Dickin Lutey’s Nicely Laundered Linen Handkerchief

Dickin Lutey’s

Nicely Laundered Linen Handkerchief: Object Post 72

Source? Probably his mama bought it for him

Significance? The use to which he put it showed his innate kindness

Fate? Probably Prudence Frame had it laundered and kept it in her drawer, scented with lavender

Author’s inspiration? The term dropping a handkerchief was code for attracting a suitor

Appeared in? Long Ago Love Songs

(He offered her a handkerchief.)

Prudence Frame, a Yorkshire mouse making her debut, accepted Dickin Lutey’s invitation to waltz at a ball. Alas, she’s forgotten (if she ever knew) that waltzing before she’d been given leave by the leaders of the ton would put her beyond the pale. Dickin, who had forgotten too, found her in tears.

“So,” said Dickin by and by

“Imbroglio becomes my brief.

Dry your tears milady Prue.”

(He offered her a handkerchief.)

Oh!

Godfrey-Daniel! Dickin Lutey

To your name you have a duty

Never drop your handkerchief

You are here to court a beauty

Oh!

“All is ruined!” wept poor Prue

“Ma had money for one season.

Now I must return unwed

For such a ninnyhammered reason.”

Then she plied the handkerchief

a piece of nicely laundered linen

and peeped at Dickin over it…

He seemed unfazed by crying women.

Dickin, encouraged by the tearful Prue, came up with a way out of the mess she was in… of course.

After all…

But Dickin’s won himself a beauty…

(and her name is Prudence Lutey)

Dickin’s nicely laundered linen handkerchief appears in Long Ago Love Songs

 ABOUT THE BLOG

Sally is Sally Odgers; author, anthologist and reader. You can find you way into her maze of websites and blogs via the portal here.(Sally is me, by the way.)

The goal for 2017 was to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. 2017 is well behind us, but I ran out of year before running out of books. As of June 2018 I STILL hadn't run out of books, but many of those still to come are MIA by which I mean I don't have copies and remember little about them. There are more new books in the pipeline, and I'm certainly showcasing those, but in between times, I'm profiling some of my characters, places and objects. Thank you so much to everyone who's come along on this journey so far!