. The afternoon with Kara at gone very well and she did not want to overstretch her luck.

After desert and some more conversation in the parlour, she finally got up to leave while Dee was calling for her carriage. As Bill stood up next to her and she turned towards him to say her goodbyes, she could see the desire in his eyes. He wanted her and the only thing keeping him from kissing her semseless right here in the living room was propriety and his loose-tongued daughter standing next to the both of them. Deciding to tease him slightly, she curtsied, giving him a good view of her cleaverage while looking up at him through her lashes the way she knew would drive him crazy. She wanted him to think of her and no other woman tonight, to miss her body next to him. His incredible self-control surprised her once again: Only his fingers flexed, the veins prodruding further under the strain. Laura wondered whether he could see her cheeks getting hot.

"I wish you a good night," she said, smiling at the family.
"Good night," both of them answered, though Bill's voice sounded slightly rough.
Laura would have very much liked to take Bill home with her in that moment, but she also knew that it was not an option. She could only hope that the teasing would be incentive enough for him to visit her soon.
As was custom, a gentleman brought her to her carriage. As he helped her in, his fingers carressed her knuckles with more pressure than she had expected. The silk of her gloves rubbed over the heated skin, and she felt her heartbeat accelerating from that still fairly innocent touch.

"Think of that tonight, darling," he told her, his voice dark under his breath.

Laura could only nod dumbly, her brain short circuating so quickly that she did not even have a witty comeback for him. She saw him giving her a last roguish smile before closing the door and telling the driver to start. Falling back against the cushions, she breathed out deeply, chuckling faintly to herself. That man made her stupid and she did not even have the mind to care.