Bartholomew Chambers

Bartholomew Chambers, a character in the Desire & Decorum series, is part of the ton. Although he is first mentioned in Book 1, Chapter 3, he makes his first appearance in Book 1, Chapter 6.

Appearance
Mr. Chambers has fair skin, green eyes, and dark brown curly hair. He keeps himself clean-shaven. He is shown wearing a gray short-fronted tail coat, a purple waistcoat, over a white linen shirt and intricately tied white linen neck cloth.

Personality
Bartholomew Chambers is polite, friendly and kind. However, it is quickly foretold that he prefers the company of men, making him ineligible to pursue as a love interest.

Book 1

 * Chapter 3: Threading the Needle (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 6: An Intimate Affair
 * Chapter 8: Ill Repute
 * Chapter 10: On Your Marks
 * Chapter 13: A Better Place
 * Chapter 15: A Cut Above
 * Chapter 16: Season's End

Book 2

 * Chapter 1: Betrothal & Betrayal
 * Chapter 2: A Royal Introduction
 * Chapter 6: A New Set of Rules
 * Chapter 7: Moonlit Deception
 * Chapter 8: Hunt Or Be Hunted
 * Chapter 11: A New Horizon
 * Chapter 13: Changing Tides
 * Chapter 15: Eye of the Storm

Book 3

 * Chapter 1: Family Matters
 * Chapter 4: Sugar & Spice
 * Chapter 5: Double Trouble
 * Chapter 7: London Calling (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 8: The Price of the Past (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 9: Fifth Time's the Charm
 * Chapter 10: By Royal Appointment (Mentioned; Determinant)
 * Chapter 11: The Game is Afoot (Mentioned; Determinant)
 * Chapter 13: Love and War
 * Chapter 14: Anticipation
 * Chapter 15: With This Ring
 * Chapter 16: A Joyous Union
 * Chapter 17: Wife or Death
 * Chapter 18: 1817

Desire & Decorum: First Winter

 * Chapter 1: Deck the Halls (Offscreen; Physical Appearance Determinant)
 * Chapter 2: All I Want for Christmas
 * Chapter 3: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
 * Chapter 4: Sleigh Ride

Your Character
Mr. Chambers is friendly with your character from the very beginning. Although you meet him in the sixth chapter of Book 1, you do not get the chance to converse much with him as Duke Richards commandeers his seat. You can encounter him again in the eighth chapter if you choose to accompany Arthur Woods and Briar Daly in their letter deliveries, where you are greeted at his residence by Yusuf Konevi. You witness a secret kiss between Chambers and Konevi in the tenth chapter, but assure them to keep their relationship a secret. In Chapter 13, he tells you that your late father was one of the first people who helped him navigate this society and that he is forever indebted to him. In Chapter 15, if you can show him that you are an excellent dancer, he will believe you to be a proper lady. In the final chapter of Book 1, he proves himself to be an ally by proposing a marriage of convenience to claim Edgewater as your own. If you choose to declare your love to Luke Harper or Annabelle Parsons in the finale, you will be forced to accept Mr. Chambers' offer as marrying below your rank or someone of the same gender is impossible to secure your future.

In Book 2, Chapter 1, he tends to you after you have fainted from the news of your engagement to Duke Richards. In Chapter 6, he acts as a messenger for Mr. Sinclaire when he visits Edgewater. In Chapter 11, he writes you when you're in Bath and sends you a premium dress should you choose to wear it. In Chapter 16, he will congratulate you on your success of ending your engagement to Mr. Richards, and will remind you his offer of marriage still stands. While you no longer need the arrangement for Sir Luke once he is knighted (and earning a title that makes him eligible for marriage), you will have to accept the proposal should you decide to pick Miss Parsons as your one true love.

Yusuf Konevi
Mr. Konevi and Mr. Chambers are revealed to be lovers in Book 1, Chapter 10, when you witnessed them kissing passionately. However, as revealed by Prince Hamid in Chapter 15, Mr. Konevi has difficulties finding employment and if you don't employ him, he will leave for the Ottoman Empire and they will only be able to stay in contact via letters. In that case, you will witness how Prince Hamid delivers a message to Mr. Chambers from him in Book 2, Chapter 7, saying that he will write a letter as soon as he arrives. They will then only see each other again in the middle of Book 3, when Mr. Konevi comes back to England together with Madam Raisa. They later ask Your Character to officiate at their wedding and in Book 3, Chapter 18, Yusuf gets him a cat before they decide on children.

Prince Hamid
Hamid is fully aware of the secret relationship Chambers has with Konevi, as he is Konevi's confidant. He is more than happy to see their relationship stay intact and suggests that Konevi works as your main character's barrister to keep him employed in England.

If you didn't employ Mr. Konevi in Book 1, in Book 2, Chapter 7, you will overhear a conversation between them: Prince Hamid saw Mr. Konevi at the docks and delivers a message from him. Prince Hamid also offers to help Mr. Chambers find an excuse, should he wish to travel to the Ottoman Empire to see him. Mr. Chambers will reply that he is ever in his debt.

Duke Richards
The Duke is the only character brazen enough to openly mock Mr. Chambers for his sexuality in public. This first happens when you initially meet him in Book 1, Chapter 6, then again in Book 2, Chapter 6.

Trivia

 * He shares the same forename as Bartholomew Pierce, a character from the Rules of Engagement series.
 * When the ladies gossip in the sewing circle of the third chapter of Book 1, they speak of a man named Mr. Byrd that used to accompany Bartholomew frequently. One could speculate that Mr. Byrd was a former lover of Bartholomew's after his sexuality is revealed.
 * When Dominique describes your potential suitors to you, she mentions that he has an annual income of £2,000.
 * He has a passion for ornithology. In the premium scene of Book 2, Chapter 8, he identifies an albino ptarmigan.
 * A few years before the events of Desire & Decorum, Book 2, he was nearly forced into an unwanted engagement. Turning it down cost him a great deal, but he believes it was worth it, to avoid an antagonistic union. He describes his fiancée as selfish, pushy, and entitled to him.
 * The name Bartholomew is of Aramaic and English origin, which means: Son of Talmai, rich in land, furrows, mound, hill. Talmai is the Aramaic version of the Greek name Ptolemy (which means "warlike" or "aggressive").