The Woman in the Green Dress Quotes

“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

“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

“A movement caught his attention. A flash of white, a dash of color, dusty red against the gray-green of the leaves. Dragon lizards skittered into hiding behind the rocks as he stepped out of the trees into the clearing.
A girl, hair dangling down her back in disarray, homespun skirt hitched up underneath a heavy leather apron, her brown feet bare, crouched beside a pool, hand outstretched to a pure white animal with large powerful hind legs and a long muscular tail.
He'd read about these strange quadrupeds in the baron's notes. Kangaroos, the New Hollanders called them, and they were plentiful, reds and browns and grays, but white? And the girl like some Valkyrie. Hair the color of warm chestnut settling around her sculptured face.”
― Tea Cooper, The Woman in the Green Dress

“He hadn't dreamed the look of fury on her face nor the harsh words she'd spoken, not allowing him the opportunity to explain.
The picture of her simple beauty, loose-limbed grace, and blatant fury shimmered before him. So far removed from any other female he'd ever come across. The outrage rippling through her, so intense it radiated like heat from her body. Her eyes flashing, no sign of fear for herself. He hadn't wanted her to flee. He wanted to know more.”
― Tea Cooper, The Woman in the Green Dress

“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

“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

“Clustered everywhere were low-growing bushes covered in dazzling pink flowers and above them the yellow of the wattle.
"Boronia ledifolia."
How personable and attentive he was, with his ruffled hair and a half smile of amusement hovering on his lips. "I'm sorry?"
"The pink bushes, and above us Acacia, and those big red flowers over there."
She turned and gazed at the densely packed red flowers bright as Indian rubies against the bush.
"Waratah Telopea.”
― Tea Cooper, The Woman in the Green Dress

“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

“It was the strangest thing. Rough against her fingers until she turned it over. Where the outside coating had chipped away, a blinding flash of color shone. She twisted it in the sunlight, producing a play of color more startling than any rainbow.”
― Tea Cooper, The Woman in the Green Dress

“Cutting and polishing an opal is a great skill. The outer casing has to be removed with a diamond saw and then it is shaped. The Romans mastered the art thousands of years ago."
Della ran her finger over the stone. "Where did the name opal come from?"
"From the Sanskrit meaning 'precious stone,' and later the Greek derivative opallios, meaning 'a change of color'.”
― Tea Cooper, The Woman in the Green Dress

“The overblown woman swept out in a waft of attar of roses and Della stood relishing the patch of frail sunlight, imagining herself down by the creek feeding Tidda a handful of sweetgrass while she listened to the Darkinjung women tell their stories.”
― Tea Cooper, The Woman in the Green Dress

“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

“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