Post by Liberty Martin on May 21, 2008 3:58:20 GMT -5
Name: William Jean Lambert
Age: Twenty-seven
D.O.B: Thirteenth of April
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 76kg
Over-all Appearance: Standing at five feet, eleven inches, William is certainly not a short man, and it is hard to miss him in a crowd. This height he inherited from his father, who is only an inch or two shorter, but far more stockier. Although William eats well, he does not spend all day sat behind a desk in a dark room, and his walks in the country have meant that he can hardly be classed as fat, although he is not thin like some of the poorer people in the village; always having a meal on the table is a definite contributer to there, and it is something William is always grateful for; there are so many people in this country, and in the world in general, that are starving, and he is just glad that he is not one of them.
However, height is where the similarity between father and son ends; William looks nothing like Vincent, for which he secretly admits he is glad, and those who knew her have told him that he resembles his mother, which makes him glad – having never known her, he still wishes that he had. Perhaps he wouldn’t have been pressured into such education as his if he’d had a mother too. Still, that is not something that he can worry about; he is just pleased that the townsfolk have not forgotten Clair-Marie completely.
With dark brown hair, slightly too long, and dark eyes, William looks almost as though he could be from Italy, or perhaps Spain, if it were not for his paler skin giving him away. Although he does not burn at the merest glimpse of sunlight, if he spends a prolonged amount of time outside, he is likely to end up with a reddish complexion, something that he is not too keen on. However, he prefers to be able to fill his lungs with clean, fresh air, so he is simply careful to keep to the shade on the sunniest days, preferring not to resemble a tomato if he can help it. If he does spend a while in the sun, though, William’s hair lightens a shade or two, to a slightly more golden brown, more resembling his father’s.
Although he would not say that he has a particular interest in fashion, William does like to look somewhat à la mode; he might not be wearing the latest from Paris, but he does change his wardrobe regularly, unlike his father, who still seems to be wearing clothes that were fashionable in the sixteenth century. However, he has no real concern for looking after his clothes, and is just as likely to go climbing over trees in the shirt he was meant to be wearing for dinner than to actually wear it when he is supposed to, meaning that for the most part, he has a somewhat dishevelled look, something which he hasn’t a care for, but which is a cause of constant disagreement between father and son. It seems there is a lot they disagree on, and the way William chooses to present himself is only one of them.
Likes: There are many things in life that William enjoys, and he is certain that life without them would be both boring and unfulfilling. What would be the point of going to the tavern, for example, if you could not sample some of the greatest wine in France? William has always enjoyed a good drink, and though he has become drunk on several occasions, he prefers to keep his alcohol consumption within reason; just enough to make everything seem rosy, and that’s him happy for the night. Of course, the wine he drinks has to be good, and he is not particularly fond of anything other than deep, red wine, but he will never turn down the chance for a friendly drink with a neighbour or friend.
William is also keen on those of the opposite sex; women have been a source of mystery and enjoyment to him for many years now, perhaps the product of spending his teenage years in an all boys’ establishment, and though he is not one to favour the ladies of the night, in the way some men in this part of the country are, the chance to spend time in the company of a beautiful lady is not something he would turn down. After all, he is twenty-seven years of age and has not yet found the woman who is to be his wife. He needs to find her pretty soon, and the only way he can do that is to spend some time with ladies, in the ‘proper’ manner, of course.
Being in good company is something that William feels could not be traded for all the money in France. He loves to be the centre of attention, with all eyes focussing on what he is saying, but more than that, he loves to have fun. Whether this is through a long walk in the forest with his best friend, or a night with all the menfolk in the local inn, William isn’t particularly bothered. Anything but having to work hard will suit him fine.
Perhaps surprisingly for someone who is keen on his drink and company, William enjoys taking long walks in the countryside. They are the only times when he is really able to think as much as he would like, and a good way to get away from his father, who cannot abide long walks. Perhaps surprisingly, William also enjoys playing the piano-forte, and though he does not think of himself as particularly accomplished, it is certainly something to while away long, boring evenings when he has run out of material to read.
