A Soiree, George Goodwin Kilburne [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons
I am sure this soiree is not a ball, but I thought it a good representation of the onlookers at a ball taking note of a particular couple taking the floor.
~*~*~
“Shall we cause a stir and take the floor first?”
“I would rather not,” Mary replied and then pressed her lips together. She really did need to learn to keep her thoughts in her head long enough to weigh them before speaking.
Lord Matlock chuckled. “I am afraid Miss Mary that if you are to be a member of this family, you will have to harden yourself to the idea of being worthy the notice of one and all on occasion. It is a danger of being tied to a titled gentleman.” He took her hand. “I do not dance as much as I once did so my taking the floor with you will be noted.” He bent his head in her direction and lowered his voice. “My wife is very good at carrying a point.”
[from Persuading Miss Mary, Marrying Elizabeth book 4]
Leenie Brown fell in love with Jane Austen's works when she first read Sense and Sensibility followed immediately by Pride and Prejudice in her early teens. As the second of five daughters and an avid reader, she has always loved to see where her imagination takes her and to play with and write about the characters she meets along the way. In 2013, these two loves collided when she stumbled upon the world of Jane Austen Fan Fiction. A year later, in 2014, she began writing her own Austen-inspired stories and began publishing them in 2015. Leenie lives in Nova Scotia, Canada with her two teenage boys and her very own Mr. Brown (a wonderful mix of all the best of Darcy, Bingley and Edmund with healthy dose of the teasing Mr. Tillney and just a dash of the scolding Mr. Knightley).
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4 thoughts on “A Soiree (George Goodwin Kilburne)”
Oh-my-goodness! Wasn’t that sweet of Lord Matlock? Bless his heart. That was SO carrying the point. This is a proclamation to the ton that THIS girl belongs to… and is important to… the Matlock family. Wow!! I can’t wait to read the rest of this scene. Will Mrs. Slater see them??? Yes??? Please???
I’m sure she sees them, but sadly, we don’t see her seeing them. I’m loving this Lord and Lady Matlock.
Ah, that is so lovely. Love that image. I don’t know anything of this artist, not that THAT is unusual, but it is different than a formal portrait. It seems natural and realistic. That is, I THINK so. What I mean by that is the postures of the people depicted are relaxed, not ramrod straight nor are they idealized in perfect pose and costume, or dramatized with an artistic pose. I HAVE to look this up later! It might be an illustration done in a much later time imagining the idea of a previous age. Just don’t know. But as per usual you got my gears spinning around in this little over taxed pea brain of mine. HA 😀
I won’t get to Thursday’s post till later, but I’m so eager to read it. I mean, Lord Matlock! ‘if you’re to be a member of this family,’ MARY!! Did you hear that???
The artist lived from 1839 to 1924 so this piece was painted later than the time period portrayed. I, too, love the movement and realness of this piece. Not everyone is using proper posture nor are they all paying attention to what is in front of them. It looks so natural – like a snapshot of real life but in a painting and not a photograph.
Even Lord Matlock wants her to be part of the family. Of course, she will be an extended family member due to Lydia and Elizabeth’s marrying into the family, but I think he’s thinking about her as a daughter. 🙂
Oh-my-goodness! Wasn’t that sweet of Lord Matlock? Bless his heart. That was SO carrying the point. This is a proclamation to the ton that THIS girl belongs to… and is important to… the Matlock family. Wow!! I can’t wait to read the rest of this scene. Will Mrs. Slater see them??? Yes??? Please???
I’m sure she sees them, but sadly, we don’t see her seeing them. I’m loving this Lord and Lady Matlock.
Ah, that is so lovely. Love that image. I don’t know anything of this artist, not that THAT is unusual, but it is different than a formal portrait. It seems natural and realistic. That is, I THINK so. What I mean by that is the postures of the people depicted are relaxed, not ramrod straight nor are they idealized in perfect pose and costume, or dramatized with an artistic pose. I HAVE to look this up later! It might be an illustration done in a much later time imagining the idea of a previous age. Just don’t know. But as per usual you got my gears spinning around in this little over taxed pea brain of mine. HA 😀
I won’t get to Thursday’s post till later, but I’m so eager to read it. I mean, Lord Matlock! ‘if you’re to be a member of this family,’ MARY!! Did you hear that???
The artist lived from 1839 to 1924 so this piece was painted later than the time period portrayed. I, too, love the movement and realness of this piece. Not everyone is using proper posture nor are they all paying attention to what is in front of them. It looks so natural – like a snapshot of real life but in a painting and not a photograph.
Even Lord Matlock wants her to be part of the family. Of course, she will be an extended family member due to Lydia and Elizabeth’s marrying into the family, but I think he’s thinking about her as a daughter. 🙂