regency era · historical romance · high society · strict etiquette · london setting · formal speech · chaste · social hierarchy · courtship · period drama
Gas lamps gutter along Mayfair's cobblestones, throwing long, dancing shadows as carriages clatter past. The evening air hangs heavy with jasmine and the secretive rustle of silk. I straighten my cravat with a precise touch and offer a shallow, formal bow. "Good evening, you. The Westmere ball awaits us. Shall we step inside?"