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alt_luciusIn reverse order:
Bella, kindly help me assure your sister that you are taking care of yourself quite adequately under the circumstances. She seems to be certain otherwise since your penultimate entry - and the last did nothing to assuage her. Something about being outside too much in the cold and ... what was it? Ah - accepting tea from strangers. (Gentlemen, whenever addressing one's spouse, remember that as a male of the species, you are allowed no opinion on issues of female health, not even to point out that as mistress of her own form a level-headed witch can surely be trusted not to jeopardise herself.)
Perhaps some of Narcissa's ill-temper of late has another source: The Minister of Magic, I understand, contacted her last week in a bold-faced ploy to engage her in the planning committee for the anniversary celebrations to come in late spring. Dolores's timing is, as ever, exquisitely atrocious. Given Narcissa's harrowing experience herding cats to pull off the St Mungo's benefit, I should consider it miraculous if she ever agreed to plan so much as a dinner party again. The idea that she might devote the next four months or so to planning a solemnity that will involve half of Britain is as flattering as it is preposterous. To make matters worse, Dolores had not even the courtesy to ask on her own behalf, but left it to Miss Robins. And while Miss Robins has every ounce of discretion and decorum that her employer is lacking, even she cannot be expected to coax blood from a stone, as it were. No: It was exceedingly bad form on Dolores's part. (To show there were no hard feelings levelled upon Miss Robins, however, I invited her to tea earlier this week and brought along Narcissa's apologies for her stern reaction to the request.)
Last month I met with Warrington and Nott to discuss the plan I hit upon for placing Mudblood servants with more success. Nott found it amusing and worth pursuit; Warrington I think may have wished he had thought of it first, but no matter. He volunteered to begin a pilot programme within the first quarter of the year. This week we sat down again to review progress. Sad to say Warrington has not come along as we had hoped. He wishes to appoint a task force to 'dig deeper' and actually asked to borrow Crispin to clerk for the project. Absolutely not! I've only just got things back where they ought to be following his irresponsible illness and all the bustle of the holiday season. Let the man find his own clerk, if that's what it takes for him to get anything done. Told him he might spend a night or two re-organising that disaster of an office of his, before he attempts to organise anything more complicated than an inter-office memorandum.
Fourth, but certainly not least, the new edition of The Quibbler came out this week. That's also nothing short of a miracle, judging from the way Skeeter has been carrying on about her 'rights' and what is 'owed her' by the Prophet. Ridiculous, as if the publication doesn't already pay her a living wage and provide her more than enough gossip for her rumour-mongering pea-brain. At least if she and Lovegood do murder each other it will be entertaining. And she's not about to risk her position with the Prophet by refusing her assignments to The Quibbler - unlike Bobolis who has already quit, I'm told. Summerby would rather die, I think, than let Lovegood defeat her, and I've no doubt that Laverty will not stand for any of Lovegood's usual nonsense.
Bella, kindly help me assure your sister that you are taking care of yourself quite adequately under the circumstances. She seems to be certain otherwise since your penultimate entry - and the last did nothing to assuage her. Something about being outside too much in the cold and ... what was it? Ah - accepting tea from strangers. (Gentlemen, whenever addressing one's spouse, remember that as a male of the species, you are allowed no opinion on issues of female health, not even to point out that as mistress of her own form a level-headed witch can surely be trusted not to jeopardise herself.)
Perhaps some of Narcissa's ill-temper of late has another source: The Minister of Magic, I understand, contacted her last week in a bold-faced ploy to engage her in the planning committee for the anniversary celebrations to come in late spring. Dolores's timing is, as ever, exquisitely atrocious. Given Narcissa's harrowing experience herding cats to pull off the St Mungo's benefit, I should consider it miraculous if she ever agreed to plan so much as a dinner party again. The idea that she might devote the next four months or so to planning a solemnity that will involve half of Britain is as flattering as it is preposterous. To make matters worse, Dolores had not even the courtesy to ask on her own behalf, but left it to Miss Robins. And while Miss Robins has every ounce of discretion and decorum that her employer is lacking, even she cannot be expected to coax blood from a stone, as it were. No: It was exceedingly bad form on Dolores's part. (To show there were no hard feelings levelled upon Miss Robins, however, I invited her to tea earlier this week and brought along Narcissa's apologies for her stern reaction to the request.)
Last month I met with Warrington and Nott to discuss the plan I hit upon for placing Mudblood servants with more success. Nott found it amusing and worth pursuit; Warrington I think may have wished he had thought of it first, but no matter. He volunteered to begin a pilot programme within the first quarter of the year. This week we sat down again to review progress. Sad to say Warrington has not come along as we had hoped. He wishes to appoint a task force to 'dig deeper' and actually asked to borrow Crispin to clerk for the project. Absolutely not! I've only just got things back where they ought to be following his irresponsible illness and all the bustle of the holiday season. Let the man find his own clerk, if that's what it takes for him to get anything done. Told him he might spend a night or two re-organising that disaster of an office of his, before he attempts to organise anything more complicated than an inter-office memorandum.
Fourth, but certainly not least, the new edition of The Quibbler came out this week. That's also nothing short of a miracle, judging from the way Skeeter has been carrying on about her 'rights' and what is 'owed her' by the Prophet. Ridiculous, as if the publication doesn't already pay her a living wage and provide her more than enough gossip for her rumour-mongering pea-brain. At least if she and Lovegood do murder each other it will be entertaining. And she's not about to risk her position with the Prophet by refusing her assignments to The Quibbler - unlike Bobolis who has already quit, I'm told. Summerby would rather die, I think, than let Lovegood defeat her, and I've no doubt that Laverty will not stand for any of Lovegood's usual nonsense.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-16 12:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-16 01:08 am (UTC)If she loved investigative reporting half as much as her own angle on anything, she'd be half a good writer. I suppose it's too much to hope Lovegood will send her on a hunt for a snorkle or whatever that beast is he insists is real, and she'll be lost in the wilds of Dean forever.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-16 01:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-16 01:45 am (UTC)ORDER ONLY
Date: 2009-01-16 03:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-16 03:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-16 05:30 pm (UTC)I've had word to-day that a new shipment of imported goods from several suppliers has passed inspection, so perhaps I can arrange some little luxury to appease her senses.
We are heading into town this week-end, at any event, so there should be some distraction for her. (Although it's questionable whether time spent with Druella and her paramour counts as 'distraction' - at least it is not idleness.)
I think what she needs is a project - not something like the Ministry celebrations but something of her own interest. The Witch Weekly editorials are enough to drive anyone mad. Perhaps she'd find it diverting to assume patronage of one of our national treasures, such as the New London Orchestra or the new gallery district?
no subject
Date: 2009-01-17 02:49 am (UTC)