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Part 29: Harmless Delight

Sat, 07/16/2022 - 6:00am
"Embroidery for Fire Screen" (early 1800s, Cleveland Museum of Art)

Trifles Light as Air

A collection of one-shots based on Northanger Abbey: drabbles, flash fiction, missing scenes, and more. Title from Shakespeare's Othello, as quoted by Jane Austen in Chapter One. Now available as an eBook via Draft2Digital.

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The gift delivered to Mrs. Allen was delivered with a very breezy note, but could only have been directed by a person privy to their most recent conversations.

"Ah, look Mr. Allen, what a pretty set of ribbons! I wonder how Mr. Tilney knew what shade would suit?"

The gift was delivered with a very breezy note, something about being so used to shopping for his sister and recalling how well Mrs. Allen had looked in Bath, hoped she would accept these trifles, prayed she was in good health, etc.

All of which might be true, but his wife was right: only a person privy to their most recent conversations could have known about her newfound passion for yellow. Nor did it escape his notice that Mr. Tilney sent the first volume of a new novel in the same parcel, which no one could believe was meant for Fullerton's mistress.

Well, after all, young men in love were prone to grand gestures, and it spoke well of this one that he had not been so indiscreet as to send such an obvious token direct to the parsonage. "Perhaps you might invite Catherine to tea, I am sure she would enjoy seeing them," was his casual reply, which the lady agreed to at once, both united by their joy of sharing the same with their friends.

Title from Chapter 2 of Northanger Abbey: "She had a most harmless delight in being fine...."