Saturday, August 13, 2011

Six Sentence Sunday #17: Marriage Priorities in 1811 England

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For today's Six Sentence Sunday, I return to my Regency paranormal romance WIP, A Woman of Proper Accomplishments. Here, the protagonist's mother is making it clear what she considers important in a potential husband:

“Do not be such a silly girl,” her mother said. She waved a hand and then pointed toward the door. “Men exist to trouble women. If you seek perfection from a husband, you should put yourself on the shelf. There is not a perfect husband in the world, but there is a handsome one downstairs worth two thousand pounds a year.” She smiled.

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25 comments:

Pippa Jay said...

Handsome and rich seems an adequate compensation. :D

Anonymous said...

This made me smile. Nice frank talking then sending her on her way!

Alix said...

Mum's always have it figured out. Beautifully written dialogue. Great six!

lexcade said...

She is a woman of great knowledge... But I'm with Pippa. Handsome and rich is an acceptable substitute.

Unknown said...

That sounds like very practical advice. I like your title.

sue said...

true - no such thing as perfect - very nice

Unknown said...

Handsome AND rich? I'd say worth a try. :) Great six, sounds like an interesting read.

Cate Masters said...

Mum's practical, but sometimes that's not enough. :) Can't wait to see what she decides.

Gem Sivad said...

Oh, I like mama's attitude. Rich and handsome, what's not to like?

Taryn Kincaid said...

Hmmm. I'll buck the trend here. Maybe she already knows him and he's a complete and utter ninnyhammer who trods on her tender toes and cares more for his hounds and horses. In which case, Pfft. On the other hand, if he's Mr. Darcy...definitely works for me!

J.A. Beard said...

Oh, the gentleman appears at this point to be a polite, educated and respectful man, if a bit forward.

The context of the comment has to do with his profession. He's a scholar of spiritus, a 'science' (when something breaks all the laws of physics, it's magic even if they insist otherwise) recently discovered in my setting. The protag is interested in it, her sister and mother find it 'distasteful'.

Jessica E. Subject said...

I would hope her mother would want a little more for her. Nice six!

Anonymous said...

Sounds a like a bit of a Mrs.Bennet! Great Snippet :)

Bree said...

"Men exist to trouble women." BEST LINE EVER!! LOL!

Cara Bristol said...

Love mom's pragmatic voice!

Chrystalla Thoma said...

Ah. Somehow mothers giving advise on men give me the jitters. Steer away, I say! :) Great six.

Anonymous said...

Mums... ;-)
Great six
Barb

Lindsay said...

That got me chuckling. That's about all they're good for now and then

Sandy Nachlinger said...

I absolutely adore your title. It puts the reader into the proper frame of mind before they even open your book! The dialogue is perfect.

Anonymous said...

Go for it silly chit! ;-)

Love the dialog!

E. P. Beaumont said...

Elegantly stated precis of the early-modern-era marriage game... with a flavor of ice and vinegar.

Karysa Faire said...

It might be practical advice from mum, but what is the protagonist's hang-up? Is she already in love with someone else?

Susan Kelly said...

Handsome and rich is all very well, but interesting and kind is better. Which way is it going to go? The proto-scientist is intriguing. Also like the title!

J.A. Beard said...

Glad everyone likes that title.

I'm planning on subbing this story relatively soon after a few more editing passes.

Jynnipher Olbert said...

How true about men! Thanks for an interesting six!