The Ladies Lindores · Chapter
Chapter XXVII explained
Lady Lindores reflects on the advantages of Millefleurs as a suitor for Edith, contrasting him with Torrance of Tinto and feeling a justified ambition.
What happens
Lady Lindores reflects on the advantages of Millefleurs as a suitor for Edith, contrasting him with Torrance of Tinto and feeling a justified ambition. Edith waits in her father's library, tense and resolute. Lord Lindores prepares to speak to her about Millefleurs's proposal, but senses her resistance. During the drive home, Millefleurs skillfully eases the awkwardness by chatting about Tinto's decor, noting the incongruity between Lady Caroline and her surroundings. Lord Lindores, absent from the party, contemplates the political and social benefits of the match, while Rintoul's sulky absence hints at family tensions.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Ambition
Lord Lindores and Lady Lindores view Millefleurs's proposal as a means to elevate the family's social standing, contrasting it with the earlier, less prestigious match with Torrance.
Marriage as Transaction
The chapter frames Edith's potential marriage to Millefleurs as a strategic alliance, with Lord Lindores calculating political and peerage benefits.
Appearance vs. Reality
Millefleurs's cheerful demeanor masks his awareness of Edith's discomfort; Lady Lindores's outward calm hides her anxiety; Edith's pale silence conceals her inner resolve.
Characters to notice
- Edith Lindores
Stands in her father's library, heart beating, refusing to consider Millefleurs's qualities; pale and trembling at dinner, she uses flowers to hide her discomfort.
- Lord Lindores
Debates the wisdom of speaking to Edith first; feels frustrated by his children's resistance but remains outwardly urbane; privately envisions an English peerage through the match.
- Lady Lindores
Weighs Millefleurs's attractions against her earlier shame over Torrance; feels nervous pleasure at the thought of Edith's precedence; anxious during the drive home.
- Lord Millefleurs
Shows social heroism by diverting conversation during the awkward drive; observes John Erskine disappearing among the trees; discusses Tinto's decor and the incongruity of Lady Caroline.
- Lady Caroline Torrance
Mentioned as 'poor Carry' by Lady Lindores; Millefleurs notes she is out of keeping with her house's decoration, a different genre from her surroundings.
- Lord Rintoul
Sulky when his father suggests Lady Reseda as a match; abandons the party to walk home and does not appear at dinner, causing some concern.
- John Erskine
Seen by Millefleurs disappearing among the trees near Tinto, hinting at his ongoing presence in the background.
Key passages
“after all, what was there to object to? Millefleurs was very different from Torrance of Tinto. Why should he not please the girl’s fancy as well as another?”
Lady Lindores rationalizes that Millefleurs is a far better match than Torrance, seeing no reason why Edith should not be attracted to him.
Reflects her shift in ambition and justification of the match.
“He had possession of the stage, as it were, during all that long way home, which to the ladies seemed about twice as long as it had ever been before.”
Millefleurs dominated the conversation on the drive back, making the journey feel interminable to the embarrassed ladies.
Highlights his social skill and the tension in the carriage.
“It would be felt that to keep a man of Lord Lindores’s abilities in the hopeless position of a mere Scotch lord, would be a waste prejudicial to the country.”
Lord Lindores believes that with Millefleurs as a son-in-law, he would be seen as too capable for a mere Scottish peerage and would be granted an English one.
Reveals his political ambition and self-importance.
