How to square handwriting variation?

[rikforto]

My inclination, and I could certainly be talked into the view that there are truly two ds in the script, is that there is the physical el ligature and then there is a cursive form where the l is written as a single stroke ending with the minim. I think most (all?) of the apparent figure-8 cases are down to the lifting of the pen being successfully hidden in the first stroke, but I am not a good judge of European calligraphy