tailcoat. Choice of clothing is very important. I believe I said to my valet, ‘No, no, the green one.’”
This must’ve been some kind of inside joke, because everyone but Vanessa laughed.
Sherry leaned in. “That was the color coat he insisted on wearing when he proposed to Elizabeth—the second time. In the 1995
Pride and Prejudice
.”
Vanessa nodded.
He unbuttoned his tailcoat and Paul slid it off his shoulders, revealing his form-fitting breeches, waistcoat, and puffy shirt (as she liked to call it).
Julian turned sideways and paced the stage again. All the bonneted and feather-topped heads in the room followed his movements.
He stopped, folded his arms, and spoke. “Naked from a distance.”
That got attention, all right. Sherry squeezed Vanessa’s knee for a moment.
Julian put a hand on his hip. “The snugly tailored, flesh-colored breeches, the tan silk waistcoat, the white shirt—it’s all meant to create the illusion of ‘naked from a distance’ just like a classic Greek or Roman marble statue.”
He did look rather—statuesque . . . Vanessa snapped to and then snapped a pic to post.
Naked from a distance. #JASNAagm #UndressingMrDarcy #wishyouwerehere
“As you know, we emulate the classic Greek and Roman eras in our clothing, our architecture, and our art.”
Vanessa didn’t know that, and she’d always been intrigued by classical Greek and Roman culture.
“My waistcoat is cut a little lower at the front than my day coat, to show off my watch chain and key-fob attachment. This is where my signet—my wax seal for my letters—hangs.”
Sherry nudged Vanessa with her elbow. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Unfortunately, yes, Vanessa thought.
Julian unbuttoned his waistcoat, and was it her imagination, or was he looking right at her? She looked away, toward the clock that didn’t seem to be moving fast enough. By the time she looked back, Paul had removed Julian’s waistcoat and taken it offstage.
“To be seen in my shirtsleeves, as you know, is absolutely indecent.”
The crowd laughed.
Sherry nodded her head. “Uh-huh. Uh-huh!”
Vanessa took another picture and posted across the sites:
How very risqué of Mr. Darcy to appear in his shirtsleeves @TheHyatt. #JASNAagm #UndressingMrDarcy #hot
She began to believe her own hype, a very dangerous situation for her. She could easily crank out this kind of stuff when she didn’t fall prey to it herself. He was not hot. He was a client.
“The white linen shirt is considered an undergarment, and I would not take off my waistcoat in front of a lady unless I knew her
very
well.”
The audience went abuzz.
“The collar points of the shirt and the cravat are designed to outline the strength of a gentleman’s jaw.”
Now that he mentioned it, he did have a very strong jawline. Vanessa sighed, exasperated with herself, and, determined to focus on more significant issues, she scrolled through her e-mail in-box and double-checked her phone to be sure it was on vibrate for when the doctor called.
Now Julian had settled into a chair onstage and she had to adjust the video cam again.
Once she had focused on him with the camera, she found it difficult to take her eyes off him. He commanded the stage even while sitting.
“During the course of a day, I dress, and undress, some three or four times. I require, per week: twenty shirts, twenty-four pocket handkerchiefs, ten summer breeches, thirty cravats, a dozen waistcoats, stockings, and a chintz dressing gown and Turkish slippers for taking my breakfast and reading the day’s paper.”
Turkish slippers. His morning paper. This painted a picture she didn’t want in her mind.
“My cravat, made of fine Irish muslin, is a triangle folded twice and wrapped carefully around the neck, and can be tied in various knots, depending on my mood.” He smiled, slid his index finger into the front of the knot at the base of his throat, and pulled. With another yank, he
This must’ve been some kind of inside joke, because everyone but Vanessa laughed.
Sherry leaned in. “That was the color coat he insisted on wearing when he proposed to Elizabeth—the second time. In the 1995
Pride and Prejudice
.”
Vanessa nodded.
He unbuttoned his tailcoat and Paul slid it off his shoulders, revealing his form-fitting breeches, waistcoat, and puffy shirt (as she liked to call it).
Julian turned sideways and paced the stage again. All the bonneted and feather-topped heads in the room followed his movements.
He stopped, folded his arms, and spoke. “Naked from a distance.”
That got attention, all right. Sherry squeezed Vanessa’s knee for a moment.
Julian put a hand on his hip. “The snugly tailored, flesh-colored breeches, the tan silk waistcoat, the white shirt—it’s all meant to create the illusion of ‘naked from a distance’ just like a classic Greek or Roman marble statue.”
He did look rather—statuesque . . . Vanessa snapped to and then snapped a pic to post.
Naked from a distance. #JASNAagm #UndressingMrDarcy #wishyouwerehere
“As you know, we emulate the classic Greek and Roman eras in our clothing, our architecture, and our art.”
Vanessa didn’t know that, and she’d always been intrigued by classical Greek and Roman culture.
“My waistcoat is cut a little lower at the front than my day coat, to show off my watch chain and key-fob attachment. This is where my signet—my wax seal for my letters—hangs.”
Sherry nudged Vanessa with her elbow. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
Unfortunately, yes, Vanessa thought.
Julian unbuttoned his waistcoat, and was it her imagination, or was he looking right at her? She looked away, toward the clock that didn’t seem to be moving fast enough. By the time she looked back, Paul had removed Julian’s waistcoat and taken it offstage.
“To be seen in my shirtsleeves, as you know, is absolutely indecent.”
The crowd laughed.
Sherry nodded her head. “Uh-huh. Uh-huh!”
Vanessa took another picture and posted across the sites:
How very risqué of Mr. Darcy to appear in his shirtsleeves @TheHyatt. #JASNAagm #UndressingMrDarcy #hot
She began to believe her own hype, a very dangerous situation for her. She could easily crank out this kind of stuff when she didn’t fall prey to it herself. He was not hot. He was a client.
“The white linen shirt is considered an undergarment, and I would not take off my waistcoat in front of a lady unless I knew her
very
well.”
The audience went abuzz.
“The collar points of the shirt and the cravat are designed to outline the strength of a gentleman’s jaw.”
Now that he mentioned it, he did have a very strong jawline. Vanessa sighed, exasperated with herself, and, determined to focus on more significant issues, she scrolled through her e-mail in-box and double-checked her phone to be sure it was on vibrate for when the doctor called.
Now Julian had settled into a chair onstage and she had to adjust the video cam again.
Once she had focused on him with the camera, she found it difficult to take her eyes off him. He commanded the stage even while sitting.
“During the course of a day, I dress, and undress, some three or four times. I require, per week: twenty shirts, twenty-four pocket handkerchiefs, ten summer breeches, thirty cravats, a dozen waistcoats, stockings, and a chintz dressing gown and Turkish slippers for taking my breakfast and reading the day’s paper.”
Turkish slippers. His morning paper. This painted a picture she didn’t want in her mind.
“My cravat, made of fine Irish muslin, is a triangle folded twice and wrapped carefully around the neck, and can be tied in various knots, depending on my mood.” He smiled, slid his index finger into the front of the knot at the base of his throat, and pulled. With another yank, he
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