Yves Armistead
Yves Armistead is a French émigré and playwright, now living in London. He is played by Cat.
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| Portrayed by Ben Willbond | |
| Full Name | Yves Louis Xavier Maximilien Armistead |
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| Title | Monsieur |
| Associated Noble House(s) | Not applicable |
| Date of Birth | 1 February, 1784 |
| Father | Maximilien Armistead |
| Father's Rank | Not applicable |
| Mother | Amalie Armistead (née Marchal) |
| Mother's Rank | Not applicable |
| Town Residence | 10 Bedford Square |
| Income | Undisclosed |
| School | Home schooled |
| University | Not applicable |
Family
The Armisteads
Maximilien Armistead - Father, d. 1792
Amalie Armistead (née Marchal) - Mother
Amandine Armistead - Sister
Sabine - Poodle
Household
Principal Household
Maeve Wick - Maid, confidante, champion amongst women
Rhys Pryce - Long-suffering valet with understated tastes
Mme Pithou - Fearsome cook of indeterminate age
Notable Associates
Carandini - Tailor to both Yves and Sabine; irreplaceable.
Background
From the day he was born in Paris, Yves Armistead’s life was best described as eventful. A sensitive child devoted to the arts, fashion and his mother, Yves soon became the target of his father’s rage as Maximilien came to believe that this boy, so unlike him in looks and character, could not possibly be his child.
Schooled at home by a series of tutors who were intended to create a boy worthy of the name Armistead, Yves endured a miserable, lonely childhood. All of that came to a rather abrupt end on an autumn day in 1792, when his father was shot dead on the harbour in Rouen in somewhat mysterious circumstances. Perhaps tellingly, the investigation into the death was concluded satisfactorily within the week and Maximilien Armistead went unmourned to his grave.
From that day, little Yves became a prince amongst boys and the apple of his mother’s adoring eye. Given free rein to spend the fortune Amalie inherited, Yves determined to become a playwright, poet or perhaps just a rather fabulous character. Raised by a father who had always shrewdly followed the prevailing political wind, the household during Maximilien's lifetime was distinctly Jacobin. Indeed, Maximilien harboured political pretensions of his own that were to remain unfulfilled at his early death.
With the death of his father, however, Yves found himself under the influence of a woman who was far from Jacobin. Though Amalie fervently opposed the ideals of the Revolution, she knew better than to voice her opinions aloud yet at home, her children were left in little doubt that the First Republic was the death knell for the freedom of their nation. Determined to oppose his father in all things, Yves added politics to the rather long list of matters in which he would become his own man.
The young Yves absorbed his mother's words like a sponge and remains an avowed monarchist, with his political sympathies in the UK distinctly Tory. Under the care of his new stepfather, the family left France in the spring of 1793, crossing into the safety of Austria, his mother's ancestral land. This further served to strengthen Yves' bond with his homeland, absence indeed making the heart grow fonder.
In fact, it was partly his mother's certainty that France was in terminal decline that caused Yves, at the age of just 15 to accompany family friends on a rather ill-advised and impulsive grand tour. Here he dodged hostilities and attempted to become a man of the world by seeing as much of it as possible. Today he remains a fervent believer that the upstart Bonaparte has no place in the glittering pantheon of French history and though he find Louis Stanislas a rather poor choice for a king, he would trump any other claimant on offer.
In fact, Yves did indeed reveal a possibly unexpected talent for literary endeavours and first enjoyed success with a rather lewd play written and staged in Milan when he was 19. Since then, his plays have become ever bawdier if rather more well-written and he has seen theatrical success across Europe. His comedic works, including The Hempen Widow and the ever-popular, Scotch Fiddle Cure, enjoy popularity across the social classes. Saucy and silly, they keep Yves in fine style at his home in Bedford Square.
Yves took up residence in London in 1807 as the guest of a noted leading lady and an assortment of theatrical patrons who did much to ensure the success of his English translations. He has spent the years since then annoying the Lord Chamberlain and dressing in an increasingly flamboyant manner. When it comes to fashion, he firmly believes that there is no such thing as too much!
Appearance
Standing 5’8” and of athletic if somewhat slender build, Yves is rather proud of the black hair, green eyes and rather fine bone structure that he has inherited from his mother. He is also very fond of his large nose, which has been the target of many a caricaturist’s pencil.
Yves dresses to kill and the brighter and more elaborate the outfit, the better. Jewels, a touch of make up and a lot perfume are his weaknesses and his tailor, the erstwhile Carandini (who might hail from Venice but is more likely a chap from Ilford who knows how to play a good part), is never short of work.
Personality
Yves Armistead has a laugh that could bring down a pigeon at twenty paces and claims to have used his shriek to shatter the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.
He was always given to exaggeration.
Still, it is true to say that, whenever Yves is in a room, it’s impossible not to know about it. Enthusiastic as a puppy and just as lively, he lives life at a hundred miles an hour and sleeps only when he has absolutely no invitations to honour, gossip to impart or textiles to examine.
This playwright from Paris is a hedonist, devoted to seeking pleasure in all its forms and with any willing party. He is, of course, smart enough to keep his regular liaisons with other gentlemen private, preferring instead to cultivate a reputation as a fellow who enjoys the company of ladies and can be relied upon to be a most attentive and well-drilled dance or dinner partner. Indeed, few fellows can speak the language of the fan or the patch quite so fluently as this rather dandified gentleman.
Yves loves to be among company and can be relied upon to be a generous and attentive friend who is never happier than when he is the centre of attention. Unfortunately, this craving for the limelight just adds to his propensity for spreading what he would consider harmless gossip. Though never intending to cause trouble, his desire to be first with all the latest news amongst his friends has got him into trouble in the past, though he is quick to employ his fast-talking skills to get out of a scrape. He’s well-used to being the subject of gossip himself and is happy to cultivate the rumours he hears about his own extravagances, believing that every untruth sells a ticket or two at the Haymarket.
Thanks to his love of unbridled, uncomplicated fun, Yves is often to be found getting into mischief and leading others to do the same. He’s usually the first to find trouble and the last to call it a night, frequently when it’s well past dawn. He has a weakness for gambling and saucy fun, likes a drink (or several) and is given to rash and spontaneous decisions which don’t always end well. Still, he would argue that many of those spur-of-the-moment adventures have led to very positive outcomes, and he finds that a step into the unknown can be utterly exhilarating.
Being raised to believe that he is practically perfect in every way has left Yves confident in his own place in the world, though he is given to occasional bouts of affected artistic melancholy. His household is always hosting one guest or another and he has taken in more than his share of waifs and strays, usually down on their luck thespians or aspiring theatricals. Though his romantic life is always eventful, Yves has no desire to settle down. Instead he is perfectly happy with his wide circle of friends, his poodle and his ever-present maid and confidante, the formidable Maeve, the woman who keeps his household from descending into utter chaos.
Yves is the first to admit that he is a vain creature but then, as he would say, “when one is this beautiful, a little vanity can be excused.”
Perhaps it’s a joke; but he might just believe it.
Residences
Yves’ primary residence is 10 Bedford Square, though he also owns a Bath townhouse.