This young lady looks ready to spend the evening at some soiree, but her expression is not one of delight. I think both of those things are fitting to pair with my book A Scandal in Springtime.
In this book, Kitty is spending time at her aunt and uncles home in town and attending some of the events of the season with her sister, Elizabeth (aka Mrs. Darcy). As she goes through her short season in town, Kitty is not always cheerful — mostly due to the excessive amount of talent that the always-proper-until-he-met-her Mr. Linton has for saying or doing something wrong. 🙂 (The poor man has Darcy beat in the how to offend a Bennet lady category!)
The excerpt I chose to share below is one of those times when Mr. Linton is making Kitty irritated, to say the least. I chose this time of his doing that because the lady in the painting is holding a rolled up paper, and Kitty has just attended a literary reading.
Oh, and one more thing before you read the excerpt: The Mr. Crawford who is mentioned is Henry Crawford (from my Other Pens series), who happens to be engaged to Mr. Linton’s sister.
Enjoy!
“Who was the gentleman sitting across the room on the green chair?” Kitty whispered to her sister. That gentleman had also been quite attractive in his black jacket and red waistcoat. His hair was not much darker than Mr. Linton’s, and he was likely shorter and less broad than Mr. Linton, but he seemed more willing to smile than scowl, which was very pleasantly unlike Mr. Linton.
“I am certain I could not tell you,” Elizabeth answered. “I am not as familiar with everyone as I would like to be.”
Kitty sighed. That was the trouble with having a sister so newly married. Elizabeth was very good at meeting people and remembering names, but she had only been in town for a few months. Therefore, she had not had enough time to meet all the truly interesting people about whom Kitty wondered – such as that handsome gentleman on the green chair.
“Mr. Hayes,” Mr. Linton answered.
“Were you listening to me speak to my sister?” Kitty asked with no little amount of agitation. How rude! If one were to listen to whispers, one should not let the source of the whisper know that he had intruded on a private conversation. That was why one whispered in public, after all. What was said in a low tone was not meant to be heard by everyone. Surely, that fact was just as true in London as it was in Meryton.
“I did not mean to listen,” he apologized.
At least, he knew he was in the wrong. That was a point in his favour.
“I just happened to hear and knew the answer. Was there a particular reason you wished to know who Mr. Hayes is?”
“Yes.”
“And what was that?”
He expected her to tell him that? Kitty thought not! And she was certain her expression said so quite nicely since Mr. Linton’s brow furrowed.
“Why do you suppose?” Miss Linton gave her brother a pointed glare.
Mr. Linton shook his head for a moment until realization washed over his features. “He is a bit of a fop,” he muttered.
“If you mean he appears pleasant, as well as handsome, then I would have to agree,” Kitty said, fixing her gaze on Mr. Linton’s lovely blue eyes. They were silvery and strong. It really was a pity he was not more civil.
Mr. Crawford coughed, which was likely to cover a chuckle for he looked rather amused. Of course, Kitty did not see anything amusing about such rudeness, but then, she was not a rake. Perhaps rakes found things more humorous than the regular person.
“However,” she continued, “if you are only attempting to disparage him to me, I should like to know why.”
“Kitty,” Elizabeth cautioned.
She should listen to Elizabeth. She knew she should. This was not a particularly good path down which to traverse, but the challenge had been put forth. Therefore, she stood her ground and ignored Elizabeth. She would be improper for just this moment – only long enough to have her point carried that Mr. Linton was being arrogant.
“I will give you that he’s handsome,” Mr. Linton replied. “But even he would tell you that. And he would likely do it just before he informed you which tailor he used and where to find the best muslin for your dress.”
“What is wrong with my dress?” Kitty retorted.
“Not a thing.” Mr. Linton looked to his sister for help. However, when none was forthcoming, he continued on by himself, which, as it turned out, was not the right choice. “It is a fine dress, but Mr. Hayes would likely comment on some small detail such as the fact that it will not survive many washings or that it would look better with a different lace on the sleeves.”
Kitty’s right hand flew to her left sleeve. “This is my favourite lace! And the fabric used for this dress is not catchpenny!”
“I did not say it was.” Mr. Linton ran a finger around his collar. “And I can see why you like that lace, it is very nice.”
“Nice? Only nice?” Kitty looked at her sleeve. This lace was so delicate that it spoke to a high degree of craftsmanship to create it, and he called it simply nice?
Mr. Crawford was coughing again, which made Mr. Linton glare at him.
“What would you have me call it?” he retorted sharply.
“Something better than nice,” Kitty grumbled.
[from A Scandal in Springtime]
Well they certainly got off to a good start did they not?
Oh, yes! A fabulous start. Lol
I love this story, and I adore the painting.
I’m happy to hear that 🙂