Member
Group: Lady Admin
Posts: 19
Member No.: 57
Joined: 27-June 07
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About You
Name/Alias: Maxine
Age: 17
Contact: through email!
RP Experience: about 3 years of on and off RP experience
Other characters you play on this board: none
Where did you find our link? At London’s Calling
About Your Character
First Name: Gabrielle
Middle Name/s: Maria
Last Name: Howard
Title: Lady
Canon or OC: OC
Occupation: Lady, getting engaged
Heritage : Daughter of the Duke of Norfolk, Henry Howard.
Age: 19
Appearance:
This brunette’s most striking features are her lips and her bone structure. The former always seems to form a perfect, rosy pout, when she’s not smiling, which isn’t very often. Her beautiful bone structure gives her a presence in a room that flashes self-confidence and elegance. These traits are complemented by her fair skin, almond shaped eyes and rosy cheeks. Her complexion is nearly flawless, although the occasional freckles will appear on the bridge of her nose if she forgets to wear her sunhat while outdoors. While it’s her lips that attract attention first, it is quickly taken over by her lively hazel eyes, that seem to brighten when she smiles. Gabrielle has noticed that the left eye is slightly lighter than her right, though it may have been caused by a faulty mirror or a trick of the light. She is blessed with naturally rosy cheeks, but does occasionally have to resort to pinching her cheeks on bad days.
Gabrielle’s slim, 5’7” body is spotted by a birthmark on the back of her right shoulder, a slight shade darker than her normal skin tone. It is shaped like a cat’s head, which her father believes represents her personality. She also has a scar on her left calf, caused by a fall down a hill when she was young. It isn’t very noticeable unless you know where to look for it.
True to the current empire waist dress fashions sweeping the country, Gabrielle is always seen in pastel colored dresses during the day, and nearly always white dresses in the evening. This is more for her mother’s preference, because white shows money, but she occasionally wears a brighter color on evenings that most girls will be in white, just to stand out from the crowd. She is fond of delicate patterns that do not stand out from the dress, but blend with the fabric. Her dresses are usually highlighted with pearls, colorful lace or ribbons. She is particularly fond of opera gloves, with formal wear, and has many of different styles to suit her dresses.
Personal History:
It was a marriage quite normal for the time, between Henry Howard, the heir to the Norfolk Dukedom and Charlotte Sophia Fitzalan-Howard, partially arranged to link the dukedom of Sutherland and the Dukedom of Norfolk, and partially due to a convenient romance between the two. Gabrielle, their third child and first daughter was born at Arundel Castle, the family residence, and has lived there her entire life. She experienced a fair amount of independence, and as a child, preferred her life in the country to the trips to London she often had to make.
However, as she grew up, her family restricted her, to make sure the family image wasn’t tainted. Her grandfather had passed away, thus her Henry received the title Duke of Norfolk, passing along the Earl of Arundel and Surrey. They were, after all, one of the top families in the Kingdom. Her father is an important member of Parliament, as he also holds the hereditary title of Earl Marshal, making him a member of the House of Lords, and the Royal officeholder under the King. He had been made a Knight of the Garter, as had been customary for other Dukes of Norfolk. She had a reputation to live up to, and was given a governess, taught to be more lady-like. The first governess lasted less than a year, before she left if fury - young Gabrielle simply would not listen. This persisted for many years, until she turned 17.
Her father finally got sick and tired of constantly replacing governesses. He decided that a man would be able to better control his daughter, so he got her a tutor, 23 year old Jerome Harris, the son of a long time family friend. Eduated at Oxford, and well liked by the family, he was a perfect candidate.
Despite the fact that most girls her age were already introduced into society by the age of 17, Gabrielle had to suffer, in her mind, through two years of education. And education it was - French, English literature, Latin, even a little mathematics and basic science. Finally, at the age of 19, Harris was finally convinced that she was fit to enter society, and so her family moved to a family residence in London for the season. She has made a lovely debut, fit for a daughter of her position. She has many suitors, but none that seem to please her mother. Of course, there are ones that catch her eye, but she hasn't been in society long enough to actually begin courting. Mr. Harris is still her tutor, and determines which events she can go to, based on how she behaved in class.