Dislikes: If there is one thing that William has detested his whole life, it is the fact that he has to work to get somewhere. He is from a relatively well off family, and being the only son, is heir to whatever fortune his father might have when he dies, but even so, it is hard to get anywhere without a little elbow grease, as his father is so keen on telling him. However, William would be far happier to spend his life ‘idling’ around, and not having to do any work at all; he might be studying at the moment, but there is never much evidence of him actually doing so. There will be time for him to worry about having a proper job and earning some money for himself once his youth is over, won’t there? After all, you’re only young once, something which his father does not seem to appreciate; at the moment, William just wants to have some fun.
The one thing that is William’s biggest grievance at this moment in time is his best friend’s obsession with the Penelope girl. He does not understand what he sees in her, but he also feels that the girl is taking away his best friend; Lance would rather spend time considering how to woo her next than to have rowdy fun with William like he used to. It is not onto his friend that William places the blame, but onto the woman; if she had never come, life would have gone on as normal and he would not have found his best friend in the throws of what he thought to be love.
Because he loves being in company so much, with balls and rowdy meetings in taverns being some of his favourite pastimes, William really hates feeling lonely. Admittedly, it is not something that occurs particularly often, because he treasures his friends greatly, but when his father insists that he sits down and works for a day, or his friends are off doing other things (chasing a particular girl, for example), William does feel a sense of loneliness that he does his best to ward off. A generous glass of wine is usually a good starting point.
The other thing that William really dislikes is the way that society has such a strict class system; it is not done for people to marry out of their class, and nor is it acceptable for someone from the lower class to befriend someone far above them in status. Why are things so? It does not make any sense to him, and though he is from a well-off background and therefore is not considered to be particularly below many people in the town, he doesn’t think it particularly fair for some people to be treated as lesser beings than others. William’s political views, inclined towards the idealism that would come with a socialist regime, are a cause for heated debate in the Lambert household, as Vincent Lambert believes firmly that everyone has their place and should not try to rise above it, however much William tries to convince him otherwise.
Fears: William greatly fears being alone. He is a very social person, and thrives on company, and therefore the idea that there may come a time in his life when he does not have that company to rely on is something that scares him somewhat. After all, the presence of another human being is something that everyone benefits from; he would rather spend time with his father than be left alone, for although he dislikes the man immensely, he is still someone to converse with, and he is sure that that is a better prospect than living a life of solitude. Of course, one day he hopes to find a beautiful woman to marry and have children with (his father constantly urges him to settle down as soon as possible, but William doesn’t want to marry just for money or status; it has to mean more to him than that), but is also fears that that day may never come.
His father’s expectations are also a cause of concern for William, although fear is not a feeling he indulges in particularly often; life is too short to be scared of what may or may not happen to you in the future. However, not pleasing his father is something that William is afraid of; Vincent can be quite a formidable man, and though William is perfectly happy doing what he wants in life, he is meant to be studying to become a magistrate, following in his father’s footsteps, and though the two do not get on well, a part of William still wishes to please him. However, he tends to think that he is more of a disappointment than anything else; not only did his mother die giving birth to him, but he didn’t do well at the expensive school he was sent to, is too fond of his alcohol and women, and isn’t a hard worker at all. That probably disappoints his father, and William doesn’t want to do that if he can help it.
Habits: One of William’s worst habits is that he tends to talk for hours on end about anything, to anybody. He had a relatively lonely childhood, and so having good friends now means that he is catching up on all the talking he missed out on as a child. That’s what he likes to think, anyway; the real reason is probably that he enjoys being in the limelight, and he is simply a talkative person. However, a lot of the time he tends to lose his sense of propriety and will continue to talk when the other person has lost interest, or when he shouldn’t have been talking to them at all.
This lack of decorum is William’s other habit; he is not a supporter of separating the classes, and though he might be a relatively wealthy member of the middle-class, he will happily bridge the gap between who he perhaps isn’t supposed to talk to; the royalty are just people, aren’t they? They might have a lovely castle and a lot of power, but what really makes them so different to him and the rest of the people of the town? He doesn’t push what is socially acceptable too far, but he does think that it is silly to put on airs and graces just because someone happened to be born into an incredibly rich family, for example. People are people, whatever their financial and family background.
