That was not a yes, but not a direct no either – Jemima let out a small, thoughtful sigh. What she took that to mean, really, was that Ford was not only trying to make the best of things, as they had agreed; but that he had that same kind of patience for people and their interests, generally. She could have married a much unkinder person than him.
And she could not argue with the remark without making it entirely clear that her husband had no built-in fondness for her or her interests, given the circumstances. So, instead, Jemima would try her very hardest to wade through any essay at all, if it gave her something not-fraught to discuss with her husband or any of her new housemates here. “Well, thank you, Clementine,” she added, with a sincere smile – and the oddest temptation to throw her arms about her new sister-in-law in gratitude, although she knew it to be a foolish impulse, and one that would not be much appreciated. (It was a product of her own isolation, she suspected; she would curb it by subjecting herself to essay reading instead.) “I can hardly wait to begin and let you know how I get on!”
And she could not argue with the remark without making it entirely clear that her husband had no built-in fondness for her or her interests, given the circumstances. So, instead, Jemima would try her very hardest to wade through any essay at all, if it gave her something not-fraught to discuss with her husband or any of her new housemates here. “Well, thank you, Clementine,” she added, with a sincere smile – and the oddest temptation to throw her arms about her new sister-in-law in gratitude, although she knew it to be a foolish impulse, and one that would not be much appreciated. (It was a product of her own isolation, she suspected; she would curb it by subjecting herself to essay reading instead.) “I can hardly wait to begin and let you know how I get on!”
