Judith McNaught Quote

When at last he finally hooked one, despite Elizabeth’s best efforts to prevent it, she scrambled to her feet and backed up a step. You-you’re hurting it! she cried as he pulled the hook from its mouth.Hurting what? The fish? he asked in disbelief.Yes!Nonsense, said he, looking at her as if she was daft, then he tossed the fish on the bank.It can’t breathe, I tell you! she wailed, her eyes fixed on the flapping fish.It doesn’t need to he retorted. We’re going to eat it for lunch.I certainly won’t! she cried, managing to look at him as if he were a cold-blooded murderer.Lady Cameron, he said sternly, am I to believe you’ve never eaten a fish?Well, of course I have.And do you think the fish you’ve eaten came from? he continued with irate logic.It came from a nice tidy package wrapped in paper, Elizabeth announced with a vacuous look. They come in nice, tidy paper wrapping.Well, they weren’t born in that tidy paper, he replied, and Elizabeth had a dreadful time hiding her admiration for his patience as well as for the firm tone he was finally taking with her. He was not, as she had originally thought, a fool or a namby-pamby. Before that, he persisted, where was the fish? How did that fish to the market in the first place?Elizabeth gave her head a haughty toss, glanced sympathetically at the flapping fish, then gazed at him with haughty condemnation in her eyes. I assume they used nets or something, but I’m perfectly certain they didn’t do it this way.What way? he demanded.The way you have-sneaking up on it in its own little watery home, tricking it by covering up your hook with that poor fuzzy thing, and then jerking the poor fish away from its family and tossing it on the bank to die. It’s quite inhumane! she said, and she gave her skirts an irate twitch. Lord Marchman stared at her in frowning disbelief, then he shook his head as if trying to clear it. A few minutes later he escorted her home. Elizabeth made him carry the basket containing the fish on the opposite side from where she walked. And when that didn’t seem to discomfit the poor man she insisted he hold his arm straight out-to keep the basket even further from her person. She was not at all surprised when Lord Marchman excused himself until supper, nor when he remained moody and thoughtful throughout their uncomfortable meal. She covered the silence, however, by chattering earnestly about the difference between French and English fashions and the importance of using only the best kid for gloves, and then she regaled him with detailed descriptions of every gown she could remember seeing. By the end of the meal Lord Marchman looked dazed and angry; Elizabeth was a little hoarse and very encouraged.