L. T. Meade

Red Rose and Tiger Lily L. T. Meade

Elizabeth Thomasina Meade Smith (1854 - 1914) wrote under the pseudonym L T Meade. She began writing as a teenager and produced more than 300 books in her career. Meade was the editor of the girls' magazine Atlanta. Her best-known book was A World of Girls published in 1886. Meade also coauthored several mysteries with Robert Eustace. Her books include A Knight of To-day (1877), Bel-Marjory (1878), Mou-setse: a Negro Hero (1880), Mother Herring's Chickens (1881), A London Baby: The Story of King Roy (1883), Two Sisters (1884), The Angel of Life (1885), A World of Girls (1886), Sweet Nancy (1887), Nobody's Neighbors (1887), Deb and The Duchess (1888), Girls of the Forest (1908), Aylwyn's Friends (1909), Pretty Girl and the Others (1910). Red Rose and Tiger Lily is the story of a young girl and her girlish tribulations. The story of Hester begins, "Hester Thornton stepped out of the drawing-room at the Grange, and, walking a little way down the broad gravel sweep, began to listen intently. Hester was about seventeen--a slender girl for her age. Her eyes were dark, her eyebrows somewhat strongly marked, her abundant hair, of a much lighter shade of brown, was coiled in close folds round her well-shaped head. Her lips were slightly compressed, her chin showed determination. Hester had not been beautiful as a child, and she was not beautiful as a girl, but her face was pleasant to look at, very bright when animated, very steadfast and sweet when in repose. The air was like nectar to her cheeks. She was naturally a pale girl, but a faint rose colour was now discernible in her complexion, and the look of expectation in her dark eyes made them charming."