Post by Leto on Mar 29, 2013 6:40:56 GMT -5
Lady Amelia Heath
19. Earl's daughter . Kent'Amy' . born 30/05/1887
relatives
John Heath, Lord Waterford, 7th Earl of Weavering (father)
Lady Eleanor Heath, née Browning, Countess of Weavering (mother)
The Hon. Sir Thomas Heath (uncle, deceased)
Lady Lillian Crossley-Heath (aunt)
The Hon. Philip Heath (cousin)
The Hon. Mary Heath (cousin)
Charles Penrose, Lord Carmarthen, Earl of Carmarthen (godfather)
sexuality
Heterosexual
relationship status
Single
Appearance
A beautiful English rose through and through, Amelia has always been a prize to look at. She is tall and slender and has fiery red curls which are always artfully arranged in some new, wonderful style by her mother's clever lady's maid. She has very pale, porcelain skin and a faint dusting of freckles on her nose which she dislikes immensely, so she remains out of the sun almost obsessively because of the delicacy of her complexion. She has very light blue eyes and lashes so pale they appear invisible unless she paints them (as she is wont to do) with a coating of makeup. Her lips are soft, full and have a natural upward curve, topped by a neat cupid's bow. She has a willowy figure without much curve at the bosom or waist, but her long, slender limbs work well with the elegant and fashionable clothing she so prefers. Colour wise she avoids reds and pinks like the plague because of the clash with her hair colour, and tends to stick to blues and greens instead. She absolutely adores jewellery and can often be seen decked out in an opulent display of diamonds and sapphires, occasionally even to the extent of a sparkling tiara in her hair or some other avant-garde headpiece.
personality
Self-assured and bubbly, Amelia has never been short of friends. She likes to be the life and soul of the party and is keen to attract everyone's attention whenever she can. For this reason she has always got along well with her godfather the Earl of Carmarthen's second daughter, Katherine Penrose, given that they are both spirited, effervescent and often mischievous young girls. Amelia is a bit of a flirt and a tease, but also has a stringent sense of personal honour and therefore fluctuates between inviting almost scandalous attention and indignantly rejecting it. She is excellent company when in a good mood, which is often, and has a way with people that make her fundamentally appealing. In poor spirits, however, Amelia is nothing short of a terror, and her parents are well acquainted with the black temper that can sometimes emerge from their only daughter. She is forceful and determined to have her own way, and though she can be kind and thoughtful often she is too caught up in her own affairs to realise when others require things of her. She is cleverer than she makes out to be, however, and it would be unwise to imagine Amelia could ever be controlled by a man, despite the giggling facade she often puts on.
history
Lady Amelia was born in 1887 to the Earl of Weavering, John Heath. The family home was a huge but rather eerie manor in Kent which was, though vastly expensive, rather in need of repair. John Heath was away from home a lot on business, given that he was a restless man not well contented to stay at home for lengthy periods of time. He met his wife, the eldest daughter of a wealthy earl, when she was eighteen years old and eight years his junior. Smitten with her charm and great beauty, John Heath married the Lady Eleanor Browning within six months. John was eager to have a son to secure the succession of his earldom and estate quickly, but the months passed without Eleanor showing any signs of pregnancy. Months turned into years, and an agitated John began to absent himself from the house more often and for lengthier periods of time. In the meantime, his attractive and sociable young wife began to grow bored.
At twenty-two, Eleanor met a handsome and dashing young man named Jack Napier, from a relatively unknown family and, as the fourth of five boys, without a penny to his name. He was, however, rising quickly in the military and an extremely charming character who accompanied a well-off friend to the Heath family home one Christmas. There he became acquainted with Lady Eleanor, and that was where drama began. Lady Eleanor became infatuated with the blond-haired, blue-eyed Jack Napier, who, deeply fond of chasing romance, returned her advances eagerly. The next time John was absent, Jack came to the house and spent the night with Eleanor. This continued for some months until Eleanor found herself to be pregnant and realised there was a fairly even chance that it was either the child of her husband or of her lover. She sent Jack away in fear, and let a jubilant John believe the child was his. Some months later, a daughter was born to them.
