Solitude in the study

Once cleaned up and changed he strode down the hall to his study, the dark wooden desk once his father's, now his, sat waiting for him.  Ledgers just as he'd left them the day before, quill ready to be picked up by his hand.  He kept meticulous accounts of his spending, every sou for even the smallest bit of grain he fed his horses.  Sunlight streamed through the windows of the early afternoon sun, now would be a good time to work, not needing to waste any candles on light.  His Valet would have his tea ready soon and he could work in peace... away from the girls.  He valued his privacy, if they were to be outside, then he would be inside.  He stepped over to the window and looked out, the two figures still out in the yard where he'd left them, basking in the sun. "Foolish, they won't be as pale as they should and will waste powder." he offered a tisk at the end of his grumpy statement.  He turned away from the window and moved to sit down, reaching for one book and grabbing his quill as if it were a weapon and dipping it into the ink to write in a few line when he heard a scratching at the door. "Entrez!" He barks, not bothering to look up. "My tea best be hot and with a touch of sugar as I like it." Instead of any answer, he heard the rustling of skirts as someone moved forward.  He looks up at the girl, his eyes a cold gray searching her face. "Mlle Gramont I presume?" He says coldly, leaning back in his chair.
"Oui." she replied softly, pausing and not sure if she should continue or not.
He sets his quill down, watching her. "Is there something I might help you with?  Perhaps you are lost on the way to the library..."
"Non, I just wished to say how sorry I am.  You see, it was a twig that I'd stepped on, not anything else." She glances down at her feet, then back up. "I never meant to disturb you, I only wished to enjoy the sun with Marie."
He looks back down at his work, reaching for the quill. "If that is all, you may go."
She gives him a puzzled look as he dismisses her so coldly. "Oui... " She stops as if she might say more, but slips away before being told anything worse, her cheeks flushing a light red.  As the door shuts behind her a voice says softly. "I told you he would do this... such a grumpy comte."  Marie shakes her head. "Frederic won't change... it was a waste of time to try an apologize to him."
Martine looks at her friend and sighs. "I wanted to try, it was the right thing to do." She waves her hand a bit as she talks, but stops herself and remains poised. "My mother would expect me to do so."
Marie shrugs. "No matter, lets go have tea down in the library, its much more fun than anywhere near Frederic."  she moves away from the closed study door, expecting her friend to follow.  Martine pauses to look back at the door, but quietly follows along without much protest.

Back at the Stable

He jumped off his horse, the colt breathing hard and covered in a thick sweat from the ride.  The groom runs up to him, taking the reins of the horse, looking over at Frederic-Louis. "Comte, you should not ride him so hard, he's too young to do this too... you'll ruin him before he's old."  Frederic-Louis paces back and forth, wheeling at the man's words. "How dare you tell me how to ride my horse." He said in a low menacing tone. "Never speak to me like that again or I shall whip you myself."  The groom backed up a bit, rubbing the colt's nose. "I didn't mean it like that sir, you know I only care for the horses, its my duty to see they remain in good shape and healthy."  Frederic-Louis turned his head and then looked back at the man, working to calm himself down. "Fine, go cool him down... you are right, no need to spoil him at this age."  As the groom lead the horse away, Frederic-Louis went to door of the stable, looking out the way he'd come. "Silly girls, how dare they disturb my work."  The Gramont family was known to him, but he'd never seen the girl before.  Perhaps she was a sister or cousine to Gabrielle-Marie, a Gramont now married to his brother, Henri-Armand.  All of the Gramont girls seemed to possess a certain beauty, and this one was no exception to that.  Right now though, Frederic-Louis had better things to do than play host to any female, let alone a Gramont.  His last amusement seemed to leave in the middle of the night with her belongings and had not been seen since then.  Maids were becoming scarce around Normandy, more so because of his own reputation.  Perhaps seeking out a few new ones from Paris might help, or a village further off.

He shook his head and made his way back to the house, thinking it would be wise to clean up and take tea in his study for now... away from the girls.