An awkward day for un Peu...

It has, I fear, been a trifle awkward for me Chez Nous today after the unusual events of the previous evening and the hopefully temporary bridging of the social divide betwixt masters and servants.

Loic is understandably somewhat embarrassed regarding the syllabub episode, and his inadvertently familiarizing himself with my décolletage, but we are both labouring under the conceit that nothing has changed. All was going well remarkably until I ventured to ask him to inspect my melons in the hot house to see if they were approaching ripeness, which ,for some reason I am unable to fathom ,reduced him to a blushing school girl. I do hope he recovers his composure soon otherwise I shall have to return to sending him instructions via Madame Grognonne which is so tiresome as she has a habit of forgetting to pass on messages when it suits her.

Madame Grognonne is a little out of sort herself having consumed considerably more champagne ,wine and eau de vie than might be considered prudent at her time of life, and is therefore in a even more than usual ill temper with everyone.

Chief Patissier has the bilious look of someone who is about to succumb to a rather unpleasant intestinal infection, I suspect for the same reason, Madame Grognonne having generously filled his glass each time she replenished her own. I have no sympathy for either of them. This is a slight consoaltion for the fact that he insisted I sit with Loic and Jacques either side of me at dinner.

Unfortuantly far from being embarrassed by his over familiarity last night, Jacques however is full of himself and I have had to endeavour to remain out of his way, at least until he recovers some sense of decorum and remembers his place. On the two occasions our paths crossed this morning he made rather personal and ribald comments regarding our dancing together last evening, comments which I feel are better ignored therefore I shall not repeat them here.

Thankfully the flood water has receded and the seemingly endless rain has all but ceased at last, therefore, the children have gone to school and Chief Patissier has been driven ,by Jacques, to the biscuiterie in the governess cart to check for damage after the inundations of the past week. So I am free at last to return to my studio in peace and pursue my art.

Oddly, having gone to such pains to procure time on my own to paint , I find that, after last nights soiree I am quite put off the idea of using any of the domestic servants as artists models. I think perhaps I shall give my painting a rest for a time as I quite lost my enthusiasm. The thought of prospect of being closeted in my studio with either Jacques or Loic at close quarters for any length of time is just too much for me to stomach at the moment.

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The photograph above is of the staff of domestic servants in some unknown, but evidently well placed ,English household. Oh how I wish sometimes that I were blessed with a retinue such as these , instead of a lascivious groom with an identity problem, a one legged one armed shell shocked gardener and a a disagreeable housekeeper. I do not think a pleasant quiet lady's maid or even an under gardener complete with all his limbs would be to much to ope for, I do not ask for much in life after all!