Less than kin

by Alice Duer Miller

(...)"As the lights went up, they both turned to the glittering tiers above them. The opera was a favorite and the house was full, though here and there an empty box caught one's eye like a missing tooth. Miss Lewis was sweeping the semicircle like an astronomer in full cry after a comet. She had begun conscientiously at the stage box, and with but few comments she had reached the third or fourth, when her hand was arrested. There were three people in it—an old man in a velvet skull-cap, tall, thin, wrinkled, and strangely somber against the red-and-gold background; a younger man dimly seen in the shadow; and a slim young woman in gray.
The curve of the house afforded examples of every sort and kind of brilliantly dressed lady. There were dowagers and young girls, there were women who forgot the(...)"

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2012

About the author

Alice Duer Miller (July 28, 1874 – August 22, 1942) was an American writer whose poetry actively influenced political opinion. Her feminist verses impacted on the suffrage issue, while her verse-play The White Cliffs encouraged US entry into World War II. She also wrote novels and screenplays.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short (more novella than novel) and rather sweet. Not sure what to think about the ending. The choice they seem to be making is certainly not the one I would make under the circumstances, especially since it seems like the reason for making it no longer exists, but maybe we're meant to assume they'll find that out before it's too late.