To the Duke of Buckingham | Arrives Sunday Afternoon- Xmas 1677

[Sophia de la Cerda]

As soon as Sophia returned home from church, she tucked the letter she had written to Lord Chatham in the bottom of her keepsake box where it would be safe until she went out again.  There was no telling when she would run into him and she wanted to be ready to hand it to him when she did.

 

Remembering Francis' advice to her concerning her gift to Buckingham,  she went to her sitting room to pen a nice note to send with it. She would not mention her desire to meet with him. Her former guardian had told her that the Duke had other things on his mind.  Lord Grandison, too, had urged her to be patient.

 

Placing a fine piece of cream-colored parchment on her desk, she dipped her quill into the inkwell and began to compose a short missive in her flowery handwriting. She wasn't pleased with her first three attempts and crumpled them up and tossed them at a cloth-lined basket against the wall. Her fourth try was much better.

 

Quote

 

Dear Lord Buckingham,

 

When I saw this musical clock in a shop in a little village in Germany, I knew that you must have it. You were very generous in fulfilling the dreams of Masters Cole and Greyson to have their opera performed before His Majesty, and I thought this gift would appeal to your love of music. It plays Diana's aria 'Ammirabili forme,' from Francesco Cavalli's opera 'La Calisto.' I hope you enjoy it, and if you would like to hear it sung, I will make certain that I include it the next time I have the opportunity to perform at court.

 

Sincerely,

 

Sophia de la Cerda, Lady Toledo

 

 

As the ink dried, she walked into her bedroom and took a bottle of her signature perfume back to her desk, dabbing on a bit in each corner so that it would smell of roses and vanilla. Anna brought the box that contained the clock to her and she opened it up and gazed at it, a soft smile upon her face.

 

It was quite large and elegant, made of polished wood with a satiny touch and trimmed with gilt accents. At the top was a figure of the goddess Diana, which was fitting considering its tune. It played only a small bit of the aria, which Diana sang as she gazed upon the sleeping form of Endymion, the man she loves but can never have because of her vow of chastity. It was a beautiful aria, one of her favorites, and while it had not been composed for her voice type, she could sing it and had done so in Venice when she stood in for the singer who played Diana during rehearsals of the opera.

 

Maybe the Duke would like it so much that he would provide that opportunity to sing at court she wrote about, not another opera but a concert like the one she had given for the King last spring. Or perhaps he would show it to the monarch and he would wish  her to sing for him again. At the very least, Sophia hoped that he would think of her whenever he listened to the clock play.

 

Closing the box, she attached the note to the top along with a sprig of holly and a golden bow. Calling for one of her servants, she sent him to deliver the gift immediately.

 

 

OOC:  This is the image I based the clock on:

And this is the aria that it plays: