Post by MISS CHARLOTTE DELAFORD on May 25, 2013 2:22:37 GMT -5
MISS CHARLOTTE DELAFORD
FULL NAME AND TITLE: Miss Charlotte Delaford
GOES BY: Miss Charlotte, Lotte (a childhood nickname that very few employ).
AGE: 24
CLASS: Landed Gentry
OCCUPATION: Socialite
POSITION IN FAMILY: Second Daughter
FINANCES: £20 000 (Dowry paid out at £1200 a year with 5% interest.)
FACE CLAIM: Rosamund Pike
EYE COLOR: Blue
HAIR COLOR: Blonde
HEIGHT AND BUILD: 5’2”, Slender
DESCRIPTION:
Charlotte is possibly the more striking of her sisters, having inherited her mother’s blonde hair and deep blue eyes and not her father’s darker features. Those eyes usually speak volumes of the emotions that are churning within her and are, perhaps, her most frustrating feature in that regard. Although she sometimes desperately tries to hide much of what she is feeling, she rarely accomplishes this, especially in the company of those who are well-acquainted with her.
The rest of her features are irritatingly delicate – since delicacy seems to suggest a weakness of spirit that she cannot abide - and well-defined, though some of the neighbourhood gossips have commented that she looks quite thin, which is really not ideal in a young woman of marriageable age. Her mother has often commented that she is very pretty in the face and should use it to her advantage, which Charlotte naturally detests.
Her posture is that of a well-bred, well-taught young woman and when it comes to clothing, Charlotte herself will admit to a terrible weakness. She is fashionable to a fault and takes great delight in purchasing much to compliment her wardrobe. (Madame Lanchester tends to be her modiste of choice and the expense has often been of concern to her father in terms of her making a match.) Her hair is always carefully styled.
PERSONALITY:
Charlotte Delaford wants, in every way, to be of the persuasion of the modern woman. She is headstrong and independent; fighting marriage-for-the-sake-of-it all the way through what she herself calls ‘The Cattle Years’ of marriageable age. This should not confuse the reader into considering her cold, indeed she is openly social, but tends much more towards befriending the Ton than marrying it. She is far more interested in experiencing as much as she can of the world while she is in it and cannot be persuaded to allow herself to be locked into the parlor rooms of married society merely because it is expected.
She takes great delight in the arts and music, particularly in the study of the pianoforte and the voice. It is her greatest delight to play, but away from prying eyes. Music is her own and she dislikes performing intently, another example of the cattle parade, she has determined. She does not like to be on show in any way that might be expected, - though centering the attention around herself for reasons other than her eligibility is perfectly acceptable to her – and she prefers to allow her other sisters the traditional limelight. If Charlotte does something, it is for herself, not for others. This must not give the idea that she is totally selfish, she is simply not a display case. She cares quite deeply for those around her and those in need of her, even if it takes a bit to shine through.
On the other hand, she is not above meddling in the affairs of others for a bit of fun. Indeed, she considers herself a little above the company and infinitely smarter than much of it. This is her greatest downfall in many ways. Unsurprisingly and as a direct result of this pride, while she sometimes naively loathes the influence of wealth in society, she doesn’t always recognize her privilege in it. Whatever influence she suspects herself of having, she quickly attributes to the superiority of her opinions and the importance of her point of view. For this reason, she is a keen believer in ‘schemes’ designed to bring others together or drive them apart. In this way, she is inclined to ‘experiment’ with the society around her, which she finds rather diverting. She takes a distinct joy in arranging the affairs of her younger sister, Imogen.
CHARACTER GOAL OR CONFLICT:
Modernity: Charlotte is after the slightly illusive idea of being a ‘modern woman’, thinking that to be free of the traditionalism expected of her station might throw off that which is ailing her. Of course, while this conscious (and somewhat erroneous) goal is what she expounds, it covers over the far more pertinent desire beneath it to be simply loved and understood as she is.
MAJOR FLAW:
Fear of becoming like her sister: while Charlotte is convinced that she will rid herself of all that is uncomfortable in her life by avoiding Maria’s choices (which she views as traditionalism), the fact of the matter is that she is fashioning an artificial (modern) second self to do so, which lies in direct contrast to her want to be exactly herself and appreciated for it.
MINOR FLAWS:
Headstrong, stubborn (prone especially to clinging to hastily –and sometimes ill- formed opinions), afraid of commitment (based on her rather poor understanding of it), not easily given to selflessness, meddlesome, superior, prone to overvaluing of her own intelligence and sometimes blind to the blessings of her place in life.
STRENGTHS:
Independent, loves new experiences, adventurous, self-motivated and deeply caring.
