"N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons", by Gratiana Lovelace (2013-2014) (Done)

Ch. 49 (PG): Fanny's Birthday Surprises

“N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons”, Ch. 49 (PG):  Fanny’s Birthday Surprises, April 21, 2014 Gratiana Lovela

(An original fa fiction copyrighted by Gratiana Lovelace;   All rights reserved; Based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novel, North & South and its  2004 BBC adaptation; No copyright infringement intended 

[I will illustrate my story using my dream cast from the 2004 BBC production of “North & South” and other actors for additional characters:   Richar Armitage for John Thornton, Daniela Denby-Ashe for Margaret Hale, Lesley Manville for Mrs. Maria Hale,  Tim Pigott-Smith for Mr. Richard Hale, Sinead Cusack for Mrs. Hannah Thornton, Jo Joyner for Fanny Thornton, Brendan Coyle for Nicholas Higgins, Graham McTavish as Dr. Cameron Ogilvy, Holliday Grainger for Angharad Ogilvy MacIntosh, Simon Woods for Baird Ogilvy, and Emma Ashton as Mrs. Dillard, John Light as Henry Lennox, Tim Faraday as Watson, Gillian Anderson at Carlotta Quint Watson, and Jeremy Northam as Dr. Miles Houghton, etc]   [(1) story logo]

Author’s Mature Content Note:  “N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons” is a story with mature themes of love and relationships set within a period drama of the 1850’s and beyond.  As such there will be heartfelt moments of love and sensuality (S)--as well as other dramatic emotions, including some violence (V)--and I will rate those chapters accordingly.  If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read that chapter.  This is my disclaimer.

Author’s Recap from the previous chapter:  With Baird’s firm losing their capital murder court case--and needing to mount and immediate stay of execution, pending appeal--Baird and Fanny decided to delay their wedding by one week.  So they will not be married on Fanny’s twenty-first birthday of April 19th, 1851.  But they plan to wed the following Saturday, April 26th in Milton.  However, Baird will be hanged if he will stay away from his beloved Fiona on her birthday.

“N&S: John Thornton, Love Lessons”, Ch. 49 (PG):  Fanny’s Birthday Surprises 

Saturday, April 19th, 1851--Fanny Thornton’s birthday--was also to have been her and Baird Ogilvy’s wedding day.  But his law firm's capital murder case--and Fanny’s desire for more time to create a lovely wedding gown--necessitated a week’s delay.   Fanny had also written to Baird’s sister in London, Angharad Ogilvy MacIntosh, about possibly borrowing one of her ball gowns for her wedding gown--since Angharad has more formal evening gowns that she wears to various balls and dinners as befitting her social standing in London. 

Instead of a servant traveling by train to Milton with a gown from Angharad for Fanny to borrow, Baird acts as the courier to surprise Fanny upon the occasion of her twenty-first birthday.  Fanny had also cheekily asked Angharad if she might have a tiara that she can let her wear for her wedding.  And this point was a further reminder to Baird that Fanny quite likes the idea of his Scottish titles--and her being the Countess of Airlie one day. Baird does not know why Fanny’s interest in titles irks him so still--it just does.  And after proposing to her twice now, Baird will try to keep engaged long enough to Fanny so as not to require a third proposal of marriage.   Hmmm.

Though Baird should be an old hand at proposing by now, he does think that not any man on Earth has had to endure such tribulations before his wedding day as he has with his Fiona.  Poor Baird, if he only knew. A wedding is not an ending of tribulations.  But rather, a marriage is the beginning of a lifelong commitment to holding fast together in the bad times, in between the good times.

So when Baird surprises Fiona at his Father Cameron’s and Stepmother Hannah’s Milton home with Angharad’s gown at her Saturday Birthday Family Luncheon, the happy surprise of Baird’s presence does not necessarily go as planned.