The Peony Room
The Peony Room. London's quintessential tearoom.
Attached to the exterior of the Gilles Hotel, the Peony Room is a favorite of locals and tourists alike. With bundles of peonies, wisteria, and hydrangeas hanging from the ceiling, draping across the pianoforte, and bouquet arrangements on each table, the Peony Room boasts a flowery, feminine aesthetic for all women to enjoy during their relaxing stay.
The building itself, delicately attached to the western side of the hotel, is rather long and tall, and gives the second-story a nice view of the River Thames off in the distance. Segmented in a few different ways to maximize both space and comfort, the Peony Room has three private rooms on their second story, all enjoying a picturesque view of the river. In the downstairs space, thirteen separate tables, some larger and some smaller, lie in wait for patrons to relax and enjoy each other's company.
A good portion of the back wall is filled with floor-to-ceiling drawers, each containing different types of loose leaf tea. A system Dorothea's father had grown up with and thus passed down. A large, sturdy ladder slides with enough grit across specially designed grooves, granting access to even the highest and most expensive of drawers.
Behind the counter, where one can find designer tea wear commissioned from local and foreign designers and where Countess Dorothea can often be found lounging, pouring over papers or experimenting with new flavors, patrons can also request finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries, all served on a cake stand and with the patrons choice of blend.
Countess Dorothea Giles
Countess by marriage and Heiress by blood, Dorothea Gilles is the ever-matron of the Peony Room-- a famous, if quant, tearoom near Notting Hill. While her husband is off running the hotel the Peony Room is attached to, Dorothea takes care of the business and patrons here. She is more hostess than worker, though when it comes to the packaging of loose leaves, she does prefer to handle the measurements. A lifetime worth of experience surely makes the process go by faster. Dorothea is a hard woman to work with, if only for the fact that she asks for perfection. This tendency is somewhat tempered by her own self-criticism and the slow realization that not everything can (or should) be perfect. She's just a gentle soul, who wishes everything to be as beautiful and lively as the Peony Room.
Count Hugh Gilles
Count Hugh is getting older now, far past the typical age of retirement, but he continues on anyway due to the lack of an heir. In a rift that was caused during the construction of the Peony Room (which was entirely funded by Dorothea's father), Hugh has refused to grant his and Dorothea's fortune to anyone on her maiden side, stubbornly convincing himself that he'll find a young gentleman more worthy of everything they've ever worked for. However, instead of finding a surrogate son, Count Hugh instead stumbled upon a surrogate daughter, and is now holding out hope he'll find a young gentleman who'll be worthy of both his treasures.
Miss Kitty Felton-Gilles
She was eleven when her parents were mugged while leaving the Gilles Hotel. Twelve when her father, who alone survived the mugging, finally succumbed to his wounds. Kitty was alone in their shared hotel room for almost three days before Count Hugh Gilles checked hotel records and realized. She had been sick and her parents had left the hotel in search of a physician. Kitty owes her life, in many ways, to Count Hugh Gilles and Countess Dorothea, who's hearts were old and soft and desperate for someone of their own to love and cherish. Kitty was in desperate need of it as well and though her free spirit ofttimes troubles her adoptive parents, there's nothing they love more than watching her dream.
Character Portraits by Dmytro Danylov
Do you want to enjoy the Peony Room in your own threads, private or otherwise?
Absolutely write your characters interacting and enjoying the leisurely vibes! If you'd like, @rissa in your threads and I can reply as one of the npcs described above (or anyone who may work at the Peony room!) or even a nosy patron who's looking to stir more than just her tea.
Interested in working at the Peony Room? Speak to the Countess about potential employment!
