Dear Lady Matilda,
I beg your pardon. My note this morning was inappropriate. I cannot say what came over me. It would ease my mind if you would throw it in the fireplace.
Christian de Bord, Lord Ashford
19 September 1821
Dear Lord Ashford,
I will promise to burn your note if you agree to meet with me. I believe I have devised a solution to your difficulties, but I would like to speak to you about it in person.
I have enclosed for your perusal some botanical illustrations I completed last year for an educational guide to the natural history of the Pennines. I assure you, I do have other interests.
Matilda Halifax
20 September 1821
Dear Lady Matilda,
I did not presume to suggest that you only draw
For God’s sake
20 September 1821
Lady Matilda,
This isn’t a negotiation. Keep the damned note if it means so much to you. No. I will not meet with you.
A
21 September 1821
Dear Lord Ashford,
In two weeks of correspondence, I have learned several facts about you.
One, your Christian name is, in fact, Christian. (Did your parents find this amusing, I wonder?)
Two, your prose style leaves a great deal to be desired. (If I cannot make you acquainted with an art tutor for your sister, may I at least introduce you to punctuation beyond the humble full stop?)
And three, you are the most obstinate man I have ever encountered.
I have enclosed for you a picture of a man with the head of a pig. I leave you to wonder at its significance.
MH
22 September 1821
Dear Lady Matilda,
I need not wonder at the symbolism of your image. I recognize my buttocks. You’ve got the constellation upside down.
A
23 September 1821
Dear Lord Ashford,
