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

Ch. 34: Anna's Coming Out Ball

“Love is a Choice”, Ch. 34:  Anna’s Coming Out Ball, August 12, 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 the child Anna Wingate and Samantha Mathis as the young lady 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, King William IV and Queen Adelaide as themselves, Princess Victoria as herself, Kirsten Dunst as Cassandra Hatch, Matthew MacFadyen as Fr. Robert Hatch, Dominic Cooper as Algernon Percy Lord Lovaine, Rose Byrne a Lady Marjorie, 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:  The now sixteen year old Baroness Anna Wingate attended her first coming out ball of the 1831 London Season last week--for her friend Lady Marjorie’s ball. Nineteen year old Stuart MacGregor had been romantically distracted from Anna for a time his last year at Eton by his secret crush on a comely stage actress--his lack of monthly letters annoying Anna--but he is now a new Cadet in Training and hopes to win her favor in his new uniform.  However, David Harriott--Stuart’s senior by four years in in age and a new Lieutenant--is more skilled and polished. And David is also interested in Baroness Anna.  And Lady Leonora confided to Queen Adelaide that the responses to Anna’s ball this week have been slow to come. So a few hints that she and King William will attend to a select few is hoped to swell the numbers at Anna’s coming out ball to 100. Time will tell if either of these young men--Stuart or David--or someone else--wins Anna’s hand in marriage.

“Love is a Choice”, Ch. 34:  Anna’s Coming Out Ball

Anna Wingate, Baroness of Warwick, stands dutifully in the receiving line for her coming out ball this Friday evening in mid April 1831.   Her gown is of the finest pale pink silk organza over pale pink satin--with delicate gold lace and embroidery trimmings around the bodice and down the front over skirting, finished off by long white kid gloves [(2) right].   Anna looks resplendent  in her gown--like a princess--befitting the daughter of a Lord, the granddaughter ofa Marquess, and a Baroness in her own right.