belle

Once the press gets wind that Mary’s marriage has ended, the gossip is relentless, and the one-time belle of the ball can’t rustle up so much as a small tea party.

So when the belle of the ball took a break from the revelry and sat down to order a drink, I subtly repositioned myself on the couch across from her.

I didn't grow up a Southern belle in a lot of ways because I grew up very middle-class.

Many of them were built in the early 20th century - grand belle epoque palaces serving a then emerging class of privileged, primarily English tourists.

He’s charismatic enough, empathetic enough and wise enough that he could be the belle of the ball next Christmas and make everybody feel like a million bucks.