Beginnings Beyond Endings (A Sanditon Fanfiction)

Midnight on May Day

Hello lovely readers!

I'm planning to make new cover for this story and thought I'd look to you for a little extra inspiration. I have a few ideas of how I want the new cover to look but I have 2 questions for you:  

If you had to pick one object that reflects this story so far, what would it be?

Do you feel the current title works? 

I have a few reservations about it. I intially picked it because I don't like my stories not to have titles and it seemed good enough at the time. But now, even though it's technically still accurate, there's just something about it that doesn't sit right with me. I've considered Butter Biscuits at Berkeley Square which is one of the chapter titles...

Comment and let me know your thoughts!

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The preparations for Esther's May Day ball were well underway when Charlotte arrived the next afternoon with her sister several hours before the ball was set to start at her friend's insistence. Charlotte and Madelaine had been invited to prepare for the evening at the Babington's townhouse by Lord Babington with the purpose of managing his wife's anxiety and preventing her from overtaxing her energy before the guests even began to arrive.

The two women had bathed cleansed themselves earlier that afternoon so as not to add to the demands being placed on the household staff that day as they went about clearing out a series of the downstairs rooms, opening out partition walls and windows to allow air to circulate and arranging flowers and decorations as befitting a May Day celebration. Much of the larger furniture and valuables had been removed to storage below stairs or deposited in the unused chambers on the family and guest floors.

Alyona had accompanied the pair and would coordinate with Esther's own maid, Lucy, in supporting their mistresses to ready themselves for the night. Madelaine and Charlotte's gowns had been carefully stored in lightweight trunk which was transported with them in the carriage.

Madelaine would wear a jewel-toned green silk gown with a sheer embroidered overskirt and cream velvet trimmings on the bust and sleeves. Madelaine considered it fortunate that she already possessed a lovely pair of cream slippers and soft gloves to pair with it. They would be well complemented by the silver and emerald pendant and drop earrings her husband had gifted her a few days previously upon learning that she was increasing.

Charlotte had elected to wear one of the gowns she had decided against for her first Almack's Assembly; the one of pale golden silk fading into prominent honey and amber then black floral embroidery and broderie anglaise patterning towards the hem of the skirt with tiny seed pearls sewn in the slightly puffed cap sleeves. The gown had been specially commissioned the previous summer as one of many she had taken with her to Russia but had as yet gone unworn and this meant it had already been paired with elegant dancing slippers and a well matched cloak and shawl.

She intended to adorn herself simply that evening with only an amber cameo with a drop pearl choker strung on a thick black ribbon and a pair of amber and pearl earrings that she had inherited from her aunt. The colours would go wonderfully with her gown and she was pleased to have saved it for this evening for it was much better suited to a ball than an assembly.

The carriage the two women travelled in traversed the streets with ease to deliver them at Grosvenor Square in good time. Stepping down from the carriage they were greeted at the door by the Babington's butler who, if a little more outwardly rumpled than usual, was austere as ever he had been and guided them with efficiency to the mistress' chambers having been given strict instructions by the master that they were to be taken to his wife immediately upon arrival that they might sooner distract her from her need to control everything.