--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, now, if we’d known we were going to…" description: "\"“Well, now, if we’d known we were going to have such…ah…gra…that is, illustrious company, we’d have-“ “Swept off the chairs?” Lucinda suggested acidly...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/judith-mcnaught-687_aimless-life_well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to_1967717.png" --- # Well, now, if we’d known we were going to have… ![“Well, now, if we’d known we were going to have such…ah…gra…that is, illustrious company, we’d have-“ “Swept off the chairs?” Lucinda suggested acidly. “Shoveled off the floor?” “Lucinda!” Elizabeth whispered desperately. “They didn’t know we were coming.” “No respectable person would dwell in such…” quote by Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/judith-mcnaught-687_aimless-life_well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to_1967717.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/judith-mcnaught-687_aimless-life_well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to_1967717.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/judith-mcnaught-687_aimless-life_well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to_1967717.png) > ““Well, now, if we’d known we were going to have such…ah…gra…that is, illustrious company, we’d have-“ “Swept off the chairs?” Lucinda suggested acidly. “Shoveled off the floor?” “Lucinda!” Elizabeth whispered desperately. “They didn’t know we were coming.” “No respectable person would dwell in such a place even for a night,” she snapped, and Elizabeth watched in mingled distress and admiration as the redoubtable woman turned around and directed her attack on their unwilling host. “The responsibility for our being here is yours, whether it was a mistake or not! I shall expect you to rout your servants from their hiding places and have them bring clean linens up to us at once. I shall also expect them to have this squalor remedied by morning! It is obvious from your behavior that you are no gentleman; however, we are ladies, and we shall expect to be treated as such.” From the corner of her eye Elizabeth had been watching Ian Thornton, who was listening to all of this, his jaw rigid, a muscle beginning to twitch dangerously in the side of his neck. Lucinda, however, was either unaware of or unconcerned with his reaction, for, as she picked up her skirts and turned toward the stairs, she turned on Jake. “You may show us to our chambers. We wish to retire.” “Retire!” cried Jake, thunderstruck. “But-but what about supper?” he sputtered. “You may bring it up to us.” Elizabeth saw the blank look on Jake’s face, and she endeavored to translate, politely, what the irate woman was saying to the startled red-haired man. “What Miss Throckmorton-Jones means is that we’re rather exhausted from our trip and not very good company, sir, and so we prefer to dine in our rooms.” “You will dine,” Ian Thornton said in an awful voice that made Elizabeth freeze, “on what you cook for yourself, madam. If you want clean linens, you’ll get them yourself from the cabinet. If you want clean rooms, clean them! Am I making myself clear?” “Perfectly!” Elizabeth began furiously, but Lucinda interrupted in a voice shaking with ire: “Are you suggesting, sirrah, that we are to do the work of servants?” Ian’s experience with the ton and with Elizabeth had given him a lively contempt for ambitious, shallow, self-indulgent young women whose single goal in life was to acquire as many gowns and jewels as possible with the least amount of effort, and he aimed his attack at Elizabeth. “I am suggesting that you look after yourself for the first time in your silly, aimless life. In return for that, I am willing to give you a roof over your head and to share our food with you until I can get you to the village. If that is too overwhelming a task for you, then my original invitation still stands: There’s the door. Use it!” Elizabeth knew the man was irrational, and it wasn’t worth riling herself to reply to him, so she turned instead to Lucinda. “Lucinda,” she said with weary resignation, “do not upset yourself by trying to make Mr. Thornton understand that his mistake has inconvenienced us , not the other way around. You will only waste your time. A gentleman of breeding would be perfectly able to understand that he should be apologizing instead of ranting and raving. However, as I told you before we came here, Mr. Thornton is no gentleman. The simple fact is that he enjoys humiliating people, and he will continue trying to humiliate us for as long as we stand here.” Elizabeth cast a look of well-bred disdain over Ian and said, “Good night, Mr. Thornton.” Turning, she softened her voice a little and said, “Good evening, Mr. Wiley.”” [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A demanding lady asserts her expectations for service and respect, confronting a host and a reluctant servant, highlighting class tension and authority. **In simple terms:** She demands proper treatment and cleanliness. Key Takeaway Stand up for your standards. Themes class authority service gender roles Mood tense dramatic Type dialogue conflict When to use this quote - hospitality industry - travel - domestic work - social gatherings Key Concepts social hierarchy power dynamics etiquette Questions to Reflect On - What would you do in a similar power imbalance? - How can hospitality be improved respectfully? A Different Perspective May reflect outdated gender expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aimless life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aimless-life/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Elizabeth Suggesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth-suggesting-3284907/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Gaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaze/) [Good