Over-all Personality: William would like to think of himself as an approachable, friendly person; someone who can be relied on both in a crisis and to have a good laugh with. His main aim in life, at least until his thirtieth birthday, when he may have to sit and think about where he is going with his studies and his life, is simply to have a good time. Having spent every year from the time he was ten until he was eighteen in a boarding school, strictly run and not allowing much free time, he feels that he is somewhat entitled to spend his time walking around the French countryside, doing what he wants to do for a change. After all, he might be living under his father’s roof, as he cannot afford to live off his own back, not having a job, but he is an adult and the jurisdiction of his father can only run so far. He could go out and work if it became necessary, but it has not yet done so, and therefore he can complete his studies as leisurely as he wishes.
William is currently studying to be a magistrate, the career that his father has chosen for him, as that has been his work for the last thirty-odd years, but the idea of hard work is one that he is not keen on. He has never been a particularly hard worker, and his attention span does not last long enough for him to read and learn through all the dates and rules that he needs to for his examinations; he is not a stupid man, but is not brimming with intelligence either, and he finds it very hard to sit down and work for more than half an hour at a time without becoming dangerously bored. At the rate he is going, he will be approaching forty before he completes the work necessary, but at the moment, William is not concerned about having a job; his father provides an allowance that is modest but enough to live off, and he will inherit the estate, such as it is, when he dies. Therefore, until he marries (which despite his lack of concern for becoming a breadwinner, he does wish to do), earning his own wage is of the least importance. He doesn’t want to become a boring, well-off, eligible batchelor. He’d rather be known for his sense of fun.
However, William does have some hobbies that perhaps people wouldn’t expect someone as laid-back as himself to have; as well as a too-keen interest in fine wines, William really enjoys playing the piano. There has always been a piano in the family house, because his mother used to play, and it was because of that he started to learn in the first place; there are few things around to let him know what sort of person his mother was, and therefore he thought that playing the instrument would somehow bring him closer to her. He’s not sure how it’s helped him in that sense, but he has developed a love for playing, and though he doesn’t think that he’s particularly good, having a hobby other than wandering outside is definitely something that he feels makes him a better person. People need to be more than what they seem on the surface, and he always feels it’s good to have something about you that surprises them.
On the surface, William appears to have no depth at all; his main interests seem to be of the shallow kind, he has no will power to succeed in his career and even when he is out walking, he seems to idle along as if he had all the time in the world. For the most part, he would admit that this is true – wine, sleeping and wandering around with no real purpose certainly interest him, because you can always find something exciting about the people you’ve lived with for most of your life if you walk around at all times of the day (and night). He is not particularly motivated because he sees no need for him to work his hind legs off when he doesn’t have to, and he has his whole life ahead of him, but he might die tomorrow. Therefore, he feels he has to make the most of what he has now, and not worry about what might happen at some point in his life.
However, what you see is not what you get; it is never the case. William might not have in interest in learning to be a magistrate, but he enjoys reading as well as playing the piano, and the history of the buildings in Averyln is something that he is far more interested in, which is part of the reason he can often be seen walking about the town at every hour. William is also intensely loyal, and will do anything to help his friends, even if he does not agree with what they’re doing. This loyalty is what has stopped him from voicing his dislike of the Hoffman girl too loudly, and also what makes him help his best friend to find places to accost her, whether or not he agrees with what he’s doing. After all, without friends, he wouldn’t be able to have fun, and life wouldn’t mean very much at all. He needs his friends.
Parents:
Père – Vincent Jean Lambert[/u]
William was brought up by his father, but the two have never got on particularly well; William finds Vincent to be stuffy and extremely set in his ways, while the older man finds his son to be too laid back and simply downright lazy. Because of this, they have often had disagreements, not only over what William wants to do with his life, but over politics, company, pastimes…you name it, and they’ve probably argued about it.
Mère – Clair-Marie Lambert[/u] (deceased)
Clair-Marie died giving birth to William, and therefore he has never known her. He likes to think that she was a beautiful, kind woman, but how close to the truth that is, he can only guess, because his father refuses to speak of her, probably because of the pain her death caused him.
Siblings: None.
Pets: None, although this isn’t because William dislikes animals and more because his father detests the idea of having a ‘dirty beast’ inside the house.
