Read Online A Bloodsmoor Romance by Joyce Carol Oates - Free Book Online

very presence of her fiancé, or in the midst of a formal dinner party, or a tea, or a reception at one or another stately Bloodsmoor home, with such percussive force that she oft lost track of the conversation about her, and sat in unnatural stillness. He sat him down with his hungry wife ; / They did very well without fork or knife ; / They ne’er ate a better goose in all their life , / And the little ones picked the bones O!
    It cannot be said that Constance Philippa was very well acquainted with her fiancé, the Baron Adolf von Mainz, to whom she had first been introduced but the previous December, at the resplendent Christmas ball given annually by the Kidde­masters of Wilmington: nor, I suppose, can it be said that the reticent young lady felt, as yet, any o’erwhelming sentiment pertaining to her fiancé, and to the impending matrimonial state. That, however, she would in time come to love the Baron, and have every wish to bear his sons, she did not doubt, partly as a consequence of Mrs. Zinn’s enthusiasm and encouragement, and partly as a consequence of her frequent readings in the field of romance—such novels as The Bride of Llewellyn, Blanche of the Brandywine, Phantom Wedding, and many another: the which promised many blessings, though difficult of interpretation, springing from the marital state.
    The Baron was of indeterminate age, and gave off a commingl’d scent of tobacco, red meat, and something very dark and very moist; he was not uncommonly tall of stature (being, in fact, some negligible inches shorter than Constance Philippa); nor above the ordinary, in terms of conventional handsomeness, and personal charm. The pronounced nature of his Germanic accent, coupled with an intrinsic shyness, on the part of Constance Philippa, made casual intercourse betwixt them somewhat difficult, yet, as their meetings were always in company, or closely attended by one or more chaperons, this was by no means a serious impediment to their romance: and, indeed, oft struck Constance Philippa as felicitous, in that she doubted she had anything to say to him, or he to her, at this early stage in their acquaintance.
    The quality in him which most impressed Mrs. Zinn and the Kidde­masters, was less his social manner than his ancestral name, the which, it was said, was nine hundred years old, and very well known in Central Europe. The quality in him which, alas, most impressed Constance Philippa had naught to do with his name, or his probable fortune, or his personal charm, but with his sportsmanship, of which she actually knew very little, though she had upon several occasions seen him mounted on his stallion Lucifer, and once with his falcon Adonis on his wrist: both the stallion and the falcon being such sleek, magnificent, beauteous creatures, Constance Philippa’s breath was near snatched away, in utter awe!—though, being by nature and training a perfectly comported young lady, she took care to give no sign.
    The approaching wedding necessitated some intimate discussions, betwixt Mrs. Zinn and Constance Philippa, as to the phenomenon of conjugal love, and woman’s ministration, and wifely duty; and it was with considerable warmth that the elder woman insisted that Constance Philippa lay aside all her hesitations, for, in time, she would surely come to “love” the Baron, with a love befitting their circumstances. Upon one occasion, however, Constance Philippa, her countenance ablush, inquired of Mrs. Zinn as to her early acquaintance with Mr. Zinn: “Was it the case, Mother, that your feeling for Father grew with the passage of time?—or was it, from the first, a considerable one?” Mrs. Zinn stared at her daughter with amaz’d displeasure, that the girl should be so bold, and Constance Philippa felt compelled to continue, albeit with pronounced nervousness. “I mean, Mother, one does get the impression, from things one has heard, amongst your family,