Family:
mother : Charlotte Sophia Fitzalan-Howard – 43, Duchess of Norfolk
father : Henry Charles Howard – 47, Duke of Norfolk
eldest brother : William Henry Howard - 25
elder brother : Mathew James Howard - 22
Personality:
As afore mentioned, Gabrielle Maria’s personality resembles that of a cat. She is independent, adaptable, determined and slightly stubborn. While these would seem like “bad” qualities to see in a young female member of the ton, she learned in her first years in Society to act the part of the perfect daughter.
Because she grew up in the country, mainly at Arundel Castle in Sussex, and her mother was often sick during Gabrielle’s childhood, she experienced a lot of independence. In her youth, she was treated a lot like her elder two siblings, both boys. As long as she stayed on family property and could see the castle, she’d been allowed to roam. It was a big change for Gabrielle to go from relative freedom to none at all, when she got her first governess. She tried to control Gabrielle to no avail. Nor did the next five.
However, once Harris came into the picture he did teach the girl to control her independent streak. Gabrielle was taught to try and act the same way as others, and use her autonomy in more responsible ways, rather than running off through the London streets or the Sussex forests. She was instead shown that doing so just ruined her guardians trust in her, which would just restrict her. Of course, she resisted to what he taught her while in class, but once she entered society, quickly put his lessons into practice.
She can adapt easily to different situations, blending when she needs too, and standing out at the right times. She can flit from attitude to attitude quite well, which allows her to get along with many people. This does lead to little white lies every now and then though, which can lead to problems. She is comfortable in many different locations, her keen eye observing and noting how people behave and how they speak, then replicating them herself. Her memory is especially sharp, and she can remember things about people and use them to gain their approval. Because of her unique trait, she manages to easily charm people.
This young lady is rather determined in whatever she does. When she starts a project or has an idea in mind, she goes all the way through, and does not leave things unfinished. She can be stubborn, if those plans are interrupted, whether it was intentional or not. Her determination can also be applied to getting things she want, although, because she isn’t a son, as she sometimes wishes she was, she doesn’t get her way.
Other:
As a side note, most of the information used in here on the Duke of Norfolk, such as him also being Earl Marshal, and the titles of his eldest son are accurate, though names have been changed, as well as when the Duke, well, became a Duke. Arundel Castle is actually where they would have lived, I believe, since the current Duke’s family resides there.
Roleplay Sample:
Miles sighed and stared at the darkness ahead of him. The wine cellar of the old tavern was much too dark to find the bottles of rum he had hidden there months ago, before he'd left once more for the open sea. Most called him a pirate, for he roamed the oceans without a set purpose, occasionally causing havoc in the ports he stopped in. However, of all the things he'd been called, a pirate was not a title that fit him well. He had bought his ship through lawful means, and his crew, for all he knew, were good hard working men. He preferred the title of a traveling sailor. Which was what all sailors were, right? He just loved the adventure and openness the seas offered him.
But now, Miles was back on the main land, replenishing his stock of food, clothes and drink aboard his ship. The old owner of Gunner's Alley had been a sort of mentor to Miles, and allowed him to store his spirits within the bar's underground stores. He waited for his eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness around him, and then reached behind a dusty shelf into a secret vault. His rough hands retrieved a large bundle full of clanging bottles, which he heaved over his back. He turned back towards the staircase, climbed, and slowly opened up the trap door.
He found himself behind the counter, face to face with dozens of impatient customers, waiting for a drink or two to start the evening. He glanced around the bar, looking for the bartenders. They were all at the other end of the room, their hands full with an other swarm of the clientele. Might as well make a bit of money in tips, Miles thought as he answered to the first man in line.
He didn't know how long he stayed there. Before he knew it, the bar was closing up, and he was kicking out the last drunken customers who were too queasy to leave on their own.
He prepared to depart, but something caught his eye.
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Howard, Gabrielle Maria
