The Parlour Door Opens

A most thrilling parcel arrived this morning. Not a love letter (though one can always hope), but something altogether more daring—a proof. Bound, printed, and quite real, A Dramatic Debut now sits atop my writing desk, its ink still smelling of potential and its pages filled with secrets.

The moment felt like a scene from one of my own stories: heart racing, fingers trembling, and the distinct impression that something long imagined had finally stepped into the light…

It is not yet in its final dress—no embroidery, no gilded trim—but it is real. Tangible. Held in the palm like a promise.

To those who have written kind letters, who have whispered encouragement at gatherings, who have said “I see myself here”—this volume is for you. And to those who still wonder if they might ever belong in stories such as these, I say: the parlour door is open. Come in. Sit down. The tea is hot and the tales have only just begun.

Yours (most dramatically),

Miss Lucine Elizabeth Watson
Authoress, Observer, Chronicler of Affairs (Scandalous and Otherwise)

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Penned — if one may call it that — on the 14th of April, 1825, whilst fending off unsolicited advice, balancing a fourth cup of sherry, and questioning every decision that led to this moment.