"Love is a Choice" by Gratiana Lovelace, 3/15/13 (Completed)

Ch. 30 (R-rated)--A Friendship Blossoms into Love, Part 2

"Love is a Choice", Ch. 30 (R-rated)--A Friendship Blossoms into Love, Part 2,    

July 22, 2013 Gratiana Lovelace

(An original story by Gratiana Lovelace; All Rights Reserved)

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story with my dream cast of:  Richard Armitage as Lord Rafe Wingate, Carla Gugino as Lady Katharine Southwick Wingate, Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Plunkett, Lady Violet Henderson as Lady Leonora Wingate, Emilie Francois as Anna Wingate, Mark Strong as Sir Collin MacGregor, Alan Bates as Lord Charles Wingate, Christian Bale as Stuart MacGregor, Daniel Day-Lewis as Sir Antony Southwick, Michelle Pfeiffer as Lady Charmaine Southwick, Catherine Deneuve as Lady Esmѐ Sinclair, Julian Sands as Sir Percival Southwick, Samantha Morton as Lady Lucinda Southwick, Raymond Coulthard as David Harriott, Rosamund Pike as  Fanny Miller, Brendan Coyle as Uncle Miller, Princess Adelaide as herself, Princess Victoria as herself, Kirsten Dunst as Cassandra Hatch, Matthew MacFadyen as Fr. Robert Hatch, and others, etc.]   [Story Logo 1abcd]

Author's Mature Content Note:  "Love is a Choice" is a story of love and romance set in the early to mid 1800's.  I like Regency sensibilities with regard to comedy of manners, but Romantic period modes of dress.   Ha!  As such there will be some passages in this story involving heartfelt love scenes (perhaps some R rated) and some passages involving highly dramatic moments.  I will label the maturity rating of those chapters accordingly.  Otherwise, the general rating for this story is PG or PG-13 due to some mature situations and topics.  If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read the chapters with those labels.  This is my disclaimer. 

Additional Disclaimer: The Wiki and other reference links I cite contain general information merely to indicate that a place, person, or artifact, etc.,  possibly existed.  Though I try to use real locations in England and I make reference to some historically complementary information whenever possible, the fictionalized history that I write about for these towns, towns folks, and areas in my story are mostly figments of my imagination and should not be taken as fact.

Author's Recap from the previous installment:  Lady Katharine Wingate's longtime friend from childhood, Mrs. Cassandra Lowens Hatch, welcomed her late husband's nephew Fr. Robert Hatch as the new vicar of the Maylandsea Parish church in Essex--where Mrs. Hatch returned to her late parents' home to raise her now nine month old daughter Beatrice after her husband died over a year ago.  Cassie was now out of mourning.  And having met Robert briefly when he settled some estate monies on she and Beatrice--and then their cordial Christmas visit and subsequent twice monthly correspondence--Cassie had become quite fond of Robert.  Then the day after Robert arrived at Maylandsea on the first Friday in April 1827, he quite ineptly proposed marriage to Cassie.  And she refused him.  But after he finally conveyed that he truly loved her--and she admitted the same for him--they became engaged.  Their first tentative and tender kisses both delighted and stirred them. Theirs will be the love match that Cassie has always hoped for--her first marriage being arranged for her to a much older man.  And after announceing their betrothal and saying the banns at church on Sunday--with the intention to be married in two weeks when the Bishop comes to install Fr. Robert officially as vicar--Robert and Cassie and Beatrice continue to get to know each other, plan their wedding, and rely on their good friends Lord Rafe and Lady Katharine Wingate to safely shepherd them into the wonders of matrimony and sharetheir insights into having a happy and loving marriage.

"Love is a Choice", Ch. 30 (R rated)--A Friendship Blossoms into Love, Part 2

During the church reception for Fr. Robert Hatch's arrival as the new vicar--and an impromptu engagement reception for he and Mrs. Cassandra Lowens Hatch--Mrs. Black had to take Cassie's nine month old baby Beatrice home to change her since the Maylandsea's Church parish hall has no facilities for mothers and babies. Still at the reception, Cassie chats with Mrs. Smith, the Housekeeper of Seagrove Estate, where Cassie is the Estate Agent for the Lord Rafe and Lady Katharine Wingate--her being lifelong friends with Lady Katharine.  Cassie has had little acquaintanceship in Maylandsea upon her return home over a year ago--what with her time involving caring for  her parents in their illnesses, then her late husband falling ill, and then her being out of public life during her pregnancy.  And it is not as if widowhood is contagious by association, but Cassie has been so focused on her daughter Beatrice that she hardly notices her lack of society.  Only the Agency of managing Seagrove estate has given her an outlet of her own.