Welcome back to Links!

I can slowly start to feel the allergies. I’ve been good about taking Flonase recently, so I haven’t had my usual symptoms of sneezing and sinus pressure. I have had some severely dry eyes, which are new for me. I did buy some eyedrops; does anyone have a good hack to getting the drops in on the first try?

May is looking busy for my social calendar and ending with a trip back to South Korea for a traditional Korean wedding. I had to send in measurements for a hanbok! Admittedly, I’m already hope some of my plans get cancelled (Sorry, friends, if you’re reading this! I’m so tired!) I always feel like Amanda-in-the-moment is so ambitious and positive and does not take into account how Amanda-a-week-from-now is going to feel.

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Have you heard about the fish doorbell?! Lots of places have been writing about it, including Slate and Smithsonian Magazine.

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EC Spurlock sent this one in and it goes out to all the appreciators of knitwear out there! Go behind the scenes of the movie Coraline and some of its handknit costume pieces.

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Tax Day is over in the States, but in author Maya Rodale’s Substack, she included some great women in history who protested taxation. Thanks to Karin for sending in this link.

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If you need a good cry, my partner saw this on reddit and sent it to me. I cried on a beachfront balcony. It’s a bittersweet cry, not one of overwhelming sadness, just to be clear.

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Don’t forget to share what cool or interesting things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!

WOULD SHE EVER HAVE A PROPER MARRIAGE?

Some people might think Emily Seymour was a bit prim and proper. Emily preferred to think of herself as sensible. Unfortunately, all the good sense in the world could not stop Emily from falling in love with Professor Renier Jurres-Romeijn. The professor barely seemed to notice her, though. He was too busy making plans for a winter wedding. But who exactly was his intended bride?

Review

Looking for another seasonal Neels book, I found that I had this one along with “A Christmas Proposal” in a duology. Again, it’s more that a lot of the book takes place in December and we do get a massive Dutch holiday celebration of open house, drink parties, Christmas Eve party, Christmas day party, Boxing Day party, New Year’s Eve party, grandma birthday party – so yeah our heroine Emily gets lots of use out of the new wardrobe she was (luckily) able to buy before she headed over to our hero’s stately family country home in Holland.

Emily Seymour is a bit of a mix between a Neel’s heroine with a nursing job at which she is very good and a little match-girl who has a family that has loaded her down with responsibility. Older sister Mary and her husband George (who is mysteriously detained in some foreign country due to his job) have left their twins (Claire and William – 8 months old) with middle sister Emily who had worked at a London hospital. But thinking the twins need fresh air, Emily has ditched her job there, gotten another at a new built hospital outside of London and now lives in a pokey semi-detached house along with 18 year old Louisa who seems set on making a living as a model (she’s the pretty one). By the end of the book I wanted to reach through my ereader and slap Louisa who is a selfish little beeyotch.  

Emily overhears two surgeons at work talking about her for a special nursing job. One describes her unflatteringly and our girl feels some rage at this. But she’s a pro and doesn’t toss a bedpan at him. Soon Professor Renier Jurres-Romeijn is rethinking his opinion as Emily is darn good at what she does. Yes, she yanks her brown hair into a bun and wears dreadful clothes but wow, can she dance at the hospital ball. She also juggles a full time job, taking care of the pokey house and the twins with minimal help from the Dreadful Louisa. 

After dazzling him with her nursing skills, Emily makes it plain that she is Not Interested in the Professor being kind to her and lets slip that she overheard him earlier. But she does appreciate his kindness in getting the canteen help to bring her a dinner tray after he kept her busy for almost all of her dinner break. He also helps save the day when the first Medical Emergency occurs due to the Dreadful Louisa and later when something happens in Holland. Renier is a good man in a crisis. 

What he is not good at is making his feelings Really Plain. But then Emily is just as determined to Ignore Fate and return to carving out a career in nursing in London. What to do? Well no one appears to know what will entice Emily into believing that Renier is head over heels in love with her as she does “grow on one.” Even grandma’s diamonds “which will go to Renier’s wife at her death” don’t tempt Emily into spilling her thoughts on love and matrimony. And Emily keeps “flinging Heleen (beautiful wanna be other woman) in his face. In true Neels fashion, Renier must get masterful to win his bride.  B      

~ Jayne

Emily sat up, but he pushed her head gently against his shoulder. ‘We must make a few plans, my love; we’ll marry just as soon as I can arrange it.’ 
‘But what about Mary and George—and the twins. . .?’ 
‘If you think that I am prepared to wait until the twins are old enough to be your bridal attendants, then you are grossly mistaken, Emily. Now sit still, dearest, while I tell you what a beautiful girl you are.’ 
Emily sighed blissfully into his shoulder. It seemed likely that she was going to be rushed down the nearest aisle without so much as a new hat on her head, but somehow it didn’t matter at all. She said in a happy voice: ‘I’m listening, Renier.’ 

