1. “Her accents proclaimed her a lady. Worse–if there could be a worse species of humanity–she was, by the sounds of it, a bluestocking. Lord Dain had never before in his life met a female who’d even heard of an equation, let alone was aware that one balanced them” (Chase 26).
Novelist Frances (Fanny) Burney. Portrait by her brother, Edward Francis Burney, c. 1784-1785. Located in the National Portrait Gallery, London. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Burney was a “bluestocking,” a term coined in the 18thC to refer to an intellectual or educated woman. Socialite Elizabeth Montagu organized the Blue Stockings Society in the 1750s in an effort to cultivate intellectual discussion among women.
Dain has always viewed certain types of women in a stereotypical way, but Jessica is different. What it is about Jessica that disrupts Dain’s assumptions about certain types of women? Do you think this scares or is intriguing to Dain? How?
2. “Since the encounter at the coffee shop, he could not bear to have Bertie out of his sight. Wherever Dain went, whatever he did, he could not enjoy himself unless Bertie was there.
“Bertie, of course, believed he’d finally won Dain’s undying friendship. Gullible baconbrain that he was, Bertie had no idea that the alleged friendship was Dain’s revenge on her.
“Which only showed how despicable a villain Dain was. His quarrel was with Jessica, but no, he couldn’t fight fair and square with someone capable of fighting back. He had to punish her via her poor, stupid brother, who hadn’t the least idea how to defend himself” (Chase 67-68).
Bertie is an important character in Lord of Scoundrels. What function do you think Bertie plays in the courtship of Dain and Jessica? In what ways do you think Bertie’s situation hinders Jessica’s feelings towards Dain?
Group 9 MB
ENGH 202: Why Women Read Romance 
1. Jessica is really different from all the women who has been around Dain. She is smart, and very declarative of her rights and independence. She shows no shame in who she is and talks back to Dain something he actually finds intriguing and attractive. Dain has never encountered a woman who is different in that sort of manner. Jessica talks back, insults, and even slapped him across the face, which probably turned him on because he kissed her right after.
2. I believe Bertie would be the barrier between Dain and Jessica. After the incident in the coffee shop something changed between them. Jessica felt disgusted for what he did to her brother. Bertie’s situation hinders Jessica’s feelings towards Dain because Bertie can pull out the ugly, nasty side of him that Jessica does not like.