RESIDENCE:
Hadleigh Court, Hertfordshire
FAMILY MEMBERS:
Mr Henry William Delaford (Father),
Mrs Anne Charlotte Delaford (nee Wick) (Mother),
Mrs Maria Anne Lockwood (29 – Older Sister),
Mr James Edward Delaford (27 – Older Brother),
Miss Imogen Christine Delaford (19 – Younger Sister),
Mr Daniel Simon Lockwood (34 - by marriage).
HISTORY:
Birth into a wealthy family is of every advantage. Birth as a female into the middle of a wealthy family, to Charlotte, was even more so. She was not so important as her brother to be spied upon daily, nor so strategically placed as her elder sister to be wed immediately to great advantage. She was suitably and happily rather ignored. Certainly her father ensured that she had everything a young girl desired and his role in her life was more than she will ever be inclined to acknowledge, even to herself, in her independent mindset.
She had every kind of lesson as a child; equestrian training, vocal and musical training, training in embroidery (not her favourite pastime), archery and painting were amongst the many that she endeavoured to perfect, but it was music that became her first love. She grew up in her own mind, observing society rather than really participating in it. She determined that she would always be real in a world incessant with falseness. (Of course, her wealth allowed her this, making her more a part of the hierarchy than she realized.)
This vow has made Charlotte somewhat an emotional person, always outward and refusing to silence her own, sometimes cutting, commentary on the world. Inevitably, this drove a wedge between her and her older sister when Maria chose to marry a man who was wealthy, but – to Charlotte’s mind – utterly detestable. Charlotte was unceasingly unkind to her sister’s husband and the relationship with the Lockwoods remains emotionally distant. Her brother James, however, finds her incredibly amusing and the pair are very close. As are she and her younger sister, although it is a more unequal relationship, with Charlotte dominating her sister’s opinions and lifestyle. It cannot last this way inevitably.
Her relationship with her parents is long-suffering, the pair having realised the relative difficulty of their daughter ever making a match. They do, however, love their daughter dearly and encourage her in many of her socially acceptable schemes. Charlotte now spends her time entertaining herself as well as mixing heavily in society for the sheer joy of observation, critique and manipulation with the occasional, but pointed, prod of her mother towards some eligible beaux or other.
YOUR NAME: Mdme Butterfly
YOUR AGE: 24
YOUR RP EXPERIENCE: 9 Years
YOUR SAMPLE:
The purchase of a good horse on behalf of the women of his household is as much a gentleman’s duty to their good health as his provision of both sustenance and hearth. It was for this reason that Charlotte Delaford was so profoundly determined to be the one to choose her own mount when her thoroughbred mare had reached an age sufficient to warrant her father’s concern at working her too hard, since Charlotte was an avid horsewoman. Her father had expressed no small level of discontent with her statement of such determination, but had learned that it was unwise to challenge Charlotte’s desires on the values of ‘good society’. Charlotte had declared that it was utter nonsense that a woman should be denied the opportunity of choosing the animal that would be the companion of her daily exercise on the grounds of her being too female to be considered well-educated enough to do’t.
While Charlotte was neither insolent, nor petulant when it come to these discussions, as she loved her father dearly, she was inclined to grow heated on issues she believed to be of great importance. The issue of steed, proved to be such an one as to bring about that bluntness of comment that Maria had so often declared ‘insupportable for a young lady of Charlotte’s position’. The inclusion of the word ‘young’ in her estimation almost as upsetting to Charlotte as the dictates of the propriety of a ‘lady’. She could ill bare it. Had her father drawn for her a line, however dissatisfied, she would have respected it, but Mr Delaford had grown into the habit on smaller matters of indulging his daughter in hopes that it would curtail her somewhat independent nature to matters of smaller consequence.
Thus, on a suggestion from James, once he had declared in all good humour and with an amused smile, that he could bare such ‘politics’ no longer, that he accompany his sister into town to purchase the steed, Charlotte’s father was inclined to agree that such an indulgence could do little harm. Charlotte, content that she had won some small victory on the matter, assented to the chaperone and welcomed the opportunity to spend the day with a much beloved brother. They settled on Tuesday the 2nd of March as the day of the outing, as James had determined that his business on arriving in London from Hertfordshire would then be concluded and he would have time to spare in the endeavor.
It was, therefore, on that morning that the pair set out from the family home on Bedford Square and made their way to Tattersalls’s Horse Auctions. The atmosphere quite exceeded Charlotte’s expectations and she found herself in good spirits as she and James approached the yards for inspection of the animals on sale. She knew enough about horses to know which would be best suited to her and trusted her brother’s judgment enough to be sufficiently confident that they would not be too severely mishandled by the sellers. She had already seen two or three animals that would do her well in her country riding, but had not yet settled it with herself that she could replace the company she had kept with her older mount.
”I cannot see any that would ride with so well a temperament as dear Adelaide,” she commented to her brother sentimentally after turning up her nose at a sprightly mare.
