"Encouragement" (Book 1), by Gratiana Lovelace, 2016 (Completed)

Ch. 16 (PG-13, L): Revelations at Lady Lizzie's Ball

"Encouragement, A Regency Tale of Love and Romance", Ch. 16 (PG-13, L):  Revelations at Lady Lizzie's Ball,  November 12, 2016 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #999) 

(An original Regency romance copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace; all rights reserved) [(1) story cover, left]

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story characters with: Richard Armitage as Lord Christian Blount Earl of Sussex, Kate Winslet and Emma Lady Hamilton as Lady Madeline Lucretia Sinclair, Dame Maggie Smith as Lady Lucretia Beckham Knott, Polly Mabrey as Lady Elizabeth Blount, Crispin Bonham-Carter as Lord Harold Blount, Dame Judi Dench as Lady Catherine Blount the Dowager Countess of Sussex, Rupert Penry Jones as Lord Duncan the Viscount Lindsay, Corin Redgrave as Squire Sutton Sinclair, Amanda Root as Mrs. Russell, and others as noted.]

Authors Content Note: "Encouragement" is a frothy love story with sometimes humorous and sometimes dramatic themes of love and relationships. It will mostly be at the PG and PG-13 movie levels. Specific chapters or passages may have a further rating of: D for dramatic emotions, and LS for love scenes that are tenderly sensuous and not explicit. And I will rate the chapters accordingly. If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide for a chapter, then please do not read that chapter. This is my disclaimer. And as is my habit, I will summarize the previous chapter's events at the beginning of each chapter.

Author's recap from the previous chapter: After much frantic searching through the family vaults at Sussex House in London, Lord Christian Blount's Grandmother Dowager Countess of Sussex produced a smallish jewelry box containing two layers of dainty and elegant betrothal rings. Lady Madeline narrowed it down to two rings that she liked, and then allowed Lord Christian to decide with ring to give her. And in the end, it was a lovely one carat round diamond in a gold filigree band setting that became Lady Madeline's betrothal ring from Lord Christian.

"Encouragement"—Ch. 16 (PG-13, L): Revelations at Lady Lizzie's Ball

Sussex House in London is ablaze the evening of Friday, February 16, 1816 with candles and filled with fragrant flowers to mark the occasion of my sister Lady Elizabeth Lizzie Blount's Presentation ball. The mansion's beauty and elegance stuns even Lord Christian Earl of Sussex as he ruminates about several matters.

I have never seen the place look so alive and elegant—since our straitened family finances have previously curtailed our entertaining for many years. But with my marriage to Lady Madeline Sinclair next Friday, our credit with tradesmen is suddenly good again. It seems that good news about impending dowries travels apace of even the most speedy of news gathering organizations via the usual informal networks of gossips—due to the ladies of the Ton and the dandified fops who attend upon them.

With our wedding announcement being provided to the papers and published two days prior on Wednesday—notes of congratulations have streamed in to Sussex House. My Grandmother Lady Catherine, the Dowager Countess of Sussex, is elated. How do I know this from her famously implacable countenance? Why, it is due to my otherwise amusingly stingy Grandmother's ordering of extra coals to be ordered for Sussex House to heat the bed chambers and public areas for peer and servant alike—not to mention the expensive beeswax candles everywhere. And as my sister Lady Lizzie predicted, Lady Madeline and I have proven to be quite the popular couple at Lizzie's presentation ball on Friday night.

And now, the cream of London society waits in the queue to be received by myself with my sister Lady Elizabeth and my betrothed Lady Madeline standing on either side of me. I bow and they curtsy as each guest contingent arrives. The girls behave impeccably as we greet our guests, and I am a proud brother and husband to be. I am particularly pleased that many old family friends are in attendance as an elderly couple of long acquaintance and friendship make their way to us.