company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-company/) [Good evening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-evening/) [Lucinda Interrupted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucinda-interrupted-3284908/) [Lucinda Suggested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucinda-suggested-3284910/) [Roof over your head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roof-over-your-head/) [Rooms Dine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms-dine-3284911/) [Swept Chairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swept-chairs-3284909/) ## Related quotes > [Health requires this relaxation, this aimless life. This life in the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/health-requires-this-relaxation-this-aimless-life-this-life-in-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [He who parades his virtues seldom leads the parade. He who puts up with insult invites injury. Health requires this relaxation, this aimless life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/he-who-parades-his-virtues-seldom-leads-the-parade-he-who-puts-up/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [If everything would have been perfect, it would have been an aimless life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pau/if-everything-would-have-been-perfect-it-would-have-been-an-aimless/) [Pau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pau/) > [Sometimes it may seem to us that there is no purpose in our lives, that going day after day for years to this office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caryll-houselander/sometimes-it-may-seem-to-us-that-there-is-no-purpose-in-our-lives/) [Caryll Houselander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caryll-houselander/) > [An aimless life is always a troubled life. Every individual should have an aim. But do not forget that the quality of your aim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/an-aimless-life-is-always-a-troubled-life-every-individual-should/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [Working towards a goal we have set is in itself an achievement! It makes us people who are more likely to achieve great heights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mufti-ismail-menk/working-towards-a-goal-we-have-set-is-in-itself-an-achievement-it/) [Mufti Ismail Menk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mufti-ismail-menk/) > [These struggling tides of life that seem In wayward, aimless course to tend, Are eddies of the mighty stream That rolls to its appointed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-bryant/these-struggling-tides-of-life-that-seem-in-wayward-aimless-course-to/) [William C. Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-bryant/) > [If I have a last wish, I want to remember you. In an aimless life, to not even have those memories would be hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyung-chul/if-i-have-a-last-wish-i-want-to-remember-you-in-an-aimless-life-to/) [Lee Hyung-chul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyung-chul/) > [“Without purpose, we're zombies aimlessly roaming the earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-mostafa/without-purpose-we-re-zombies-aimlessly-roaming-the-earth/) [Ahmed Mostafa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-mostafa/) > [To the Taoist mentality, the aimless, empty life does not suggest anything depressing. On the contrary, it suggests the freedom of clouds and mountain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/to-the-taoist-mentality-the-aimless-empty-life-does-not-suggest/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [When safety is our priority, we live our lives being very, very careful, and we wind up having no lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/when-safety-is-our-priority-we-live-our-lives-being-very-very-careful/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [Must be out-of-doors enough to get experience of wholesome reality, as a ballast to thought and sentiment. Health requires this relaxation, this aimless life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/must-be-out-of-doors-enough-to-get-experience-of-wholesome-reality-as/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More by Judith McNaught > [“What, may I ask, does your one truck contain if not gowns?” Inspiration struck, and Elizabeth smiled radiantly. “Something of great value. Priceless value,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/what-may-i-ask-does-your-one-truck-contain-if-not-gowns-inspiration/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“When she was turning the bacon, he came up behind her, his hands settling on her waist as he peered over her shoulder. “That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/when-she-was-turning-the-bacon-he-came-up-behind-her-his-hands/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“At five minutes to five,Jim walked into Mary's office, wearing his gray sweater and balancing four pieces of birthday cake on two plates. