Good Time Society Headquarters

The old villa on the hill of Honeywell is not easily overlooked. Even from the lower harbour district, the glimmering white of its façades can be seen through the masts and rigging of Bridgeport's ships, as though the building itself were quietly watching over the bay with arched windows for eyes. By daylight it wears the air of a refined country residence, the sort favoured by noblewomen with titles and too much time (and money). By night its lights burn late and low, the garden fills with laughter, and rumours slip into the city like smoke through a keyhole.  

The Estate

The headquarters of the Good Time Society sits on a gentle rise overlooking the port, its walls of polished white plaster framed by elegant grey pilasters, and its roof topped with a modest cupola like the crown of a fashionable matron. A tall iron gate marks the entrance at the lane, its scrollwork entwined with flowering rose vines that perfume the air with a soft, honeyed scent. A high hedge of rosebushes encircles the entire plot, a living wall thick enough to block prying eyes and most careless ears. Within its enclosure, the gardens are a deliberate balance of beauty and discretion.   A fountain stands at the centre of the front garden, its basin carved with cherubic figures whose blank faces wear permanent, knowing smiles. A narrow stone path meanders from the gate past the fountain, looping through fruit trees, pergolas wrapped in wisteria, and statues half-hidden behind carefully placed shrubs. There is a small pond crossed by walking stones, used as often for midnight dares as for meditative strolls, and wide patches of open lawn suitable for fencing practice, picnics, or games of a more suggestive variety.   The villa itself rises two floors above ground, with a well-kept attic tucked beneath its mansard roof. The lower floor hosts airy salons with high ceilings and tall windows that open onto the gardens. Rooms are furnished with comfortable chairs, soft carpets, and just enough gilt to signal wealth without vulgarity. The upper floor contains private chambers, lecture rooms, a music room, and an opulent parlour with its own balcony. The basement, though seldom mentioned, holds a network of smaller rooms with a decidedly more clandestine character, where the Society's "more exclusive entertainments" take place well away from accidental eyes.  

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