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

Ch. 17 (PG): Supper Tete a Tetes at Lady Lizzie's Ball

"Encouragement, A Regency Tale of Love and Romance", Ch. 17 (PG): Supper Tete a Tetes at Lady Lizzie's Ball,

November 18, 2016 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #1002) 

(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, Jessica Brown Findlay 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: Lady Elizabeth Blount's presentation ball at her family's mansion Sussex House in London begins spectacularly. And several old family friends such as the Forsytes attend and pay homage to Lady Lizzie. Yet it is the mesmerizing Duncan the Viscount Lindsay who captivates Lady Lizzie. And with Lady Lizzie's brother Lord Christian's wedding imminent, Lady Lizzie and his intended Lady Madeline have a girlish and revealing talk about kissing and such-- that unbeknownst to them, Lord Christian eavesdropped on. But the night is young and there are still many delights and intrigues to come this night at Lady Lizzie's Presentation Ball on Friday February 16, 1816.

"Encouragement, A Regency Tale of Love and Romance"—Ch. 17 (PG): Supper Tete a Tetes at Lady Lizzie's Ball

As previously requested, Lord Duncan the Viscount Lindsay escorts Lady Elizabeth Blount into the first sitting of Lady Lizzie's Presentation Ball's Supper Room in Sussex House—which is actually an adjacent Music Room to the Ballroom. So the sounds of the orchestra playing for the dancers in the Ballroom wafts into the room as romantic strains of waltzes caress the individuals at supper.

Lady Lizzie's brother Lord Christian Blount the Earl of Sussex escorts his betrothed Lady Madeline Sinclair into supper. There are several round tables arranged discreetly apart in the large supper room--for their guests and close friends to enjoy their refreshments and more private conversations. The silver candelabras at each table create a soft glow in the room, such that there is an intimacy felt, even though there are over fifty people in the room at any given time.

All eyes are on Lady Lizzie and Lady Madeline. For the former is making her come out in hopes of finding a husband—whom Lady Lizzie would wish to be Lord Duncan. And the latter Lady Madeline has found a husband to be in Lord Christian the Earl of Sussex—but she is still very young at not quite eight and ten years to become a wife in one week's time. Though, she will turn eighteen during their wedding trip in March 1816.

Looking elegantly serene, Lady Madeline's gown is of the darkest brown-burgundy wine color silk organza edged with a wide beaded collar trim [(2) right] . She accessorizes with a delicate but impressive diamond wreath pendant necklace with matching earrings—an early wedding present from her Grandmama Lady Lucretia Beckham Knott, from Lady Knott's Beckham Family jewels. And Lady Madeline's sky blue eyes and pomegranate red lips are complemented by her translucent pale skin.