I just finished My Cousin Rachel today and absolutely loved it! So much so that I went back to actually read the introduction. I also skimmed through a few chunks again so I could add highlights on my e-reader for different lines that were interesting or relevant for Philip and Rachel’s characters. I’ve been thinking about this book all day, and pondering all the interactions leading to the ending.
The below line confuses me though, because I feel like I am missing a joke. At this point Philip and Rachel have been flirty, so it also seems like there could be an innuendo here as well. Is it obvious and going right over my head? Or is it just a line that’s meant to be a pleasant exchange?
About halfway through chapter 12:
“I understood,” I said, “that Ambrose told you no woman was fit to look upon before eleven. What are you doing downstairs at half-past eight?”
And then a page later:
“Ambrose was wrong in what he said of women,” I shouted. “At half-past eight in the morning, they look very well indeed.”
“Ambrose was not referring to half-past eight,” she called back to me; “he was referring to half-past six, and he did not mean downstairs.”
I turned back laughing into the dining room.
Would anyone be able to clarify for me what the joke is if there is one?
Edit: formatting
by black-cat-on-bag