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/at-five-minutes-to-five-jim-walked-into-mary-s-office-wearing-his/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“To have him look at her as if she was a piece of office equipment whose presence offended him but whom he was obliged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/to-have-him-look-at-her-as-if-she-was-a-piece-of-office-equipment/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“Am I to assume the Valerie I was introduced to earlier was the Valerie of our greenhouse notes?” He realized his mistake the instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/am-i-to-assume-the-valerie-i-was-introduced-to-earlier-was-the/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“How ‘bout some coffee?” Jake said as he hurried over to the coffee pot on the stove and filled a mug with the remainder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/how-bout-some-coffee-jake-said-as-he-hurried-over-to-the-coffee-pot/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“He bowed politely to Hortense, who tipped her head toward the elderly gray-haired lady beside her, who seemed to be dozing, her head drooping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/he-bowed-politely-to-hortense-who-tipped-her-head-toward-the-elderly/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“He finished his meeting a few minutes later and almost rudely ejected his business acquaintances from his library, then he went in search of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/he-finished-his-meeting-a-few-minutes-later-and-almost-rudely-ejected/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“When I’m under stress,” he emphasized, sliding the magnificent emerald onto her finger, “I buy everything in sight. It took my last ounce of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/when-i-m-under-stress-he-emphasized-sliding-the-magnificent-emerald/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [Some people feel love in their hearts, Julie. Some of us feel it all way into our souls. We're the ones who can't forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/some-people-feel-love-in-their-hearts-julie-some-of-us-feel-it-all/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“Lady Thornton, how very good of you to find the time to pay us a social call! Would it be too pushing of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/lady-thornton-how-very-good-of-you-to-find-the-time-to-pay-us-a/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“The truth is that I want you. I have always wanted you, and you know that.” “I hate that word,” she burst out, trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/the-truth-is-that-i-want-you-i-have-always-wanted-you-and-you-know/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“In some ways it seemed wrong that he lived here now, in this solitary place. At least part of the time he ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/in-some-ways-it-seemed-wrong-that-he-lived-here-now-in-this-solitary/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [“We need to straighten out some personal matters between us. Why don't we do it over dinner tonight?" he suggested. Lauren courteously refused with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/we-need-to-straighten-out-some-personal-matters-between-us-why-don-t/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) > [she kissed him with all the aching longing that being this close to him evoked; she kissed him in all the ways he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/she-kissed-him-with-all-the-aching-longing-that-being-this-close-to/) [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) [Explore all 405 Judith McNaught quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) ## More Aimless life quotes > [Health requires this relaxation, this aimless life. This life in the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/health-requires-this-relaxation-this-aimless-life-this-life-in-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [When safety is our priority, we live our lives being very, very careful, and we wind up having no lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/when-safety-is-our-priority-we-live-our-lives-being-very-very-careful/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [To the Taoist mentality, the aimless, empty life does not suggest anything depressing. On the contrary, it suggests the freedom of clouds and mountain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/to-the-taoist-mentality-the-aimless-empty-life-does-not-suggest/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [“Without purpose, we're zombies aimlessly roaming the earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-mostafa/without-purpose-we-re-zombies-aimlessly-roaming-the-earth/) [Ahmed Mostafa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-mostafa/) > [If I have a last wish, I want to remember you. In an aimless life, to not even have those memories would be hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyung-chul/if-i-have-a-last-wish-i-want-to-remember-you-in-an-aimless-life-to/) [Lee Hyung-chul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyung-chul/) > [These struggling tides of life that seem In wayward, aimless course to tend, Are eddies of the mighty stream That rolls to its appointed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-c-bryant/these-struggling-tides-of-life-that-seem-in-wayward-aimless-course-to/) [William C. Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-c-bryant/) > [Working towards a goal we have set is in itself an achievement! It makes us people who are more likely to achieve great heights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mufti-ismail-menk/working-towards-a-goal-we-have-set-is-in-itself-an-achievement-it/) [Mufti Ismail Menk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mufti-ismail-menk/) > [An aimless life is always a troubled life. Every individual should have an aim. But do not forget that the quality of your aim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/an-aimless-life-is-always-a-troubled-life-every-individual-should/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [Sometimes it may seem to us that there is no purpose in our lives, that going day after day for years to this office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caryll-houselander/sometimes-it-may-seem-to-us-that-there-is-no-purpose-in-our-lives/) [Caryll Houselander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caryll-houselander/) > [If everything would