Character History: When Vincent Lambert married Clair-Marie Bernard, they hoped that it would be a long and happy relationship, with plenty of children to occupy Clair-Marie and to carry on the family name. Vincent was a young magistrate who had recently finished his studies in Lyon and had returned to Averyln, where he’d been born and brough up, with the prospective of gaining a wife, while Clair-Marie had never been out of the village in her life. This didn’t bother her, though; she was not from a poor family, but neither was she rich, and the only thing she expected to do was to marry and bear her husband children. If she got to marry for love, then so much the better. And in the end, the reason she married was because she loved Vincent; he was a slightly sullen, brooding man, but she thought him incredibly handsome and beneath the surface, he was kind and caring, and everything she could hope for. They were not engaged for long, and were soon married, living in the house left to Vincent when his father had died a few years earlier.
A year after they were married, Clair-Marie became pregnant with what the couple hoped would be the first child of many. Vincent did all he could to make his wife as comfortable as possible during her sitting in, wanting to have a family he could be proud of. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Nine months later, on the thirteenth of April, a baby boy was brought into the world, his healthy lungs showing themselves from the moment he saw his surroundings. However, although God giveth, he also taketh away, and Clair-Marie died giving birth to her son, only able to see him for a few seconds before her eyes closed forever. It was up to Vincent to name the son he suddenly wished he hadn’t had, and so, after the funeral, William Jean was christened in the small church in the village.
Vincent didn’t bring up his child alone, although he knew that he would never be able to remarry; he also knew that he could not blame the boy for the death of Clair-Marie, and that he couldn’t grow up without contact with some womenfolk. Therefore, he hired a nursemaid to care for William on a day to day basis, while throwing himself wholeheartedly into his job, slowly coming to terms with his wife’s death and the fact that William was his only son. He just hoped that the boy would grow up to do him proud, and be worthy of inheriting the family house and estate when he died.
William grew up to be a popular lad within the company his father chose for him, enjoying the friendship of other boys his age and loving the village too; there was so much countryside to explore, and he loved to go and look at the castle, standing a little away on the hill. However, he wasn’t destined to stay in Averyln long; the year of his tenth birthday, he was sent away to school in Avignon, where he resided for all but three months of the year. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that William detested school; there were too many rules, most of which he broke as he grew older, he was not one to work well, and because of the strict punishments doled out to those who did not perform well academically or indeed flouted the regulations, he was often isolated from the other boys and therefore found it hard to make friends. It was only when he came home that he felt more like himself, and though it is hard to stay close to someone you only see for three months of the year when letter writing can hardly be classed as your forte, William did make a lot of friends as he neared the end of his time at school. He couldn’t wait to get out; he’d always felt that he’d been there for his father’s sake, and that he wasn’t getting anything out of his education for himself, apart from a liking for literature and the chance to learn to play the pianoforte. The sooner the hell of boarding school was over, the better.
It was nearing his nineteenth birthday when William moved back to live at his father’s Averyln house, although even then he was not allowed to feel as though it was to become his permanent home; Vincent had made arrangements for William to follow in his footsteps and learn to be a magistrate in Lyon, and it was something that William did only out of a sense of duty; why on earth would he want to be a magistate? He hated law, and would much rather have spent the time with his friends in the taverns that he knew his father disliked, having some fun and celebrating his freedom from the establishment that made out all the boys that entered its walls should have been complete snobs. William didn’t want to be a snob; he wanted everyone to be treated the same, regardless of what their background was. He took to spending a lot of time outside the house, unable to stand his father’s company more than was necessary, and though he did travel to Lyon for his studies, he spent far too much time drinking and with women than working.
After several years of not really working and therefore failing his examinations, William was becoming no closer to earning a wage of his own than he was when he’d been at school. It was decided, William could only presume by his father (he never made any of the important decisions about his life, he came to realise), that William would come and live at home, and work there, where Vincent could keep an eye on him, and make sure that he did not neglect his studies altogether. So far, the arrangement has worked acceptably. William spends a lot of time not working, or pretending to work, and his father shouts at him until he does put his head down for an hour or two. It never lasts for long though; William thinks that there’s more to life than having a career, even in a small place like Averyln.
