Shoutout to Georgette

She heard him out in a silence that seemed more abstracted than attentive and this so piqued him that he was unwise enough to ask her whether she were listening.
She brought her gaze back from the window, and surveyed him. "I beg your pardon, cousin?"
He was annoyed, and showed it. "I believe you've not heard one word!" he said.
"I was thinking," said Mary thoughtfully, "that puce does not become you, Joshua."
"Puce?" stammered Mr. Simpkins. "Become me? What- Why-?"
"It is maybe your complexion that's too high for it" mused Miss Challoner.
Mr. Simpkins said with dignity: "I was speaking of Sophia, Mary."
"I'm sure she would agree with me," replied the lady maddeningly.
"She's too easy, cousin. She don't know the path she treads," Joshua said, trying to bring the conversation back to its original topic. "She's very different from you, you know."
A slow smile curled Miss Challoner's lips. "I do of course, but it's hardly kind in you to tell me so," she said.
"In my eyes," declared Joshua, "you are the prettier."
Miss Challoner seemed to consider this. "Yes?" she said interestedly. "But then, you chose puce." She shook her head, and it was apparent she set no store by the compliment.

Why do I love to read Georgette? We are on a first name basis, you see. It is in the masterly evasion of discussing a topic distasteful to her while delicately snubbing the persistent and unwanted suitor. Really, she has ruined many a book for me, because a lot of dialogue in a less talented author sounds trite and cheesy and I have to put it down in disgust.
I love words. I love how she uses words to describe my other love, which is people. I am one of those that have to remind myself that it is awkward and rude to be caught staring at people. It is just so interesting to me-every aspect. I could sit in the mall on a bench or airport terminal for hours just watching people. Different body shapes, modes of walking, interaction with peers, teens ogling each other, family groupings, facial expressions, modes of dressing, affectations, the list goes on. What I get in a novel by Georgette Heyer is a complete description of these aspects of a character in delicious words that convey a wealth of meaning. Yes, they are listed at romance novels (she also does mystery and historical), but they are well crafted and I laugh out loud at some of the scenarios-even on the 5th reading. It is like Jane Austen, you just can't find a comparable fix when you want that type of reading, so you resort to rereading. It is a bit insulting to compare her novels to the typical in the genre of "romance novels". The purpose is not to be titillating and exciting(which I find repulsive), it is to develop memorable characters that you could care for or find interesting and are happy for them when they have the happy ending-which is required. And like Austen, it is not just the protagonists, it is the entire cast that is interesting. Characters as vivid as Mr. Collins or Lady Katherine de Bourgh.
Finding a selection that was short enough and not so convoluted in the story line as to be incomprehensible in a snippet was hard, but this little bit from "Devil's Cub" shows a small glimmer of the genius that is Georgette Heyer.
And now that I sound a little stalkerish in how I watch people, I will let you know that I am not so bad about it anymore, gotta mind my own business now. Five kiddies make a lot of business!