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He needed her as a nurse, not a woman

Benedict van Manfeld was one of the surliest, most unfriendly men Cassandra had ever met. But when she learned he was a brilliant Dutch surgeon who had severely damaged his sight in an accident, her attitude changed. Benedict asked Cassandra to go to Holland with him as his nurse. She agreed and soon began to feel something deeper than sympathy for him. But with his close friend Paula nearby, why should he even notice Cassandra?

CW – There is a Polish concentration camp survivor character who briefly discusses his past. It is understood that in one crash scene, a child has died.  

Review

After a few rough personal weeks and having finished a string of anticipated books that hadn’t worked for me as well as I had hoped they would, I realized I needed something certain, a sure bet. Yep, time to pull out a Betty Neels book. I knew exactly what I was going to get but darn it, sometimes you need that. 

Cassandra is just finishing her training at a London hospital when her sister calls and tentatively asks if Cassandra might be able to look after her (totally adorable) niece and nephew while Rachel and husband Tom jet off to Greece for six weeks. Tom’s just finished a book (Roman Empire and he never wants to do another one. Too much research). Afraid she’ll get in a rut if she takes the offer to work in men’s medical, Cassandra jumps at the chance. She’s thinking she’d like to take a midwifery course but she has time. 

During a walk through the Scottish countryside (in tweeds, woolens, and wellies), Andrew points out Ogre’s Relish – the name he and Penny have coined for the house where a recluse is staying. Thinking the recluse might enjoy a cake or pie (or both, she’s a good baker), Cassandra heads up one day while the children are in school. The reception is chilly, to say the least. From his dark glasses she can tell the Ogre obviously has trouble with his sight. Today a person’s response to him might be “Rude!” Cassandra politely tells him that he is, drops her cake offering, and then walks out. Rude Ogre – through his man Jan – sends letters which Cassandra rips up. Undaunted, Mejnheer shows up at her door. And thus starts their courtship only Cassandra doesn’t know it. 

After a while she’s reading him medical journals (he’s a ENT surgeon and Jan has trouble with the medical terms), still baking (until she discovers that he gets hampers from Fortnum and Mason so he’s not hard up for money and needing her to feed him), putting up with his tempers, and learning to be wary when his tone turns silky. That’s when she knows he’s amused at something and about to skillfully have his way. His latest “way” is to get Cassandra to accompany them back to Holland where it’s time for Benedict to have his eyes checked to see if his optic nerve has healed and he might be able to resume his career. 

Of course he has a lovely home and devoted housekeeper (Miep), there’s vague mention of a cat (but no name), a friendly coworker, and scads of lovely young Dutch women who come calling – conveniently after Benedict gets the medical all clear. Tante Beatrix and Jan have opinions about them. Benedict does too and often uses Cassandra as a screen. Also conveniently the eye doctor needs a nurse for about ten days and guess who’s now free? But will Benedict ever come clean about his feelings or will Cassandra’s willful misunderstanding of his personal situation keep them apart? Thank goodness Benedict did a tricky surgery a year ago on an employee at Schiphol. 

So we start on Oban, shift to the Netherlands, deal with snowy winter weather, and Benedict’s tempers. Cassandra snaps back at him though so I didn’t mind them if she didn’t. The All Hands tragedy is a boat collision that calls for Cassandra and Benedict (him cheerful, her slightly nauseous) to be tendered out and then Cassandra hauled around from boat to boat after Benedict. Crisp and professional Cassandra manages to lend a hand at the ophthalmologist’s office despite not speaking Dutch while Benedict tries to sound her out and make sure she’s not a gold digger. Oh, the misunderstandings. Oh, the frustration. Oh, the friends who try and help Benedict’s courtship. Of course all’s well that ends well and it was just what I needed to reset my mood. Thanks, Betty. B               

~Jayne 

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