have been perfect, it would have been an aimless life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pau/if-everything-would-have-been-perfect-it-would-have-been-an-aimless/) [Pau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pau/) > [He who parades his virtues seldom leads the parade. He who puts up with insult invites injury. Health requires this relaxation, this aimless life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/he-who-parades-his-virtues-seldom-leads-the-parade-he-who-puts-up/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Must be out-of-doors enough to get experience of wholesome reality, as a ballast to thought and sentiment. Health requires this relaxation, this aimless life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/must-be-out-of-doors-enough-to-get-experience-of-wholesome-reality-as/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 13 Aimless life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aimless-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Well, now, if we’d known we were going to have such…ah…gra…that is, illustrious company, we’d have-“ “Swept off the chairs?” Lucinda suggested acidly. “Shoveled off the floor?” “Lucinda!” Elizabeth whispered desperately. “They didn’t know we were coming.” “No respectable person would dwell in such a place even for a night,” she snapped, and Elizabeth watched in mingled distress and admiration as the redoubtable woman turned around and directed her attack on their unwilling host. “The responsibility for our being here is yours, whether it was a mistake or not! I shall expect you to rout your servants from their hiding places and have them bring clean linens up to us at once. I shall also expect them to have this squalor remedied by morning! It is obvious from your behavior that you are no gentleman; however, we are ladies, and we shall expect to be treated as such.” From the corner of her eye Elizabeth had been watching Ian Thornton, who was listening to all of this, his jaw rigid, a muscle beginning to twitch dangerously in the side of his neck. Lucinda, however, was either unaware of or unconcerned with his reaction, for, as she picked up her skirts and turned toward the stairs, she turned on Jake. “You may show us to our chambers. We wish to retire.” “Retire!” cried Jake, thunderstruck. “But-but what about supper?” he sputtered. “You may bring it up to us.” Elizabeth saw the blank look on Jake’s face, and she endeavored to translate, politely, what the irate woman was saying to the startled red-haired man. “What Miss Throckmorton-Jones means is that we’re rather exhausted from our trip and not very good company, sir, and so we prefer to dine in our rooms.” “You will dine,” Ian Thornton said in an awful voice that made Elizabeth freeze, “on what you cook for yourself, madam. If you want clean linens, you’ll get them yourself from the cabinet. If you want clean rooms, clean them! Am I making myself clear?” “Perfectly!” Elizabeth began furiously, but Lucinda interrupted in a voice shaking with ire: “Are you suggesting, sirrah, that we are to do the work of servants?” Ian’s experience with the ton and with Elizabeth had given him a lively contempt for ambitious, shallow, self-indulgent young women whose single goal in life was to acquire as many gowns and jewels as possible with the least amount of effort, and he aimed his attack at Elizabeth. “I am suggesting that you look after yourself for the first time in your silly, aimless life. In return for that, I am willing to give you a roof over your head and to share our food with you until I can get you to the village. If that is too overwhelming a task for you, then my original invitation still stands: There’s the door. Use it!” Elizabeth knew the man was irrational, and it wasn’t worth riling herself to reply to him, so she turned instead to Lucinda. “Lucinda,” she said with weary resignation, “do not upset yourself by trying to make Mr. Thornton understand that his mistake has inconvenienced us , not the other way around. You will only waste your time. A gentleman of breeding would be perfectly able to understand that he should be apologizing instead of ranting and raving. However, as I told you before we came here, Mr. Thornton is no gentleman. The simple fact is that he enjoys humiliating people, and he will continue trying to humiliate us for as long as we stand here.” Elizabeth cast a look of well-bred disdain over Ian and said, “Good night, Mr. Thornton.” Turning, she softened her voice a little and said, “Good evening, Mr. Wiley.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Judith McNaught" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to-have-such-ah-gra-that-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aimless life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to-have-such-ah-gra-that-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/judith-mcnaught-687_aimless-life_well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to_1967717.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/judith-mcnaught-687_aimless-life_well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to_1967717.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/186/judith-mcnaught-687_aimless-life_well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to_1967717.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Well, now, if we’d known we were going to have such…ah…gra…that is, illustrious company, we’d have-“ “Swept…” — Judith McNaught", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Judith McNaught", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Well, now, if we’d known we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to-have-such-ah-gra-that-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/well-now-if-we-d-known-we-were-going-to-have-such-ah-gra-that-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```