Age: Twenty-seven
D.O.B: Thirteenth of April
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 76kg
Over-all Appearance: Standing at five feet, eleven inches, William is certainly not a short man, and it is hard to miss him in a crowd. This height he inherited from his father, who is only an inch or two shorter, but far more stockier. Although William eats well, he does not spend all day sat behind a desk in a dark room, and his walks in the country have meant that he can hardly be classed as fat, although he is not thin like some of the poorer people in the village; always having a meal on the table is a definite contributer to there, and it is something William is always grateful for; there are so many people in this country, and in the world in general, that are starving, and he is just glad that he is not one of them.
However, height is where the similarity between father and son ends; William looks nothing like Vincent, for which he secretly admits he is glad, and those who knew her have told him that he resembles his mother, which makes him glad – having never known her, he still wishes that he had. Perhaps he wouldn’t have been pressured into such education as his if he’d had a mother too. Still, that is not something that he can worry about; he is just pleased that the townsfolk have not forgotten Clair-Marie completely.
With dark brown hair, slightly too long, and dark eyes, William looks almost as though he could be from Italy, or perhaps Spain, if it were not for his paler skin giving him away. Although he does not burn at the merest glimpse of sunlight, if he spends a prolonged amount of time outside, he is likely to end up with a reddish complexion, something that he is not too keen on. However, he prefers to be able to fill his lungs with clean, fresh air, so he is simply careful to keep to the shade on the sunniest days, preferring not to resemble a tomato if he can help it. If he does spend a while in the sun, though, William’s hair lightens a shade or two, to a slightly more golden brown, more resembling his father’s.
Although he would not say that he has a particular interest in fashion, William does like to look somewhat à la mode; he might not be wearing the latest from Paris, but he does change his wardrobe regularly, unlike his father, who still seems to be wearing clothes that were fashionable in the sixteenth century. However, he has no real concern for looking after his clothes, and is just as likely to go climbing over trees in the shirt he was meant to be wearing for dinner than to actually wear it when he is supposed to, meaning that for the most part, he has a somewhat dishevelled look, something which he hasn’t a care for, but which is a cause of constant disagreement between father and son. It seems there is a lot they disagree on, and the way William chooses to present himself is only one of them.
Likes: There are many things in life that William enjoys, and he is certain that life without them would be both boring and unfulfilling. What would be the point of going to the tavern, for example, if you could not sample some of the greatest wine in France? William has always enjoyed a good drink, and though he has become drunk on several occasions, he prefers to keep his alcohol consumption within reason; just enough to make everything seem rosy, and that’s him happy for the night. Of course, the wine he drinks has to be good, and he is not particularly fond of anything other than deep, red wine, but he will never turn down the chance for a friendly drink with a neighbour or friend.
William is also keen on those of the opposite sex; women have been a source of mystery and enjoyment to him for many years now, perhaps the product of spending his teenage years in an all boys’ establishment, and though he is not one to favour the ladies of the night, in the way some men in this part of the country are, the chance to spend time in the company of a beautiful lady is not something he would turn down. After all, he is twenty-seven years of age and has not yet found the woman who is to be his wife. He needs to find her pretty soon, and the only way he can do that is to spend some time with ladies, in the ‘proper’ manner, of course.
Being in good company is something that William feels could not be traded for all the money in France. He loves to be the centre of attention, with all eyes focussing on what he is saying, but more than that, he loves to have fun. Whether this is through a long walk in the forest with his best friend, or a night with all the menfolk in the local inn, William isn’t particularly bothered. Anything but having to work hard will suit him fine.
Perhaps surprisingly for someone who is keen on his drink and company, William enjoys taking long walks in the countryside. They are the only times when he is really able to think as much as he would like, and a good way to get away from his father, who cannot abide long walks. Perhaps surprisingly, William also enjoys playing the piano-forte, and though he does not think of himself as particularly accomplished, it is certainly something to while away long, boring evenings when he has run out of material to read.
