Hi! Upon my fifth re-reading of In Other Lands I have to ask: what the heLL was Golden thinking when he met Elliott for the first time and he introduced himself with “perfect finishing school politeness”???? In your recent shipper manifesto you went on at length about POV, which I found fascinating because all the glimpses we get of the main character from more tangential characters in the book are so interesting and different (ie Adara mentioning Elliott in passing, The ex saying “I can tell”)
I love talking about POV. I find it so fascinating: that things are true in one person’s world that aren’t true in another’s. That when reading someone’s POV we believe them... until we really, really don’t. Messing with POV, and tipping a wink to POVs we don’t get, is one of my favourite parts of writing.
I am morally certain Serene’s escapades are legendary among the elves, and people know she has a blond bimbo male swordsister (oh merciless goddess) and a redheaded floozy bluestocking no better than he should be always hanging about (fetch the elven smelling salts). So Golden’s pre-scandalized before meeting, but is also intrigued. And he KNOWS Serene, and he knows Serene didn’t improve her letters on her own, so he has a suspisement Elliot’s been lending a helping hand to the courtship. So Golden is a little suspicious and a little flustered, but also a little intrigued by this brazen hussy. Golden has been brought up prim and proper but is a lil bit of a rebel, so he’s prepared to be open-minded about his betrothed’s wild friends.
Bit lucky Elliot was clearly involved in something with Luke and thus presumably not still casting sheep’s eyes at Golden’s betrothed though. Golden would have nipped that RIGHT in the bud in a SCATHING fashion. Men can be so sly with their wiles. Women just don’t realize.