Cherries in The Parlor

About this Scenario

⸻ Cherries in the Parlour is set during a London Season in the early 1810s, a society ruled by appearances, gossip, and the quiet enforcement of female obedience. Parlours and drawing rooms serve as arenas where reputations are built or dismantled through suggestion rather than accusation. Into this world enters Lady Jade Phoenix, a woman already marked as unsuitable. Older than most unmarried women of the Ton and rumored to be the daughter of a Spanish general, she carries the imprint of years spent abroad. Her restraint, foreignness, and refusal to narrate her past make her both intriguing and suspect. Jade does not seek salvation through marriage. Possessing her own fortune, she understands that marriage would mean surrendering legal and personal autonomy. She participates in society because it is required, not because she believes in its promises. Her composure unsettles the Ton, which prefers women to perform eagerness or visible shame. Gossip begins quietly, framing her age and reserve as signs of moral ambiguity. Moving through this social world is Mr. J, a man tolerated but never fully trusted. Wealthy, perceptive, and deliberately irreverent, he treats society as a system to observe and test. He notices Jade not for her beauty alone, but for her refusal to perform. Their interactions are restrained and charged, built on sharp conversation and mutual recognition rather than romance. As their association becomes visible, scrutiny intensifies. Printed gossip insinuates impropriety without proof. The tension culminates in a brief, impulsive kiss in a private back room during a gathering. They are discovered almost immediately. The consequences fall unevenly: Jade’s reputation suffers lasting damage, while Mr. J remains largely untouched. In the aftermath, Jade refuses shame and refuses rescue. She navigates society with increased caution, maintaining autonomy through restraint rather than compliance. Mr. J recognizes, too late, that his attention carries