Julianne Grafton

Julianne Grafton

Portrayed by Amy Adams
Full Name	Julianne Theodora Grafton
Associated Noble House(s)	Marquessate of Raulings, Duchy of Wycombe
Date of Birth	February 14, 1792
Father	Thomas Grafton
Father's Rank	Marquess of Raulings
Mother	Theodora Grafton
Mother's Rank	Marchioness of Raulings
Town Residence	{{{residence}}}
Year of Debut	1811
Dowry	£30,000

Lady Julianne Grafton is the daughter of Thomas Grafton, the 2nd Marquess of Raulings and his wife Theodora Grafton, the Marchioness of Raulings. She is the sister to the Countess of Carrington. She is played by Liz.

Early Life (1792-1810)

Julianne Theodora Grafton was born the third (second surviving) daughter of Thomas Grafton, 2nd Marquess of Raulings and his second wife, Theodora Grafton. She was born at Raulings Park in Leicestershire on February 14, 1792. She is the couple's sixth child, with older brothers Henry and Richard (twins born January 1786) and an infant brother Lord Thomas Grafton (stillborn, March 6, 1787) preceding her, as well as an older sister Katharine, later Countess of Carrington, and an infant sister Lady Theodora Grafton (born April 19, 1790 and died June 2, 1790). The couple each had a son from a previous marriage: William Grafton, Earl of Bridgeton, from her father's first marriage and John Quinn, Duke of Wycombe, from her mother's first marriage.

Julianne was always small and very delicate, and a brush with death due to a bout of scarlet fever in 1799 ensured that all members of the family treated Julianne as a semi-invalid, despite the fact that she is now fully recovered and as healthy as any debutante. As a result of her frequent illnesses as a girl, she was often forced to miss out of family outings.

While Kate was out with the boys, Julianne stayed indoors with her cat. The two girls were, however, educated together by governesses and specialized masters at Raulings Park. Julianne is well versed in French and German, as well as music, watercolors, and embroidery. Her brothers have likened her singing voice to a dying crow, though she has a fair ability with the pianoforte. Most of her skills on the pianoforte come not from any natural talent, but rather hours of dedication and practice.

One of Julianne's dearest friends is Elise Hampton, the ward of the Marchioness of Emerson. Though Julianne's competitive streak regularly rears its head, she takes pains to ensure that it does not adversely affect her friend. She is fiercely protective of Elise, and in exchange, Elise offers a soothing counterpoint to Julianne sometimes maniacal need to be the belle of every ball.

Robbie Fletcher (1810)

During the autumn of 1810, Julianne embarked on a brief love affair with the son of a local squire, Mr. Robert "Robbie" Fletcher. After renewing their acquaintance over a custard pie the marchioness had brought to their neighbor, Julianne and Robbie began taking rides with one another in his curricle. When the curricle began lodged in the mud of a stream, Julianne's slipper fell off and Mr. Fletcher chased it down. It was ruined, but Julianne did not have the heart to tell him so and offered him a kiss on the cheek as a reward. To her surprise, Mr. Fletcher turned his face at the last moment and stole a kiss on the lips. Shocked, but secretly thrilled as well, Julianne eventually forgave him for his boldness and the affair continued for several weeks. Though very much infatuated, Julianne kept in mind her desire to marry well and never let her passion (or Mr. Fletcher's) get the best of her.

With winter's first snow and the coming of Christmas houseparties, as well as preparations for her London debut underway, Julianne allowed the affair to fizzle, though Mr. Fletcher remained very much enamored with her. She eventually refused to see him outright and returned the letters he had sent her in secret, causing some sore feelings on his part and awkward ones on hers.

London Debut & the Battle of the Debutantes (1811)

Julianne debuted in London in 1811 to great applause and general acceptance as 1811's Most Eligible Debutante, though there remain a few ladies who rival her. She soon caught the eye of Lord Selwyn, though if that acquaintance will result in a more permanent relationship is yet to be seen. Additionally, Julianne renewed her rivalry with both Miss Pritchard and Lady Elizabeth Dunford as well as gaining a new rival in the form of Lady Juliet Landon.

Accompanying her to town are her sister, her three cats (Pumpkin - an ill-tempered female orange Tabby, Moppet - a grey spotted female, and Casanova - a black tuxedo tom), her parents, her brother Bridgeton, and her other brother Lord Henry.