Dislikes: If there is one thing that William has detested his whole life, it is the fact that he has to work to get somewhere. He is from a relatively well off family, and being the only son, is heir to whatever fortune his father might have when he dies, but even so, it is hard to get anywhere without a little elbow grease, as his father is so keen on telling him. However, William would be far happier to spend his life ‘idling’ around, and not having to do any work at all; he might be studying at the moment, but there is never much evidence of him actually doing so. There will be time for him to worry about having a proper job and earning some money for himself once his youth is over, won’t there? After all, you’re only young once, something which his father does not seem to appreciate; at the moment, William just wants to have some fun.
The one thing that is William’s biggest grievance at this moment in time is his best friend’s obsession with the Penelope girl. He does not understand what he sees in her, but he also feels that the girl is taking away his best friend; Lance would rather spend time considering how to woo her next than to have rowdy fun with William like he used to. It is not onto his friend that William places the blame, but onto the woman; if she had never come, life would have gone on as normal and he would not have found his best friend in the throws of what he thought to be love.
Because he loves being in company so much, with balls and rowdy meetings in taverns being some of his favourite pastimes, William really hates feeling lonely. Admittedly, it is not something that occurs particularly often, because he treasures his friends greatly, but when his father insists that he sits down and works for a day, or his friends are off doing other things (chasing a particular girl, for example), William does feel a sense of loneliness that he does his best to ward off. A generous glass of wine is usually a good starting point.
The other thing that William really dislikes is the way that society has such a strict class system; it is not done for people to marry out of their class, and nor is it acceptable for someone from the lower class to befriend someone far above them in status. Why are things so? It does not make any sense to him, and though he is from a well-off background and therefore is not considered to be particularly below many people in the town, he doesn’t think it particularly fair for some people to be treated as lesser beings than others. William’s political views, inclined towards the idealism that would come with a socialist regime, are a cause for heated debate in the Lambert household, as Vincent Lambert believes firmly that everyone has their place and should not try to rise above it, however much William tries to convince him otherwise.
Fears: William greatly fears being alone. He is a very social person, and thrives on company, and therefore the idea that there may come a time in his life when he does not have that company to rely on is something that scares him somewhat. After all, the presence of another human being is something that everyone benefits from; he would rather spend time with his father than be left alone, for although he dislikes the man immensely, he is still someone to converse with, and he is sure that that is a better prospect than living a life of solitude. Of course, one day he hopes to find a beautiful woman to marry and have children with (his father constantly urges him to settle down as soon as possible, but William doesn’t want to marry just for money or status; it has to mean more to him than that), but is also fears that that day may never come.
His father’s expectations are also a cause of concern for William, although fear is not a feeling he indulges in particularly often; life is too short to be scared of what may or may not happen to you in the future. However, not pleasing his father is something that William is afraid of; Vincent can be quite a formidable man, and though William is perfectly happy doing what he wants in life, he is meant to be studying to become a magistrate, following in his father’s footsteps, and though the two do not get on well, a part of William still wishes to please him. However, he tends to think that he is more of a disappointment than anything else; not only did his mother die giving birth to him, but he didn’t do well at the expensive school he was sent to, is too fond of his alcohol and women, and isn’t a hard worker at all. That probably disappoints his father, and William doesn’t want to do that if he can help it.
Habits: One of William’s worst habits is that he tends to talk for hours on end about anything, to anybody. He had a relatively lonely childhood, and so having good friends now means that he is catching up on all the talking he missed out on as a child. That’s what he likes to think, anyway; the real reason is probably that he enjoys being in the limelight, and he is simply a talkative person. However, a lot of the time he tends to lose his sense of propriety and will continue to talk when the other person has lost interest, or when he shouldn’t have been talking to them at all.
This lack of decorum is William’s other habit; he is not a supporter of separating the classes, and though he might be a relatively wealthy member of the middle-class, he will happily bridge the gap between who he perhaps isn’t supposed to talk to; the royalty are just people, aren’t they? They might have a lovely castle and a lot of power, but what really makes them so different to him and the rest of the people of the town? He doesn’t push what is socially acceptable too far, but he does think that it is silly to put on airs and graces just because someone happened to be born into an incredibly rich family, for example. People are people, whatever their financial and family background.
