Soft; pleasing or agreeable to the senses: bringing ease, comfort, or quiet.

The old manor came alive with the gentle sunrise.

Rays of light crept into our still bedroom as the tips of red leaved branches tapped on the glass window panes in the tender breeze.

Floorboards creaked as I pattered across the rug to the white porcelain bathtub, made private by the silk curtained dressing screen.

With a mellow squeak of the polished faucet, the tub began to fill as I slipped into the deliciously warm water, my bare neck resting upon the plush cotton of a rolled hand towel.

The sound of my fingers gently drifting across the pages of my book and the peaceful breathing of my sleeping lover in the four-poster bed was soon joined by the softest twinkle of a jazz piano as it floated through the floorboards from the radio downstairs.

Dressed in blue denim and an ivory sweater, I sat in front of the swivel mirror on the chestnut dressing table as I pinned my silky hair up and brushed powder across my cheeks which were made rosy by the hot bath water.

The heavenly scent of fresh brewed coffee and baked savoury pastry climbed the stairs, softly knocked on my bedroom door and invited me down to the dining room.

Twisting the brass doorknob and stepping out onto the landing, I followed the faint chatter and vague clinking of utensils down the carpeted staircase, past the library to the lovely sunlit dining room.

Sitting opposite my fiancé at a table neatly arranged with silverware, ceramic salt and pepper shakers and an embossed glass vase holding golden dahlias, we mattered quietly as we sipped our piping coffees.

Freshly squeezed orange juice was poured into a glass goblet as a compote filled with a medley of ripe fruits topped with creamy vanilla yoghurt was placed before us. This was followed by a bright salad of orange, cranberries and almonds, plump pork sausages and toasty vegetable quiche drizzled with a velvety sauce, all handmade in the manor’s kitchen.

Sitting by one of the many sash windows, we admired the blooming garden below; knotted oaks settled among plush hedges and bright dogwood trees with dashes of colour from dahlias, buttercups and roses.

Steaming herbal teas in hand, we retreated to our bedroom; back across the creaking floorboards, past the porcelain tub and snug bed to the spacious veranda, settling into to sunkissed wicker chairs facing the softly awakening street below.