Notes from the Nobility
Lords & Ladies
of
We Make History
Her Majesty would like to express her sincere thanks for
your participation in her annual Royal Ball.
Once again this intimate gathering was the scene of much
beauty and elegance expressed by all ages. What a pleasant way to spend a
winter's evening! There we were among friends and companions enjoying fine
music, graceful dance and uplifting conversation.
"Come, Let's Be Merry", "In the Fields of Frost and Snow"
... ahhh the musical notes of flute and violin and the lilt of cheerful
conversation echo on, calling us back in our minds and hearts to an evening
well spent even as they carry us forward, onward in pursuit of the vision,
mission and purpose of We Make History.
I remain your servant
blessed to be
in a grand and noble cause.
Lord Scott
PS Do keep your 18th century attire close at hand and
your 18th century wits about you as our next Ball is in honour of General
George Washington's birthday!
Get
better acquainted with us!
Dream the dream!
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To her Majesty the Queen and Court,
What a delightful time we had at your royal ball! The company was delightful
and the music splendid. Thank you for providing such wonderful opportunities
for Lords and Ladies to gather and be merry.
Your humble servants,
The Clement Sisters
Mesa, Arizona
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Lord and Lady Scott,
Thank you so much for an amazing evening! Dancing the
night away with such great company made for a memorable and monumental time in
history never to be forgotten. My dear friends all seemed to soak in the
excitement and all hope to return sooner rather than later. Thank you once
again for all the work you put into these amazing nights and I pray that the
Lord will work anew in all who enter the doors.
Sincerely,
Miss O.
Prescott, Arizona
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Lord Scott-
I want to thank you and your family for a most enjoyable time at Her Majesty's
Royal Ball. As a noblewoman from the distant land of Kansas, I was warmly
welcomed and attended most graciously. I only wish that my area offered such
an outstanding organization! Thank you for a wonderful night of revelry and
merriment!
Lady Frances
The Countess of Wichita
Kansas
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To Her Majesty and Your Lordship,
The peaceful splendor and joy of your kingdom are known throughout the world,
and with good reason as evidenced by the beauty and grace of your subjects.
Your words of advice on proper honours are well taken – how much better all of
us would live if we simply practiced our honours!
I happily achieved my intended goal of dancing with as many ladies as
possible. If it had not been for the limitation of time, I would have danced
with them all!
But I must say, my favourite moment in the celebration was during "Come, Let's
Be Merry," where I shared the set with Her Majesty and Your Lordship and
danced with a beautiful Countess of Spain. She was an excellent dancer, and
the warmth of her charm possessed me as our eyes met. I nearly shed a tear.
One of the things on my -- if you will
excuse the vernacular -- "bucket list" is to dance a stately minuet one day
with a beautiful lady in the full court regalia, hands joined, hearts joined,
even if it is only for one dance. I know, by THE LORD'S grace, it will happen
when HE sees fit.
HUZZAH to Her Majesty and Your Lordship for all the planning and work that
goes into this event, my favourite ball of the year!
GOD Save The Queen!
GOD Bless The Kingdom Of We Make History!
In Christ,
Your Humble Servant,
Viscount Christopher
Tucson
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Lord Scott:
I had of a most wonderful time at Her Majesty's Ball this past Saturday
evening. Music was merry and companions most sociable. I must of course report
to His Excellency the Emperor in Vienna that the matter of the Russian Spy (!)
has been taken care of in the best possible ways.
Eljen a Kiraly! (God Save the King!)
Jurgen Kvaternik, 51st Austro-Hungarian Infantry-Regiment
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Realm Of The Merry
An account to the Lords and Ladies of
All Nations
of the ball honoring Her Majesty, Queen of the realm of
We Make History, as described by Your Humble Servant, Viscount
Christopher.
In the Year Of Our LORD 1757
My Dearest Readers,
With great happiness I report a Grand Ball with Her Majesty the Queen and His
Lordship, a gathering of high fashion and temperament, attended by their loyal
subjects and visiting nobility of kingdoms far and wide. On this occasion,
they were a small yet heartened number, encouraged by the host with one key
word.
"Elegance!" he pronounced before the assembled, meaning elegance in dress, in
manner, and most importantly, dancing.
I must note his leadership by example, clothed in a regal blend of red coat
and breeches adorned by a golden weskit, topped by the extraordinary efforts
of the Court Wigmaker. But I shall not leave you in suspense as to the attire
of Her Royal Majesty, the portrait of a joyous monarch in her golden gown and
bows with flashes of scarlet, crowned with a white feathered wig. To see her
smile is to feel the strength and confidence of a Loving And Righteous
Kingdom.
