The Serpentine, Hyde Park (George Sidney Shepherd)
The Serpentine, Hyde Park. George Sidney Shepherd (1784 – 1862). Yale Center for British Art [Public domain via Wikimedia Commons]
The bit of conversation below takes place while Colonel Fitzwilliam, Lydia, Lord Westonbury, and Mary are out for a drive in the park.
~*~*~
“I am certain my sister and your brother did not agree to come on this drive so that you could spend the whole time flattering me for who knows what purpose.”
“I do not mind,” Lydia interrupted. “I would find it delightful to hear what Lord Westonbury finds pleasing about you.”
“No, you would not.” Mary gave her sister a pointed look. Lydia was wearing that secret smile of hers which never led to anything good. She might be maturing, but her desire to poke her nose in where it did not belong seemed to be unchanged.
[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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6 thoughts on “The Serpentine, Hyde Park (George Sidney Shepherd)”
Oh, how funny. Lydia is her mother’s daughter. She just has to do a bit of matchmaking in spite of herself. Poor Mary. They are all against [or for] her it seems. She will have to realize that this is for real and not Wes playing around. It will soon turn and become serious. He is determined to have her and she is determined to not have him. Well… we shall see what we shall see. If I were a betting person, my money would be on Wes. Suck it up Mary… it is a done deal. Now, please don’t let her do something stupid. She isn’t know for doing that; however, a woman in love and fighting it, will do things she normally wouldn’t do to protect her heart. Whew! I can’t wait to read the rest of this post.
Yes, Lydia is her mother’s daughter 🙂 This is the chapter where Mary will have to begin to decipher her thoughts and opinions of his lordship. But it is only a beginning. That process could take a bit of work. There are a lot of things going through her mind.
Thanks for the picture! I’ve often wondered what the park looked like. Mary is such a pious prude. I don’t understand what Wes sees in her!
Well, it takes all types. 🙂 I’m sure it is not the first time someone has wondered why two people have gotten together, nor will it be the last time. LOL
Wes, like, Darcy is challenged by a woman who speaks her truth and has confidence in herself. Lydia is willing to help Mary and Wes along, even if Mary is not willing.
Oh, Lydia is very willing to be helpful. I agree that it is how Mary is not swayed from her truth — not even for a rich, hot guy (lol) — that has impressed Wes. Also, she’s a bit like his mom in that she holds him to a standard and lets him know if he had missed it, and he loves his mom. So…
Oh, how funny. Lydia is her mother’s daughter. She just has to do a bit of matchmaking in spite of herself. Poor Mary. They are all against [or for] her it seems. She will have to realize that this is for real and not Wes playing around. It will soon turn and become serious. He is determined to have her and she is determined to not have him. Well… we shall see what we shall see. If I were a betting person, my money would be on Wes. Suck it up Mary… it is a done deal. Now, please don’t let her do something stupid. She isn’t know for doing that; however, a woman in love and fighting it, will do things she normally wouldn’t do to protect her heart. Whew! I can’t wait to read the rest of this post.
Yes, Lydia is her mother’s daughter 🙂 This is the chapter where Mary will have to begin to decipher her thoughts and opinions of his lordship. But it is only a beginning. That process could take a bit of work. There are a lot of things going through her mind.
Thanks for the picture! I’ve often wondered what the park looked like. Mary is such a pious prude. I don’t understand what Wes sees in her!
Well, it takes all types. 🙂 I’m sure it is not the first time someone has wondered why two people have gotten together, nor will it be the last time. LOL
Wes, like, Darcy is challenged by a woman who speaks her truth and has confidence in herself. Lydia is willing to help Mary and Wes along, even if Mary is not willing.
Oh, Lydia is very willing to be helpful. I agree that it is how Mary is not swayed from her truth — not even for a rich, hot guy (lol) — that has impressed Wes. Also, she’s a bit like his mom in that she holds him to a standard and lets him know if he had missed it, and he loves his mom. So…