Over-all Personality: William would like to think of himself as an approachable, friendly person; someone who can be relied on both in a crisis and to have a good laugh with. His main aim in life, at least until his thirtieth birthday, when he may have to sit and think about where he is going with his studies and his life, is simply to have a good time. Having spent every year from the time he was ten until he was eighteen in a boarding school, strictly run and not allowing much free time, he feels that he is somewhat entitled to spend his time walking around the French countryside, doing what he wants to do for a change. After all, he might be living under his father’s roof, as he cannot afford to live off his own back, not having a job, but he is an adult and the jurisdiction of his father can only run so far. He could go out and work if it became necessary, but it has not yet done so, and therefore he can complete his studies as leisurely as he wishes.
William is currently studying to be a magistrate, the career that his father has chosen for him, as that has been his work for the last thirty-odd years, but the idea of hard work is one that he is not keen on. He has never been a particularly hard worker, and his attention span does not last long enough for him to read and learn through all the dates and rules that he needs to for his examinations; he is not a stupid man, but is not brimming with intelligence either, and he finds it very hard to sit down and work for more than half an hour at a time without becoming dangerously bored. At the rate he is going, he will be approaching forty before he completes the work necessary, but at the moment, William is not concerned about having a job; his father provides an allowance that is modest but enough to live off, and he will inherit the estate, such as it is, when he dies. Therefore, until he marries (which despite his lack of concern for becoming a breadwinner, he does wish to do), earning his own wage is of the least importance. He doesn’t want to become a boring, well-off, eligible batchelor. He’d rather be known for his sense of fun.
However, William does have some hobbies that perhaps people wouldn’t expect someone as laid-back as himself to have; as well as a too-keen interest in fine wines, William really enjoys playing the piano. There has always been a piano in the family house, because his mother used to play, and it was because of that he started to learn in the first place; there are few things around to let him know what sort of person his mother was, and therefore he thought that playing the instrument would somehow bring him closer to her. He’s not sure how it’s helped him in that sense, but he has developed a love for playing, and though he doesn’t think that he’s particularly good, having a hobby other than wandering outside is definitely something that he feels makes him a better person. People need to be more than what they seem on the surface, and he always feels it’s good to have something about you that surprises them.
On the surface, William appears to have no depth at all; his main interests seem to be of the shallow kind, he has no will power to succeed in his career and even when he is out walking, he seems to idle along as if he had all the time in the world. For the most part, he would admit that this is true – wine, sleeping and wandering around with no real purpose certainly interest him, because you can always find something exciting about the people you’ve lived with for most of your life if you walk around at all times of the day (and night). He is not particularly motivated because he sees no need for him to work his hind legs off when he doesn’t have to, and he has his whole life ahead of him, but he might die tomorrow. Therefore, he feels he has to make the most of what he has now, and not worry about what might happen at some point in his life.
However, what you see is not what you get; it is never the case. William might not have in interest in learning to be a magistrate, but he enjoys reading as well as playing the piano, and the history of the buildings in Averyln is something that he is far more interested in, which is part of the reason he can often be seen walking about the town at every hour. William is also intensely loyal, and will do anything to help his friends, even if he does not agree with what they’re doing. This loyalty is what has stopped him from voicing his dislike of the Hoffman girl too loudly, and also what makes him help his best friend to find places to accost her, whether or not he agrees with what he’s doing. After all, without friends, he wouldn’t be able to have fun, and life wouldn’t mean very much at all. He needs his friends.
Parents:
Père – Vincent Jean Lambert[/u]
William was brought up by his father, but the two have never got on particularly well; William finds Vincent to be stuffy and extremely set in his ways, while the older man finds his son to be too laid back and simply downright lazy. Because of this, they have often had disagreements, not only over what William wants to do with his life, but over politics, company, pastimes…you name it, and they’ve probably argued about it.
Mère – Clair-Marie Lambert[/u] (deceased)
Clair-Marie died giving birth to William, and therefore he has never known her. He likes to think that she was a beautiful, kind woman, but how close to the truth that is, he can only guess, because his father refuses to speak of her, probably because of the pain her death caused him.
Siblings: None.
Pets: None, although this isn’t because William dislikes animals and more because his father detests the idea of having a ‘dirty beast’ inside the house.