They led a procession in which I had the honour of escorting a beautiful
Countess in a brightly-coloured gown of pink.
"You are becoming a regular at these events," she noted to my gracious
acknowledgment, having traveled great distance to attend the regal soirée
two
times before.
Her Majesty and His Lordship embarked in a diversion of Follow The Leader,
winding the dancers around them like a spool of thread and then unwinding and
looping about the ballroom until all finally stood in a great circle.
In this Realm Of The Merry,
honour permeates everything, but lest there be any doubt, His Lordship
provided a few words of instruction on the gestures of civility.
A bow, he said, may be performed one of two ways. One with feet together and
hands spread apart as the body gracefully bends; the other, with one foot in
front. However, he cautioned, the second way was less formal, "although we
might think of it as more formal."
I must admit a moment of shock, having learned the second way from a dancing
mistress in The English Colonies and ingraining it into my manner. Yet one
must always seek improvement, and adapt I would, seeking acceptance amongst
the gathered nobility. From a young Princess, the ladies learned a Royal
Curtsy and its simple elegance with a sink and rise, eyes not leaving the one
recieving honour.
His Lordship reminded us that it was important for the gentlemen to dance with
many different ladies during the evening, and he wondered aloud if the
assembled understood the reason why.
I ventured a guess. "Balls were social occasions, and you wanted to dance with
as many partners as possible."
"Sir Christopher is entirely correct," he responded. But, he added, there was
a higher purpose, and that everything we did should be "in honour of the
ladies."
Your Humble Servant admits he knew this in his heart, although sadly the truth
did not purse his lips. I resolved my actions would render my tongue
inconsequential, and the charming Countess and I enjoyed a round of "Noel," a
dance of lively skipping and circling. I thanked her with another bow, albeit
I was still reminding myself to bow the formal way.
"May I escort you somewhere?" I asked her, remembering yet another instruction
from His Lordship. She was well-pleased with my performance and offered kind
sentiments for it, but a strong noblewoman she was, and she politely passed on
my offer, seeking her next partner with a determined gait. At that moment, I
realized had just danced with a future Queen.
A rumour made its way among the gathered, word of two Russians: one a
legitimate ambassador; the other, an impostor. The steadfastness and joy of
Her Majesty's Realm, alas, leads others to plot against her, somehow thinking
they may attain the peace they are lacking through disingenuous means. Members
of the nobility began questioning one another, hoping to unmask the spy.
I tell you the whiff of espionage had no ill effect, as the Lords and Ladies
of the Realm enjoyed many dances in sets this evening, where the gathered
stepped through graceful figures under the direction of the Royal Court
Dancing Mistress, and I delighted myself with leading my partners, leading
them up and down the line, turning them, and encouraging them if they thought
their efforts futile. The asymmetries of "In The Fields Of Frost And Snow" did
not dismay us, nor did the winding turns of "Jack's Maggot," where a gentleman
and two ladies loop in figure eights, and a lady and two gentlemen do as such.
(Dearest readers, I should clarify the term "maggot", in dance terminology,
held the meaning “favourite” and had no reference to a base creature.)
The simplest steps produced the most delightful moments, as when I traded
places with the lady across the set from me, my smile wide across my face and
my eyes affixed on hers as we stepped to the center, my hands spread wide with
a hint of a bow as my legs weaved around her and into place. When the call
came for a right or left-hand star, my free hand would rise above my shoulder
in an expression of joy, one which others in the figure would happily imitate.
To my delight, two of my favourite dances were part of the evening's
celebration: "All Haste To The Wedding" and "Christ Church Bells." Their
simple grace allowed Your Humble Servant to devote his utmost attention to the
lady across from him.
During a pause for refreshments, I happened upon a beautiful Countess from
Spain. Madrid was truly at the forefront of style, as evidenced from the
colour alone. Her glowing countenance permeated my heart at first glance,
which explained the presence of the young Musketeer standing guard at her
side, although he was a man oddly without sword.
"Purple," I complimented. "That is a color of royalty."
She graciously accepted the words. "And where are you from?" she inquired of
me.
"Surrey, England," I replied. "But I have come via the newly established" --
or soon to be, in this time -- "pueblo of Tucson, protected by the finest of
Spain, who I have a certain feeling will be helping the cause of liberty."
"And whose side are you on?"
"I am on the side of liberty," I answered, taking a stand that impressed her.
A few more pleasant words followed, but I soon had to excuse myself. "Can I
count on you for a dance?" she inquired.
"You shall do more than count," I promised. "You shall have!"
When the dancing resumed and she emerged from the refreshment corridor, a
gentleman of Austria found his way to her before me. To my diplomatic friends,
I assure you I did not desire any petty hostilities between our nations, so I
graciously deferred to him and sought the Countess at the next available
opportunity.
