The Birthday Party

Aleksei Courtanvoux is turning 17, and there is a birthday party to which positively everyone is invited. Notably, he is also being "observed" by a committee of the Mode du Lac, the premiere arbiters of fashion in Theah; if the party is a success and two of the three observers vote to admit him, Aleksei will become a member of the most exclusive club in Montaigne.

The Receiving Line

Everyone who is anyone is at Aleksei's party, including his parents, his cousin Yevgeny, Nicolette du Montaigne, the three fate witch daughters of Constanza Gastone, Admiral Praisse du Richetesse, Sebastien's cousin (and Lady Jamais' sister-in-law) Madeleine Gaulle du Sices and her daughter Evie Sices du Sices and more.

The three Mode du Lac observers are there -- Vincent Lord Morbleau, an older and slightly corpulent gentleman with a fondness for boys, Amelie, the Comtesse du Barry, who is a beautiful woman in her mid-20s always overshadowed by Lady Jamais Sices du Sices, and Aaron Crieux, a young and slightly clueless man who is the finest modiste in Theah.

Finally, there are notable diplomats and the like present, too, among them an Avalon delegation with a beautiful blonde named Lady Gwynneth on the Avalon ambassador's arm and several Vodacce delegations. One of them includes a Lord Dino Vellini, who is a not-very bright cousin of the husbands pursuing the three fate witch daughters.

Finally, there are some unexpected guests at the party, two of note. The first is Captain Crispino Amberci, who has a gift and a ready smile; the second is Jean le Gross, Marie-Celeste's former dominus in the Rose + Cross, who bears a message that he believes the Comte du Bearn is going to be making an attempt on Marie-Celeste at the party.

Early Intrigues

Julian and Nicolette are both drunk, drunk, drunk and high, having had too many drinks and some sort of drug earlier before the party. Vincent Lord Morbleau is making friends with Aleksei, implying that he likes the young man but is interested in quid pro quo for Aleksei's membership in the Mode du Lac.

Meanwhile, Aleksei has detailed Marie-Celeste to keep Dino Vellini from seeing the three Fate Witches, which has resulted in her having to dance with the rather handsy man, quite a bit. Julian is fixating on Evie, who has no interest in him, and so they are following each other around the ballroom carefully.

While dancing, Aleksei discovers that the blonde Lady Gwynneth is in fact Carlotta, the notorious Castillian spy known as 'El Chacal'. Some tension transpires, but he lets her mingle at the party.

Sebastien and Nicolette

Nicolette, meanwhile, begins to fixate on Sebastien - she tries to dance with him, then seduce him, then drug him with the same drug that she and Julian are high on. Aleksei intervenes, placing the drugged drink on a servant's tray, and then realizes his mistake and sends Marie-Celeste after the drink. She finds a servant and asks him for the drink; the servant hands Marie-Celeste a drink, but it seems unlikely it is the same glass as the one Aleksei handed off.

Sebastien and Aleksei finally are able to peel Nicolette away from Sebastien, though not soon enough for Christine to see Sebastien and Nicolette in embrace -- and for Christine to become upset.

A Precocious, Red-Handed Girl

Sebastien's cousin Madeleine Gaulle du Sices is at the party; she's come on behalf of her sister-in-law, Lady Jamais Sices du Sices. With her is her fifteen-year old daughter, Evelyn Sices du Sices. Despite her age, Evie is reputed to be a talented Porté adept -- and she's caught Aleksei's eye.

Looking for her again, Aleksei learns that she's disappeared upstairs with a couple of rather unsavory young gentlemen. He ventures up there and interrupts them threatening her, she with a knife drawn, and then - with his sword - convinces the two men to find somewhere better to be. He's about to claim his just reward, however, when he looks out the window to see his father and cousin squaring off in the gardens.

A Family Affair

The impending duel between Yevgeny and Martin Courtanvoux, of course, has history. Martin and his wife Zoya seemed cold in the receiving line, and later in the party Aleksei hears from his mother that she and Martin are in the throes of some charged dispute over the family's lands in Montaigne-occupied Ussura.

Later - about the time that Aleksei is looking for Evie - Sebastien discovers Martin, Yevgeny and Zoya in a hallway of Le Labyrinthe, Zoya with a visible handprint on her face. The strong suggestion is that it was the Marquis du Courtanvoux who slapped her.

It is that slap - denied by all - which likely lead to the duel that Aleksei interrupts; Marquis du Courtanvoux with rapier and main-gauche and Yevgeny holding the axe he had purchased for Aleksei's birthday. The two are talked down, at least into dueling after the party is over.

Christine Missing / The Admiral Has A Blonde Friend

Julien finds Aleksei on their way back into the party, telling him that Jean le Gross - Marie-Celeste's tutor in the Knights of the Rose + Cross - is dead, found shot in the hedge maze in the gardens. Meanwhile, the heroes discover that Admiral Praisse du Rachetisse has become very, very drunk -- it seems that the errant, drugged glass has ended up the Admiral's hands. He tries to tell Sebastien that he has an important mission for him, but is too intoxicated to make sense of what he needs. The matter is put off until the next day as the Admiral settles down with the blonde Avalon lady the companions know to be a Castillian spy.

Sebastien grows worried about his paramour, Christine -- she stepped away to the ladies' room and has not returned. He goes to look for her, finding a route out to the rooftop.