Character History: When Vincent Lambert married Clair-Marie Bernard, they hoped that it would be a long and happy relationship, with plenty of children to occupy Clair-Marie and to carry on the family name. Vincent was a young magistrate who had recently finished his studies in Lyon and had returned to Averyln, where he’d been born and brough up, with the prospective of gaining a wife, while Clair-Marie had never been out of the village in her life. This didn’t bother her, though; she was not from a poor family, but neither was she rich, and the only thing she expected to do was to marry and bear her husband children. If she got to marry for love, then so much the better. And in the end, the reason she married was because she loved Vincent; he was a slightly sullen, brooding man, but she thought him incredibly handsome and beneath the surface, he was kind and caring, and everything she could hope for. They were not engaged for long, and were soon married, living in the house left to Vincent when his father had died a few years earlier.
A year after they were married, Clair-Marie became pregnant with what the couple hoped would be the first child of many. Vincent did all he could to make his wife as comfortable as possible during her sitting in, wanting to have a family he could be proud of. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Nine months later, on the thirteenth of April, a baby boy was brought into the world, his healthy lungs showing themselves from the moment he saw his surroundings. However, although God giveth, he also taketh away, and Clair-Marie died giving birth to her son, only able to see him for a few seconds before her eyes closed forever. It was up to Vincent to name the son he suddenly wished he hadn’t had, and so, after the funeral, William Jean was christened in the small church in the village.
Vincent didn’t bring up his child alone, although he knew that he would never be able to remarry; he also knew that he could not blame the boy for the death of Clair-Marie, and that he couldn’t grow up without contact with some womenfolk. Therefore, he hired a nursemaid to care for William on a day to day basis, while throwing himself wholeheartedly into his job, slowly coming to terms with his wife’s death and the fact that William was his only son. He just hoped that the boy would grow up to do him proud, and be worthy of inheriting the family house and estate when he died.
William grew up to be a popular lad within the company his father chose for him, enjoying the friendship of other boys his age and loving the village too; there was so much countryside to explore, and he loved to go and look at the castle, standing a little away on the hill. However, he wasn’t destined to stay in Averyln long; the year of his tenth birthday, he was sent away to school in Avignon, where he resided for all but three months of the year. It wouldn’t be a lie to say that William detested school; there were too many rules, most of which he broke as he grew older, he was not one to work well, and because of the strict punishments doled out to those who did not perform well academically or indeed flouted the regulations, he was often isolated from the other boys and therefore found it hard to make friends. It was only when he came home that he felt more like himself, and though it is hard to stay close to someone you only see for three months of the year when letter writing can hardly be classed as your forte, William did make a lot of friends as he neared the end of his time at school. He couldn’t wait to get out; he’d always felt that he’d been there for his father’s sake, and that he wasn’t getting anything out of his education for himself, apart from a liking for literature and the chance to learn to play the pianoforte. The sooner the hell of boarding school was over, the better.
It was nearing his nineteenth birthday when William moved back to live at his father’s Averyln house, although even then he was not allowed to feel as though it was to become his permanent home; Vincent had made arrangements for William to follow in his footsteps and learn to be a magistrate in Lyon, and it was something that William did only out of a sense of duty; why on earth would he want to be a magistate? He hated law, and would much rather have spent the time with his friends in the taverns that he knew his father disliked, having some fun and celebrating his freedom from the establishment that made out all the boys that entered its walls should have been complete snobs. William didn’t want to be a snob; he wanted everyone to be treated the same, regardless of what their background was. He took to spending a lot of time outside the house, unable to stand his father’s company more than was necessary, and though he did travel to Lyon for his studies, he spent far too much time drinking and with women than working.
After several years of not really working and therefore failing his examinations, William was becoming no closer to earning a wage of his own than he was when he’d been at school. It was decided, William could only presume by his father (he never made any of the important decisions about his life, he came to realise), that William would come and live at home, and work there, where Vincent could keep an eye on him, and make sure that he did not neglect his studies altogether. So far, the arrangement has worked acceptably. William spends a lot of time not working, or pretending to work, and his father shouts at him until he does put his head down for an hour or two. It never lasts for long though; William thinks that there’s more to life than having a career, even in a small place like Averyln.
