"Ah, then I will thank you for the compliment by staying by your side a little longer, and return it by admitting that I enjoy the honor of your company very much, Miss Blackwood," Samuel replied with a warm smile and decidedly turned his back on Mr. Travers, who silently mimicked that he would like to have a word.
He thought that her comment on the evening and these types of events underscored that Miss Blackwood seemed able to enjoy the privileges of being the picture of a sought-after debutante, without getting lost in the mythology of it all, and committing the sin of taking it rather too seriously.
That elevated her quite a bit in his opinion and spurred his imagination. The question occurred to him, to what extent was it true that there was a gilded cage around her? Imperceptible to him, who had always taken the freedom to pursue whatever he desired. Supposedly, young women of her strata were glamorous but tightly controlled, bound to the wishes of their parents.
Did she really know nothing of life beyond that? It was hard to believe. These things were not always as black and white as the narrative about them, in his experience.
"The soirée is charming, and I am very glad you enjoy it. Although it seems to me that you agree that events, soirées, and balls of even greater diversions and delights are imaginable," Samuel said, his voice taking up the hint of mischief she had introduced to their conversation.
"If one happens to be afflicted with an adventurous spirit, there is often a desire for a change of pace that is not always easy to come by," he said with a pointed look towards the dance floor, where the third awfully traditional waltz in a row was playing. It was as much as he could allow himself to allude to, in lieu of outright saying what a stiff affair the evening was presently.
Perhaps it was the early hour or the droves of gentlemen in want of a wife but in need of refinement, but glancing over the dancing crowd, Samuel saw many faces furrowed in dour concentration. What he saw little of was the lightness and joie de vivre that he enjoyed and partook in at the events he liked to frequent.
"Have you ever gone dancing in Paris, Miss Blackwood?" he asked and added: "Perhaps your family visits the city on occasion?" to not imply that she might do something as independent and scandalous as visiting dances on her own volition.
He thought that her comment on the evening and these types of events underscored that Miss Blackwood seemed able to enjoy the privileges of being the picture of a sought-after debutante, without getting lost in the mythology of it all, and committing the sin of taking it rather too seriously.
That elevated her quite a bit in his opinion and spurred his imagination. The question occurred to him, to what extent was it true that there was a gilded cage around her? Imperceptible to him, who had always taken the freedom to pursue whatever he desired. Supposedly, young women of her strata were glamorous but tightly controlled, bound to the wishes of their parents.
Did she really know nothing of life beyond that? It was hard to believe. These things were not always as black and white as the narrative about them, in his experience.
"The soirée is charming, and I am very glad you enjoy it. Although it seems to me that you agree that events, soirées, and balls of even greater diversions and delights are imaginable," Samuel said, his voice taking up the hint of mischief she had introduced to their conversation.
"If one happens to be afflicted with an adventurous spirit, there is often a desire for a change of pace that is not always easy to come by," he said with a pointed look towards the dance floor, where the third awfully traditional waltz in a row was playing. It was as much as he could allow himself to allude to, in lieu of outright saying what a stiff affair the evening was presently.
Perhaps it was the early hour or the droves of gentlemen in want of a wife but in need of refinement, but glancing over the dancing crowd, Samuel saw many faces furrowed in dour concentration. What he saw little of was the lightness and joie de vivre that he enjoyed and partook in at the events he liked to frequent.
"Have you ever gone dancing in Paris, Miss Blackwood?" he asked and added: "Perhaps your family visits the city on occasion?" to not imply that she might do something as independent and scandalous as visiting dances on her own volition.
