The Woman in the Green Dress QUOTES

1 " Primrose acquired a copy of Sir Walter Scott's novel Anne of Geierstein. The story tells of an enchanted princess who wore an opal that changed colors with her moods. Primrose became convinced Menge's stone was an opal. In the novel a few drops of holy water extinguish the stone's magic fire and the princess is reduced to ashes. As was my poor Primrose."
The hairs on Stefan's forearms stood to attention. How ridiculous! Bishop would have him believing this fictional nonsense before long. Only a year after the publication of Scott's book people began associating opals with bad luck until Queen Victoria became totally enamored with the gemstones and the demand rebounded to such an extent the Hungarian mines as good as dried up. But none of that was relevant. "

― Tea Cooper , The Woman in the Green Dress

3 " Della sank down beside the creek, waiting for the flash of white fur that would herald Tidda's arrival. The first time she'd come across Tidda she'd been no more than a joey hardly big enough to be out of her mother's pouch. Perhaps because she was different, with her strange lack of color and red eyes, the mob had rejected her. Charity reckoned it was the sign of the devil, a punishment or a curse from the Darkinjung ancestral spirits. That was nothing but a load of rubbish. Tidda was more beautiful than most because of the strange trick natures had played upon her. "

― Tea Cooper , The Woman in the Green Dress

5 " Dot slapped the loaf down onto the table along with more of the same delicious-looking butter Marianne had provided, and honey this time. No rations in this part of the world. She spread the butter thinly, not wanting to appear greedy.
"Give it here." Dot grabbed the knife from her and spread the butter about half an inch thick. "We don't stand on ceremony." Then she put a dollop of honey in the middle and tipped the bread until it drizzled to the very edge. "Can't have you dying of starvation in the middle of the common."
Highly unlikely that would happen. She wouldn't fit into any of her clothes if she kept eating this way. "

― Tea Cooper , The Woman in the Green Dress

7 " She could see why men and women through the ages had become besotted with opals. It was as though an almighty hand had scooped a palmful of emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, and pearls and mixed their radiant hues. Fit for a queen. Such a noble stone. "

― Tea Cooper , The Woman in the Green Dress

9 " And you'll be able to tell whether or not this is an opal?"
"According to the baron's instructions, it should have a transparent or white body tone, then we must look at the background color, a slight tinge of color, like a spark of fire." Stefan gave a satisfied grunt and held it up to the light. "It has a wonderful luster and a play of color."
Della peered over his shoulder. "Where do they come from? How are they made?"
"Mother Nature at her best. Unique conditions first. Heavy seasonal rains in parched desert regions where the ground is rich in silica."
"What's sillyka?"
"A colorless chemical compound, one of the most common elements on earth after oxygen."
"Then what makes this so special? You'd think we trip over them all over the place. I ain't never seen one."
"Because the conditions must be just right. Rainwater trickles down into the earth and carries silica-rich solutions into the cavities between the rocks. Then hot summers dry the earth, and as the water evaporates the silica stays in place, and over millions of years the opals form. The purity, intensity, and brilliance of color increases the deeper the rock is penetrated."
"Before it just looked like a dirty white pebble."
"You're right. The actual color is a pearl gray; sometimes you see a little pale-red or yellow tint, but with reflected light it presents all the colors of the rainbow. "

― Tea Cooper , The Woman in the Green Dress

11 " Impressive stands of flowers, bigger than anything she had ever seen, lined the track. Red as blood and clustered around a stem taller than even the captain astride his fine horse. "What are they?"
"The flame lily. Doryanthes excelsa. It derives from two Greek words- dory, meaning spear, and anthos, meaning flower." He pored over the notebook again. "A truly iconic plant, indigenous to the Sydney area. The botanic name, Doryanthes, refers to the beacon-like flower heads that stand out in the bush. "

― Tea Cooper , The Woman in the Green Dress

13 " journey. Satisfied everything was out of harm’s way, she wiped aside the trailing creeper that liked to snatch at her face with every gust of wind and slipped through the walkway to the place she and Charity called home. "

― Tea Cooper , The Woman in the Green Dress