Francesca Bridgerton
John Stirling, Francesca's husband had died. She had been widowed young. Michael described her as follows while she was mourning, "It was Francesca, still wearing that hollow look, her face a blank mask that tore at his heart far more than her wailing sorrow ever could have done...Her chestnut hair was pulled back into a simple queue, and her face was pale. She looked young, barely out of the schoolroom, certainly too young for this sort of heartbreak. " The narrator used descriptive words such as hollow, blank, and wailing to describe Francesca's face. Her hair is described using the adjective chestnut. These adjectives create imagery such that readers can imagine Francesca's sorrowful look in their minds.
India
Michael Stirling (the new Earl of Kilmartin) wrote a letter to Francesca after his arrival in India. The description of India and his feelings about the country is as follows, "...you would enjoy it here. Not the heat, I should think; no one seems to enjoy the heat. But the rest would enchant you. The colors, the spices, the scent of the air—they can place one in a strange, sensuous haze that is at turns unsettling and intoxicating. Most of all, I think you would enjoy the pleasure gardens. They are rather like our London parks, except far more green and lush, and full of the most remarkable flowers you have ever seen." In the description of India, Michael used adjectives such as green and lush, and comparing Indian to the parks in London builds imagery on how India looks and its appeal to foreigners.
Colors
Francesca had finished mourning her husband John. She was excited to wear bright colors in the upcoming season in London. The narrator says, "It was time to wear blue. Bright, beautiful, cornflower blue. It had been her favorite color years ago, and she’d been vain enough that she’d worn it fully expecting people to comment on how it matched her eyes. She’d buy blue, and yes, pink and yellow as well, and maybe even—something in her heart shivered with anticipation at the thought—crimson..." The description of the colors builds imagery. The blue color is described as cornflower, bright and beautiful, and that it matched her eyes. The imagery builds a mental image of the bright blue, yellow, and crimson colors that Francesca wanted to wear.
The Library
Francesca Bridgerton Stirling describes the library as, "The library. That was it. It was small and cozy, and if Francesca shut the door, a fire in its grate would keep the room nice and toasty. Furthermore, there was a settee on which she could lie. It was small, but then again, so was she, and it couldn’t possibly be any worse than freezing to death in her bedroom..." The description of the room using adjectives such as small, cozy, nice, toasty build imagery on the likeness of the library at Kilmartin House.
