“Oh, about as well as ever,” Endymion said airily – he had met the new debutante (lovely enough), would have a dance with her later, had danced with an abundance of other young ladies who were, by and large, lovely enough. (That was of course the problem: lovely enough.)
Thinking of it, all his feigned lightness suddenly fell away, and he turned to Desi with an anguished look. “By which I mean tragically,” he exclaimed – quietly, although his tone was despairing. “I’m Sisyphus, Morgan, Sisyphus with the boulder! Prometheus chained on the rock,” – but never mind his liver, there were vultures eating out his heart the moment he so much as fancied he felt the slightest emotion from it – “Tantalus in his lake. Eternal punishment,” he explained, coming down from the peak of melodrama and shrugging helplessly, for despite his best efforts the wife hunt was going nowhere, “and I simply don’t know what I’ve done to deserve it.” Surely it ought not be this hard to fall in love?
Thinking of it, all his feigned lightness suddenly fell away, and he turned to Desi with an anguished look. “By which I mean tragically,” he exclaimed – quietly, although his tone was despairing. “I’m Sisyphus, Morgan, Sisyphus with the boulder! Prometheus chained on the rock,” – but never mind his liver, there were vultures eating out his heart the moment he so much as fancied he felt the slightest emotion from it – “Tantalus in his lake. Eternal punishment,” he explained, coming down from the peak of melodrama and shrugging helplessly, for despite his best efforts the wife hunt was going nowhere, “and I simply don’t know what I’ve done to deserve it.” Surely it ought not be this hard to fall in love?
