said.
“Very good,” Hargreaves said, as we continued to walk. “So, Lady Ashton, unwanted admirers aside, has Paris proven the respite you hoped?”
“More than you can imagine, Mr. Hargreaves. I wonder if I shall ever go back to London.”
“Understandable, but do remember that you cannot stay here forever. Your villa on Santorini beckons,” he said, his deep voice teasingly melodramatic. “How have you been occupying yourself other than strolling in the Tuileries?”
“Emily knows every inch of the Louvre. She spends more time there than you can imagine.” Ivy clearly felt pride in my newfound intellectual interests.
“Ivy is too generous,” I said. “After all the time I have given to the great museum, I can say with confidence that I know approximately six square feet of its contents. It’s overwhelming. One could spend a lifetime in its halls and never see everything. And now my time there shall be limited, because I’ve decided to begin drawing lessons after having mortified myself in front of Monsieur Renoir.” I related the story to Mr. Hargreaves, who was rather amused.
“I am glad to see that you have lost much of your sense of decorum. Excellent. Your mother would be pleased.”
“Especially if she knew I was wasting a perfectly good opportunity by talking to one of the empire’s most eligible bachelors about such things instead of flirting with him.”
“I don’t know whether to be flattered at being privy to your academic pursuits or mortified that you do not consider me worthy of flirtation.”
“Mr. Hargreaves, if you are free Thursday evening, I should love to have you dine with us at Café Anglais,” Ivy said. “Emily will be there, and several of our other friends.”
“It sounds delightful, Mrs. Brandon,” Mr. Hargreaves said, smiling agreeably.
“He is lovely, Emily,” Ivy said with a sigh after he had excused himself to meet the gentlemen with whom he planned to go riding. “I don’t know when I’ve seen someone so striking in appearance. Can’t we find someone among our acquaintances to marry him off to? I’d so like to keep him in our circle.”
“I believe he has no immediate plans to marry,” I replied, finding the prospect of a married Colin Hargreaves utterly loathsome. “He travels a lot and probably prefers his freedom.”
“That’s what everyone said about Philip before he proposed to you.”
“We have already established that Philip was a gentleman of unique character, my dear. To find two such men in so short a time would be more than one could reasonably hope for.”
14 A PRIL 1887
B ERKELEY S QUARE, L ONDON
Marriage market becoming more and more difficult to ignore. Would prefer to get the boring business of dealing with it over with as soon as possible. Prospect of finding an acceptable wife from the throngs of ladies who present themselves to me on a daily basis does not seem promising—I would like a spouse who is not abjectly stupid. Truth be told, I really want a wife who captivates me, but as producing an heir is my paramount concern, I shan’t have the luxury of gallivanting about in search of my Helen. It would take too long and almost certainly be a futile endeavour.
Debated with Lord Palmer for nearly two hours this evening after dinner (terrible food). Have not yet persuaded him to give serious consideration to my theory that Achilles is a noble man who is in impossible circumstances. His tantrums, seemingly narcissistic behaviour, and antisocial tendencies are the result of what has happened to him, not a flaw in character. Could we expect any man, even Achilles, to have behaved differently?
6
D INNER AT C AFÉ A NGLAIS NEVER FAILED TO DELIGHT ME, and on the evening of Ivy’s party, the esteemed chef outdid himself. Ivy spared no expense on the menu, and I am convinced that we had a meal nearly as extravagant as “Le Dîner des Trois Empereurs” hosted years ago by the restaurant. If anything, ours was better. Czar
“Very good,” Hargreaves said, as we continued to walk. “So, Lady Ashton, unwanted admirers aside, has Paris proven the respite you hoped?”
“More than you can imagine, Mr. Hargreaves. I wonder if I shall ever go back to London.”
“Understandable, but do remember that you cannot stay here forever. Your villa on Santorini beckons,” he said, his deep voice teasingly melodramatic. “How have you been occupying yourself other than strolling in the Tuileries?”
“Emily knows every inch of the Louvre. She spends more time there than you can imagine.” Ivy clearly felt pride in my newfound intellectual interests.
“Ivy is too generous,” I said. “After all the time I have given to the great museum, I can say with confidence that I know approximately six square feet of its contents. It’s overwhelming. One could spend a lifetime in its halls and never see everything. And now my time there shall be limited, because I’ve decided to begin drawing lessons after having mortified myself in front of Monsieur Renoir.” I related the story to Mr. Hargreaves, who was rather amused.
“I am glad to see that you have lost much of your sense of decorum. Excellent. Your mother would be pleased.”
“Especially if she knew I was wasting a perfectly good opportunity by talking to one of the empire’s most eligible bachelors about such things instead of flirting with him.”
“I don’t know whether to be flattered at being privy to your academic pursuits or mortified that you do not consider me worthy of flirtation.”
“Mr. Hargreaves, if you are free Thursday evening, I should love to have you dine with us at Café Anglais,” Ivy said. “Emily will be there, and several of our other friends.”
“It sounds delightful, Mrs. Brandon,” Mr. Hargreaves said, smiling agreeably.
“He is lovely, Emily,” Ivy said with a sigh after he had excused himself to meet the gentlemen with whom he planned to go riding. “I don’t know when I’ve seen someone so striking in appearance. Can’t we find someone among our acquaintances to marry him off to? I’d so like to keep him in our circle.”
“I believe he has no immediate plans to marry,” I replied, finding the prospect of a married Colin Hargreaves utterly loathsome. “He travels a lot and probably prefers his freedom.”
“That’s what everyone said about Philip before he proposed to you.”
“We have already established that Philip was a gentleman of unique character, my dear. To find two such men in so short a time would be more than one could reasonably hope for.”
14 A PRIL 1887
B ERKELEY S QUARE, L ONDON
Marriage market becoming more and more difficult to ignore. Would prefer to get the boring business of dealing with it over with as soon as possible. Prospect of finding an acceptable wife from the throngs of ladies who present themselves to me on a daily basis does not seem promising—I would like a spouse who is not abjectly stupid. Truth be told, I really want a wife who captivates me, but as producing an heir is my paramount concern, I shan’t have the luxury of gallivanting about in search of my Helen. It would take too long and almost certainly be a futile endeavour.
Debated with Lord Palmer for nearly two hours this evening after dinner (terrible food). Have not yet persuaded him to give serious consideration to my theory that Achilles is a noble man who is in impossible circumstances. His tantrums, seemingly narcissistic behaviour, and antisocial tendencies are the result of what has happened to him, not a flaw in character. Could we expect any man, even Achilles, to have behaved differently?
6
D INNER AT C AFÉ A NGLAIS NEVER FAILED TO DELIGHT ME, and on the evening of Ivy’s party, the esteemed chef outdid himself. Ivy spared no expense on the menu, and I am convinced that we had a meal nearly as extravagant as “Le Dîner des Trois Empereurs” hosted years ago by the restaurant. If anything, ours was better. Czar
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