Welcome to Noeple Blood, a production of I Heart Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Manky,

listener discretion advised.

The story of this episode begins with a portrait. Two girls are posing in a green garden,

a garden in which you can see the dome of London's St. Paul's Cathedral in the distance.

On the right and slightly in the foreground, sits a young woman on a bench. Her dress looks a bit

like a pastry, a pink puff covered in the sugary icing of a semi-shear fabric. The girl's neck

is adorned with a coiled strand of pearls. Her cool-toned pale cheeks are flushed,

and her hair, styled low, is garnished with over a dozen small roses. With her left hand,

her thumb holds her place in a book. The book's painted edges matching the rosy color of her

confectionary dress. With the girl's right hand, she holds onto the arm of another young woman,

someone she wants close by. The second woman is positioned slightly behind her seated companion,

and appears to be in a carefree motion, eager to explore her surroundings once the hours of

portrait-sitting are complete. This woman's dress is a lusually draped silk satin wrap,

the champagne to her companion's cake. She also wears a tight strand of pearls,

though hers are slightly larger, which match the girl's incredibly enviable pair of pearl

bobble earrings. The second woman's cheeks also have a rosy blush, but as opposed to her sitting

mates, her complexion is warm and dark. Her hair is also worn low, but a top it sits a silk

turban adorned with a teal ostrich feather. With her left hand, she carries a basket of fruit,

overflowing with grapes, pears, and what look to be peaches. With her right hand, she touches her

cheek with her index finger, highlighting a slightly mischievous smile. These two girls are cousins,

Lady Mary Elizabeth and Dido Elizabeth Bell. It's a beautiful portrait. The colors are romantic.

The texture of the clothing is gorgeously rendered, and the air of contentedness

...