The Shadow of Great Britain

321: Chapter 204: The Women’s Friend (4k4) 321: Chapter 204: The Women’s Friend (4k4) London, inside a small building on the streets of the Mayfair District.

Brilliant sunshine filtered through the glass, illuminating Mrs.

Norton’s delicate makeup.

It seemed to echo the lady’s succinct and powerful motto — indeed, we are quite beautiful.

Perhaps due to the long-standing marital strife of the past few years, Mrs.

Norton, although quietly sitting there without any expression and acting as a model, always had a kind of indescribable weariness between her brows and eyes.

Arthur and Disraeli, each with a stool, sat opposite her.

These two typically talkative young men were now unusually silent, feeling an inexplicable awkwardness between them.

It was at this moment they realized that accompanying a married lady to a portrait painting session ought to be the affair of her husband or perhaps a lover.

What then were they doing here?

The painter gently lifted his brush to dab on the palette in his left hand, adding a few strokes to the canvas.

Every so often, he raised his eyes to observe Mrs.

Norton and then promptly submerged back into his obsession with the art of painting.

Logically, under such conditions, he should not have noticed Arthur and Disraeli behind him.

But perhaps the atmosphere was too desolate, even the painter, engrossed in his work, could hardly bear their response, stretching and saying, “Let’s take a break, Mrs.

Norton.

You can walk around to ease your stiff back.

You’ve been sitting so long that the curves of your body are looking somewhat unnatural.

As for the two gentlemen behind me, would you like a cup of tea?

Just sitting there foolishly must be quite boring, right?”

Upon hearing this, Mrs.

Norton also slowly stood up and, full of apologies, addressed Arthur and Disraeli, “Gentlemen, although I would like to discuss the articles with you during the painting break, my back is truly in too much pain.

Perhaps I really should go out and move around now.

I know it might be inappropriate to say this since you have already been waiting for so long.

But I feel it may be a mistake to delay you here any longer.

How about we talk about the articles some other time?”

“The articles?” the painter spoke up, “Actually, there’s nothing wrong with discussing them here, madam.

Talking won’t affect the completion of my painting.”

Surprised, Mrs.

Norton replied, “Really?

I’m sorry, this is my first portrait painting and I am inexperienced.”

Arthur chuckled and nodded, “Then let’s talk when you come back.

Go ahead and move around, madam.”

Mrs.

Norton bowed her head slightly, then stepped down the stairs with the help of a butler at the door.

As Mrs.

Norton walked away, the atmosphere in the studio started to liven up.

The painter, twirling his brush, spoke, “Mr.

Hastings and Mr.

Disraeli, is it?

While it’s normal for gentlemen to accompany ladies for portrait sittings, it’s quite unusual to have two at once.

I thought only the Italians and the French did such things.

Have I been away from Britain too long, or have the customs of my beautiful homeland changed?”

Disraeli, upon hearing this, just lifted a finger and shook it, “Sir, please don’t misunderstand our relationship with Mrs.

Norton.

We are truly only here to discuss the articles with her.”

The painter picked up a coffee cup from the side, “I hope so.

But judging by your appearances, neither of you are married, right?”

Arthur asked, “How can you tell?”

“Quite simple, just by one sentence from the gentleman sitting beside me earlier, you two gave yourselves away.”

“How so?”

Sipping his coffee with a smile, the painter said, “Because only you unmarried lads would want to talk business or reason so seriously with a woman.

I tell you, if you want to get these lovely ladies to agree to something, being stiff or talking normally usually doesn’t work.

That’s something I learned after I got married.”

Disraeli, puzzled, asked, “What happened after you got married?”

“What happened?

My God!

Listen to what you’re saying!” the painter rolled his eyes and said, “Let me put it this way, you cannot imagine how difficult it is to deal with my wife.

She often poses a question, answers it herself, and then spends the next half an hour explaining to me why my answer is wrong.”

Disraeli’s eyelids twitched at this response, “But you didn’t answer, did you?”

The painter warned, “Young man, if ever you get married, you better not say this to your wife, or she won’t stop talking for the next half hour.

You get my drift?

She wouldn’t care whether or not you answered; she just wants to argue that you are wrong, following her own mood.

If you know how to appease a woman, she can be the most adorable angel on earth, no matter how unreasonable your request, she will agree to it.

But if you lack that skill, even if you fetched her a star from the heavens, she’d ask why you didn’t bring the moon, and after getting the moon, she’d question why not the sun…”

Disraeli asked, “What if I got the stars, moon, and sun?”

Arthur spoke up, “Then she would say, ‘Darling, why didn’t you spend the time picking those things to keep me company instead?’”