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

Ch. 6 (PG-L): Morning Brings Clarity

"Encouragement, A Regency Tale of Love and Romance", Ch. 6 (PG-L): Morning Brings Clarity, September 24, 2016 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #973) 

(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: Emma Hamilton as Lady Madeline Sinclair, Richard Armitage as Lord Christian Blount Earl of Sussex, Maggie Smith as Lady Lucretia Beckham Knott, Crispin Bonham-Carter as Lord Harold Blount, 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 Madeline's second dance with Lord Christian at her presentation ball was to be a waltz. But it did not happen because Lord Christian had two drinks of champagne that made him drunk—since he is unused to drinking alcohol—and he said and did some things to Lady Madeline that were indelicate, boorish, and rude. Lord Christian's silent excuse for over imbibing—though others would not have been so affected by only two drinks—was that he was annoyed at his younger brother Lord Harold for offering for Lady Madeline's hand in marriage—making it clear that her sizable dowry could help renovate his country manor. Lord Christian worries that his brother has tarnished Lady Madeline's good opinion of himself and their family with his avarice on display. Although weaving drunk and treating Lady Madeline like a little girl—as he called her—did not endear Lord Christian to her either. Yet, somehow, Lady Madeline managed to convince Lord Christian to go home and rest, and that she would seek her waltz in a visit the following day, a Saturday.

"Encouragement, A Regency Tale of Love and Romance", Ch. 6: Morning brings clarity

With getting to bed so late Friday evening into Saturday—or early at 4 o'clock in the morning, Lady Madeline might be excused for sleeping in until 9 o'clock this Saturday morning February 3, 1816 after her ball. But her Grandmama Lady Lucretia Beckham Knott will not allow her granddaughter to lie abed any longer. They must eat breakfast, refuse morning callers, and then set out for Sussex House so Lord Christian may honor his promised waltz to Lady Madeline—and for him to hopefully apologize, thinks Lady Knott.

But first, the young lady in question still tries to let sleep claim her as her ladies maid enters her bed chamber and throws back the drapes to let in the morning sun. Lady Madeline responds by burrowing deeper under her covers. Her ladies maid knows that getting Lady Madeline in a fit state to take breakfast with her grandmama down stairs will be no less than a miracle—for the poor girl is exhausted from her previous evening's presentation ball.

Yet the ever resourceful ladies maid, places a silver tray with the cards upon it and several pretty posey nosegay's on Lady Madeline's seated dressing vanity in her eyeline, whilst a trio of other maids bring in a tub and fill Lady Madeline's bath with rose scented waters. The final enticement is a steaming cup of hot chocolate-to warm Lady Madeline this cold wintry morning in early February.

Lady Madeline pushes down her soft satin comforter and sits up upon her pillows in her heavy and warm night gown—holding out her hands for her mug of hot chocolate like a little girl seeking a treat.. Her ladies maid Anne Trask—transferred with her baby sister to London with Lady Madeline for the season--dutifully complies and the morning toilette begins.

 A quick but soothing warm bath begins Lady Madeline's day—but not washing her hair because it would take hours to dry and they are due at Sussex House at 11:00am. Besides, her voluminous auburn tresses had a thorough washing yesterday morning prior to last evening's presentation ball. So instead, Lady Madeline's hair receives a thorough brushing that brings its tousled waves to a gleaming luster. So Lady Madeline elects to leave most of her hair down—but for a decorative ribbon.