Nothing Lilia does is ever good enough for her overbearing mother-in-law.

Herriton doesn't share our enthusiasm for Lilia's free spirit. Sure, she might not be the best at keeping house, but we don't see anything wrong with her letting Irma wear rings.Īnd even if she's a klutz for falling off her bike, the fact that she wanted to learn in the first place shows how eager she is to experience new things and break out of the boring routine of Sawston life. She is impulsive, fun, and always on the lookout for a new adventure. To be honest, Lilia sounds pretty awesome-the kind of free spirit that we'd love to go on roadtrips with. If she had not been a relative, it would have been entertaining. She learnt to bicycle, for the purpose of waking the place up, and coasted down the High Street one Sunday evening, falling off at the turn by the church. She let Irma stop away from school for insufficient reasons, and she allowed her to wear rings. Herriton, who kept her servants for years, had to step across and adjust. She was a bad housekeeper, always in the throes of some domestic crisis, which Mrs. Lilia would not settle down in her place among Sawston matrons. Herriton is shocked- shocked-by Lilia's lack of proper manners and drinking-tea-with-the-pinky-finger-extended skillz: Herriton bossed her around non-stop: on what to say and how to say it, who to socialize with and who to avoid, how to act, dress, walk, and probably even how to breathe.

Ever since Lilia married Charles Herriton, her mother-in-law Mrs.

Where angels fear to tread novel