Post by Nicolette Deveraux on Nov 25, 2014 9:16:25 GMT -5
He had an unquestionably odd manner of speaking, yet Nicolette found Alexander's direct yet aloof perspective rather refreshing. However, she could easily imagine the offense many of the courtiers could (and likely would) take to being labeled as animals, true or not. There was a spark to the Romanov scholar that had been lacking in so many of the previous archivists, an unmistakable passion for the pursuit of knowledge, education and advancement in learning that drew her as surely as a flame did a moth. The more they spoke, the more Nicolette deemed herself convinced of his ability, yet there remained a small, niggling doubt in her mind.
Could he handle life in Bordelaix? She would not necessarily label Vanderhall as provincial, but life within the Duchy of Vasile moved at a markedly different pace than did the Royal Court, not to mention the protracted isolation of the Romanov family from the majority of Archades rendered them somewhat less prepared for the recent changes in the mindsets and demeanors of the courtiers. Nicolette did not want to bring a man like Alexander Romanov into the court, only to see him brought low through his own innocence. No doubt the scholar would scoff at being considered so, yet the truth of that thought remained inescapable. He was woefully unprepared for the schemes and the games of the royal court.
At least, she smiled faintly, he understood the predicament his family stood in, a predicament wholly of their own making. "Indeed, you have the right of it, and as such, that raises in me more concern, this time for your well-being. Your cousin's adamant refusal to leave the boundaries of his duchy has denied many of your family access to the royal court, and with it, the human element to be found there. That element," her blue eyes met his directly, "is one for which I fear you are unprepared in its depravity and sophistication." Leaving her comment at that, Nicolette wished to give the scholar a chance to reassure her or otherwise defend himself.
Alexander Romanov