The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word SWEETLY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
S
W
E
E
T
L
Y
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "in a gracious manner" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case in a gracious manner = sweetly.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SWEETLY mean?
SWEETLY adverb- In a sweet or pleasant manner.