The Pursuit of Love (Radlett and Montdore #1)

by Nancy Mitford

“Poor Aunt Emily, perhaps he’ll make her keep him in the stables,” said Linda with a gust of giggles. “Still, he looks rather nice you know, and, considering her age, I should think she’s lucky to get anybody.” “I can’t wait to see him with Fa.” However, our expectations of blood and thunder were disappointed, for it was evident at once that Uncle Matthew had taken an enormous fancy to Captain Warbeck. As he never altered his first opinion of people, and as his few favourites could commit nameless crimes without doing wrong in his eyes, Captain Warbeck was, henceforward, on an infallible wicket with Uncle Matthew. “He’s such a frightfully clever cove, literary you know, you wouldn’t believe the things he does. He writes books, and criticizes pictures, and whacks hell out of the piano, though the pieces he plays aren’t up to much. Still, you can see what it would be like, if he learnt some of the tunes out of the Country Girl, for instance. Nothing would be too difficult for him, you can see that.”