Meanwhile, Marie-Celeste has been dancing with Captain Crispino, who slips something into her drink - and he carries her, too, in the direction of the roof.

Up On The Rooftop

Sebastien - accompanied by Julien - bursts out onto the roof to see two different groups of figures carrying women in two different directions. He makes a choice and starts after one group; Julien heads towards the other. Aleksei, however, makes a sudden appearance first, heading off the person Sebastien is not pursuing, who turns out to be Captain Crispino with a drugged Marie-Celeste in tow. Aleksei and Crispino fight for a brief time before Marie-Celeste kicks Crispino, who decides to make his exit. Julien pursues Crispino back into the palace as Aleksei and Marie-Celeste rush to aid Sebastien.

Meanwhile, Sebastien has been fighting the Comte du Trois and a cadre of minions, discovered to be the kidnappers of Christine. Sebastien fights his way though them before he disarms the Comte, though rapidly the conflict turns to hand-to-hand, with both Sebastien and the Comte's weapons lost. They begin to wrestle right on the very edge of the roof as rain begins to fall; at last, the Comte is subdued as Aleksei and Marie-Celeste arrive to haul Sebastien back from the roof's edge.

Upstairs, Downstairs

Julien pursues Crispino in a madcap dash through the upper halls of Le Labyrinthe; he wings him with a thrown knife, but it is not enough to keep Crispino from disappearing into the crowd of the main party. Luc Duchard, Captain-lieutenant of Musketeers in Paix, is summoned to take M. du Trois as all the companions return to the party.

The only loose end is Aleksei's membership in Le Mode du Lac -- two of the three observers must vote for him, and while Aaron Crieux supports him Lord Morbleau wants something Aleksei is unwilling to give. Instead, Aleksei discovers that Amelie Barry has a hatred for Lady Jamais, and conspires with Madeleine and Evie to dupe Amelie into thinking that Aleksei has made some spiteful statement towards the Sices ladies' relative.

Aftermath

Aleksei's place in Le Mode du Lac is secured, and he arranges for a weekly Porté to Crieux, where the society meets. Hugh Sices du Sices, the Paix master of the Rose + Cross, informs Aleksei and Marie-Celeste that the Comte du Bearn's hiring of Captain Crispino to kidnap Marie-Celeste was the last straw; they have gotten du Bearn removed from office and a Rose + Cross-loyal governor appointed to Mertí instead. Aleksei has a new interest in young Lady Evie, who gives him her gage, while Sebastien has grown closer to Christine - but the Admiral's assignment looms for the next day.

Persons of Note

Family

• Marquis Martin Courtanvoux du Agenais and Marquise Zoya du Agenais -- Aleksei's parents.
• Yevgeny v'Pietrov -- Aleksei's cousin, an Ussuran bogatyr, or knight.

Friends

• Admiral Alazais Valois Praisse du Rachetisse -- High Admiral of the Montaigne Navy and a patron of the companions.
• Christine du Paix -- Sebastien's lady-love, in fact Christine Rois et Reines, Captain Jean-Marie's sister.
• Madeleine Gaulle du Sices -- Sebastien's cousin, well-connected at court in Charouse.
• Evelyn Sices du Sices -- Madeleine's daughter, Evie is a precocious Porté sorceress.
• Constanza Gastone -- A powerful Fate Witch, the companions rescued her and her three Fate Witch daughters from the Rock, where they were being moved along some sort of underground railroad by Carlotta.
• Amelia Vellini, Julia Vellini, and Maria Vellini -- Constanza Gastone's daughters, married to three Vodacce brothers from Mondavi.

Paix Notables

• Captain Luc Duchard -- Captain-lieutenant of Musketeers in Paix.
• Nicolette du Montaigne -- L'Empereur's daugter, she was drunk and high throughout the party.
• Lucien du Lac -- Philip's Porté master, Lucien spent the party drinking heavily.

Rose + Cross

• Jean le Gross -- Marie-Celeste's former dominus in the Rose and Cross.
• Hugh Sices du Sices -- Master of the Rose + Cross in Montaigne.'

Le Mode du Lac

• Vincent Lord Morbleau -- An older, slightly corpulent and eminently fashionable gentleman, a sort of sarcastic observer of society. He has a reputation as a man who enjoys the corruption of innocent boys.
• Amelie, Comtesse du Berry -- The Comtesse du Berry is in her mid 20s, a beauty at court and a rival - albeit a poor rival - to Lady Jamais Sices du Sices.
• Aaron Crieux -- At only 19, this Crieux modiste is thought to be the most talented dressmaker in Theah. His coats, too, are widely sought-after, though there he some more competition -- Hans Uppman in Gottkirchen, for instance, or the mulatto Dulé Colline in Charouse.

Diplomats

• Viscount Trevor Mountbatten -- An Avalon diplomat with Aleksei's gift from Lord Northrup.
• Lord Dino Vellini -- A cousin to the Vellini husbands, Lord Dino is one of those fun-loving, wine-loving Vodacce men -- though he'll certainly tell his cousins about their wives. He's attached to the Mondavi ambassador.

Rivals

• Captain Crispino -- A Vodacce merchant, smuggler, pirate and spy, he is often the heroes' antagonist.
• Carlotta -- A beautiful Castillian spy and opera singer, she posed as Lady Gwynneth ferch Elise, an Avalon diplomat.
• Le Comte du Trois -- Humiliated by the companions in the Rapist Caper, he is here for revenge.