Amelia Jane Charlotte Heath was born at the end of May, and was always a winning child. She had lovely red hair like her mother and kept her startling blue eyes from birth. As she grew she showed herself to be an extremely charming and attractive little girl, winning over her nurses, tutors and maid alike. Privately her mother was of the belief that Amelia was the daughter not of the Earl, but of her former lover, Jack Napier, particularly since she never again conceived with John. She knew it would serve no purpose to ever let Amelia's illegitimacy slip and to this day everyone continues to think the beautiful redheaded young woman, the spitting image of her mother, is Lord Weavering's one and only daughter.
Since there was never a son, the heir apparent to the Heath earldom is John's deceased younger brother's son, Philip, a handsome boy the same age as Amelia. When they were young, up to the age of about sixteen, Amelia and her 'cousin' were very close, but since Philip went to university they have been less so because Amelia grew to be of the opinion that his studies away had made him arrogant, obnoxious and self-obsessed. Any hopes of a match between Amelia and her cousin which her parents might have fostered in order to ensure the earldom would at least remain within the original Heath line were therefore foiled.
Amelia grew into a precocious and slightly capricious young teenager, perfectly able in her studies but more than likely to shirk her education in favour of more fashionable and entertaining ladies' pursuits. Some of these included dalliances with young men at her father or godfather's dinners and balls, though she was always careful to draw back at the crucial moment. Kate Penrose quickly became her partner in crime in these events since Amelia became a frequent face at Kingsgate in her mid teen years. However, a near-scandal in her own home with the son of the blacksmith meant that a furious John Heath was of a mind to send Amelia to a strict girls' boarding school. It was only the intervention of her mother that prevented this, and instead arrangements were made for her to be removed from Kent to go instead to her godfather's where it was hoped that the influence of the steady and reliable Penroses would keep Amelia in check.
other information
Talented singer
Can draw well
Poor horsewoman
rp sample
A carriage drew up outside the great house as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. It was black, horse-drawn, perfectly old-style. Amelia's grandmama would never have stood for any such new-fangled devices that drove themselves without a pair of fine chestnut horses at their head. The old woman sat, her sharp blue eyes and officious expression fixed as the door was opened. Amelia glanced at her mother, who smiled nonchalantly and rose to be helped out of the carriage. Eleanor was dressed in a fabulous purple gown tonight, and her throat was bedecked with glittering diamonds that Amelia could only envy. A gift from her father.
"Now behave yourself, girl," said Grandmama imperiously, but a twinkle in her eye meant Amelia felt no hesitation in grinning impishly.
"Of course, Grandmama, I always behave myself," said Amelia loftily, causing her grandmother to cluck her tongue disparagingly. The dowager countess allowed herself to be helped out of the carriage, and Amelia followed shortly. She was wearing a wonderful sky blue gown in a light, flowing silk, cinched in tightly at the waist to produce a daring cleavage her father would disapprove of. A glorious beaded overskirt glittered down to the ground, the precious stones sparkling whenever she moved. She felt quite beautiful.
"Oh, Amelia, you're here at last!" came a sweet voice. Amelia looked up to see Kate at the top of the steps by the big front door, and she smiled beamingly.
"Kate, darling, I have so missed you! What a beautiful dress," she said, looking over Kate's rather risqué scarlet gown with its low bodice and clingy fabric with an admiring eye as she hurried up the steps to kiss her friend on the cheek. "Come, let's go inside, I shouldn't think Grandmama will be terribly pleased about loitering on your doorstep."
Kate giggled and took Amelia by the hand. "All right, let's go through. Everyone's in the saloon; it's simply magnificent tonight. You must meet the Earl of Salisbury's son, Amy, he makes Adonis seem like a grotty old beggar-man, I tell you!
Before long, the girls had disappeared in a flurry of giggling, dancing and flirting, with the Earl of Salisbury's son and plenty more.
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