"I am a man of my word and my promises," I said, falling into a low bow. "Will
you honour me with a dance?"
As I expected, she honoured her word unflinchingly, accepting my hand as we
joined a forming set of six for a dance entitled "Come, Let Us Be Merry,"
another one of my favourites. And Dear Readers, here I must confide to you
that my joy achieved its pinnacle. For you see, the aforementioned dance is a
beautiful three-quarter tempo highlighted by many bows and curtsies, a grand
circle of graceful stepping, and most of all, the opportunity to lead a lady
down the center of the line with a minuet step. And I must note here, too, I
was joined in the set by His Lordship and Her Majesty, whose elegant movements
inspired all of us, Her Majesty's especially -- she truly is The Dancing
Queen!
So it should not surprise you, when the Countess and I assumed the role of
head couple, we went to great lengths to show we were worthy of dancing in the
Regal Presence. Every step I took, I took with refinement, turning and bowing
and turning again, casting off to the middle of the set, and then leading the
lady between the lines. Her eyes and mine connected as I led her, turning
inwards and outwards on alternating beats, her smile once again running a
needle through my heart, warming me thoroughly, and her entire face aglow with
the joy of the dance. I must admit, I did not want that stately procession to
end. If only I could have led her the length of the ballroom and then back
again, perhaps capering around her at the end in her honour! However, I abided
by convention and followed the dance to the letter.
"Tres bien," His Lordship remarked.
Upon the conclusion of the dance, I bowed to her deeply once again, my eyes
misting over. But to my surprise, no tears would come tonight, not even tears
of joy. I gather they escaped to my forehead instead.
Efforts to root out the spy intensified, and another rumour of skulduggery
emerged: "The Crown Jewels have been stolen!"
"We shall have to employ the efforts of Her Majesty's Secret Service!" I
cried.
In their steadfastness, Her Majesty and His Lordship showed no sign of alarm.
They proceeded to the awarding of prizes by lot, challenging the winners to
recite a fact pertaining to any queen of any kingdom. Unfortunately, many were
unprepared, and despite the best efforts of His Lordship to coax out a fact --
any fact -- a few could do no more than resort to the common sentence
in The Realm Of The Merry: a jig.
So ladies capered to the clapping encouragement of the assembled, finding joy
even in punishment, although one noblewoman briefly neglected decorum by
revealing her stockings and knees underneath her frock. The infraction did not
escape notice of the host. "She is from Kansas," he noted, and asked the
gathering to forgive said transgression.
I must admit, I would have reneged on a promise had it not been for the keen
memory of His Lordship, who pointed out that Your Humble Servant had promised
a lady a dance at a certain Christmas Party. I recalled the promise, but I was
unsure of the lady whom I had honoured with said promise. With His Lordship's
help, she was revealed, and I paid my debt with interest.
Inquiries persisted as to the identity of the spy. Even Her Majesty's Secret
Service could not discern the impostor. Thus, a team of young Princesses
banded together, and in their persistence, they unmasked the cunning one: a
young Natasha, sent by personal directive of the czar. Gasps emanated from the
assembled, and His Lordship wondered how such a deceptive lady could evade
detection.
"Her beauty was so overwhelming, we were blind to her treachery!" I shouted.
Indeed, she displayed much charm and class, a pitiful waste of such gifts. But
in the Realm Of The Merry, much is forgivable. His Lordship offered her a
higher wage to embark on counterintelligence for Her Majesty, and a gentleman
quickly offered her a dance. No gaol would hold her this evening, under edict
of The Queen.
The Pineapple Dance raised our spirits once more with the Lords and Ladies of
the Realm sashaying down the lines of eager dancers, hoping to take a
partner's hand or be the last one to be passed the exotic and hospitable
fruit.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" a lady asked me.
"Very much so," I answered with the Spirit Of The Dance enveloping me.
As much as I would delight in regaling you with more tales of dancing and
grace, the time did eventually arrive for us to depart for our own kingdoms
and times, but not without a waltz borrowed from another age.
I spotted a lady I had been wanting to dance with all evening sitting alone at
the side of the room, and I bowed to her.
"Thank you for saving me the last dance," she said to me. We conversed through
a two-step, and she put forth a question. "What was your favourite gift this
Christmas?"
I puzzled at the answer, but not for long. In the Realm Of The Merry, and with
the beautiful lady in my arms, I could not perceive anything material.
Searching through my feelings, I spoke from my heart. "GOD has given me many
gifts. HE has given me friends and joy such as this." I would leave no doubt
of the Kingdom I called home.
Her Majesty's subjects speak! Their words
here.
NEXT:
Washington's Way
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