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

Ch. 3 (PG, D): Lady Madeline's Presentation Ball

"Encouragement, A Regency Tale of Love and Romance",
Ch. 3 (PG, D): Lady Madeline's Presentation Ball,
September 12, 2016 Gratiana Lovelace (Post #967)

(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 Knott, 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: What started out to be an awkward introduction between Lord Christian Blount's avowedly shy younger sister Lady Lizzie Blount and the spitfire Lady Madeline Sinclair, transformed into girlish giggles as Lady Madeline deftly steered Lady Lizzie's focus onto her eldest brother Lord Christian—in the form of teasing him for the ices cup episode and his pridefulness about his height and his pleasing handsomeness. Lord Christian silently fumes in indignation. But after a few moments of reflection when the girls leave his side, Lord Christian smiles--as an altogether devious notion enters his mind. He will show them--especially that little Sinclair chit, no matter how divertingly feisty she is. And so Lord Christian silently vows to return the favor of teasing Lady Madeline.

"Encouragement, A Regency Tale of Love and Romance", Ch. 3 (PG, D): Lady Madeline's Presentation Ball (revised)

 After detailed planning and organization by her Grandmama Lady Lucretia Beckham Knott that even a general would admire, the night of her granddaughter Lady Madeline Sinclair's London Presentation Ball for her debut into society that arrives but one week later on Friday, the 2nd of February 1816.

Lady Madeline's initial presentation ball gown choice is of the finest ivory silk organza with small pink rosettes and green vines delicately embroidered with slim gold braid piping on the square neckline and puffed sleeve cuffs of her gown [(2 right]. The exquisite embroidery being so restrained and elegant as to require the admirer to be within two feet of her to truly appreciate the fine detailing of it. However, Lady Madeline decided that this enchantingly beautiful gown that her Grandmama commissioned for her, would be saved to be her wedding gown—assuming she finds a loving husband—once a matching ivory silk organza train with similar embroidered detailing is added to it. 

And instead, Lady Madeline wears to her presentation ball, a gown whose choice is a sentimental one—her late Mama's presentation ball gown from twenty five years prior. The lovingly preserved and more restrainedly adorned yet still elegant silk taffeta gown the color of pomegranate pink is almost completely without the usual embellishments of tassels and other extensive fripperies that often distract and detract from the wearer. Instead, a narrowly delicate trim of lace edges the gown's sweetheart neckline enhances Lady Madeline's youthful beauty--as shown in the portrait her Grandmama had commissioned of Lady Madeline in her late Mama's gown when Lady Madeline arrived to stay with her [(3) right].

Similarly for her presentation ball, Lady Madeline's hair is simply coiffed, as in her portrait, with her luxuriant auburn tresses softly caressed by a silver thread trimmed blue silk ribbon that affixes to a small bun at the back of her crown, but still allows her riotous auburn curls to cascade down her back. It is a romantic and classic look for this young beauty. Her flawlessly creamy complexion with nary a freckle in sight is envied by others. So careful is she to stay out of the sun, that Lady Madeline eschews powder--for she does not need it.