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Half an hour later, Kenneth closed his books, packed up and headed for the front door. An hour after that and he was already standing in the House of Lords, presenting his bill for its first reading to his peers.
He had barely gone through the first two pages when a Lord stood up and shouted him down with a counter.
“What sort of lunacy is this, My Lords?” the Lord raved.
The ensuing argument was too loud for Kenneth to quell. The Lords hadn’t even heard the details of the bill and yet a majority had decided that it wasn’t worth paying attention.
Even though a few, like Lord Rockgonie and a few of his friends, tried to argue in favor of allowing the Marquess continue, the overwhelming majority seemed to drown out their arguments.
Kenneth tried unsuccessfully for the next five minutes to be heard above the din. Eventually, he kept quiet and watched the rancor continue unabated in front of him.
The whole process had been a disaster and had left a bitter taste on his lips. By the end of plenary sessions, he exited the House of Lords dejected and on his way home.
“Lord Walsrock! Where are you going?” The voice called from behind him.
He turned to see his friend, the Marquess of Calbrook, bearing down on him. This had been the same friend whose story of the housemaid-turned-doxy, Marie, had started his fight for the commoner which eventually led to his bill. Lord Calbrook had also been one of his major sources of information and consultation in preparation for his bill
“I’m going home,” Kenneth announced, dejected.
His friend had also tried to support him in parliament but the opposition had been in the majority, coupled with the fact that they were furious and out of control.
“Come on, Lord Walsrock. Granted, your bill didn’t make it successfully through its first hearing. That doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. These things happen. All we can do is dust our behinds, get back to work, and try again at an opportune time.”
Kenneth raised his head to look his friend in the eye. The excitement and optimism he saw in Lord Calbrook’s eyes gave him strength.
“Thank you. I needed to hear that,” he confessed, in response to his friend’s optimism.
“So where are you going?” Lord Calbrook asked again.
“Home. I answered you the first time, Lord Calbrook.”
“Not on my watch, Lord Walsrock. We are going to Brooks’s,” his friend protested.
“I don’t think I have the energy for such a—”
“It is settled, then. Brooks’s it is,” Lord Calbrook announced elatedly, cutting him off mid-sentence.
With no energy left to protest, Kenneth reluctantly agreed and walked behind his friend to their waiting carriages.
By the time they got to the club, most of the Lords who were members of the club had made their way there already. There were pockets of patrons scattered in every corner of the club. The majority were currently engaged in a game of Hazards, the most popular game at the club. The rest partook in a game of whist or quinze.
His friend dragged him toward a certain company of Lords at the back and shouted their drink orders to the waiter. Thankfully, this little company included Lords who had supported him just moments ago in parliament. He wasn’t going to have to endure another argument, which he honestly didn’t have the strength for.
“You took a hard one today, Lord Walsrock. You will be back, though, don’t you worry.” The encouragements went all around.
While the encouragements were circulated, Lord Calbrook tried to drag him into playing a game of quinze to cheer him up. He respectfully declined even as another Lord took up the challenge, causing the rest of them to begin shifting in order to create space for the two players.
His drink was in his hand by this time and he began drinking in silence, even as he watched the game in progress in front of him. His attention began to drift back to the session in the House of Lords.
What did I do wrong? How could I have presented this better?
He was no stranger to this process. He thought he had greatly improved himself because he was his own worst critic. Since he’d been dragged to the club instead of retreating to the peace and quiet of home, he had begun his review of the day right there within the club.
Surely there could have been a better way of presenting this bill.
A shout of frustration emanated from the game in front of him as his friend had drawn a card that had taken his card count above fifteen. Apparently, the wagers placed on this game were high and his friend was in danger of losing.
His attention drifted back to the session in the House of Lords after the brief interruption. This time, however, he began to make a mental note of everyone who had been in support and those who had been in opposition.