The evening following her debut at Almack's Assembly Halls, Julianne was displeased to discover that (in her opinion) very little attention was paid to her in the next day's Society News, which instead devoted a fair amount of printed space to a discussion of an unknown Lady JL. She soon ferreted out the mystery girl's identity from Elise and made a private vow to reclaim her title as 1811's Incomparable. Her first step in her seek-and-destroy mission against Lady Juliet was to contrive an introduction. Unfortunately for Lady Juliet, this involved an "accidental" spilling of lemonade at the annual Emerson Ball on Sunday, April 14th.

Julianne's Minions

Julianne has cultivated a rather select group of characters, both played and unplayed, to serve as her minions. These ladies include:

• Elise Hampton
• Sarah Neilson
• Vera-Jane Gordon

Most share a set of similar features: they hail from good families, they are deferential to Julianne, they are blonde (as Julianne thinks her hair shows to its best when surrounded by blondes), and they are pretty enough to attract notice but not so stunning as to draw attention away from Julianne herself.

Present Day

On April 6th, Julianne and her sister stopped in at Decker's Bookshop with Julianne insistent on locating and procuring the latest travel account by her favorite author, Mr. Denton. The two sisters were met by Lady Newburry, to whom Kate was polite and by whom Julianne was scandalized, having heard the tale of Lord Newburry's suicide the Season before. The ladies then proceeded to Madame Lambert's, where they met with Lady Raulings to discuss Julianne's gown for her first Almack's ball. As the women were leaving, Lord and Lady Louth were arriving. Compliments were traded and Julianne revealed her naivety by professing her belief in true love.

On April 7th, the entire Grafton family gathered at Raulings House before traveling to St. George's, Hanover Square, for Sunday worship services. To the irritation of the male Graftons, Julianne was late but attractively attired. At church, Julianne took the opportunity to examine the newly arrived members of the ton and made the acquaintance of Lady Beatrice Howard, of whom she naturally disapproved, given both her decision to enter the theater and her connection to Lady Newburry. Following the service, Julianne was sent by her mother to greet Lord and Lady Louth and to invite them to call on the family later that afternoon. The invitation was accepted, to the pleasure of Julianne.

The Louths made good on their promise and joined the Graftons for tea later that afternoon. Julianne makes a good impression on Lady Louth, who invites her to attend a small soirée the Louths are holding later that week. Julianne also proposes the forming of a literary society with Lady Louth, and the two agree to discuss the details at a later date.

On April 8th, Julianne and her mother called on Julianne's dearest friend, Miss Hampton, along with Lady Emerson and Miss Pritchard at Emerson House. Though their visit was cut short by the arrival of Lady Viola Fitzgerald, Julianne did have time to reveal to Elise a few tantalizing details about her summer with Robbie Fletcher. After leaving Emerson House, Julianne and her mother went to Bond Street, where Julianne revealed her penchant for feathers. Her attempt to badger her mother into permitting them for her debut Almack's resulted in a collision with Miss Fforde. An invitation to luncheon was declined by the marchioness, who recalled some vague details about a scandal surrounding Miss Fforde. The women then returned to Raulings House to prepare for the theatre.

That evening, Julianne, along with the majority of Society, attended the performance of An Errant Symphony, starring Lady Beatrice Howard, at Drury Lane. The most exciting moment of the evening for Julianne, who did not care for the play, was her encounter with Lord Selwyn. She secured an introduction by coquettishly dropping her fan, which was gallantly returned by the viscount. Recalling that his sister was the Duchess of Leicester, Julianne put forth her best effort to flirt without appearing forward. The pair discussed Europe a bit, with Lord Selwyn revealing his recent return from Italy.

The following day, April 9th, Julianne met up with Elise on Bond Street. The pair further discussed Julianne's romance with Robbie Fletcher before becoming sufficiently distracted by the appearance of Lord Inglewood and Lord Jeremy Rondell, the younger son of the Marquess of Ribbleswick. Julianne dismissed both men as potential suitors - Lord Inglewood was too tall and Lord Jeremy was only a second son - but enjoyed flirting with them nonetheless. They were soon joined by Mr. Bennett Reeves, who departed after a brief conversation. Upon entering a ribbon shot, Julianne expressed again her displeasure with Lady Raulings' refusal to permit a feathered headdress for Almack's, and Elise revealed her attraction to the Earl of Cumberland. Julianne attempted to warn her friend away from the earl, whose brother was rumored to in fact be the son of a European count rather than the late earl. The two continued their conversation, and shopping, for the rest of the afternoon.