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

Ch. 14 (PG): Returning to Her in London

"Encouragement, A Regency Tale of Love and Romance", 
Ch. 14 (PG): Returning to Her in London,November 02, 2016 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #994) 

[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: Christian, Lord Sussex has passed the first hurdle of meeting his hoped for father-in-law when he traveled to Squire Sutton Sinclair's country home Watford Hill. Lord Christian put the question of asking for Lady Madeline Sinclair's hand in marriage before her father. And now he waits for an answer as they return to London.

"Encouragement, A Regency Tale of Love and Romance",
Ch. 14: Returning to Her in London

Whether it is the uneven state of the roads after a night's worth of pounding hail upon the roof eaves above Lord Christian Blount Earl of Sussex's bed in Lady Madeline's father's country home Watford Hill last night, or the inherent unease with which Lord Christian conveys his hoped for future father-in-law Squire Sutton Sinclair to London via his carriage on Saturday February 11th, 1816--though Christian Lord Sussex had just recently traveled this rout the day before in reverse--the three hour journey returning to Town seems to Lord Christian to last an age.

Though they start out at a reasonable hour of 9 o'clock in the morning, they have only reached the first of two posting inns by midday. Traveling these roads is taking half again as long as it should due to the bumpy nature of their conveyance—while though it is well springed, Lord Christian's carriage can not overcome the great deficit of the rutted roadway. At least the hot bricks at their feet and the rugs covering their legs help to keep out February's Winter chill.

So with being jostled so much that Squire Sinclair worries that his teeth might fallout, neither gentleman is able to sleep—the best way to endure travel. And that means that the two gentlemen are forced to converse.

Squire Sinclair: "So Lord Sussex, pray tell me what is the reception that my Madeline is receiving in London?"

Christian, Lord Sussex: "She is making a very favorable impression, Sir." I smile [(2) right] to think of her in London—in all her finery at a ball, poised and ladylike when receiving callers, or sweetly endearing when we have a drattedly well chaperoned outing.

Squire Sinclair: "And do you think that this is due to her personality, or to her dowry?" I narrow my eyes shrewdly. I am aware what young men of the Ton look for in a wife—including the young man before me.

Christian, Lord Sussex: "To be honest, both. Before I dared hope that Lady Madeline might look upon me with favor for my suit, we had established an easy friendship. And we would discuss and dissect our various dance partners for their merit and skill. Not surprisingly, Lady Madeline gave less weight to their dancing skill than to her belief in their ability or inability to make interesting conversation."