Elegance

Elegance
Kathleen Tessaro

An enchanting novel brimming with poignancy, humour, enchantment and insight, this is a stunning debut. Imagine an Audrey Hepburn film in the present day…It was a slim, grey volume entitled Elegance…Louise Canova is at a crossroads in her life. Her marriage is faltering and the insecurities of adolescence have returned to haunt her. Browsing in a second-hand bookshop, she stumbles across a faded grey volume. Written by the formidable French fashion expert, Madame Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, Elegance is an encyclopedia of style. It promises to transform plain women into creatures of poise at all times. And from Accessories to Zippers, there is nothing that Madame Dariaux can’t advise upon – including inattentive husbands, false friends, and the powerful bond between mothers and daughters.When Louise vows to follow Madame’s advice, her life is transformed in ways she never imagined. Within the book’s pages lie clues to her own past. And as she begins to unravel them, she discovers a courage she never dreamt possible.However, everything, even elegance, has its price.Starting with A and finishing with Z, Elegance is a unique journey of timeless fashion, true friendship, and the rare, unexpected gift of love.

KATHLEEN TESSARO

ELEGANCE

Copyright (#ud0d9374f-b5cc-51bc-ae76-537c20386e38)

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/)

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2003

Copyright © Kathleen Tessaro 2003

Lines from ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’, taken from Collected Poems 1909–1962 by T.S. Eliot, reproduced by permission of Faber & Faber Ltd.

Extracts from Elegance by Genevieve Antoine Dariaux, published by Frederick Muller, reprinted by permission of The Random House Group Ltd.

Kathleen Tessaro asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9780007151424

Ebook Edition © JUNE 2009 ISBN: 9780007330768

Version: 2016–12–12

I’d like to thank my dear friends Maria and Gavin for their inspiration and encouragement, all the girls at the Tuesday Night Wimpole Street Writers Workshop for teaching me how it’s done, Jonny Geller, Lynne Drew, and the entire team at HarperCollins, William Morrow and Curtis Brown for their support and vision. I’d also like to thank the London office of Wellington Management and Stephen McDermott in particular, who saved my manuscript from the ether more than once.

Dedication (#ulink_f4ee6afe-4fb4-5e53-84d7-67e905d179da)

To my friend and mentor, Jill Robinson.

Table of Contents

Title Page (#u3a0981b5-857d-5e16-8c6d-e7b747ae5ab8)

Copyright (#uc4726d49-56f2-57cf-9eff-02c7a717b6b5)

Dedication (#u93e1005a-1d47-533a-82d7-c9a7f4e8550a)

Preface (#u471d7f9a-e5c6-50c7-b735-8e76daa3a8e9)

What is Elegance? (#u8b5283b7-f16a-5f23-bb56-666cde566433)

Chapter 1 - A: Accessories (#ub62ec4ee-fbfa-5986-b718-12fe4ae8b5ca)

Chapter 2 - B: Beauty (#u7ac9733a-d0d8-514e-8c08-a8c6ad91efe7)

Chapter 3 - C: Comfort (#u7e7d76ed-8298-5794-bb5a-fcbedcb6fe8b)

Chapter 4 - D: Daughters (#ub402a5ee-f073-5fc0-b85e-24b29735e2ac)

Chapter 5 - E: Expecting (#uce55670a-4817-502c-90ce-60aa572eaee7)

Chapter 6 - F: Fur (#ue143c0cc-7f34-5a9d-9395-c48f541f1a09)

Chapter 7 - G: Girl friends (#ufbcecd97-f254-578f-8d3c-a0afc11693bf)

Chapter 8 - H: Husbands (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 - I: Ideal Wardrobe (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 - J: Jewellery (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 - K: Knitwear (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 - L: Lingerie (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 - M: Make-up (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 - N: Négligées (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15 - O: Occasions (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16 - P: Pounds (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17 - Q: Quality/Quantity (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 18 - R: Restaurants (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 19 - S: Sex (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 20 - T: Tan (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 21 - U: Uniformity (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 22 - V: Veils (#litres_trial_promo)