My Dear Charlotte by Holt Hazel

Author:Holt, Hazel [Holt, Hazel]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Coffeetown Press
Published: 2009-08-31T15:00:00+00:00

26th August

My Dear Charlotte,

You will wish me, I am sure, to furnish you and Mary with an account of the Assembly last evening. As for dancing it was very poor, only fifteen couple and but forty people in the room, few families indeed from our side of the county and not many more from the other. It was felt to be unfortunate that two of the more personable men (by which I mean Mr Russell and Mr Rivers) were not dancing, but the reason that they were not doing so – the death of their near relative – was very fine for conversation.

As I mentioned in my last letter, I was eager to see in what manner Mr Russell and Miss West conducted themselves. Miss West – in blue crape with ribbon trimmings – and her mother arrived first. I saw Mrs West casting glances round the room as if searching for someone, and, when Mr Russell arrived with his cousin, she said something to her daughter (which alas I could not hear) that caused her to look annoyed, but another word from her mother appeared to subdue her.

Upon Captain Tilson asking her to dance she accepted, slightly reluctantly though her mother nodded approval. I observed, however, that, in the course of the dance. Miss West glanced quite often towards that part of the room where Mr Russell was in conversation with Mrs Holder. Since he was not dancing he had every excuse for not approaching Miss West – he did bow as he passed them on the way to speak to Mr Holder, but that was all. Mr Rivers, on the other hand, was most attentive. I think I told you that he was previously much struck with Miss West and, certainly, appeared determined to pursue the acquaintance. To my surprise Mrs West seemed positively to encourage the attention. Perhaps she hopes to make Mr Russell so jealous as to bring him to the point. Whatever her reason I cannot but be sorry for Mr Rivers since there is no likelihood of Mrs West’s taking the lesser prize for her daughter.

I could not follow Mr Rivers’ progress since young Tom Chamberlyne, at home from Oxford, asked me to dance and, in all conscience, I couldn’t bring myself to hurt his feelings by refusing him, though it meant taking my eye off the drama. When I had returned to my place Mrs West had departed into the card room and Miss West was dancing with one of the sons of Mr and Mrs Cooke who, you may remember, have an estate near Axminster.

In spite of his declared wish to renew his acquaintance with his friends at Lyme, Mr Russell did not stay long – we had a brief conversation about very little – and went away quite soon, taking his cousin with him. I noticed, as they left, that Mr Rivers looked wistfully at Miss West, dancing with one of Captain Tilson’s brother officers, whose name I do not know, as if he would like to have stayed.

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